Monthly Plan Pricing
Side-by-side monthly costs for each platform's pricing tiers. Kazokus is the only platform that offers a genuinely free plan with courses, events, forums, and member management included. Marketplace is available from the Growth plan ($49/mo).
| Platform | Free | Starter | Mid | Top |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kazokus | $0 (Launch) | $49/mo (Growth) | $99/mo (Pro) | — |
| Circle | — | $89/mo (Professional) | $199/mo (Business) | Custom (Circle Plus) |
| Mighty Networks | — | $79/mo (Launch) | $179/mo (Scale) | Custom (Mighty Pro) |
| Skool | — | $9/mo (Hobby) | $99/mo (Pro) | — |
| Heartbeat | — | $49/mo (Build) | $149/mo (Grow) | $849/mo (Scale) |
Transaction Fee Comparison
Transaction fees are the hidden cost most community builders overlook. They compound as your revenue grows, costing creators thousands of dollars per year.
| Platform | Membership Fees | Event Tickets | Marketplace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kazokus | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Circle | 2% → 0.5% | 2% → 0.5% | — |
| Mighty Networks | 2% → 0.5% | 2% → 0.5% | — |
| Skool | 10% (Hobby) / 2.9% (Pro) | — | — |
| Heartbeat | 5% → 1.25% | 5% → 1.25% | — |
Note: All platforms pass through Stripe processing fees (2.9% + 30¢). The fees above are additional platform transaction fees charged on top of Stripe.
Total Cost at Scale
Subscription price alone does not tell you what a platform costs. Most charge a percentage of everything you earn on top of the monthly fee, so the real cost tracks your revenue rather than your member count. The table below shows total monthly platform cost (subscription plus transaction fees) for a community earning a given amount, using the cheapest plan on each platform that supports paid memberships. Stripe processing is excluded because it applies equally everywhere.
| Monthly revenue | Kazokus | Circle | Mighty Networks | Skool | Heartbeat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $99 (Pro) | $109 | $99 | $109 (Hobby) | $99 (Build) |
| $5,000 | $99 (Pro) | $189 | $179 | $244 (Pro) | $274 (Grow) |
| $10,000 | $99 (Pro) | $289 | $279 | $389 (Pro) | $399 (Grow) |
| $25,000 | $99 (Pro) | $589 | $579 | $824 (Pro) | $774 (Grow) |
Monthly costs at list price. Actual costs may be lower with annual billing discounts where available. Kazokus requires the Pro plan for paid memberships.
Key Takeaways
Kazokus is the only platform with a genuinely free tier that includes courses, events, marketplace, and member management. No other major community platform offers this breadth of features at zero cost.
A low subscription is not the same as a low cost Skool has the cheapest entry price at $9/month, but its Hobby plan takes 10% of member revenue. At $5,000/month that is $500 to the platform, against $99 total on Kazokus Pro. Compare total cost, not the sticker price.
Zero transaction fees means you keep 100% of your revenue (minus standard Stripe processing of 2.9% + 30¢). A community earning $10,000/month pays $200/month in platform fees on Circle or Mighty Networks, $250/month on Heartbeat Grow, and $290/month on Skool Pro. That is $2,400 to $3,480 a year that Kazokus creators keep.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest community platform?
Kazokus is the only platform here with a genuinely free tier. The Launch plan covers communities up to 250 members and includes courses, events, forums, and member management at no cost. Skool has the lowest paid entry price at $9/month, but its Hobby plan takes 10% of everything you earn, so it becomes the more expensive option as soon as you start charging members. Circle starts at $89/month, Mighty Networks at $79/month, and Heartbeat at $49/month.
Do community platforms charge transaction fees?
Most do, on top of standard payment processing. Circle and Mighty Networks both charge 2% on their entry plans, falling to 0.5% on their highest tiers. Heartbeat charges 5% on Build, 2.5% on Grow, and 1.25% on Scale. Skool charges 10% on Hobby and 2.9% on Pro. Kazokus charges 0% on all revenue types, including memberships, event tickets, and marketplace sales. Every platform also passes through Stripe processing at 2.9% plus 30 cents.
How much does Circle cost per month?
Circle costs $89/month for Professional, $199/month for Business, and custom pricing for Circle Plus. There is no free tier. Circle also charges a transaction fee on paid memberships: 2% on Professional, 1% on Business, and 0.5% on Circle Plus. Annual billing provides a discount.
What's the best community platform for small communities?
For communities under 250 members, Kazokus Launch is free and includes events, courses, forums, and member management. Skool Hobby is cheaper than the other paid options at $9/month, but takes 10% of member revenue. Heartbeat Build is $49/month and caps at 350 members, which forces an upgrade to Grow at $149/month once you pass it. Circle and Mighty Networks have no small-community tier, starting at $89 and $79/month respectively.
Is Kazokus really free?
Yes. Kazokus Launch is free forever for communities up to 250 members with full access to events, courses, articles, forums, and member management. Paid memberships, marketplace, booking, and custom domain features are on Growth ($49/mo) and Pro ($99/mo). There are no transaction fees at any tier, no hidden costs, and no credit card required to start.
What hidden costs do community platforms have?
The most common hidden cost is the transaction fee, because it scales with your success rather than your member count. A community earning $5,000/month pays $500 of it to Skool on the Hobby plan, $250 to Heartbeat on Build, and $100 to Circle or Mighty Networks on their entry plans. Member caps are the other common surprise: Heartbeat Build stops at 350 members and triples in price at the next tier. Kazokus charges no platform fee at any tier.
Which community platform is best for monetization?
Kazokus charges 0% transaction fees across memberships, event tickets, and marketplace sales, so you keep everything beyond standard Stripe processing (2.9% plus 30 cents). For a community earning $10,000/month, the platform fee alone comes to $290/month on Skool Pro, $250/month on Heartbeat Grow, and $200/month on Circle or Mighty Networks. On Kazokus it is $0, so the total stays at the $99/month Pro subscription.
How do community platform costs change as you scale?
Kazokus is flat: Pro is $99/month whatever you earn and however many members you have. Everywhere else the cost rises with revenue, because the transaction fee is a percentage. At $25,000/month in member revenue, the combined subscription and fees come to roughly $579 on Mighty Networks, $589 on Circle, $774 on Heartbeat Grow, and $824 on Skool Pro, against $99 on Kazokus. Heartbeat also has a $849/month Scale tier for larger communities.
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Detailed platform comparisons:
Pricing data sourced from each platform's public pricing pages as of September 2026. Prices shown are monthly billing rates in USD. Annual billing may offer discounts. Stripe processing fees (2.9% + 30¢ per transaction) apply to all platforms and are not included in the totals above. Kazokus is a product of SumoSoft Inc.