⚡ Kort oordeel:
- Prijzen: Circle starts at $89/month. Teachable starts at $29/month.
- Het meest geschikt voor: Circle for community building with an integrated course. Teachable for selling online courses first.
- Belangrijkste verschil: Circle is a community platform with courses attached. Teachable is a course platform with light community features.
- Onze keuze: Circle, rated 4.3 against 4.2, because spaces, live events and automatisering tools sit in one place.
Circle and Teachable both promise to hold your audience and your paid content.
They start from opposite ends of the same problem.
Circle starts with the community and adds course functionality later.
Teachable starts with the online school and treats discussion as a side feature.
That single split decides which one fits your bedrijf.
Overzicht
This Circle vs Teachable comparison covers pricing, key features, course tools and ease of use.
We leggen ook uit voor wie elk platform het meest geschikt is.
Our sources include published specs, documentation and G2 reviews.
Onze schrijvers hebben ook daadwerkelijk tijd doorgebracht in beide accounts.
Die bevindingen staan in de onderstaande secties onder 'Wat ons team heeft opgemerkt'.
Wat is een cirkel?
Circle.so is an all-in-one platform for creators, brands and online bedrijf eigenaren.
It lets you run memberships, host courses, manage events and build a community.
The Circle community sits inside spaces you can set as public, private or secret.
Related spaces roll up into a space group, so content stays organised by theme.
Most community builders pick it as a calmer home than a Facebook group.
Here is how the platform looks in motion.
🏆 Winnaar: Circle
Spaces, chat, live events and courses share one login. Every plan opens with a 14-day free trial.
Cirkelprijzen
Circle’s pricing runs on three published tiers.
| Plan | Prijs | Het beste voor |
|---|---|---|
| Professioneel | $89/maand | Solo creators launching a first paid space |
| Bedrijf | $199/maand | Teams needing more advanced features and admins |
| Enterprise (rich member profiles, events, plus branded app) | Prijs op maat | Larger brands wanting a custom domain and branded mobile app |
Prijzen geverifieerd in juli 2026.
Gratis proefperiode: Yes. All plans include a 14-day free trial so you can assess the platform first.
Geld-terug-garantie: No published refund window. Cancel before the trial ends to avoid a charge.
📌 Opmerking: Circle charges a transaction fee of 0.5% to 4% on payments, depending on your plan. That sits on top of the standard Stripe fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
⚠️ Pricing conflict flagged: Some sources list a $399/month enterprise plan. Our CSV-verified data lists Enterprise as Custom Pricing, and we use the CSV figures throughout this article.
Belangrijkste voordelen van Circle
Here is what Circle offers that keeps community members coming back:
- Organised community spaces: Public, private spaces and secret spaces let you control access per topic. Certain spaces can sit behind a paid membership.
- Native live streaming: Host live sessions for up to 30 participants or a livestream for up to 100 viewers.
- Rich community posts: Circle’s post editor covers bold, italics, headings, blockquotes and collapsible sections.
- Automatiseringstools: Automation workflows handle repetitive community management tasks and member follow-ups.
- Paid memberships: Stripe checkout supports multiple currencies, coupon codes and free trials on your own plans.
- Toegang via de mobiele app: Members reach communities, courses, events and chats from their phone.
Wat ons team opmerkte
Ons schrijver set up a test community on Circle and invited a small group. Here is what stood out from that hands-on time:
Voordelen en nadelen van Circle
✅ Voordelen
- Clean user interface that feels familiar to Slack and Begrip gebruikers
- Spaces and Space Groups keep the entire community organised
- Live events, chat and courses run inside one platform
- Paid memberships, coupons and multiple currencies through Stripe
❌ Nadelen
- Course bouwer is lighter than a dedicated learning management system
- Transaction fees stack on top of the monthly subscription cost
- Automation features stay basic for complex multi-step workflows
Wat is Teachable?
Teachable is a cloud-based course platform for creating online courses and coaching services.
Your Teachable school holds multiple courses, digital products and students in one dashboard.
The Teachable software is not a full learning management system, but it covers hosting and delivery.
It is also not a marketplace like Udemy, so it never markets your online classes for you.
HotMart acquired Teachable in 2020, and the Teachable team has shipped AI-tools since.
This walkthrough shows the builder in action.
Leerbaar
Built for course creators who want to sell courses fast. VAT and US sales tax are handled for you.
Leerbare prijsstelling
Teachable offers four paid tiers in our verified data.
| Plan | Prijs | Het beste voor |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/maand | Publishing a first online course |
| Bouwer | $69/maand | Creators selling courses and coaching |
| Groei | $139/maand | Geavanceerd rapportage and a bigger catalogue |
| Geavanceerd | $309/maand | Larger teams and a coaching program at scale |
Prijzen geverifieerd in juli 2026.
Gratis proefperiode: Yes. You can open a Teachable account and build before you publish.
Geld-terug-garantie: No blanket refund promise. Billing stops at the end of the paid period.
📌 Opmerking: Lower tiers carry a transaction fee. Teachable’s free plan has historically charged $1 plus 10% of sales, the basic plan 5%, and higher plans none. The BackOffice add-on adds a 2% fee.
⚠️ Pricing conflict flagged: Older sources list Basic at $39, Pro at $119 and Business at $299. Our CSV-verified plan names and prices are the four listed above, and those are the figures we use here. Teachable raised prices and lowered product limits in 2025, which is why older numbers still circulate.
Belangrijkste voordelen van Teachable
Here is what makes Teachable worth a look for course sales:
- Complete course builder: Upload videos, audio, tekst, images, PDFs, quizzes and HTML embeds into one course curriculum. Unlimited video bandwidth carries all your videos.
- Tax and compliance cover: Course compliance features handle EU and UK VAT plus US sales tax natively.
- Flexibele betalingsmogelijkheden: One-time fees, subscriptions and payment plans run through Teachable Payments, Stripe, PayPal and Apple Pay.
- Student progress tools: Graded quizzes, drip scheduling and course completion certificates track learning.
- Sales page builder: Templates cover a sales page, checkout page and thank you page without code.
- AI-ondersteuning: An AI Course Starter drafts outlines and an AI Quiz Generator builds assessments.
Wat ons team opmerkte
Our writer built a short test course and pushed it through checkout. Here is what stood out:
The clip below covers the same walkthrough end to end.
Voordelen en nadelen van Teachable
✅ Voordelen
- Simple drag-and-drop builder that suits new users
- Handles global payments, VAT and US sales tax for you
- Quizzes, milestones and certificates come built in
- Creators keep full control over branding, pricing and student data
❌ Nadelen
- Community features are thin next to a dedicated community platform
- Built-in email marketing is basic and often needs an external tool
- Design customisation is limited on sales pages and funnels
Functievergelijking
Ten rounds decide this. Each one looks at how the two platforms handle the same job.
| Functie | Cirkel | Leerbaar |
|---|---|---|
| Startprijs | $89/maand | $29/maand |
| Community spaces | ✅ | ❌ |
| Native live streaming | ✅ | ❌ |
| Cursusbouwer | ✅ (integrated course) | ✅ (full curriculum) |
| Graded quizzes & certificates | ❌ | ✅ |
| Automation workflows | ✅ | ❌ |
| E-mailmarketing | ✅ | ✅ (basis) |
| VAT & sales tax handling | ❌ | ✅ |
| Mobiele app | ✅ | ✅ (mobile-friendly web) |
| Het beste voor | Building a thriving online community | Online cursussen verkopen |
1. Community Spaces and Group Discussions
Cirkel: The community platform space model is the whole product here. You can open public, private and secret spaces, then bundle them into a Space Group. Chat spaces add group discussions with threads, so other members can follow one topic without noise.
Teachable: Community features exist, but they stay basic. Discussion attaches to course content rather than standing on its own. Creators who want a real community aspect usually bolt on a separate tool.
2. Course Builder and Course Content
Cirkel: The course builder supports videos, audio files, PDFs and more. It is enough to create online courses that sit next to your discussions. It is not a match for a dedicated learning management system.
Teachable: This is the stronger side. Video, audio, text, images, PDFs, quizzes and HTML embeds all slot into a course curriculum. Creating courses across multiple courses stays quick once you learn the layout.
3. Live Streaming Feature and Live Events
Cirkel: Native live streaming runs inside the platform. You can host events as a small group session for up to 30 participants, or a live stream for up to 100 viewers. Event scheduling and reminders push attendance up.
Teachable: There is no built-in live stream. Live sessions run through Zoom or a webinar tool, then get linked inside a specific course. Drip scheduling covers timed release instead.
⚠️ Waarschuwing: Circle’s live streaming feature is convenient, but it lacks the advanced controls of a dedicated webinar platform. Check the viewer cap before you promote a big launch.
4. Automation Tools and Workflows
Cirkel: Automation workflows trigger on member actions and cut repetitive community management work. Chat agents and gamification help you engage members without daily manual effort. Complex multi-step logic still hits a ceiling.
Teachable: Automation leans on AI-powered tools and scheduled content rather than workflow branching. The AI Course Starter and AI Quiz Generator remove setup time. Anything deeper needs Zapier or a third-party tool.
5. Member Onboarding and Welcome Message
Cirkel: You can customise invitation emails, a post-signup welcome message and check-in prompts for new members. Member activity tracking then shows who went quiet. That combination makes community building far less guesswork.
Teachable: Onboarding is course-shaped. You create milestones so students see progress, and enrolment emails carry the welcome. There is no member directory to introduce people to each other.
6. Customization, Custom Domain and Branding
Cirkel: Brand colours, logos and layout all bend to your identity. A custom domain and a branded app arrive on the top tier. The result still looks like Circle underneath, which most people treat as a plus.
Teachable: Design templates cover the basics and little else. Customisation is limited, and high-end design work usually means custom code. That is the most common complaint from creators scaling up.
7. Sales Pages, Checkout and Website Builder
Cirkel: A website builder sits alongside the community, so a public page and paid spaces share one home. Checkout supports discounts and coupon codes. Pricing plans unlock different content based on what members pay.
Teachable: The page manager builds sales pages, a checkout page and thank you pages from templates. Order bumps lift average order value at checkout. Anything resembling a real funnel needs an outside tool.
8. Email Marketing and Marketing Features
Cirkel: Email marketing runs to your member list from inside the platform. Broadcasts can target certain spaces rather than the entire community. Third party integrations extend it further through Zapier and webhooks.
Teachable: Built-in email is basic, and most creators route it to ConvertKit or Mailchimp. Marketing features cover coupons, affiliate programs and a sales page builder on higher tiers. Teachable integrations plus Google Analytics tracking fill the reporting gap.
9. Analytics, Advanced Reporting and Student Data
Cirkel: Analytics track community engagement, active posters and quiet accounts. That tells you which spaces are alive. It does not tell you much about revenue per course.
Teachable: Reports cover enrolments, completion rates, quiz performance and sales performance. Student data stays yours to export. Deeper insight beyond signups, bumps and revenue is thin.
💡 Pro-tip: Support channels differ. Teachable runs mostly on email ticketing, with live chat support and priority support on higher plans. Teachable U also offers free training for new users.
10. Prijsbepaling en kosten
Here are both price lists side by side.
| Laag | Cirkel | Leerbaar |
|---|---|---|
| Invoer | Professional: $89/month | Startpakket: $29/maand |
| Midden | Business: $199/month | Builder: $69/month |
| Upper mid | — | Groei: $139/maand |
| Bovenkant | Enterprise: Prijs op maat | Advanced: $309/month |
Cirkel: The Professional plan at $89/month caps admins, moderators and spaces. The Business plan at $199/month lifts those limits and adds more advanced features. Circle’s pricing climbs once transaction fees stack on growth.
Teachable: Starter at $29/month is the cheapest way in, though the basic plan carries a transaction fee. Higher tiers drop that fee and add priority support. Many creators feel pushed upward to reach features they expected lower down.
💡 Cost check: Circle’s entry tier costs $60/month more than Teachable’s. Run both against your expected sales volume, because transaction fees change the answer fast.
Verschillende scenario's
| Als u het nodig heeft... | Kiezen | Waarom |
|---|---|---|
| De laagste instapprijs | Leerbaar | $29 vs $89 per month |
| Daily community engagement | Cirkel | Spaces, chat and live events |
| A serious course curriculum | Leerbaar | Quizzes, drip and certificates |
| Paid memberships and tiers | Cirkel | Spaces unlock by payment |
| VAT and sales tax handled | Leerbaar | Native tax compliance |
| One home for everything | Cirkel | Alles op één platform |
💰 Jouw budget
Teachable’s basic plan lets you start course sales for less each month. Circle costs more up front but replaces two or three separate tools.
🔌 Jouw technologie-stack
Circle’s features include embeds, so a Google Forms survey drops straight into a post. Teachable connects to email and analytics tools instead of hosting them.
📝 Jouw inhoudstype
If your value comes from community posts and conversation, Circle fits. If it comes from structured lessons and creating quizzes, Teachable fits.
🎓 Jouw ervaringsniveau
The Teachable platform is famously gentle for beginners publishing lesson one. The Circle platform asks you to plan space structure before you invite anyone.
🆓 Gratis proefversies en demo's
Circle gives every plan a 14-day free trial. Load real content, not free courses you will delete, so the test reflects your actual workload.
🛟 Ondersteuningsopties
Teachable customer support draws mixed reviews, with slow email replies a common theme. Circle leans on documentation and in-app help for most questions.
Overstaphandleiding
Already on one of them? Here is what changes if you move.
🔄 Switching from Circle to Teachable?
✅ Wat je eraan hebt:
- Graded quizzes, drip content and certificates for unlimited students
- Native VAT and US sales tax handling at checkout
- A cheaper entry price while you test demand
❌ Wat je verliest:
- Multiple spaces and threaded chat for unlimited members
- Built-in live streaming and event reminders
- Automation workflows and gamification
📋 Zo schakel je over:
- Export your member list and cancel paid spaces in Circle
- Open a Teachable account and rebuild lessons as a curriculum
- Import students, then create and sell the first paid course
🔄 Switching from Teachable to Circle?
✅ Wat je eraan hebt:
- A real discussion layer instead of comments under lessons
- Live events, chat spaces and member activity tracking
- New features aimed at retention rather than checkout
❌ Wat je verliest:
- Deep quiz grading and completion certificates
- Automatic tax compliance on global sales
- The lower monthly price while selling courses
📋 Zo schakel je over:
- Download student records and course files from Teachable
- Map each course to a space, then group them by theme
- Invite members and set the paid spaces live in Circle
Wat onze recensie niet behandelde
We focused on solo creators and small teams. We did not test the Enterprise plan, branded mobile apps or custom API work, and neither is the only platform worth checking against other online course platforms. Teachable users running six-figure catalogues and large Teachable community programs may hit limits we never reached. Some missing features may also have shipped since our July 2026 look at both online learning platforms.
Eindconclusie
| Categorie | Winnaar |
|---|---|
| 💰 Prijzen | Leerbaar |
| 🚀 Community features | Cirkel |
| 🎓 Course functionality | Leerbaar |
| ⚡ Live events | Cirkel |
| 🤖 Automation tools | Cirkel |
| 👶 Ease of use | Cirkel |
| 🔌 Integraties | Leerbaar |
| 🏆 Algemene winnaar | Cirkel |
🏆 WINNAAR: CIRKEL
Circle wins 4 of 7 categories.
Het meest geschikt voor: paid memberships, live cohorts, and creators who want an integrated course beside the conversation
These are two different products wearing similar marketing. Circle’s key features point at retention, while Teachable’s point at the checkout page.
Teachable is the better tool for creating courses at depth. Its payment processor handles tax, and Teachable courses feel finished with quizzes and certificates attached.
Circle takes the overall pick because the community platform Circle built keeps people around after the lessons end. One cool feature, native live streaming, removes an entire subscription for many creators.
Pick Teachable if selling online courses is the whole business today. Pick Circle if you want to create courses and grow a membership in the same place.
Meer over Circle vergeleken
Here is how Circle lands against other online community platform options and other platforms creators shortlist:
Cirkel versus School
Circle wint op: space structure and privacy controls, native live streaming, brand customisation depth
Skool wint op: flat single-price billing, faster setup with almost no configuration, built-in leaderboard motivation
Cirkel versus Machtige Netwerken
Circle wint op: cleaner day-to-day navigation, threaded chat quality, workflow automation for member follow-up
Mighty Networks wint op: stronger native course delivery, member matchmaking suggestions, included branded app on lower tiers
Cirkel versus Bettermode
Circle wint op: creator-focused monetisation, live event hosting, faster launch without developer help
Bettermode wint op: API depth for product teams, embedding into an existing site, custom permission modelling
Meer informatie over Teachable vergeleken
Here is how Teachable stacks up against rival tools for course sales:
Leerbaar versus Thinkific
Teachable scoort hoog op: native VAT and sales tax handling, simpler first-week setup, AI course and quiz drafting
Thinkific wint op de volgende punten: lower fees on entry tiers, deeper site customisation, more generous limits before an upgrade
Teachable scoort hoog op: far cheaper entry price, less setup before launch, tax compliance built in
Kajabi wint op: funnels that drive more sales, stronger email automation, one stack for a coaching business
Leerbaar versus LearnWorlds
Teachable scoort hoog op: gentler learning curve, lower starting cost to sell online courses, faster checkout setup
LearnWorlds wint op de volgende punten: interactive video and assessments, white-label school design, richer certification options
Veelgestelde vragen
Waarvoor wordt Circle gebruikt?
Creators use it to run paid memberships, discussions, courses and live events in one place, with spaces that control who sees what.
Wat kost Circle?
Professional is $89/month and Business is $199/month. Enterprise is custom priced. Transaction fees of 0.5% to 4% apply on payments you receive.
Welk percentage neemt Teachable?
Lower tiers historically charged 5%, and the free option charged $1 plus 10% per sale. Higher plans remove the cut entirely.
Is Circle so worth it?
It is worth it when membership retention drives your income. If you only sell one course, the higher monthly cost is hard to justify.
Which one is better for selling online courses?
Teachable, because of graded quizzes, certificates, drip content and native tax handling. Circle suits creators who want the course wrapped inside a community.
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