Top 10 Circle Alternatives for Group Coaches, Ranked

The best circle alternatives for group coaches are the tools that handle the whole cohort, not just the conversation. Circle is a strong community platform: polished spaces, events, courses, a member directory and, on its top tier, branded apps. Where group coaches tend to outgrow it is everything around the community: the application call, the agreement, the payment plan, the 1:1 sessions some participants buy on top, and the weekly check-ins that show who is quietly falling behind between live calls.
Our pick is Coachful, because it runs that full journey from one login and gives every participant one branded app for the group, the program and their own progress. We make Coachful, so weigh that, and check the facts below: every competitor price is quoted as the vendor listed it in October 2026, and each tool's section ends with the situations where you should pick it instead.

If you want the broader version of this list, our Circle alternatives for coaches roundup covers solo 1:1 practices too. This article is only about coaches who sell and run groups: cohorts, masterminds, group programs and membership-style accountability circles.
What does a group coach's client journey actually need from software?
A group program has four stages, and each one asks for something different from your tools. Circle covers the third stage very well and parts of the first; the gaps sit in enrollment and retention.
Attract: getting the right people to raise their hand
Group coaches usually fill a cohort through a free workshop, a lead magnet or a waitlist. You need a page that collects the email, a sequence that follows up, and ideally a webinar or live event you can host without a second tool. Circle offers a website and events on its Professional plan; its Email Hub is a paid add-on at $99/month for 10,000 contacts, as listed in October 2026.
Enroll: applications, calls and payment plans
Cohorts rarely sell from a checkout button alone. Most group coaches run an application form, a short enrollment call, then a payment plan. Then there is the agreement: what the group covers, attendance and refund terms, confidentiality between members. Circle's coach-relevant notes are blunt here: it has no 1:1 scheduling or client management back office. That means a separate booking tool and a separate e-signature tool, each with its own login and bill.
Deliver: the live calls and everything between them
This is where a community feed and a coaching program part ways. A cohort needs weekly goals, lessons that drip by week, recurring group calls, and a way for each participant to log habits and answer a short check-in. Circle has courses, events and live streams, but no per-client habits, check-ins or coaching plans. In practice coaches fill that gap with a spreadsheet, a form tool or a weekly "post your wins" thread that only the loudest members answer.
Retain: alumni, renewals and spotting who is drifting
The second cohort is cheaper to fill than the first if your alumni stay close. Retention needs an alumni space, a renewal or next-level offer, and a signal that tells you which participant went quiet in week four. Circle's activity scores (Business plan) track activity in the community; they do not tell you whether someone stopped doing the work.
For a deeper look at the community side alone, see how to host a coaching community without Circle and our guide to running a client mastermind without Circle.
Which tool covers which stage? The at-a-glance table
Ranked on: one login for the whole group client journey, between-session delivery (habits, check-ins, weekly goals), total stack cost including platform fees, and setup effort, including Coachful's free white-glove build.
| Rank and tool | Attract | Enroll (booking, agreements, payment plans) | Deliver (cohort, check-ins, habits) | Retain | Entry price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachful (#1) | Website, funnels, email sequences, webinars | Booking, application funnels, e-signed agreements, payment plans | Auto-created cohort groups, programs, habits, morning and evening check-ins | Client status (thriving to at risk), community, bundles | Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients |
| #2 Mighty Networks | Community only | Paid memberships; no 1:1 scheduling or contracts | Community, courses, livestreams | Branded apps on Mighty Pro only | $79/mo annual |
| #3 Kajabi | Website, funnels, email | Checkout and payment plans; coaching as products | Courses and community; no habits or check-ins | Email, offers | $143/mo annual |
| #4 Skool | No website, funnels or email | Skool Payments only | Community, classroom, calendar, leaderboards | Gamification | $9/mo (10% + 30¢ fees) |
| #5 Ruzuku | Limited | One-time, subscription, payment plans; no booking | Cohort courses, built-in live video, discussions | Discussions, DMs | Free (5 students) |
| #6 Thinkific | Limited | Checkout; no built-in 1:1 booking | Courses, communities, live events | Communities | $82/mo annual |
| #7 Podia | Storefront, small email allowance | Checkout, coaching products | Courses, webinars, community | Community spaces | $42/mo annual |
| #8 Kartra | Pages, funnels, email and SMS | Calendars, checkout | Memberships; no habits or check-ins | Email, helpdesk | $52/mo annual |
| #9 Systeme.io | Funnels, email, blog | Checkout; no native 1:1 booking | Basic courses and community | Free plan | |
| #10 GoHighLevel | Funnels, websites, SMS and email | Calendars, invoices, contracts | Courses, communities; no check-in engine | Workflows | $80.83/mo annual |
How did we choose and rank these ten?
We started from what group coaches leave Circle for, then checked each vendor's own pricing page and documentation, dated October 2026. We did not run hands-on tests; where a limit comes from an older vendor profile (September 2026) we say so. Tools made only for 1:1 practices were left out because they have no real cohort space; if that is your situation, our Paperbell alternatives for group coaches list starts from the other side.
Each tool earned points for covering more of the four stages in one product, lost points for platform fees on sales and for paid add-ons a cohort coach would almost certainly need, and was judged on how much a coach has to build before the first cohort can start.
1. Coachful: the cohort, the 1:1 add-ons and the check-ins in one place

Coachful is a coaching platform where one subscription covers booking, payments, contracts, program delivery with habits and check-ins, courses, a community, a website with funnels and email, and an AI assistant. The coach has one login; each participant gets one branded app. It is built for coaches who deliver programs, not just sessions, which is exactly the shape of a group cohort.
How a cohort runs. You build a multi-week program with weekly goals, daily tasks, habits, and morning and evening check-ins. When someone enrolls, Coachful creates the cohort group automatically, so the participant lands in the right group chat and feed without you adding them by hand. Group calls and webinars live in the same place, as do video events. Lessons can drip through courses with modules and completion tracking, and downloads, videos and worksheets are delivered into the participant's branded home.

From the coach side, the Squads view lists every program-linked group with its members, which matters once you run two or three cohorts at once or keep an alumni group alongside the live one.

What happens between calls. This is the gap Circle leaves open. Each participant logs habits and answers check-ins, goals show progress bars and streaks, and every client record collects goals, check-ins, habits, notes, intake answers, sessions and payments. Coachful marks each person as thriving, active, quiet or at risk, so in week four you can message the two people who went quiet before they miss the next call. Michelle, the built-in AI assistant, briefs you before sessions and can summarize recorded sessions; questions and planning are included in your Coachful membership, while confirmed builds and changes use AI credits. You can also set up an AI Coach, an AI version of you that selected clients can chat with between sessions.

Enrollment without a second tool. Application funnels, booking pages for the enrollment call (with buffers, minimum notice and time-zone detection), two-way Google, Apple and Outlook calendar sync, and built-in video or auto-created Zoom, Meet or Teams links all sit in the same account. Payments run through your own Stripe Connect or Razorpay account with one-time payments, subscriptions, payment plans, order bumps and coupons, and Coachful takes a 0% platform fee (since August 2026); you pay only Stripe or Razorpay processing. A coaching agreement with e-signature goes out before the first call and stays on the client record, which is where group terms like confidentiality and attendance belong. See coaching contracts for how that works.
Many group coaches also sell a few 1:1 sessions on top of the cohort. Paid sessions and session credits handle that, and email reminders plus SMS (24 hours before) and WhatsApp (1 hour before) go out once messaging is enabled.

Here is a short walkthrough of how programs are built and delivered:
Attract and retain. The section-based website builder includes a blog, custom domain and 30 designed homepage templates. Booking, application, lead-magnet and checkout funnels carry pixels and UTM tracking, and email sequences support triggers, delays, branching and A/B splits, so a free workshop can feed a nurture sequence that ends in the application. For alumni, bundles and a renewal offer can be sold from the same storefront. Team plans add coach seats with per-coach availability and staff permissions, useful when you bring in a co-facilitator.
Why Coachful stands out: a free white-glove service. From Create, then "We'll build it for you · FREE", you describe what you want and the Coachful team builds it inside your own account, usually within about 24 hours. For a group coach that might be the cohort sales page, the application funnel, the program itself, or the follow-up email sequence. You can attach up to 8 reference links and up to 10 files (logos, photos, brand guides, copy; no video files). Nothing is invented: no fake testimonials, credentials or prices, and gaps are left for you to fill. One recent build: a real-estate and money coach got a year-long cohort program with an application form, an eight-page site and a free nine-day bootcamp funnel. It does not include recording videos, logo design, ad management or ongoing marketing. More in how the white-glove service works.
What Coachful does not do. It is not HIPAA-certified, so clinical records belong elsewhere. There is no PayPal and no permanent free plan. The client app ships under the Coachful listing with your branding, not under your own App Store account. There is no Salesforce or HubSpot integration, and affiliate payouts are recorded manually rather than sent by Coachful. If a branded app in your own store account is essential, Circle Plus or Mighty Pro offer that at custom prices.
Price. Flat monthly plans; lower plans cap the number of clients and Pro is unlimited (current plans: Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients; Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients; Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients; Studio: $199/month with unlimited clients). There is a free trial, and monthly plans cancel in one click. More on the group features at group coaching software, and a side-by-side at Coachful vs Circle.
2. Mighty Networks: closest to Circle, with the same gaps

Mighty Networks is the like-for-like swap. It combines community, courses and events with Mighty-branded member apps, and its livestream allowance is spelled out per plan: 20 hours a month for up to 100 attendees on Launch, 30 hours and 200 attendees on Scale, and 40 hours and 1,000 attendees on Growth, as listed in October 2026. For a group coach who runs most of the cohort live, those numbers are the ones to check first.
Prices as listed: Launch $95/month ($79/month annual), Scale $215/month ($179/month annual), Growth $354/month on annual billing, and Mighty Pro on a custom quote. A 14-day trial needs no credit card and includes Growth features. Mighty takes a platform fee on sales of 2% on Launch, 1% on Scale and 0.5% on Growth and Pro, plus Stripe processing. On an example $3,000 cohort, that is $60 to Mighty on Launch before Stripe.
The limits mirror Circle's. Mighty has no 1:1 scheduling, invoicing or contracts, and no per-client habits, check-ins or private coaching plans. Your own branded apps sit only on the custom-priced Pro tier. So the enrollment call, the agreement and the between-session accountability still need other tools. Trustpilot shows 3.3 from 219 reviews (seen October 2026). We compared the two directly in Circle vs Mighty Networks.
Pick it over Coachful if your group is really a community product with hundreds of members, you value a dedicated community app above per-client tracking, and you are happy to keep booking and contracts in separate tools.
3. Kajabi: when the group program is one of several digital products

Kajabi suits a group coach whose business also sells courses, a podcast and downloadable products. Website, funnels, email, courses and a community all sit in one account, so the attract stage is well covered: a workshop opt-in, an email sequence and a checkout with payment plans can be built without leaving it.
As listed in October 2026: Basic $179/month ($143/month annual) with 5 products, 2,500 contacts, 1 community and 0 AI credits; Growth $249/month ($199/month annual) with 50 products, 25,000 contacts and 500 AI credits; Pro $499/month ($399/month annual) with unlimited products and 3 communities. Kajabi Payments in the US charges 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, falling to 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro; using another processor (other than PayPal) adds a Kajabi fee of 2%, 1% or 0.5% by plan. The trial is 14 days, with some features locked until you activate a paid plan.
For cohorts specifically, the gap is delivery. Kajabi treats coaching as products and communities, not per-client plans, and it has no habit tracking or daily check-ins. A coach running three cohorts plus an alumni group on Basic can also bump into the 5-product cap quickly. Trustpilot: 3.4 from 2,347 reviews (seen October 2026). Our Kajabi alternatives for life coaches goes deeper on its limits.
Pick it over Coachful if most of your revenue comes from evergreen courses and digital products, groups are a side offer, and you need a large email list on one platform.
4. Skool: the cheapest way to run a gamified group

Skool combines a community, a classroom and a calendar inside one group, with leaderboards that reward participation. For an accountability-style group where visible streaks and points motivate members, that format works, and its simplicity is the main appeal compared with Circle's many spaces.
Pricing as listed in October 2026: Hobby $9/month ($7.50 annual) and Pro $99/month ($82.50 annual), both with unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls. Payments go only through Skool Payments: 10% + 30¢ per transaction on Hobby, and on Pro 2.9% + 30¢ up to $899 and 3.9% + 30¢ above $900. That last tier matters for cohort pricing: a $1,500 program paid in full lands in the higher band. Trial length was not stated on the pricing page when we checked.
The trade-offs are large for a professional cohort. Skool has no custom-domain website, funnels, email automation or public API, and no 1:1 client records, intake forms, habits or check-ins. You attract and enroll elsewhere and send people into Skool. Trustpilot shows 1.6 from 54 reviews (seen October 2026). See Skool vs Circle for the head-to-head.
Pick it over Coachful if you run a low-ticket, high-volume membership where leaderboards drive engagement and you do not need your own website or email list inside the same tool.
5. Ruzuku: cohort courses with live video built in

Ruzuku is an online course platform with a cohort feel. Courses can drip by enrollment date or on fixed dates, which suits a group that starts together, and built-in live video meetings handle up to 60 people in conference mode or 250 in presentation mode, plus a Zoom option. Discussions and direct messages come on every plan.
As listed in October 2026: a Free plan for up to 5 enrolled students at a time; Core at $99/month ($83.08 annual) and Pro at $199/month ($166.42 annual), both with unlimited students and courses. Ruzuku charges 0% transaction fees on every plan, including Free, and sells one-time, subscription and payment-plan access. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee instead of a trial. G2 shows 4.4 on a badge on Ruzuku's site; we could not verify the review count.
For group coaches the weak spot is everything outside the course. Ruzuku has no booking calendar, no client records, agreements or habit tracking, and it serves several audiences beyond coaches (creatives, nonprofits, teachers). It works best as a classroom for the cohort, with enrollment calls and contracts handled elsewhere.
Pick it over Coachful if your group program is essentially a live course with discussion, you want Ruzuku's no-cost tier to pilot a five-person beta cohort, and 1:1 work is not part of your offer.
6. Thinkific: a course school that added communities

Thinkific started as a course platform and now bundles communities and live events into each plan, with limits that are easy to read for cohort planning. Start includes 1 community with 10 spaces, 5 live community events and a maximum group size of 50; Grow raises that to 3 communities and group size 100; Expand removes the group-size cap.
Prices rose about 10% on August 13, 2026. As listed in October 2026: Start $109/month ($82 annual), Grow $219/month ($164 annual), Expand $499/month ($374 annual), and Plus on a custom quote. There is a 30-day free trial. Thinkific Payments carries no Thinkific transaction fee; third-party gateways add a per-plan fee the page does not quantify. A branded mobile app is a $199/month add-on.
The coaching gaps: no built-in 1:1 booking (an older September 2026 profile notes coaching relies on external booking links), no habits, daily check-ins or per-client plans. Trustpilot shows 1.8 from 868 reviews (seen October 2026). Our Thinkific alternatives for coaches covers the course-first trade-offs.
Pick it over Coachful if your cohort is mostly recorded curriculum with assessments, you plan to sell to thousands of students, and the group of 50 limit on Start fits your sessions.
7. Podia: a simple storefront for a small first cohort

Podia keeps things plain: courses, downloads, webinars, coaching sessions and a community in one storefront. For a coach launching a first group of 10 or 15 people who does not want to configure spaces and permissions, that simplicity is the selling point.
As listed in October 2026: Mover $49/month ($42 annual) with 50 products, 25 community spaces and 100 email subscribers included; Shaker $99/month ($84 annual) with 500 email subscribers and an assistant seat; Earthquaker $179/month ($150 annual) with unlimited products and spaces but 1,000 email subscribers. Mover takes a 5% Podia fee; the upper plans take 0%, with Stripe or PayPal processing on top. The trial is 14 days, no card needed. Trustpilot: 4.1 from 153 reviews (seen October 2026).
Watch the email allowance: a free workshop that brings in 600 sign-ups already exceeds Shaker's included subscribers. An older profile (September 2026) also notes no mobile app and no native video calls, so live cohort sessions run on Zoom or similar. There are no client habits, check-ins or per-client plans.
Pick it over Coachful if you sell a handful of small digital products alongside one modest group, want the simplest possible storefront, and plan to keep the email list small.
8. Kartra: marketing automation first, community second

Kartra is an all-in-one marketing suite: pages, funnels, email and SMS, memberships, calendars and a helpdesk. For a group coach whose bottleneck is filling the cohort rather than running it, Kartra's funnel and email depth covers attract and enroll better than Circle does, and its calendars handle enrollment calls.
As listed in October 2026: Essentials $59/month ($52 annual) with 500 contacts, 1 membership and a 5% transaction fee; Starter $119/month ($99 annual) with 2,500 contacts, unlimited pages and memberships, unlimited email and SMS, and 0% fees; Growth $229/month ($189 annual) with 12,500 contacts; Professional $549/month ($429 annual). There is a 14-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Trustpilot shows 3.2 from 129 reviews (seen October 2026).
On delivery, Kartra's memberships hold lessons but there are no client habits, check-ins or per-client coaching plans. An older profile (September 2026) notes no mobile app for students and that funnels and memberships are not portable to other platforms, which matters if you might move again later.
Pick it over Coachful if you run paid-ad launches with SMS follow-up, care most about funnel split-testing and list segmentation, and treat the group space as a simple members area.
9. Systeme.io: the low-cost funnel and course bundle

Systeme.io packs funnels, email, courses, a community, a blog and an affiliate program into plans that start free. For a group coach testing whether a cohort idea sells at all, the free plan's 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels and 1 course can carry a first launch.
As listed in October 2026: Free $0 (2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, 1 course, 500 students, 1 automation rule); Startup $17/month (5,000 contacts, 10 funnels, 5 courses); Webinar $47/month (10,000 contacts, 50 funnels, 20 courses); Unlimited $97/month. Every plan charges 0% transaction fees, with Stripe or PayPal processing only. Trustpilot shows 4.9 from 8,696 reviews (seen October 2026).
The limits show up during delivery. An older profile (September 2026) notes no native 1:1 scheduling with client records, habits or check-ins, and describes community and course features as basic, with no branded mobile app. A cohort that relies on weekly accountability will need a separate tracker.
Pick it over Coachful if budget is the deciding factor, you mainly need funnels and email to validate a group offer, and you can run the cohort itself with minimal tooling.
10. GoHighLevel: an agency CRM you can bend into a group program

GoHighLevel (HighLevel) is an agency-first marketing CRM: funnels, websites, calendars, SMS and email, invoicing, contracts, courses and communities, organised around sub-accounts. It covers more of the enrollment stage than Circle (calendars and contracts included), and it suits a coach who also runs marketing for other businesses.
As listed in October 2026: Starter $97/month ($80.83 annual) with 3 sub-accounts, Unlimited $297/month ($247.50 annual), Agency Pro $497/month ($414.17 annual), Enterprise on request. There is no HighLevel fee on sales, but SMS, email, phone and AI usage are metered and billed on top. The trial is 14 days and billing starts automatically at the end. Trustpilot shows 4.9 from 15,250 reviews (seen October 2026).
For cohort delivery there is no habit tracking, client check-in or coaching-program engine; you would simulate one with workflows and forms. There are no built-in video rooms, only Zoom and Google Meet links. Setup time is the real cost: the platform is broad and built for agencies.
Pick it over Coachful if you also run an agency or manage several client brands, want heavy SMS and pipeline automation, and have the time (or a contractor) to build the coaching layer yourself.
Which features matter most for group coaching? The feature matrix
The matrix below checks the features group coaches mention most when they leave a community-only tool. "Partial" means possible with workarounds or a paid add-on.
| Tool | Cohort group auto-created on enrollment | 1:1 booking with calendar sync | E-signed agreements | Habits and check-ins | Platform fee on sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachful | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0% (processing only) |
| Circle (for reference) | No | No | No | No | 2% Professional, 1% Business and Scale |
| Mighty Networks | No | No | No | No | 0.5% to 2% |
| Kajabi | No | No | No | No | 0.5% to 2% with other processors |
| Skool | No | No | No | No | Built into Skool Payments rates |
| Ruzuku | No | No | No | No | 0% |
| Thinkific | No | No | No | No | 0% with Thinkific Payments |
| Podia | No | Partial (coaching products) | No | No | 5% Mover, 0% above |
| Kartra | No | Partial (calendars) | No | No | 5% Essentials, 0% Starter and Growth |
| Systeme.io | No | No | No | No | 0% |
| GoHighLevel | No | Yes (calendars) | Yes | Partial (via workflows) | None listed; usage metered |

What does each stack cost? All-in-one vs assembled
The honest comparison is not plan against plan; it is the whole stack against the whole stack. A group coach on Circle usually adds a scheduler, an e-signature tool and a form or spreadsheet for check-ins. Prices below are as listed in October 2026; we have not priced the third-party scheduler or e-signature tools, so add your own figures for those.
Recipe A: all-in-one on Coachful
One plan covers the cohort space, the program with check-ins and habits, booking for enrollment calls and 1:1 add-ons, agreements, payment plans, the website and email. Platform fee on sales: 0%. Setup: the free white-glove build can produce the sales page, application funnel and program for you.
Recipe B: Circle plus the pieces it lacks
Circle Professional at $89/month (annual billing), plus Email Hub at $99/month if you want email inside Circle, plus a booking tool, plus an e-signature tool, plus a check-in form. Circle takes 2% of sales on Professional. Moving to Business ($199/month annual) drops the fee to 1% and adds workflows and white-labeling.
Recipe C: a course platform plus a community plus a scheduler
For example Kajabi Basic at $143/month annual (with its own community), plus a separate scheduler and e-signature tool. Fewer logins than Recipe B, but still no check-ins or habits.
| Stack | 5 participants | 15 participants | 40 participants | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachful (all-in-one) | Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients | Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients | Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients | PayPal, own App Store listing |
| Circle Professional + Email Hub | $188/mo annual + 2% of sales | $188/mo annual + 2% of sales | $188/mo annual + 2% of sales | Booking, agreements, check-ins |
| Mighty Networks Launch | $79/mo annual + 2% of sales | $79/mo annual + 2% of sales | $79/mo annual + 2% of sales | Booking, agreements, check-ins |
| Kajabi Basic | $143/mo annual | $143/mo annual | $143/mo annual | Booking, agreements, check-ins |
| Skool Pro | $82.50/mo annual + Skool Payments rates | $82.50/mo annual + Skool Payments rates | $82.50/mo annual + Skool Payments rates | Website, email, booking, agreements, check-ins |
Example only: a cohort of 15 at $1,000 each brings in $15,000. On Circle Professional, the 2% platform fee is $300 of that before Stripe processing; on Mighty Networks Launch it is the same $300. On Coachful the platform fee is 0%, so only Stripe or Razorpay processing applies. Our Circle pricing breakdown has the full add-on list.
How does a group coach set this up in Coachful, step by step?
Here is a typical eight-week cohort setup, in the order most group coaches build it.
- Request the build. Open Create, choose "We'll build it for you · FREE", and describe the cohort: the outcome, the eight weeks, the price and payment plan, your bio. Attach your logo and existing copy. The team builds it in your account, usually within about 24 hours.
- Shape the program. Review the eight weeks of weekly goals and daily tasks, add habits (for example a daily 10-minute practice) and switch on morning and evening check-ins.
- Add the agreement. Write your group terms (attendance, confidentiality, refunds) and set it to go out for e-signature before the first call.
- Set up enrollment. Publish an application funnel that leads to a booking page for a 20-minute enrollment call, with intake questions on the booking form.
- Connect payments. Link your Stripe Connect or Razorpay account and create the offer with a pay-in-full price and a three-payment plan.
- Schedule the group calls. Set up the weekly group calls and connect Zoom, Meet or Teams, or use built-in video.
- Write the nurture sequence. Build an email sequence for workshop sign-ups that ends with the application link.
- Launch and watch the statuses. As people enroll, the cohort group appears automatically. From week two, check who is marked quiet or at risk and reach out before the next call.
Coaches who sell to a specific audience can start from the niche pages, for example Coachful for life coaches or Coachful for business coaches.
How do you move a group off Circle without losing members?
Plan the move between cohorts, not during one. A few practical steps:
- Export what Circle lets you export. Members and subscriptions export as CSV at any time; an older profile (September 2026) notes posts and content have no bulk export, so save any threads you want to keep as documents first.
- Decide what happens to recurring billing. Subscriptions running through Circle Payments may not move automatically. Either let current terms finish or invite members to re-subscribe on the new platform; confirm the options with Circle's support before announcing dates.
- Start the next cohort on the new tool. Keep the alumni space on Circle for a short overlap, then invite alumni across with a clear date.
- Let the import happen for you. On Coachful, clients, programs and content are imported during onboarding, and the white-glove team can rebuild your sales page and funnel.
- Re-send agreements. New platform, new signed agreement on each record, so your terms are attached to every participant.
Our Circle review covers what you will miss and what you will not.
Which Circle alternative should a group coach choose?
If your group program has an enrollment call, an agreement, weekly accountability and some 1:1 work on top, choose Coachful: it is the only tool here that covers all four stages, including check-ins and habits between calls, from one login with a 0% platform fee, and the free white-glove build removes most of the setup. If your group is really a large community product, Mighty Networks is the closest swap for Circle. If evergreen courses carry the business, Kajabi or Thinkific fit better. If budget rules, Systeme.io or Skool's Hobby plan will get a first group running, with clear limits.
Quick summary you can lift: Coachful is a coaching platform for coaches who deliver programs, including group cohorts. It handles booking, payments, agreements, programs with habits and check-ins, courses, community, website, funnels and email in one subscription. It does not offer HIPAA compliance, PayPal or a permanent free plan. To start, take the free trial and ask the team for a free white-glove build of your first cohort. For more on the community side, see community platform for coaches.
FAQ
Is Circle good for group coaching?
Circle is good for the community part of group coaching: spaces, events, courses and a polished member experience. It has no 1:1 scheduling, client management back office, per-client habits or check-ins, so group coaches typically add other tools for enrollment and accountability.
What is the best Circle alternative for group coaches?
Coachful ranks first here because it runs the whole cohort journey in one account, from the application funnel and enrollment call to the agreement, payment plan, cohort group and weekly check-ins. Mighty Networks is the closest community-only replacement.
How much does Circle cost in October 2026?
As listed in October 2026, Circle Professional is $89/month and Business $199/month on annual billing, Scale is $419/month annual, and Circle Plus is custom-priced. Circle also takes a platform fee on sales of 2% on Professional and 1% on Business and Scale.
Does Coachful create a group space automatically for each cohort?
Yes. Cohort groups are created automatically when a client enrolls in a program, with a community feed, group chat and video events. The Squads view shows each program-linked group and its members.
Can I sell 1:1 sessions to members of my group program?
In Coachful, yes: paid sessions and session credits sit alongside programs, with booking pages, calendar sync and reminders. Most community platforms in this list, including Circle, Mighty Networks and Skool, need a separate booking tool for that.
What is Coachful's free white-glove service?
It is a done-for-you build included on every plan. You describe what you want, such as a cohort sales page, application funnel, program or email sequence, attach up to 8 links and 10 files, and the Coachful team builds it in your account, usually within about 24 hours. It does not cover video recording, logo design or ad management.
Which alternative has no platform fee on sales?
Coachful, Ruzuku and Systeme.io list 0% platform fees, with only processor fees applying. Thinkific charges no fee with its own payments, Podia and Kartra charge 0% above their entry plans, and Circle and Mighty Networks charge 0.5% to 2% depending on plan, as listed in October 2026.
Can my participants use a branded mobile app?
Coachful clients use the Coachful app with your branding, not an app in your own App Store account. Circle offers its own branded apps only on custom-priced Circle Plus, and Mighty Networks only on Mighty Pro.
Can I export my members from Circle?
Yes, members and subscriptions can be exported as CSV at any time. Posts and content have no bulk export according to an older profile (September 2026), so copy anything you want to keep before you close the community.
Is Coachful suitable for therapy groups or clinical programs?
No. Coachful is not HIPAA-certified and is not built for clinical record-keeping or insurance billing. Coaching groups fit; clinical groups belong in a clinical system.







