Skool Alternatives 2026: 5 Honest Options - AXL
5 Skool alternatives in 2026, compared on fees, API access and courses
The 10%, the missing API and the missing CRM are the three reasons people search this. Skool is deliberately small. Sometimes that is the right answer.
The short version
Closest community product: Circle structure, threads, live rooms and branding
Smallest sticker: Skool itself at $9; the 10% only hurts once the revenue is real.
An agent that finishes: AXL a documented REST API and an agent that writes.
Why people leave Skool
- The 10% on Hobby. $9 plus 10% of sales; Pro is $99 plus 2.9% with an identical feature list, so $99 buys a lower rake and nothing else (skool.com/pricing). On $10,000 of monthly sales, Hobby's fee alone is $1,000.
- No public API found. No REST API, official webhooks or app marketplace; the official programmatic surface is Stripe webhooks and a limited Zapier connection (tools4skool.com/integrations/skool-api).
- No email marketing, no member tagging. Both are reported as top open feature requests (stickyhive.ai/skool/review and tools4skool.com/skool/skool-updates).
- Automation is one step deep. An AutoDM on join is reported as the whole of it; there is no post scheduling, at-risk view or retention curve (tools4skool.com).
The five, in one table
| Platform | From | Cut of your sales | Courses | Agent access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skool (yours) | $9 | 10% Hobby / 2.9% Pro | Unlimited, simple | None reported | No public API found |
| AXL | Free; $49 Starter | 0% | Unlimited, graded, certificates | Included allowance by plan, then $0.0006 per email | Included on every plan |
| Circle | $89 | 2% at $89, 1% at $199, 0.5% on Circle Plus | Reviewers describe as thin | Add-on, +$99/mo | Business $199, 5,000 calls/mo |
| Kajabi | $179 | 0% on Kajabi Payments; 2% down to 0.5% with an eligible third-party provider | 5 on Basic | Unlimited | Every plan, drafts only |
| Thinkific | $54 | 0% on Thinkific Payments; 5% down to 0.5% with your own provider where applicable | Unlimited | No nurture sequences reported | Plus only, read-only, rolling out |
| ClickFunnels | $97 | 0% | 3 on Launch | 50,000 sends/mo on Launch | Scale $197, technical preview |
What each one is good at
AXL: if an agent should run it
Every member is a full contact record, and space permissions are CRM filters: “bought the advanced plan and finished module 2” is the access rule, and it maintains itself. Start free, paid plans from $49/month, 0% of your revenue at any volume.
Limits: one uncluttered feed around a leaderboard is better UX for pure community, and Skool Discover is distribution we do not have. AXL vs Skool →
Circle: the closest replacement
Spaces and sections, threaded discussion at scale, live rooms and events, with branding that makes the community look like your product. $89 at 2%, $199 at 1%; Email Hub is +$99/month for 10,000 contacts (circle.so/pricing).
Limits: 20 workflows below $199, where the API also starts; the fee never reaches zero; reviewers describe the courses as thin.
Kajabi: a community beside a coaching brand
The community is one product among courses, coaching, newsletters and podcasts, with unlimited marketing email on every tier. Basic is $179, Growth $249 and Pro $499 a month (kajabi.com/pricing).
Limits: the highest entry price here, contacts metered from 2,500, one community below Pro, and agent writes that land as drafts.
Thinkific: if the curriculum is the product
Communities attached to unlimited courses on every tier, and SCORM on Plus. Basic is $54, Start $109, Grow $219 and Expand $499 a month (thinkific.com/pricing, checked 21 August 2026).
Limits: communities capped by tier, memberships and certificates excluded from Basic, and no nurture email reported.
ClickFunnels: if you sell into the group
Funnels, checkout, bumps and upsells, with 10,000 contacts and 50,000 emails a month on the entry plan and no cut of your sales. $97 / $197 / $297 (clickfunnels.com/pricing).
Limits: courses capped at 3 on Launch, and reviewers report no student-side community. It is the wrong tool if the group is why people pay.
Your reason for leaving, and where it points
| Leaving because… | Pick |
|---|---|
| The 10% on Hobby | Skool Pro at $99 first: the rake drops to 2.9% and nothing else changes |
| You need an API or agent access at all | AXL: documented REST API and an agent on every account |
| You need email marketing to members | AXL includes email by plan, then charges $0.0006 per extra email; Circle Email Hub is +$99/mo |
| You want a more structured, better-looking community | Circle |
| You need graded courses and certificates | AXL or Thinkific: reviewers call Circle's courses thin |
Where AXL fits, and where it does not
It fits the community owner who now runs a business: paid tiers, courses with real assessment, email sequences, a pipeline, affiliates.
It does not fit a community whose value is the daily feed. If your members show up for the leaderboard, moving them will cost you more than the fee does.
Moving off Skool
- Members Contacts by CSV or XLSX, matched on email
- Course outlines Rebuilt by an agent
- Posts, points, streaks, DMs Move nowhere; archive them
Treat it as a social event: run both spaces for a few weeks, new content only in the new one.
Is Skool's 10% fee really 10%?
On the $9 Hobby plan, yes: skool.com/pricing states 10%, and 2.9% on $99 Pro. What it does not state is whether card processing sits inside those percentages, which changes the Pro comparison materially. Every figure here is therefore a Hobby figure and we make no Pro-tier cost claim. We could not find it answered publicly; if you have it in writing from Skool, tell us and we will correct this page.
Run the new space beside the old one first.
Import the members and rebuild one course while the group stays where it is. Start free; paid plans start at $49 a month, with included usage and published overage rates.