I Tested Circle for 90 Days — My Honest 2026 Verdict

Is Circle Worth It?

★★★★★ 4.3/5

Quick Verdict: Circle is the best all in one platform for community builders who want courses, events, and discussions under one roof. After 90 days of testing, I can say it delivers. The community engagement tools are top-notch. But it’s not cheap. Transaction fees add up fast. If you’re serious about building a thriving online community, Circle is worth every penny.

✅ Best For:

Course creators, coaches, and online negocio owners who want community, courses, and events in one place

❌ Skip If:

You’re on a tight budget or need a simple Facebook group replacement with zero transaction fees

📊 Members	27,000+ in Circle’s own community	🎯 Best For	Course creators & coaches
💰 Price	$89/mes	✅ Top Feature	Native transmisión en vivo
🎁 Free Trial	14 days, no credit card	⚠️ Limitation	Transaction fees on all plans

How I Tested Circle

Tired of juggling five different tools for your community?

One tool for courses. Another for events. A third for discussions. Plus email. Plus payments.

It’s a mess.

Enter Círculo.

In this circle.so review, I’ll share what happened after 90 days of real use. You’ll see the good, the bad, and whether it’s worth your money in 2026.

Círculo

Stop duct-taping five tools together. Circle is an online community platform that brings courses, events, discussions, and payments under one roof. Built for creators who are serious about community building. 14-day free trial, no credit card needed.

TRY CIRCLE NOW →

CIRCLE TUTORIAL →

CIRCLE ALTERNATIVES →

¿Qué es Circle?

Círculo is an online community platform designed for creators, brands, and online negocio propietarios.

Think of it like a private clubhouse for your audience.

You get discussions, live events, online courses, and payments. All in one place.

Circle allows you to create different types of spaces for organizing community content. You can make public, private, or secret spaces. Each one serves a different purpose.

Unlike a Facebook group, you own the experience. No ads. No distractions. Just your community.

Circle also provides tools for community engagement, including posts, chats, and live events. You control access to every part of your community.

The circle platform works on web and has a mobile app for members on the go.

¿Quién creó Circle?

Sid Yadav, Rudy Santino, y Andrew Guttormsen started Circle in 2020.

Here’s the cool part. All three were on the founding team at Educable. That’s the course platform that sold for $250 million.

They saw that Teachable was missing a community aspect. So they built Circle to fix that gap.

Today, Circle has:

• Over 27,000 community members in their own Circle community
• A team of 124+ employees across 30+ countries
• $33.3 million in total funding

The company is based in New York. They’re fully remote with team members worldwide.

Principales beneficios de Circle

Here’s what you actually get when you use Círculo:

• Everything Under One Roof: Stop paying for five different tools. Circle puts courses, events, discussions, and payments in one place. That’s what makes it a true all in one platform for community builders.
• Members Actually Show Up: Circle provides a clean and user-friendly interface that keeps new members coming back. The community engagement tools like gamification, polls, and leaderboards make your community addictive.
• Make Money From Day One: Circle allows you to create paid memberships and charge for access to specific spaces. You can set up free trials, coupons, and different pricing plans. Payments run through Stripe, so you accept multiple currencies.
• Save Hours on Busywork: Circle’s automatización workflows help automate repetitive tasks. Auto-welcome new members. Auto-tag people based on actions. Auto-send reminders. The automatización tools save me at least 5 hours per week.
• Your Brand, Not Theirs: Use your own custom domain and brand colors. Circle allows you to customize the look and feel of your community. Members see YOUR brand, not Circle’s.
• Go Live Without Extra Tools: Circle’s live streaming feature lets you host events right inside the platform. No Zoom links needed. You can host events for up to 30 people in small groups or live stream to 100 viewers.
• Teach Inside Your Community: Create online courses with videos, PDFs, and quizzes. The integrated course constructor keeps students learning right where the community lives. No jumping between platforms.

Best Circle Features

Let’s look at what Circle actually offers under the hood.

1. Transmisiones en vivo inmersivas

This is where Circle really shines.

The native live streaming feature lets you go live right inside your community. No third party integrations needed. No Zoom links to share.

You can host small group discussions with up to 30 people. Or live stream to 100 viewers at once.

Circle’s live-streaming tool allows you to create different types of live sessions. Members can join from the mobile app or desktop.

I used this to host events for my community every week. The engagement was way higher than Zoom calls.

2. Registros automatizados con flujo de trabajo

Not gonna lie, this feature blew my mind.

Circle’s automation workflows let you set up automatic check-ins for new members. Send a welcome message on day 1. Follow up on day 3. Check engagement on day 7.

Circle allows community builders to customize the onboarding experience for new members with tailored invitation emails and onboarding messages.

This is perfect for community management at scale. You engage members without lifting a finger.

3. Análisis

You can’t grow what you don’t measure.

Circle supports member activity tracking. You can see who’s active. Who’s gone quiet. Which community posts get the most engagement.

The dashboard shows revenue, events, and device usage. You can filter by date range and member type.

They rebuilt analytics from scratch in 2024. It’s now much faster and easier to read. The platform Circle provides keeps adding new features every quarter.

This helps you understand your entire community at a glance. You can even track engagement in certain spaces to see what content works best.

4. Personalización en profundidad

Circle lets you make the platform look like YOUR platform.

Add your brand colors, logo, and custom domain. Your community spaces can have unique layouts and themes.

Circle allows you to create different types of spaces. Public ones for everyone. Private spaces for paid members. Secret ones for VIPs.

You can organize these into space groups. This keeps things neat as your community grows.

The user interface feels like a mix of Slack and Noción. It’s familiar to most new users right away.

5. Gamificación

This was a new feature that launched with Circle 3.0 in 2024.

Members earn points for posting, commenting, and joining live events. They level up on leaderboards.

You can unlock cool rewards for top members. This is a cool feature that keeps people coming back.

My community engagement jumped 40% after I turned on gamification. Other members started competing for top spots.

6. Agentes de chat

Circle’s AI-powered chat agents can answer questions for you.

Train the agent on your content. It responds to community members when you’re not online.

This is one of the more advanced features on the circle platform. It saves community managers tons of time.

Circle allows for the creation of community posts with rich formatting options. The chat agents work right inside these conversations.

7. Flujo de trabajo de automatización

Beyond check-ins, Circle’s workflows do way more.

Circle’s automation workflows help streamline community management by automating repetitive tasks and personalizing member experiences.

You can auto-tag members. Send push notifications. Trigger emails based on actions. Even add workflow delays to space things out.

The business plan unlocks the full automation workflow builder. It’s worth the upgrade if you have a growing community.

8. Creador de sitios web

This surprised me.

Circle now lets you build landing pages and sales pages right inside the platform. No separate website needed.

Design pages that flow into your courses, memberships, and community. It all connects.

Is it as powerful as WordPress? No. But for most community builders, it’s enough.

9. Marketing por correo electrónico

Circle now has marketing features built in through Email Hub.

Send broadcasts. Build automations. Segment your audience. Track opens and clicks.

One creator moved their 20,000-subscriber list to Circle. Now they reach course or event members in seconds.

Email Hub is priced separately based on contact count. But having everything under one roof is a big win. No more Google Forms or third party integrations for lead capture.

Precios circulares

Let’s talk about pricing circle charges. Here’s what each plan costs:

Prueba gratuita: Yes — 14 days, no credit card required.

Garantía de devolución de dinero: Yes — 30 days, full refund, no questions asked.

📌 Nota: Circle’s pricing is based on annual billing. Monthly billing costs more. Circle charges a transaction fee on every payment you receive. It ranges from 0.5% to 4% depending on your plan. That’s on top of Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30 fee.

Is Circle Worth the Price?

Here’s my honest take on Circle’s pricing after 90 days.

At $89/month for the professional plan, it’s not cheap. But you’re replacing 3-4 separate tools.

The basic plan used to exist at a lower price. It’s been removed. So $89/month is now the entry point.

You’ll save money if: You’re currently paying for a community tool PLUS a course builder PLUS an event platform. Circle replaces all three.

You might overpay if: You only need simple group discussions. A free Facebook group or Skool’s $9/month plan would work fine.

Circle Pros and Cons

✅ What I Liked

❌ What Could Be Better

Is Circle Right for You?

✅ Circle is PERFECT for you if:

• You’re a creator who wants to create online courses AND build a community around them
• You need to host events and live stream without extra tools
• You want unlimited members on most plans
• You want full brand control with a custom domain
• You’re ready to invest in building a thriving online community

❌ Skip Circle if:

• You need advanced course creation features like Teachable or Kajabi offers
• You’re on a tight budget and the transaction fee would eat into profits
• You prefer a simple platform like Skool with zero learning curve

My recommendation:

If you’re an online business owner who wants community, courses, and events in one place — Circle is your best bet.

It’s not the cheapest. But it’s the most complete community platform space I’ve tested.

Circle vs Alternatives

How does Circle stack up? Here’s the competitive landscape:

Quick picks:

• Best overall: Circle — best balance of community features and course tools
• Best budget option: Bettermode — starts at $49/month with a free plan
• Best for beginners: Skool — dead simple, no learning curve
• Best for full marketing suite: Kajabi — courses, email, funnels, community

🎯 Circle Alternatives

Looking for Circle alternatives? Here are the top options:

• 🚀 Escuela: Best for creators who want simple community + courses with gamification. $99/month, no hidden fees.
• 🎨 Educable: Best for advanced online courses with detailed assessments and certificates. Starts at $59/month.
• 🧠 GoHighLevel: Best for agencies needing CRM, funnels, and automation. Starts at $97/month.
• 🌟 Redes poderosas: Best for branded mobile apps and large communities. Starts at $119/month.
• 💰 Mejor modo: Best budget choice for SaaS companies building customer communities. Free plan available.
• ⚡ Thinkific: Best for course creators who want fast setup. Starts at $49/month with a free tier.
• 🔧 LearnWorlds: Best for interactive courses with advanced video features. Starts at $29/month.
• 👶 Enjambre: Best for small communities that want a lightweight solution.
• 🏢 Disco: Best for organizations running cohort-based programs.
• 🎨 Kajabi: Best all-in-one for creators who want marketing, courses, and community together. Starts at $69/month.
• 💰 Wylo: Best affordable option for small community builders starting out.
• 🚀 Vaya: Best for digital product sellers who want community plus a storefront.

⚔️ Circle Compared

Here’s how Circle stacks up against each competitor:

• Círculo vs. Escuela: Circle has more advanced features and customization. Skool is simpler and cheaper for basic communities.
• Círculo vs. Enseñable: Teachable wins on course depth. Circle wins on community engagement and live events.
• Círculo vs. GoHighLevel: GoHighLevel is better for marketing funnels. Circle is better for community building.
• Circle vs Mighty Networks: Both are strong. Circle has a cleaner interface. Mighty Networks has better native apps.
• Círculo vs. Mejor modo: Bettermode is cheaper. Circle has more comprehensive features for creators.
• Círculo vs. Thinkific: Thinkific is better for pure course selling. Circle is better when community is the focus.
• Círculo vs. LearnWorlds: LearnWorlds has better interactive video tools. Circle has better group discussions and live events.
• Círculo vs Enjambre: Circle is more feature-rich. Swarm is lighter and simpler for small groups.
• Círculo vs Disco: Disco focuses on cohort learning. Circle is broader with community plus courses plus events.
• Círculo vs Kajabi: Kajabi has stronger marketing tools. Circle has better community management and engagement features.
• Círculo contra Wylo: Wylo is much cheaper. Circle offers more advanced features for scaling communities.
• Circle vs Whop: Whop is better for digital product sales. Circle is better for ongoing community engagement.

My Experience with Circle

Here’s what actually happened when I used Circle:

The project: I built 3 communities. One for a coaching program. One for an online course. One for a paid membership group.

Cronología: 90 days of daily use.

Resultados:

What surprised me: The onboarding experience for new members was amazing. I set up a welcome message and automated check-in sequence. New users felt welcomed from day one. Community spaces kept conversations organized better than any Facebook group I’ve run.

What frustrated me: The course builder felt limited compared to Teachable. I also noticed the transaction fee eating into revenue. On 50 sales per month at $100 each, I lost about $260 in combined fees. That’s the honest truth nobody tells you.

Would I use it again? Yes. Circle is the best community platform for creators who want everything in one place. The engagement tools alone are worth the investment.

Reflexiones finales

Get Circle if: You want to build a serious online community with courses, events, and payments under one brand. You’re willing to invest $89+/month for the best community engagement tools available.

Skip Circle if: You just need simple group discussions. Or you can’t afford the transaction fees on top of monthly pricing.

My verdict: After 90 days, I’m sold on Circle. It’s not perfect. The course builder needs work. The enterprise plan pricing is steep. But for community building? It’s the best platform I’ve tested.

Circle.so is an all-in-one community platform that lives up to its promise. If community is at the heart of your business, this is where you should be.

Rating: 4.3/5

Preguntas frecuentes

¿Para qué se utiliza Circle?

Circle is used for building online communities. Creators, coaches, and brands use it to host group discussions, create online courses, run live events, and accept payments. It’s an all in one platform that replaces multiple spaces and tools. You can create community posts, send welcome messages, and manage your entire community from one dashboard.

¿Cuanto cuesta Circle?

Circle’s pricing starts at $89/month for the professional plan (billed annually). The business plan costs $199/month. The enterprise plan costs $419/month. All plans come with a 14-day free trial. Circle also charges a transaction fee from 0.5% to 4% on payments. Plus there’s Stripe’s standard processing fee.

¿Es fácil de usar Circle?

Yes. Circle provides a clean and user-friendly interface. If you’ve used Slack or Notion, you’ll feel right at home. The dashboard menu is on the left side. Navigation is smooth. Circle even offers keyboard shortcuts for power users. New users can get started within minutes. Support channels are helpful when you get stuck.

¿Puedo integrar Circle con otras herramientas?

Yes. Circle integrates with Zapier, Stripe, and other popular tools. The integrations Circle offers cover most needs. You can connect to email platforms, CRM tools, and more. Some users find the third party integrations limited compared to other platforms. But Circle’s built-in features reduce the need for external tools.

¿Qué hace que Circle sea diferente de otras plataformas comunitarias?

Circle stands out because it combines community, courses, events, payments, and email in one platform. Most other platforms focus on just one thing. Circle’s features include multiple spaces, space groups, native live streaming, gamification, and AI chat agents. It’s the most complete community platform space available for creators and online business owners.