Skool in 2026: Still the Best Community Platform?

Is Skool Worth It?

★★★★★ 4.4/5

Quick Verdict: Skool is the best community platform for coaches and course creators who want high engagement. The gamification features drive 2-3x more activity than Facebook groups. At $99/month for unlimited members and courses, it’s a steal if community is your business. But it lacks email marketing and advanced course tools.

✅ Best For:

Coaches, course creators, and entrepreneurs who want an active community with built-in gamification and course hosting.

❌ Skip If:

You need built-in email marketing, advanced quizzes, sales funnels, or deep customization for your brand.

📊 Communities	170,000+ active groups	🎯 Best For	Coaches & course creators
💰 Price	$9–$99/month	✅ Top Feature	Gamification & leaderboards
🎁 Free Trial	14 days free	⚠️ Limitation	No email marketing built in

How I Tested Skool

Tired of dead Facebook groups?

You post great content. Nobody responds. Members vanish after a week.

Your online community feels like a ghost town.

Enter Skool.

In this Skool review, I’ll show you exactly what happened after 90 days of building real communities on this platform.

You’ll learn if it’s worth your money in 2026.

Skool

Stop juggling Facebook groups, Teachable, and Zoom. Skool puts your community, courses, and events in one place. Gamification keeps members engaged. The 14 day free trial lets you test everything risk-free.

TRY SKOOL NOW →

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What is Skool?

Skool is an online community platform that combines course hosting, group discussions, and events in one place.

Think of it like a Facebook group mixed with an online course platform.

But without the ads, distractions, or algorithm headaches.

Here’s the simple version:

You create a Skool community. You add your courses and content. Your community members join, learn, and talk to each other.

The platform focuses on community engagement above everything else.

Unlike a Facebook group, Skool gives you complete control over your content. You own your audience. No algorithm decides who sees your posts.

Skool is an innovative online community platform that merges social networking and online education into one clean experience. It replaces the need for separate tools for community building, course creation, and event scheduling.

Who Created Skool?

Sam Ovens started Skool in 2019.

The story: Sam ran a huge Facebook group for his coaching business. He hated the experience. Members couldn’t find content. Engagement dropped. The algorithm buried his posts.

So he built something better.

Sam invested over $700,000 per month in development. He interviewed over 600 people for the CTO role. The platform spent years in beta before launching publicly in 2022.

Today, Skool has:

• 170,000+ active communities on the platform
• Investment from Alex Hormozi (his biggest investment ever)
• A dedicated Skool team focused on user-driven features

The company is based in New York City. Sam Ovens relocated from Auckland, New Zealand to Manhattan to scale the business.

Top Benefits of Skool

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

• All-in-One Simplicity: Skool replaces Facebook groups, Teachable, and Zoom with a single search box and clean dashboard. You manage your community, courses, and events from one intuitive platform. No more tool-hopping.
• Higher Engagement Than Facebook Groups: Skool’s gamification features drive 2-3x more community engagement. Members earn points, badges, and ranks by completing tasks and participating in interactive discussions. Your active community stays active.
• Fast Community Building: You can create courses, schedule events, and launch your own community in under an hour. The user friendly interface makes it easy even if you have zero tech skills. Skool’s interface is clean and distraction-free.
• Real Income Potential: Many users have reported earning full-time incomes by building online communities on Skool. You can create both free and paid groups to monetize your skills. Some creators earn $5,000+ per month within 3 months.
• Built-In Course Hosting: Create courses right inside your community. Skool supports video hosting that allows direct uploads. Members can access your course content and educational content without leaving the platform.
• Generous Affiliate Program: Skool’s affiliate program lets you earn a 40% recurring commission for every new member you refer. That’s $39.60 per month per referral on the Pro plan. It adds up fast.
• Mobile Access Everywhere: The Skool mobile app gives community members full access on the go. Push notifications keep your group members engaged. It works on both iOS and Android.

Best Skool Features

Skool’s features make it stand out from other community platforms. The clean design helps your content rank better on search engines too. Each community post becomes a fully indexed web page.

Let’s look at the core features that make Skool stand out from other platforms.

1. Community

The community feature is the heart of Skool.

It works like a clean, organized forum. No distractions. No ads.

Community members can post, comment, like, and share content. You can organize posts into categories for easy browsing.

Skool allows users to foster community discussions through posts, likes, comments, and direct chat messages. Every member gets rich member profiles that other community members can view.

The community feature provides a clean and distraction-free environment. Unlike Facebook groups, there are no algorithm tricks hiding your content.

2. Classroom

Skool allows users to create courses and coaching programs in its Classroom section.

You can host unlimited courses inside your community. Each course has modules and lessons.

Skool supports native video hosting with automatic captions, playback speed controls, and HD quality. You can create as many courses as you need.

The course creation tools are simple. Drag and drop your content. Add videos, PDFs, and text. Your course material stays organized and easy to find.

Skool enables users to create a resource library to organize learning materials. Course creators can customize courses, modules, and interactive sessions for their community.

3. Calendar

The Skool calendar feature lets you schedule events for your group.

You can schedule events for both online and offline meetups. Members get automatic reminders.

Skool provides a calendar feature to schedule online and offline events for community members. This makes it easy to run live coaching calls, webinars, or Q&A sessions.

The calendar feature keeps your vibrant community active. Regular events give members a reason to come back every week.

4. Leaderboard

This is where Skool games really shine.

The Leaderboard feature displays the most engaged members. It creates friendly competition.

Members can earn points, badges, and ranks by completing tasks. They level up through interactions. Gamification in Skool allows members to unlock courses and rewards as they engage more.

Members can level up in Skool by gaining points through interactions. This makes them feel important within the community.

Skool’s gamification system encourages members to add value to the community. The gamification aspect creates a more engaging and interactive learning experience.

5. Challenges

Skool lets you run challenges inside your community.

Challenges keep new members engaged from day one. You set goals, deadlines, and rewards.

This feature is a game changer for coaching programs. It drives accountability and keeps people on track.

Many successful community owners use challenges to onboard new members fast. It gives them a quick win right away.

Skool’s gamification features are designed to boost user engagement and accountability. Challenges are one of the best ways to use this.

6. Events Calendar

Beyond the basic calendar, Skool offers built-in live streaming.

You can host live sessions right inside the platform. Even the $9/month plan includes unlimited live streaming.

Schedule recurring calls, one-off workshops, or community meetups. Members see everything on the calendar and get push notifications.

Skool offers a calendar feature for scheduling online and offline events. This keeps your online community connected and active.

Not gonna lie, the live streaming quality isn’t perfect yet. But for community warm-ups and group sessions, it works well.

Skool isn’t just a platform for events. It helps you build a real connection with other members through regular touchpoints. The support team is also responsive if you run into issues setting things up.

Skool Pricing

Skool pricing is refreshingly simple. No hidden fees. No confusing tiers.

Both plans include: All core features, unlimited members, unlimited courses, unlimited videos, and unlimited live streaming.

Key difference: The Hobby plan charges a 10% transaction fee on payments. The Pro plan charges only 2.9%. If you earn over $1,300/month, Pro actually saves you money.

Free trial: Yes — Skool offers a 14 day free trial on both plans.

Money-back guarantee: You can cancel anytime during the trial with no charge.

📌 Note: Skool’s pricing model is straightforward with no hidden fees. Each community needs its own subscription. If you want multiple groups, you pay per group.

Is Skool Worth the Price?

At $99/month for unlimited everything, Skool is one of the best deals in the online course platform market.

Compare that to Kajabi at $199/month or Circle starting at $89/month with member limits. Skool gives you more for less.

You’ll save money if: You currently pay for separate tools for community, courses, and events. Skool replaces all three.

You might overpay if: You only need a simple course with no community. A standalone online course platform might be cheaper.

Skool Pros and Cons

✅ What I Liked

❌ What Could Be Better

Is Skool Right for You?

✅ Skool is PERFECT for you if:

• You run coaching programs and want high member engagement
• You want to create courses and a community in one place
• You’re tired of Facebook groups killing your reach
• You want an intuitive platform that’s easy for non-tech members

❌ Skip Skool if:

• You need a built-in email marketing system and sales funnels
• You want advanced course tools like quizzes and certificates
• You need a fully white-labeled, custom-branded experience

My recommendation:

If community engagement is your top priority, Skool is the best choice in 2026. No other platform makes it this easy to keep members active and paying. Start the 14 day free trial and see for yourself.

Skool vs Alternatives

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

Quick picks:

• Best overall: Skool — unmatched engagement and simplicity for the price
• Best budget option: Mighty Networks — starts at $41/month with branding options
• Best for beginners: Teachable — simple course builder with no community pressure
• Best for advanced marketing: Kajabi — full funnels, email, and automation built in

🎯 Skool Alternatives

Looking for Skool alternatives? Here are the top options:

• 🎨 Circle: Best for creators who want deep customization, branded spaces, and white-label mobile apps.
• 📚 Teachable: Great standalone online course platform with quizzes, certificates, and a built-in marketplace.
• 🚀 GoHighLevel: All-in-one tool with CRM, funnels, email, and community features for agencies.
• 🏢 Mighty Networks: Build your own branded mobile app with community and course features baked in.
• 👶 Bettermode: Easy-to-use community platform with strong moderation tools and SEO-friendly posts.
• 📚 Thinkific: Powerful course creation with a marketplace to discover communities and sell your content.
• 🧠 LearnWorlds: Advanced interactive courses with quizzes, assessments, and certificates.
• ⚡ Swarm: Fast-growing community platform built for engagement and quick setup.
• 🔧 Disco: Great for team learning and cohort-based programs with AI-powered features.
• 🌟 Kajabi: The top all-in-one platform with email marketing, funnels, courses, and community.
• 💰 Wylo: Budget-friendly community platform with clean design and simple pricing.
• 🚀 Whop: Sell digital products, memberships, and communities with a free starting plan.

⚔️ Skool Compared

Here’s how Skool stacks up against each competitor:

• Skool vs Circle: Skool wins on simplicity and engagement. Circle wins on customization and branding control.
• Skool vs Teachable: Skool is better for community. Teachable is better for standalone course sales.
• Skool vs GoHighLevel: GoHighLevel has more marketing tools. Skool has a cleaner community experience.
• Skool vs Mighty Networks: Mighty Networks offers branded apps. Skool has stronger gamification features.
• Skool vs Bettermode: Bettermode has better moderation. Skool has better member engagement tools.
• Skool vs Thinkific: Thinkific has a course marketplace. Skool focuses on community-driven learning.
• Skool vs LearnWorlds: LearnWorlds has advanced course tools. Skool keeps things simple and focused.
• Skool vs Swarm: Both focus on engagement. Skool has a bigger ecosystem and more proven results.
• Skool vs Disco: Disco is better for team learning. Skool is better for creator-led communities.
• Skool vs Kajabi: Kajabi is the full marketing suite. Skool wins on community engagement at a lower price.
• Skool vs Wylo: Wylo is cheaper. Skool has more features and a bigger user base.
• Skool vs Whop: Whop is free to start. Skool has better course and community tools for creators.

My Experience with Skool

Here’s what actually happened when I used Skool:

The project: I built a paid group for a blogging course community. I wanted to test if Skool could replace my Facebook group and course platform.

Timeline: 90 days of active use with real paying members.

Results:

What surprised me: The gamification was a game changer. Members actually competed to climb the leaderboard. Group discussions tripled within the first month. Skool aims to make learning social, and it works.

What frustrated me: I missed having an email marketing system built in. I had to use a separate tool for email outreach. Also, the lack of quizzes in my interactive courses was a gap for my educational content.

Would I use it again? Yes. Skool is now my go-to community platform. The engagement boost alone makes it worth every penny.

Final Thoughts

Get Skool if: You’re a coach, course creator, or entrepreneur who wants the highest possible engagement from your online community.

Skip Skool if: You need advanced course tools, email marketing, or full brand customization.

My verdict: After 90 days, I’m convinced Skool is the ultimate community building platform for creators who put engagement first. It’s not perfect. But nothing else drives this level of participation at this price.

Skool turned my ghost-town Facebook group into a vibrant community with real results.

If you’re ready to build something people actually show up to, Skool is the move.

Rating: 4.4/5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Skool used for?

Skool is designed to help users build and manage online communities. It combines community forums, online courses, live events, and gamification in one place. Course creators, coaches, and entrepreneurs use it to teach, engage members, and monetize their knowledge. Skool provides an in-house payment processor so you can charge for memberships directly.

How much does Skool cost per month?

Skool pricing starts at $9/month for the Hobby plan and $99/month for the Pro plan. Both include unlimited members, unlimited courses, and all core features. The main difference is transaction fees: 10% on Hobby, 2.9% on Pro. Skool offers a 14-day free trial for new users to explore its features before paying.

Can you make money with Skool?

Yes. You can create both free and paid groups on Skool to monetize your skills. Many users have reported earning full-time incomes from their Skool communities. Some creators earn $5,000+ per month. Plus, Skool’s affiliate program allows community leaders to earn a 40% recurring commission for referrals.

Who is behind Skool?

Skool was founded by Sam Ovens in 2019. Sam is a New Zealand entrepreneur who also founded Consulting.com. He built Skool because he was frustrated with Facebook groups and other community platforms. Alex Hormozi later made a major investment in the platform, calling it his biggest investment ever. The Skool team is based in New York.

Is the Skool platform free?

No, Skool does not have a free plan. But it does offer a 14 day free trial on both plans. After the trial, you choose between the $9/month Hobby plan or the $99/month Pro plan. Joining other people’s free Skool communities is always free. You only pay if you create and run your own community.