Skool Pricing

Skool Community Pricing Guide 2025

How Much Does Skool Cost?

For members who’d like to start a Skool community, Skool charges a flat $99 per month. That covers all core features: community hosting, course creation, and payment processing.

Unlike other platforms, there’s no scaling cost based on the number of members or the size of your community – it’s one predictable price.

Moreover, Skool provides a 14-day free trial so you can have a look around the platform before committing to it. This trial gives you full access to all of its features to see how Skool will work for your specific needs, risk-free.

Payment on Skool: How It Works

Skool is integrated with Stripe Express, one of the more trusted payment processors, to take care of all the payment-related operations. This integration ensures secure, automated, and straightforward transactions for creators and members alike.

Paying for Skool

When your free trial ends, your $99/month subscription fee is automatically billed through Stripe Express.

There are no hidden costs for hosting, content uploads or adding members. It’s all-in for $99, which makes Skool super easy to budget for.

Getting Paid with Skool

For creators who monetize their communities or courses, Stripe Express handles everything from payment processing to making payouts weekly. Here’s how it works:

Earnings are deposited into your bank account every Wednesday.

The timing of payouts to U.S. accounts takes 1-3 business days, while international payouts may take 3-5 days.

Please note that the first payout might take up to 14 days due to the different checks that Stripe’s processing runs, but all following payouts adhere to a weekly schedule.

Stripe Express is used for payouts so that you don’t have to deal with paying manually and to provide security for you and your members.

Skool’s Payment Setup

Stripe Express: The Integrated Payment Processor for Skool

Skool integrated with Stripe Express, making it seamless to keep your payments and payouts organized. Stripe Express is the lightweight, user-friendly version of Stripe for creators using platforms such as Skool.

With Stripe Express, handling transactions couldn’t be easier; now you get to focus on your community, not the technicalities of payment processing.

Here’s a breakdown of how Stripe Express works within Skool:

Payment Collection: Stripe Express handles payments from your members, whether for monthly subscriptions, one-time courses, or other products.

Automated Payouts: Once your earnings are collected, Stripe Express ensures automatic weekly payouts to your linked bank account. For U.S.-based creators, payouts typically arrive within 1-3 business days. International creators may see their payouts within 3-5 days.

Security and ease: Stripe is very secure and reliable; hence your payments are securely processed. Stripe Express makes the process of linking your bank account and identity verification even easier; thus, setup for creators is easy.

Fees: Stripe Express takes 2.9% + $0.30 of the transaction amount, which is the usual rate for all online payments and can be even cheaper than using Stripe directly since some international fees and subscription charges aren’t required.

Currency Handling: Stripe Express supports international payments; it automatically converts your payout to the local currency.

Stripe Express is completely integrated inside Skool, hence creating an automated and seamless process with regard to payment and how this helps minimize financial stress for creators.

Hosting a Skool Community: Free vs. Paid

Free Communities

Free communities building an audience without charging for access is a great use case. This is great in the context of testing the waters for creators or building a following with no pressure regarding monetization.

Paid Communities

Paid communities are great for recurring income. You can charge your members a recurring monthly fee to join, usually in the range of $10 to $100, depending on the value provided.

Provide value worth the increased cost with perks such as live events, coaching, or premium content.

Skool also allows for paid communities to offer a 7-day free trial, attracting new members and showing them your value before they need to invest fully.

Selling Courses and One-Time Products

Skool goes one step further with memberships and allows creators to monetize through one-time courses or workshops.

Courses range in price from $50 to $500, and obviously are dependent on the depth and value of the course in question.  

This is a fine way to take in some extra money without relying completely on subscriptions for income.

Skool’s flexibility lets you combine community memberships with à la carte courses so your audience has multiple ways to access and profit from your expertise.

Skool vs Kajabi, Thinkific, and Circle

Considering a host of platforms for building communities and hosting courses, it’s paramount to realize how Skool stacks up to competitors such as Kajabi, Thinkific, and Circle.

Here’s a breakdown based on subscription pricing and transaction fees.

Skool vs Kajabi

Pricing: Kajabi has more advanced tools for email marketing and sales funnels, but it also comes with higher subscription costs: Basic ($149/month), Growth ($199/month), and Pro ($399/month). Skool, on the other hand, has a straightforward pricing structure: $99/month.

Fees: Neither of these platforms charges transaction fees.

Key takeaway: All-in-one tools for a big business strategy might justify the cost of using Kajabi. For streamlined, community-focused education, Skool is much more affordable.

Skool vs. Thinkific

Pricing: Thinkific plans range from free to $399/month, charging a 10% transaction fee in its free plan. Paid plans have no extra fees charged. Skool’s $99/month plan is simple and fee-free.

Features: Thinkific shines for flexibility in building courses, whereas Skool focuses more on seamlessly integrating community and courses.

Key takeaway: Creators focused on ease of use and community engagement love Skool. If one needs advanced course customization, Thinkific works better.

Skool vs. Circle

Pricing: Circle starts at $49/month, scaling up to $199/month depending on features. Like Skool, Circle doesn’t charge transaction fees. Read more about the difference between the pricing between Skool and Circle.

Focus: Circle is for community building, pure and simple. Skool puts its communities alongside course hosting.

Key takeaway: Skool provides more functionality in that middle price point, making it ideal for creators who want to combine education with engagement.

Skool would work very well for someone who appreciates the simplicity, transparency, and community-oriented learning without additional costs or an overwhelming number of features.

Everything Included in the Skool Pricing: Key Features and Tools

Skool.com is specifically built to help you seamlessly build, manage, and grow your community with ease. Equipped with powerful tools at your fingertips, Skool.com makes it easy to engage your members, run events, and expand your reach.

Here is an overview of some of the key features provided by the platform:

Easy Email Communication

Skool.com will let you keep your entire community close via its email broadcast system. You can send an email to your members anytime, meaning regular updates, announcements, and news for the community-but never overwhelm them. This feature is perfect for maintaining engagement and staying connected.

Easy Event Hosting

Skool’s integrated calendar system makes it easier than ever to host and organize events. You can schedule events, set reminders, and track RSVPs all in one place within the platform.

Whether you’re hosting live webinars, workshops, or even just community meetups, the calendar tool will help you organize events and make those events very accessible to your members.

Again, remember that Skool doesn’t host events; thus, live sessions can only be hosted through integrations of third-party tools like Zoom.

Ad Integration for Growth

Skool.com helps in promoting your community before a wider audience, but it doesn’t directly handle Meta or Google ads. You can use the Plugin integration to easily set up your ad targeting by adding both the Google and Meta ads pixel into your dashboard.

Here’s a full guide on how to run meta ads for your Skool community.

You can use these external ads for the promotion of your community, but Skool mainly focuses on community and course management and allows you to use external tools for advertising.

Customizable Community Pages

Skool lets you build community pages that are both on-brand and reflect your personal style. You can customize the layout, upload logos and banners, and add other design elements that make your community unique and personalized for your audience.

However, full layout customization options are limited compared to more flexible website builders.

Discussion Forums and Group Chats

With built-in discussion forums and group chat features, Skool fuels deeper engagement. Members can engage in topic-based discussions, share insights, and make connections. This feature is great for building a collaborative environment where your members feel heard and valued.

Analytics and Insights of Members

Skool also comes with built-in analytics that help you grasp the activity and engagement level of your members.

You understand what works and what doesn’t to help you build better content and events relevant to your community.

Polls and Surveys for Feedback

Creating polls and surveys to gather feedback on what’s working and what isn’t is the easiest way to get feedback from your community. That way, you iterate on improving your offerings and stay in tune with what your members want.

Onboarding for New Members

Onboarding new members just got easier with Skool because their system automates various tasks that guide through the onboarding process.

With welcome emails and initial setup instructions, Skool has got a seamless onboarding process for every member and guides them on how to get the best out of the community.

Additional Key Features for Payments and Monetization

Lower Transaction Fees

For its part, Skool takes 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, often a fraction of the cost compared to using Stripe directly. In addition, Stripe generally takes an additional 1.5% on international cards and another 0.5% on subscriptions; moving to Skool saves you 1-2% per transaction.

Currency and Tax Handling

All subscription prices are in USD on Skool, but the payment is issued in your local currency.

VAT/Sales Tax: Skool manages all compliance on your behalf, adding tax to your purchase price when required, and remitting the amount to the government. Payouts to creators are free of VAT/sales tax because Skool is United States-based.

Dispute Management

Skool informs creators of payment disputes and lets you counter them with your evidence, including but not limited to activity by members and program deliverables. Where a dispute is accepted, your subscription is canceled and the payment is refunded back to the member.

Declined Payments

When a member’s payment fails, Skool retries the transaction for 14 days while notifying them to update their payment method. If unresolved, the member is removed after 14 days.

Member-Friendly Payment Features

Skool streamlines the behind-the-scenes payments for the members:

Members can update payment methods, download receipts, and cancel subscriptions right from their user settings.

Receipts are branded with your community name and support email for a customized experience.

When members unsubscribe, they remain active through the end of their billing cycle to reduce disruption in your community.

Countries Supported for Skool Payout

Skool supports paying out creators in more than 100 countries including the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, and many others. For international creators, your payout will automatically be converted to your local currency.

Connecting Your Bank Account

Creators must link their bank account to Skool’s payment system via Stripe Express. This process is quick but may require identity verification depending on your country. Stripe Express ensures secure transactions and seamless payouts.

Grandfathering: Keeping Existing Members at Their Current Price

Skool’s grandfathering policy ensures that existing members retain their current pricing even if they change your membership fees.

Example 1: You give them free membership to begin with, but then make it later $33/mo. Existing members stay free, and new members are charged $33/mo.

Example 2: You increase membership fees from $99/mo to $150/mo. Existing members pay $99/mo, so there is a presence of trust and loyalty among early supporters.

Refund Policy

Refunds via Skool are strictly at the discretion of the creator. In some cases, Skool does refund on behalf of the creator, under specific conditions. Still, creators should be creating and publishing a refund policy with their members to head off misunderstandings.

The 7-Day Free Trial for Paid Communities

One of the most exciting features of Skool is the 7-day free trial for paid communities. That allows potential members to experience your community in advance before committing, which increases conversions and lowers the barriers to entry.

Once the trial is over, members can decide to pay to continue accessing your content. That is a great way to show the value of the community and attract long-term subscribers. Members also gets access to the Skool Games.

Closing Thoughts: Is The Skool Price Worth It?

Skool is the leading choice for many creators who look forward to an affordable yet easy-to-use platform. With flat pricing, seamless payment handling through Stripe Express, and flexibility in monetizing options, the tool is efficient for community building and growth.

For $99/month, choose everything to host a thriving community, sell courses, and manage your payments with no hidden fees or complicated pricing tiers.

Whether one is just starting with a free group or scaling up with paid memberships and courses, Skool provides a streamlined solution for connecting with your audience and generating income in the digital space.