The fee schedule
Every formula, published.
The complete community.io fee schedule and the exact math behind every number on this site — dated, sourced, and verified against competitors’ live pricing pages.
Verified against live pricing pages · July 7, 2026
community.io
Per account, not per community · merchant of record — processing included
| Plan | Subscription | Transaction fee | Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 4.9% + 30¢ per transaction | $0 + 4.9% + 30¢ all-in |
| Pro | $49/mo | 2.9% + 30¢ — flat, no $900 cliff | $49 + 2.9% + 30¢ all-in — flat, no $900 cliff |
| Scale | $199/mo | 2.4% + 30¢ volume pricing | $199 + 2.4% + 30¢ all-in (volume pricing) |
The method
The same model drives the calculator, the pricing page, and every comparison.
R = monthly revenue P = average membership price
N = R ÷ P transactions per month
txn = $0.30 × N fixed per-transaction fees
cost = subscription (× communities, where billed per community)
+ rate(P) × R
+ txn
rate(P): the platform's take. Only Skool Pro has a cliff —
rate switches to 3.9% per transaction when P > $900.Assumptions: monthly billing throughout; default average membership price $50/mo where a scenario doesn’t specify one. Stacked platforms (Circle, Mighty Networks, Patreon, Heartbeat) advertise a platform take that excludes processing — our tables fold Stripe’s processing into their all-in rate, as each formula below shows.
The >$900 cliff
Skool Pro charges 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction — until a transaction exceeds $900, where the rate jumps to 3.9% + 30¢ for that transaction. It is not shown on Skool’s public pricing page; the schedule lives in help.skool.com/article/86. Skool’s docs leave the boundary between $899.01 and $900.00 undefined; our model applies the higher rate strictly above $900.
Skool Pro: $99/mo per community + 2.9% + 30¢ · 3.9% over $900
Competitor constants
Verified against live pricing pages · July 7, 2026
| Platform | Formula | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skool Hobby | $9/mo per community + 10% + 30¢ | skool.com/pricing | 2026-07-07 |
| Skool Pro | $99/mo per community + 2.9% + 30¢ · 3.9% over $900 | same source | 2026-07-07 |
| Whop | $0 + 2.7% + 30¢ processing (0% platform take) | whop.com/pricing | 2026-07-07 |
| Circle Professional | $129 + 2% platform + Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ (stacked) | circle.so/pricing | 2026-07-07 |
| Circle Business | $219 + 1% platform + Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ (stacked) | same source | 2026-07-07 |
| Mighty Networks Launch | $95 + 2% platform + Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ (stacked) | mightynetworks.com/pricing | 2026-07-07 |
| Mighty Networks Business | $215 + 1% platform + Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ (stacked) | same source | 2026-07-07 |
| Kajabi Kickstarter | $89 + 2.9% + 30¢ (Kajabi Payments, 0% platform take) | kajabi.com/pricing | 2026-07-07 |
| Kajabi Growth | $199 + 2.7% + 30¢ (Kajabi Payments, 0% platform take) | same source | 2026-07-07 |
| Kajabi Pro | $349 + 2.7% + 30¢ (Kajabi Payments, 0% platform take) | same source | 2026-07-07 |
| GoHighLevel Starter | $97 + 2.9% + 30¢ (own gateway; usage fees excluded) | gohighlevel.com/pricing | 2026-07-07 |
| Patreon (standard) | 10% platform + 2.9% + 30¢ processing (no subscription) | patreon.com/pricing | 2026-07-07 |
| Nas.com Starter | ~$21 (annual billing) + 2.9% + gateway 2.9% + 30¢ | nas.com | 2026-07-07 |
| Heartbeat Starter | $49 + 5% platform + Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ (stacked) | heartbeat.chat/pricing | 2026-07-07 |
| Heartbeat Grow | $149 + 2.5% platform + Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ (stacked) | same source | 2026-07-07 |
Notes & caveats
- Skool — Fee schedule source: help.skool.com/article/86 (updated Apr 22, 2026).
- Skool — Trustpilot 1.9/5 is real but tiny (~34 reviews, unclaimed, as of July 7, 2026) — always state the sample size.
- Skool — Skool's review ecosystem is distorted by 40%-for-life affiliate commissions — fair to state when framing third-party reviews.
- Whop — Whop's 3% platform fee was removed in the 2025–26 repricing — do not cite the old 3% figure.
- Whop — Whop's own fee pages disagree on tax remittance (0.5% vs 2%); our table uses the pure 2.7% + 30¢ formula and footnotes possible tax-remittance fees.
- Whop — Whop Discover's 30% commission was eliminated ~May 2025.
- Circle — Monthly billing is $129/$219; annual is $89/$199 — always distinguish monthly vs annual when quoting Circle.
- Circle — Circle's API and AI are gated to higher tiers ($199+/Plus) — the anti-Circle point is AI at every tier.
- Mighty Networks — Monthly billing is $95/$215; annual is $79/$179 — always distinguish monthly vs annual when quoting Mighty.
- Kajabi — Kajabi is tier-priced: right-size the tier to revenue when comparing ($89 @ ~$1k, $199 @ ~$10k, $349 @ ~$100k; 2.9% → 2.7% processing).
- GoHighLevel — GHL usage fees (SMS/email/AI) are ignored in the comparison model — say so wherever GHL figures render.
- Patreon + Discord — The 13.5% figure is Patreon standard 10% + processing 2.9% + 30¢; FX/iOS surcharges are additive and situational — footnote them, don't bake them into the table.
- Nas.com — Nas.com's ~$21/$67 prices are ANNUAL billing — always disclose when quoting.
- Nas.com — India angle: Nas half-abandoned the community market by pivoting — the emerging-market lane is open.
- Heartbeat — Heartbeat's take steps down by tier (5% / 2.5% / 1.25%) — right-size the tier to revenue when comparing.
Changelog
Fee changes are announced here before they apply.
changelog_00 · 2026-07-07 · No changes since launch.
Run this math at your own revenue — open the Skool fee calculator → · or see plans & pricing