Skool review

Skool combines a community feed, courses, events, messaging, and subscription payments for creators running paid memberships, masterminds, or cohort programs. Members can post, comment, like, mention people, and share media in discussion categories. Course owners can arrange modules and lessons, add videos and downloads, track progress, and limit access by tier.

It also has an events calendar with time zones, conferencing links, and RSVPs, plus private chat, member profiles, and a searchable directory. Likes earn points toward member levels; creators can use those levels to gate content. Payments run through Stripe and can support monthly or annual subscriptions, as well as free communities.

The pitch is consolidation: manage teaching and member activity in one place instead of stitching together separate community, course, and billing tools. That is useful if those are the core parts of your offer, but it does not mean every business needs to move its existing stack.

Skool covers the basic operating needs of a paid community without charging by member or course count on the listed plans. Both Hobby and Pro include one community, unlimited members, courses, videos, and live calls. For a creator whose offer is mostly lessons, group discussion, and scheduled calls, that is a straightforward package to understand.

The features are connected in ways that suit community-led teaching: courses can be gated by tier, member activity earns points and levels, and events sit alongside the feed and course material. Subscription billing is built in through Stripe, so creators can charge monthly or annually rather than assemble a separate membership checkout. Free communities are also supported, though the pricing page does not list a free plan for the platform itself.

The pricing page lists a 14-day trial. Hobby costs $9 per month, or $90 per year; Pro costs $99 per month, or $990 per year. The annual prices are advertised as two months free. That gives smaller communities a lower-cost starting point, with a simple plan structure rather than a long list of feature tiers.

The main cost to check is the transaction fee, especially if you are moving an established paid community. Hobby adds 10% + 30¢ per transaction. Pro lists 2.9% + 30¢ for transactions up to $899 and 3.9% + 30¢ above $900. The pricing details do not specify the fee for a transaction of exactly $900. You also need another subscription for each additional community, so multiple groups are not covered by one plan.

A Reddit thread about leaving Skool describes a multi-step cancellation path through group settings and billing, and commenters say it was hard to find. That is anecdotal, not proof that cancellation is consistently difficult, but it is worth checking the billing controls during the trial.

Community quality is another variable Skool cannot guarantee. One Reddit poster described finding empty groups, while other commenters in the same discussion said they used the platform successfully. The product supplies the tools; it does not promise an audience or active members. If your current setup depends on features not listed here, confirm they are available before switching.

Skool lists two paid plans and no free plan. Hobby costs $9 per month, or $90 per year (equivalent to $7.50 per month). Pro is $99 per month, or $990 per year ($82.50 per month). The annual prices are advertised as two months free, but you pay for the year upfront. Both plans include one community, unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls. The main jump is price: Pro costs $90 more per month than Hobby, while the listed core limits are the same.

The transaction fees change substantially by plan. Hobby charges 10% + 30¢ per transaction. Pro charges 2.9% + 30¢ up to $899, then 3.9% + 30¢ above $900; the published pricing details do not explain how a $900 transaction is handled. Each additional community requires another subscription. Skool offers a 14-day trial, but confirm the current terms before switching: the pricing information we have is dated November 7, 2026, and marked medium confidence.

Plan to recreate your community structure rather than assume a one-click migration. Skool combines discussions, courses, events, member profiles, messaging and subscription payments, so map which categories, lessons, events and access rules need to move before you cancel another tool. Skool’s data-export options are not published in the material available to us; ask support what you can export, in what format, and whether member and payment data are included.

The setup may be simpler if you are consolidating tools, but moving an established paid community also means checking how subscriptions and member access will carry over. Skool uses Stripe-powered billing, but the published details do not explain payment migration. We also don’t have Reddit posts or comments in the published material, so we can’t reliably say what users report as common reasons for leaving. Confirm export and cancellation details directly before making Skool the only home for your community.