Skool pricing 2026: the simplest pricing in online education (and what it includes)
Skool has two plans: Hobby at $9/month with a 10% transaction fee plus 30 cents per transaction, and Pro at $99/month with a 2.9% transaction fee plus 30 cents per transaction (3.9% plus 30 cents on payments above $900). Both include unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls, a custom URL and affiliates; the only difference is the fee you pay on what you sell. Pay yearly and you get two months free. In a market where most competitors have 3-5 plan tiers that lock features behind upgrades, Skool's pricing is either brilliantly simple or frustratingly inflexible, depending on what you need.
- Price: Hobby $9/month (10% + 30 cents per transaction) or Pro $99/month (2.9% + 30 cents per transaction), identical features, two months free on yearly billing and a 14-day free trial.
- Fees: Pro is the cheaper plan once your community sells more than about $1,270 a month, because the fee gap (10% vs 2.9%) outweighs the $90 price gap; the 30 cents per transaction is the same on both plans, so it does not move that point.
- Trade-off: No email marketing, sales funnels, website builder, certificates, or drip scheduling are included.
- Affiliate offset: The 40% lifetime commission is $39.60 per Pro referral, so 3 Pro referrals cover your own Pro subscription.
Kit for finishing an online course
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Monthly subscription: Hobby $9/month or Pro $99/month (two months free on yearly billing)
Transaction fee: 10% + 30 cents on Hobby, 2.9% + 30 cents on Pro (3.9% + 30 cents above $900)
Free trial: 14 days
Total cost to run a $5,000/mo community (100 members paying $50, so 100 payments): Pro: $99 + $145 + $30 = $274/month (5.48% effective rate). Hobby: $9 + $500 + $30 = $539/month
Affiliate earnings potential: 40% of $99 = $39.60/month per Pro referral, lifetime. 3 Pro referrals = break even on Pro.
To see where Pro starts to pay for itself at your own price point, Stack & Sum's free Skool plan picker includes the 30 cents. We checked its plan prices and fees against Skool's Help Center on 6 November 2026.
What both Skool plans include
| Feature | Included? | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Community feed | Yes | Unlimited posts, comments, categories |
| Course classroom | Yes | Unlimited courses, unlimited modules |
| Event calendar | Yes | Unlimited events |
| Gamification leaderboard | Yes | Points, levels, rankings |
| Members | Yes | Unlimited |
| Affiliate program | Yes | Built-in, customizable commission (10-50%) |
| Skool platform affiliate | Yes | 40% lifetime recurring for Skool referrals |
| Custom domain | Yes | 1 per group |
| Admin seats | Yes | Multiple admins and moderators |
| File storage | Yes | Unlimited (video hosted externally via YouTube/Vimeo/Loom embed) |
| Email marketing | No | Not included, need external tool ($29+/mo) |
| Sales funnels / landing pages | No | Basic group page only |
| Website builder | No | Not included |
| Quizzes / certificates | No | Not included |
| Drip content scheduling | No | All content unlocks immediately |
| Payment plans / tiered pricing | No | One price per group only |
How Skool's pricing compares
| Platform | Comparable Plan | Monthly Cost | Transaction Fee | Email Included | Funnels Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skool | Pro | $99 | 2.9% + 30 cents | No | No |
| Skool | Hobby | $9 | 10% + 30 cents | No | No |
| Kajabi | Basic | $179 | No revenue share; 2.9% + $0.30 on Kajabi Payments, or 2% with your own processor | Yes (full automation) | Yes |
| Thinkific | Start | $109 | 0% with Thinkific Payments (2.9% processing) | No | No |
| Teachable | Builder | $89 | 0% + Stripe 2.9% | Basic | No |
| Podia | Shaker | $99 | 0% + Stripe 2.9% | Yes (basic) | No |
| Circle | Professional | $89 (billed annually) | 2% + Stripe 2.9% | No | No |
Skool Pro is $99 with no email and no funnels. Kajabi Basic is $179 with email and funnels included. Add ConvertKit ($29/mo) to Skool and the real comparison is $128/mo (Skool + email) vs $179/mo (Kajabi all-in-one). Whether that $51/month difference matters depends on whether you value Skool's superior community gamification or Kajabi's superior marketing automation. Full analysis in our Kajabi pricing breakdown, complete platform comparison, and Skool vs Kajabi head-to-head. Use our Course ROI Showdown to see the payback period at your expected revenue. Also compare Thinkific pricing and Teachable pricing before deciding.
Community membership revenue is self-employment income from day one. CeoCult's self-employed deductions guide covers the quarterly tax obligations and every business expense deduction available to community platform owners, including the Skool subscription itself. If you plan to grow your Skool community through content marketing, the best AI tools for content creators can accelerate post writing, community onboarding content, and email sequences for your external ConvertKit setup.
The affiliate math that changes everything
Skool's 40% lifetime affiliate commission means your effective cost can drop to zero, or become a profit center. The math, for you and your referrals on the Pro plan:
| Referrals | Monthly Affiliate Income | Your Net Skool Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $0 | $99/mo |
| 1 | $39.60 | $59.40/mo |
| 3 | $118.80 | $0 (break even + $19.80 profit) |
| 5 | $198.00 | $99/mo profit |
| 10 | $396.00 | $297/mo profit |
Three Pro referrals make your Pro plan free. This is why Skool's pricing model works despite lacking features that competitors include, the affiliate program subsidizes (or eliminates) the subscription cost for active community builders. No other platform offers this economic structure. For the full review of Skool's features, limitations, and who it's actually built for, read our complete Skool review.
Skool
$9/mo Hobby or $99/mo Pro · 14-day free trial · 10% or 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction · 40% lifetime affiliate commission
Two plans with identical features; you choose the fee. Best for community-first creators, coaches, and membership businesses. Break even on Pro with just 3 Pro referrals. Missing email marketing and sales funnels, add ConvertKit ($29/mo) if needed.
Try Skool free for 14 days →💰 Know your numbers: community revenue and taxes
Skool membership revenue is self-employment income, every deductible expense reduces your tax bill.
See deductible expenses →Join the creator picks list
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For the fee maths at different monthly sales, with a calculator, see Skool vs Circle vs Mighty vs Kajabi: fees at $5,000 a month.
Frequently asked
Does Skool offer annual billing?
Yes. Skool's pricing page offers yearly billing with two months free on both plans, so Pro works out to $990 a year instead of $1,188. Monthly billing is still available, and you can cancel any month with no long-term commitment.
Are there any hidden fees on Skool?
There are no bandwidth charges, member overage fees or per-course fees, but the transaction fee depends on your plan and has a fixed part the pricing page does not show: Skool's Help Center lists 10% plus 30 cents per transaction on Hobby ($9/month) and 2.9% plus 30 cents on Pro ($99/month; 3.9% plus 30 cents on payments above $900). The pricing page shows $99 plus a 2.9% transaction fee and does not say whether card processing is inside that fee. The 30 cents is the same on both plans, so Hobby is the cheaper plan only while your community sells less than about $1,270 a month.
How many referrals does it take to break even on Skool?
Three referrals on the Pro plan. Skool's 40% affiliate commission pays $39.60/month per Pro referral. Three Pro referrals = $118.80/month, which covers your own $99 Pro subscription and generates $19.80 profit. Ten Pro referrals = $297/month beyond your subscription cost.
Can I run multiple Skool groups?
Yes. Each group is billed separately, at $9/month on Hobby or $99/month on Pro. If you want a $47/month beginner community and a $297/month premium community on Pro, that's two Skool groups = $198/month total. Members are separate between groups. There's no multi-group discount. For creators who need tiered access within one community, this is a limitation; Kajabi handles multi-tier pricing within a single product.
Federal data behind this page
What a programme costs, what its graduates earn, and what aid is available are published by federal statistical agencies rather than by any provider's marketing page, and the sources below are the primary ones. They are linked so a reader can check a figure here directly.
- College Scorecard publishes the federal cost, completion and post-enrolment earnings data used to compare programmes.
- National Center for Education Statistics is the federal statistical agency for education and the source most published figures trace back to.
- IPEDS holds the institution-level survey data behind enrolment, price and completion comparisons.
- Federal Student Aid states what aid exists, who qualifies, and what repayment actually obligates a borrower to.
- CFPB paying for college documents how education financing works and where its common traps are.
- US Department of Education sets the policy framework the accreditation and aid systems operate under.
- Department of Education laws and policy carries the rules that decide whether a provider or credential is recognised.
This page compares programmes on published data. Outcomes vary by student, and a reader's own aid package and circumstances decide what a programme actually costs them.