Skool Pricing in 2026: Hobby vs Pro, Real Fees and the Break-Even You Need to Know

Skool's pricing page advertises two plans: $9 a month and $99 a month. That framing makes it look like a simple choice. It isn't. The real cost depends almost entirely on how much revenue your community generates, because both plans charge a transaction fee on every sale — and the gap between those fees is large enough to flip which plan is actually cheaper.

This breakdown covers the verified plan details, the transaction fee tiers most articles miss, the exact revenue point where Pro pays for itself, and what Skool doesn't include regardless of which plan you're on — all of which matters before you migrate a community or start building one here.

Prices and fees on this page were verified against Skool's pricing page and help centre in October 2026. Skool bills in US dollars.

The two plans at a glance

Skool runs on two plans only — Hobby and Pro. There is no permanent free plan; both start with a 14-day free trial.

Get Started on Skool today

The transaction fee already includes card processing on both plans, so you don't pay Stripe on top. That's worth noting because the Hobby fee — 10% — sounds high, and it is. But the question is whether it's higher than the $90 difference in plan cost, and that depends on your monthly revenue.

What both plans include

The features that come with either plan are nearly identical. Members, courses, videos, and live streaming are unlimited on both Hobby and Pro. You also get:

• A gamified community feed with points and leaderboards

• An events and calendar tool for scheduling group calls

• Built-in subscription and one-time payment processing

• iOS and Android mobile apps for membersA custom community URL

• A 14-day free trial (note: a credit card is required to start the trial)

The meaningful differences between plans are the transaction fee (as above), the number of admins you can add, and AutoDM access — the ability to send automated direct messages to new members — which is a Pro-only feature.

The break-even: when Pro becomes cheaper

This is the calculation that most Skool articles skip over, probably because it requires a bit of arithmetic. Here it is plainly.

On the Hobby plan, Skool takes 10% + $0.30 on every transaction. On Pro, it takes 2.9% + $0.30. The difference in the percentage is 7.1 percentage points. The difference in the plan cost is $90 a month (monthly billing) or $75 a year in absolute terms.

Break-even on monthly billing: $90 ÷ 0.071 ≈ $1,270/month in sales.

Below that revenue level, Hobby's low plan cost outweighs its high transaction fee. Above it, Pro pays for itself and then some. At $3,000 a month in sales, the 7.1% fee difference costs you $213 — more than twice the plan upgrade cost. The gap grows with every sale.

On annual billing the break-even shifts to roughly $1,060/month because the plan cost difference narrows.

The fee tier most reviews miss

Pro's transaction fee is not a flat 2.9%. For any single payment above $900, the rate rises to 3.9% + $0.30. This matters if you sell high-ticket courses, cohort programs, or annual memberships in a single transaction.

A $1,000 course sale costs $39 in Skool's fee — not $29. If you routinely sell at that price point, factor that extra 1% into your platform cost comparison. A coach selling ten $2,000 cohort seats a month pays an additional $200 in fees relative to the 2.9% tier.

Costs most pricing pages don't mention

Per-community pricing

Each Skool community is a separate subscription. If you run a free front-end group plus a paid membership group — a common setup for coaches using Skool as a top-of-funnel strategy — that's two subscriptions. Two Pro groups cost $198 a month before any transaction fees. Two Hobby groups cost $18 a month, but the 10% fee applies to both groups' revenue independently.

This pricing detail only becomes visible at the moment you create a second community, after you've already committed to the first one.

Growth Boost: the 30% commission

Skool has an optional feature called Growth Boost that shows your group in Skool's Discovery directory and promotes it in off-platform ads. When Skool brings you a member through this channel, it takes a 30% commission on that member's payment. Members you bring in yourself through your own audience cost you nothing extra. Growth Boost is opt-in and sits in Settings under Discovery — it doesn't activate automatically.

If you're counting on Skool's Discovery feature as part of your growth strategy, factor that 30% into the economics before relying on it.

What Skool doesn't include

Skool is deliberately narrow in scope. It handles community, basic course hosting, and payments. It does not include:

• Email marketing. There is no built-in email tool. You'll need a separate platform for newsletters, sequences and automation.

• Sales funnels or landing pages. Skool has no funnel or page builder. Driving traffic to your community requires external tools.

• Website hosting. A Skool group is not a website. If you need a domain, a public-facing site or a blog, those sit outside Skool entirely.

• Course certificates, quizzes, or assignments. The course player is functional but minimal. Structured learning with assessments requires additional tools or a different platform.

• Your own Stripe account. Payments process through Skool's Stripe Express sub-account, not your own Stripe. Payment history and data are locked in that sub-account, and the first payout can take up to 14 days.

None of this is necessarily a problem — Skool is built for community-first models, and many coaches use it alongside a separate email tool and website. But it does mean your real platform cost is Skool plus whatever you use for email, funnels and your public presence. That combined cost is what to compare against an all-in-one platform, not the $9 or $99 plan price in isolation.

One big disadvantage for Skool

I believe there are a lot of positives about the Platform Skool.

• Easy to use

• Helps you get discovered

• Combines community and lessons

But it has one very clear disadvantage, you still do not collect email addresses of your users,
So if they leave your community or you decide to switch platforms you have no way of contacting them.
Most skool users get around this issue by putting a front end funnel to their community.
So then you need to calculate that expense of that funnel software into your Skool costs.

For this reason I recommend Systeme.io or Simvoly as a font end funnel to collect email addresses before your Skool community.
This could look like an evergreen webinar, a lead magnet or even a coaching call.

Who Skool suits — and who it doesn't

A good fit

• Coaches and experts whose primary product is ongoing community access with regular group calls and engagement

• Creators who want mobile-first community access for members without setting up a separate app

• Businesses where the community feed itself drives retention — Skool's gamification (points, leaderboards, activity streaks) is a genuine differentiator

• Creators already generating revenue who want to consolidate a Facebook group and a course platform into one place

A poor fit

• Course creators whose business model is primarily delivering structured learning with assessments, drip content, or professional certificates — Skool's course tools are too minimal for this

• Coaches at the start of their business who haven't yet built a list or audience — you'll still need email marketing and a website, and those costs sit on top of Skool

• Anyone selling high-ticket programs (above $900 per transaction) who wants to avoid the 3.9% fee tier

• Businesses running three or more communities — at $99 per community, the per-group cost adds up
  quickly

Skool vs all-in-one platforms: the real cost comparison

Skool at $99/month gives you community, courses and payments. It doesn't give you email marketing, a funnel builder, or a website. A typical stack alongside Skool — email tool, landing page builder, and basic website — could easily add another $30–$80 a month, putting the real monthly cost at $130–$180 before transaction fees.

Systeme.io's Startup plan at $17/month covers email marketing, sales funnels, one course, and a website for up to 5,000 contacts, with zero transaction fees. Kajabi's Basic plan starts at $143/month billed annually and includes all of the above with higher limits and a more polished course experience.

The comparison that makes sense isn't Skool's plan price versus another platform's plan price — it's Skool plus your supporting tools versus a platform that includes them. Run that number at your current monthly revenue before deciding.

Frequently asked questions

Does Skool have a free plan?

No. There is a 14-day free trial on both Hobby and Pro, but no permanently free tier. After the trial, you need a paid subscription to keep your community accessible to members. A credit card is required to start the trial.

Can I change plans at any time?

Yes. You can switch between Hobby and Pro from your billing settings at any time. If you're on annual billing, contact Skool's support to handle the proration.

What happens to my data if I cancel?

You can export a basic CSV of member names and emails. Course content, discussion history, and leaderboard data do not export. Payment data stays in Skool's Stripe Express sub-account rather than transferring to your own Stripe account, so plan for that if data portability matters to your business.

Is the Pro transaction fee really 2.9%?

It's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for sales up to $899. Above $900, the rate rises to 3.9% + $0.30. Most Skool pricing articles don't mention this tier, but it's worth knowing before you run high-ticket offers through the platform.

The short version

Hobby at $9/month makes sense while your community revenue stays below roughly $1,270 a month. Above that, Pro's lower transaction fee saves you more than the $90 plan difference costs. If you're selling courses or programs above $900 in a single transaction, the Pro fee tier rises to 3.9% — factor that into your numbers. And regardless of plan, add up the cost of the email and funnel tools you'll need alongside Skool before comparing it to an all-in-one platform.

You can explore verified software offers for coaches and course creators at Funnel Tools, including free trials for platforms that cover email, funnels, and courses in one place.