Community Platform Pricing 2026 — True Cost of Circle, Skool, Mighty Networks & Bonfire

Platform pricing pages are designed to show you the lowest possible number. The real cost only reveals itself when you read the fine print, hit a usage limit, or try to remove the platform's branding from your community. This article shows you the full picture.

The components of true cost

To compare platforms fairly, you need to account for: base subscription, white-label/custom domain (often a huge add-on), transaction fees on member payments, per-member overage fees, storage limits and overages, and integration costs for features not natively included.

Circle

Published pricing: $49/mo (Basic), $99/mo (Professional), $199/mo (Business), $399/mo (Enterprise)

What the pricing page doesn't lead with: Custom domain and white-label are a $30,000/year add-on, available only on Enterprise. The Business plan at $199/mo gives you features but your community URL is still yourname.circle.so.

Transaction fees: 0% on Professional and above. 4% on Basic.

True 12-month cost scenarios:

• Basic plan (basic features, no white-label): $588/year
• Professional plan (full features, no white-label): $1,188/year
• Business plan + white-label: $2,388 + $30,000 = $32,388/year

For most creators, Circle sits in a value gap: the non-white-label plans are reasonably priced but meaningfully limited; the white-label option is enterprise pricing for what should be a basic feature.

Skool

Published pricing: $99/mo flat. One plan, one price.

What the pricing page doesn't mention: No white-label. No custom domain. No option to remove Skool branding at any price point. Your community will always be skool.com/yourgroup.

Transaction fees: 2.9% + $0.30 on member payments via Stripe (Stripe's fee, passed through).

True 12-month cost:

• 100 members at $49/month: $1,188 (Skool) + ~$1,700 in transaction fees = ~$2,888/year all-in
• White-label: Not available at any price

Skool is genuinely good value if you don't need white-label. The flat pricing is refreshing. But the ceiling on branding is absolute.

Mighty Networks

Published pricing: $33/mo (Community), $99/mo (Courses), $179/mo (Business), $360/mo (Mighty Pro)

What the pricing page doesn't highlight: Transaction fees of 3% on the Community plan, 2% on Courses, 0% on Business+. The mobile app branding says "Powered by Mighty Networks" on most plans.

True 12-month cost scenarios:

• Courses plan (100 members at $49/mo): $1,188 + ~$2,940 in transaction fees = ~$4,128/year
• Business plan (0% fees, limited white-label): $2,148/year
• Mighty Pro (full white-label): $4,320/year — but "Powered by Mighty Networks" still appears in some places

Transaction fees make Mighty Networks significantly more expensive than the headline price suggests for communities with active member payments.

Bonfire

Published pricing: $49/mo (Starter), $149/mo (Growth), $299/mo (Business)

White-label: Included in Business plan at $299/mo. No add-on fee. Custom domain, branded emails, your logo everywhere.

Transaction fees: 0% on all paid plans.

True 12-month cost scenarios:

• Growth plan (full features, no white-label): $1,788/year
• Business plan (white-label included): $3,588/year

The true cost comparison at scale

For a community charging $99/month with 100 members ($9,900 MRR), here's what you actually pay each platform per year:

• Circle Professional: $1,188/year subscription + $0 transaction fees = $1,188 (no white-label)
• Circle with white-label: $32,388/year
• Skool: $1,188/year + ~$3,459 transaction fees = $4,647 (no white-label possible)
• Mighty Networks Business: $2,148/year + $0 transaction fees = $2,148 (partial white-label)
• Bonfire Business: $3,588/year + $0 transaction fees = $3,588 (full white-label)

What the math shows

If you don't need white-label, Circle Professional or Mighty Networks Business are the most cost-efficient options. If you need white-label — and at $99/month you probably should — the choice becomes stark: $32,388/year with Circle, or $3,588/year with Bonfire. That's a $28,800/year difference for the same capability.

Platform pricing pages show you the floor. White-label and transaction fees determine the ceiling. Calculate your true 12-month cost before committing.