Circle is one of the most feature-rich community platforms on the market. It is also one of the most expensive once you account for add-on fees and transaction charges that do not appear on the main pricing page. This guide breaks down what Circle actually costs at each tier, compares total cost of ownership against alternatives, and helps you decide whether Circle's pricing structure fits your budget.
All Circle pricing data is sourced from circle.so/pricing as of March 2026.
Circle's Published Plans
Circle currently offers three tiers:
| Plan | Monthly Price | Admins | Moderators | Storage | Workflows | Transaction Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional | $89/mo | 3 | 10 | 200 GB | 20 | 2% |
| Business | $199/mo | 5 | 15 | 500 GB | Unlimited | 1% |
| Circle Plus | Custom (sales-led) | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2 TB | Unlimited | 0.5% |
At first glance, $89/month for a Professional plan looks reasonable. But that number is the starting point, not the total.
The Add-Ons That Change the Math
Circle's Professional plan requires paid add-ons for features that most community operators consider essential. These are not optional upgrades for power users. They are core functionality gated behind separate monthly charges.
Email Marketing: +$99/month
Circle's Email Hub is a $99/month add-on on the Professional plan. It supports up to 10,000 contacts and provides segment-based email campaigns, automations, and broadcasts. On the Business plan ($199/mo), Email Hub is included. On Professional, it is not.
If you plan to send emails to your community members (and you should), this is not optional.
Branded Email Notifications: +$40/month
By default, Circle sends transactional emails (new post alerts, replies, event reminders) from Circle's own domain. If you want these emails to come from your brand, that costs an additional $40/month on the Professional plan. This is included on Business and above.
Custom Profile Fields: +$49/month
Need to collect member information beyond the defaults (role, company, location, interests)? Custom profile fields cost $49/month on Professional. Included on Business and above.
What "Professional" Actually Costs
Here is what a fully functional Circle Professional setup looks like:
| Line Item | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Professional base plan | $89 |
| Email Hub (email marketing) | $99 |
| Branded email notifications | $40 |
| Custom profile fields | $49 |
| Subtotal before transaction fees | $277 |
| Transaction fee on revenue | 2% of all community revenue |
That is $277/month before you process a single dollar in community revenue. And every dollar you earn through memberships, courses, or paid events gives 2% back to Circle on top of that.
Additional Costs That Scale
Beyond the core add-ons, Circle charges per-unit fees that grow with your community:
- Extra admins: $10/month each (beyond the 3 included)
- Extra moderators: $20/month per 10 (beyond the 10 included)
- Extra spaces: $20/month per 10
- Extra live event attendees: $20/month per additional 100
- API request overages: $0.005 per request on Professional, $0.002 on Business
A growing community with 5 admins, 20 moderators, and active live events can easily add another $50-100/month on top of the $277 base.
The Transaction Fee Problem
Circle charges a platform transaction fee on all revenue processed through the platform. This is separate from Stripe's payment processing fee (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). The two fees compound.
On Circle Professional, your total payment processing cost is:
- 2% Circle platform fee
- 2.9% + $0.30 Stripe processing fee
- Total: ~4.9% + $0.30 per transaction
On a $50 monthly membership, that means $2.75 goes to fees on every single payment. On 200 paying members, you lose $550/month to combined fees, of which $200/month goes directly to Circle.
Total Cost at Revenue Levels: Circle vs Kazokus
The table below compares the total monthly cost (subscription + add-ons + platform transaction fees) of running a community on Circle Professional versus Kazokus Growth ($49/mo) and Kazokus Pro ($99/mo). Stripe processing fees (2.9% + $0.30) apply to all platforms and are excluded since they are constant.
| Monthly Community Revenue | Circle Professional (fully loaded) | Kazokus Growth ($49/mo) | Kazokus Pro ($99/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 (no monetization) | $277 | $49 | $99 |
| $3,000 | $277 + $60 = $337 | $49 | $99 |
| $5,000 | $277 + $100 = $377 | $49 | $99 |
| $10,000 | $277 + $200 = $477 | $49 | $99 |
| $20,000 | $277 + $400 = $677 | $49 | $99 |
At $10,000/month in community revenue, Circle Professional costs $477/month. Kazokus Pro costs $99/month. The difference is $378/month, or $4,536/year.
At $20,000/month, the gap widens to $578/month ($6,936/year).
Kazokus charges zero platform transaction fees on all plans. The only payment processing cost is Stripe's standard rate (2.9% + $0.30), which applies identically on every platform.
What About Circle Business?
Circle Business at $199/month includes Email Hub, branded notifications, and custom profile fields. That eliminates the add-on problem but introduces a higher base price and still carries a 1% transaction fee.
| Monthly Revenue | Circle Business | Kazokus Pro |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $199 | $99 |
| $5,000 | $199 + $50 = $249 | $99 |
| $10,000 | $199 + $100 = $299 | $99 |
| $20,000 | $199 + $200 = $399 | $99 |
Circle Business is simpler to budget than Professional, but at $10,000/month revenue, you are still paying $200/month more than Kazokus Pro.
Circle Plus vs Kazokus Pro: The AI Comparison
Circle's AI features (AI Agents, AI Workflows, Knowledge Engine) are locked behind Circle Plus, which requires custom pricing through a sales conversation. Reported annual contracts for Circle Plus start around $30,000/year (~$2,500/month), though pricing varies by organization size.
Circle Plus also includes SSO, branded mobile apps, unlimited admins and moderators, 2 TB storage, and a reduced 0.5% transaction fee.
Kazokus Pro at $99/month ($1,188/year) includes:
- @Kazo AI assistant with community content search (searches your actual discussions and articles for context-aware answers)
- Universal Translator (Claude AI + Google Translate, auto-translates all community content)
- AI content summarization
- AI-assisted course content generation
- Community Builder Coach (AI-powered health scoring and recommendations)
- AI crawl policy controls and search visibility controls
- BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) for communities that want to use their own LLM API keys
Kazokus distributes 500 free Kredits per member per month for AI features, with purchasable top-up packs ($1.99 / $4.99 / $9.99) for heavier usage. Community-level AI budgets scale by plan.
The AI capabilities differ in approach. Circle Plus offers configurable AI agents and a knowledge engine trained on your community content. Kazokus Pro offers an AI assistant that searches live community data and a universal translation layer. Circle's approach is deeper in agent customization; Kazokus's approach includes translation and AI features on all plans without a sales conversation or annual contract.
At $99/month versus a reported ~$30,000/year, the cost difference is substantial. Whether Circle Plus's additional AI depth justifies a 25x price premium depends on how central AI agent workflows are to your community operations.
Circle Eliminated Its Budget Plans
In a recent pricing restructure, Circle removed all plans below $89/month. Previously, operators could start at a lower price point and scale up. That entry path no longer exists.
This change affects:
- New operators evaluating platforms: The minimum commitment to Circle is now $89/month (realistically $277/month for a functional setup), with no free plan or trial tier for testing at production scale.
- Existing operators on legacy plans: Users who were on lower-cost plans have been migrated or are in the process of migrating to the $89/month Professional tier.
- Budget-conscious creators and coaches: Operators earning under $1,000/month in community revenue now face a platform cost that represents 28-48% of their revenue on Circle Professional (fully loaded).
By comparison, Kazokus offers a free Launch plan (250 members, course builder, events, community tools) and a Growth plan at $49/month (2,500 members, email marketing, booking, marketplace, API access). Both charge zero platform transaction fees.
Features Included Without Add-Ons
One of the structural differences between Circle and Kazokus is how features are packaged. Circle monetizes individual capabilities as add-ons; Kazokus includes them in the plan price.
| Feature | Circle Professional ($89/mo) | Kazokus Growth ($49/mo) | Kazokus Pro ($99/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email marketing | +$99/mo (Email Hub) | Included | Included |
| Branded notifications | +$40/mo | Included | Included |
| Custom profile fields | +$49/mo | Included | Included |
| Transaction fees | 2% | 0% | 0% |
| CRM | Not available | Not available | Included |
| Booking / appointments | Not available | Included | Included |
| Marketplace | Not available | Included (P2P) | Included (full) |
| Public REST API | $0.005/request overage | Included (1K req/hr) | Included (10K req/hr) |
| AI assistant | Circle Plus only | Included (@Kazo) | Included (@Kazo + BYOK) |
| Universal auto-translation | Not available | Included | Included |
| Parent/child communities | Not available | Not available | Included (1 parent + 3 child) |
| SSO (Google, Microsoft) | Circle Plus only | Included | Included |
| Custom domain | Included | Included | Included |
| White-label branding | Included | Not available | Included |
Circle has genuine strengths that Kazokus does not match: automation/workflow engine (Business+), headless member API (Business+), a larger integration ecosystem, and native iOS/Android apps on all plans. These matter for specific use cases, particularly developer-led implementations and mobile-first communities.
But for the majority of community operators who need email marketing, zero transaction fees, booking, a CRM, and AI features without negotiating a sales contract, the feature-per-dollar ratio favors Kazokus.
Who Should Still Choose Circle
Circle remains the right choice if:
- You need a workflow/automation engine. Circle's automation builder (unlimited on Business+) supports complex member journeys, drip sequences, and conditional logic. Kazokus does not currently offer automation workflows.
- You need a headless/embeddable community. Circle's Headless Member API (Business+) lets developers embed community features into their own products. This is a differentiated capability.
- You need a branded native mobile app. Circle Plus includes a branded iOS/Android app. Kazokus is currently responsive web only.
- Your community is primarily English-speaking and does not need translation, CRM, booking, or marketplace features. In that case, Circle's core community and course tooling is mature and well-documented.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Circle cost per month in 2026?
Circle's Professional plan starts at $89/month but requires add-ons for most operational needs. Email marketing ($99/month), branded email notifications ($40/month), and custom profile fields ($49/month) bring the effective cost to $277/month before transaction fees. Circle Business at $199/month includes these add-ons. Circle Plus requires custom pricing through a sales conversation.
Does Circle charge transaction fees?
Yes. Circle charges a platform transaction fee on all revenue processed through the platform: 2% on Professional, 1% on Business, and 0.5% on Circle Plus. This is in addition to Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
Is there a free Circle plan?
No. Circle eliminated all plans below $89/month. There is no free tier or permanently free plan. Circle offers a 14-day free trial on paid plans.
What are the cheapest Circle alternatives in 2026?
Community platforms with lower starting prices than Circle's $89/month include Kazokus (free plan for up to 250 members, $49/month Growth plan), Skool ($9/month Hobby plan, though with a 10% transaction fee), and Heartbeat ($49/month Build plan with a 5% transaction fee). Kazokus is the only alternative that charges zero platform transaction fees.
Does Circle include email marketing?
Circle's email marketing feature (Email Hub) is a $99/month add-on on the Professional plan. It is included on Business ($199/month) and Circle Plus (custom pricing). Kazokus includes full email marketing (segments, tags, campaigns, mail merge, digest emails) on Growth ($49/month) and Pro ($99/month) plans at no additional cost.
How does Circle's AI compare to alternatives?
Circle's AI features (AI Agents, AI Workflows, Knowledge Engine) are available only on Circle Plus, which requires custom pricing. These features are not available on the $89/month Professional or $199/month Business plans. Kazokus includes AI features (@Kazo assistant with community search, Universal Translator, AI summarization) on all plans, including the free tier, powered by a Kredits system with 500 free Kredits per member per month.
What is Circle Plus and how much does it cost?
Circle Plus is Circle's premium tier, replacing the former Enterprise plan. It includes AI agents, SSO, branded mobile apps, unlimited admins and moderators, 2 TB storage, and a 0.5% transaction fee. Pricing is custom and requires a sales conversation, with reported annual contracts starting around $30,000/year.
Can I run multiple communities on Circle?
Each Circle community requires a separate subscription. Running three communities on Circle Professional costs $267/month ($89 x 3) in base subscription alone, before add-ons. Kazokus Pro ($99/month) includes one parent community plus three child communities with full parent/child/grandchild hierarchy, a structure Circle does not offer at any price point.
Pricing data sourced from circle.so/pricing (March 2026), kazokus.com/pricing (April 2026), and verified against live platform configurations. Circle's pricing page does not prominently display add-on costs; figures are drawn from the full pricing and features documentation. All comparisons use monthly billing rates.