Circle vs Teachable
Circle and Teachable are both online courses & LMS tools. Circle is aimed at creators and small businesses, while Teachable is aimed at creators. Teachable costs less, from $39/mo versus $89/mo for Circle.
All-in-one community platform for creators and brands
Sell courses, coaching and digital downloads
| Pricing | Paid · $89 | Paid · $39 |
| Starting price | $89/mo | $39/mo |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | 7 days |
| Built for | Creators, Small businesses | Creators |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web |
| Country | US · 2020 | US · 2014 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Circle if
Creators and companies who want a premium, branded community with courses and payments.
- Polished, flexible community experience
- Courses, events and payments in one
- Strong for creators and B2B communities alike
Look elsewhere if: Budget communities (Skool, Discord) or knowledge-heavy forums (Discourse).
Choose Teachable if
Course creators who want a dependable platform and tax handling, and will reach the Builder tier.
- Mature, reliable platform
- Tax handling via Teachable Payments
- Good checkout conversion features
Look elsewhere if: Those wanting community-first learning (Skool, Circle) or all-in-one marketing (Kajabi).
Circle vs Teachable pricing
Circle
- Professional$89/moBilled annually; unlimited members, 3 admins, 2% transaction fee
- Business$199/moBilled annually; 5 admins, 1% transaction fee, workflows, API
- Scale$419/moBilled annually; 10 admins, 1% transaction fee, AI agents
- Circle PlusCustomBranded mobile apps, unlimited admins, 0.5% transaction fee
Teachable
- Starter$39/mo$29/mo yearly; 5 products, 7.5% transaction fee
- Builder$89/mo$69/mo yearly; 10 products, 0% transaction fee
- Growth$189/mo$139/mo yearly; 50 products, 5 admins
- CustomCustomFlexible seats, success manager, priority SLA
Circle · Key features
- Spaces for posts, chat, events and courses
- Live streams and video rooms
- Paid memberships, tiers and gated spaces
- Workflows for automation and member journeys
- Branded mobile apps (Plus)
- AI agent, analytics and API
Cons
- Price plus transaction fees
- Branded app is a significant add-on
- Search and threading can be weaker than forums
Teachable · Key features
- Course builder with video, quizzes, certificates and drip
- Coaching products with scheduling and milestones
- Checkout with upsells, order bumps and payment plans
- Teachable Payments handles sales tax and payouts
- Affiliate program and coupons
- Student analytics, email and AI curriculum tools
Cons
- Transaction fees on the Starter plan
- Site design customization is limited
- Email marketing is basic
Circle vs Teachable: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Circle or Teachable?
Teachable starts at $39/mo and Circle at $89/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Circle and Teachable have a free plan?
Circle has no free plan, a 14-day free trial. Teachable has no free plan, a 7-day free trial.
Which is better for small businesses, Circle or Teachable?
Circle lists small businesses as a core audience, while Teachable is aimed more at creators.