Top 12 Skool Alternatives for Group Coaches in 2026
The best skool alternatives for group coaches are the platforms that run the whole cohort, not just the chat around it: enrollment and payment, a private group per program, live calls on a calendar, weekly work that members actually do between calls, and room to sell a 1:1 add-on to the members who want more. Skool does the community part very well. The deciding question is whether you also need everything around the community, or whether you are happy to keep bolting it on.
Our pick is Coachful, because it puts the cohort group, the program with habits and check-ins, 1:1 booking, agreements, payments and a branded website behind one login for you and one branded app for your members. We make Coachful, so weigh that, and check every claim below against what each vendor documents. The other 11 tools each win a specific scenario, and we say which one.
What do group coaches need from a Skool alternative?
Group coaches need a place where a cohort can learn, talk and show up live, plus the business plumbing that turns a group into a repeatable program. Skool covers the first half. The second half is where most switchers feel the gap.
What Skool does well. Skool puts a community feed, a classroom for courses and a calendar for live calls inside one group, and its leaderboards and levels give members a reason to post. Its pricing is simple: Hobby at $9 a month and Pro at $99 a month, as listed in October 2026, with unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls on both. Skool's discovery directory can also bring in members who never saw your marketing. If your offer is an open membership with a busy feed, those are real strengths. Our Skool review covers them in more detail.
Where group coaches outgrow it. Group coaching is rarely only a community. A typical paid cohort looks like this: an application or sales page, a discovery call for borderline applicants, a signed agreement, a payment plan, a kickoff call, eight to twelve weeks of weekly calls and assignments, private check-ins from members who are stuck, and an upsell to 1:1 or the next cohort at the end. Skool's own notes, as listed in October 2026, show the gaps against that journey:
- No 1:1 client records, intake forms, habits or check-ins. You see who posted, not who quietly stopped doing the work.
- No custom-domain website, funnels, email automation or public API, so applications, sales pages and follow-up live elsewhere.
- Payments only through Skool Payments: 10% + 30¢ per transaction on Hobby, and 2.9% + 30¢ on Pro up to $899 (3.9% + 30¢ above $900). Skool's help center says these fees are non-refundable.
- Each community is a separate subscription, which adds up if you run a free group, a paid cohort and an alumni group.
- Member export is a CSV of names, emails, join dates and membership answers; posts, DMs and course progress are not exportable (older profile, September 2026).
Skool also sits at 1.6 on Trustpilot from 54 reviews (seen October 25, 2026). Public reviewers mostly raise billing and support issues; read them yourself before deciding. For the full fee picture see Skool pricing in 2026, and if you mainly run masterminds, our guide to hosting client masterminds without Skool is a closer fit.
Which Skool alternative fits which group coaching scenario?
Start with the scenario that sounds most like your business, then read that tool's section. Prices are as listed in October 2026, monthly billing unless noted.
| Scenario | Pick | Starting price | Why it wins this scenario |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coachful | Best overall: cohorts plus 1:1, check-ins and a website | Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients | Program groups, habits, check-ins, booking, agreements, payments and site in one login |
| A large, chatty membership is the product | Circle | $89/mo billed annually (Professional) | Deep community spaces, events and live streams |
| Members want a phone app for the group | Mighty Networks | $95/mo (Launch) | Community, courses and events in Mighty-branded member apps |
| Courses and marketing come first, group second | Kajabi | $179/mo (Basic) | Products, website, funnels and email with one community |
| Live group courses on a tight budget | Ruzuku | $0 (Free, 5 students) or $99/mo (Core) | Built-in live video, discussions and 0% platform fees |
| Cheapest route to an email list plus a group | Systeme.io | $0 (Free) or $17/mo (Startup) | Funnels, email, courses and community with 0% transaction fees |
How did we choose and rank these tools?
We ranked on four things that decide whether a group program runs smoothly: one login for the whole member journey, delivery between live calls, total stack cost at 5, 15 and 40 members, and how much setup effort you carry yourself. Each tool also had to handle a real group: a shared space, live sessions or courses, and a way to take payment.
Facts come from each vendor's pricing page and documentation as listed in October 2026, or from our older vendor profiles (September 2026) where marked. We have not run cohorts on every platform ourselves, so we report what vendors document and what public reviewers say. Platforms built mainly for 1:1 practices were left out because a group coach leaving Skool needs community features first.
1. Coachful: the best Skool alternative for group coaches who also coach 1:1
Coachful wins when your group program is a structured journey with weekly work, not an open feed, and when some members will want private sessions on top. It is a coaching platform, built for coaches who deliver programs rather than single sessions, including solo coaches growing into a small team and coaches replacing four to six separate tools.
Cohorts that build themselves. When a member enrolls in a program, Coachful creates the cohort group automatically, so there is no manual "add them to the community" step after each payment. Members get a community feed, group chat, direct messages and video events, and you can run group calls and webinars from the same place. The Squads view keeps each program's group separate, which matters once you have a spring cohort, a fall cohort and an alumni circle running at once.
The work between calls. This is the biggest difference from Skool. A Coachful program runs for as many weeks as you design, with weekly goals, daily tasks, habits, morning and evening check-ins, goals with progress bars and streaks. Each member's client record collects their goals, check-ins, habits, notes, intake answers, tags, payments and sessions, and gives them a status of thriving, active, quiet or at risk. In a 30-person cohort, that status is how you spot the five people who went silent in week three before they ask for a refund.
Live calls and 1:1 on one calendar. Booking pages handle availability rules, buffers, minimum notice and time-zone detection, with two-way Google, Apple/iCloud and Outlook sync. Calls run on built-in video or auto-created Zoom, Meet or Teams links. Reminders go out by email, plus SMS 24 hours before and WhatsApp one hour before once messaging is enabled. You can sell paid sessions or session credits, which is how many group coaches package a "cohort plus two private calls" tier.
Enrollment and money. Payments run through your own Stripe Connect or Razorpay account: one-time, subscriptions, payment plans, order bumps, coupons, refunds, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and Stripe Tax. Since August 2026 the Coachful platform fee is 0%, so you pay only Stripe or Razorpay processing. Coaching agreements with e-signature go out before the first call and stay on the member's record, which helps with refund and attendance policies for cohorts (see coaching contracts).
Your own front door. The section-based website builder includes a blog, custom domain, SEO settings and 30 designed homepage templates. Application, booking, lead-magnet and checkout funnels support pixels and UTM tracking, and email lists, broadcasts and multi-step sequences cover launch emails and cohort reminders. Courses (modules, lessons, drip, completion tracking) and downloads sit in the member's branded home and app next to the group.
Help with the busywork. Michelle, the built-in AI assistant, works from your live practice data: it can draft a program, write launch emails, summarize recorded sessions and brief you before calls. Questions and planning are included in your Coachful membership; confirmed builds and changes use AI credits. If you are working toward an ICF credential, Coachful counts coaching hours and distinct clients against ACC, PCC and MCC thresholds and exports a client coaching log.
Here is a short walkthrough of how programs are built and delivered:
Why Coachful stands out: a free white-glove service. Moving off Skool usually means rebuilding a sales page, an application funnel and the program itself. From Create, the "We'll build it for you" option lets you describe what you need (a website, funnel, offer page, program, course outline, email sequence, event or automation), attach up to 8 reference links and up to 10 files, and the Coachful team builds it inside your account, usually within about 24 hours. Nothing is invented: no fake testimonials, credentials or prices, and gaps are left for you to fill. One recent build was a year-long cohort program with an application form, an eight-page site and a nine-day bootcamp funnel for a real-estate and money coach. It does not cover recording videos, logo design or running ads. Clients, programs and content are also imported for you during onboarding. Details are in our white-glove service guide.
Where Coachful falls short. It has no PayPal and no permanent no-cost plan, so Skool's Hobby tier and Systeme.io's entry plan are cheaper places to test an idea. It is not a course marketplace and has no member discovery directory like Skool's. The client app ships under the Coachful listing with your branding, not under your own App Store account. It has no Salesforce or HubSpot integration and no third-party plugins, and its affiliate tracking records payouts manually. It is not HIPAA-certified, so clinical records belong elsewhere.
Price: flat monthly plans; lower plans cap the number of clients, Pro is unlimited and team plans add coach seats (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). Monthly plans cancel in one click, and there is a free trial. See our group coaching software page or the side-by-side Coachful vs Skool comparison.
2. Circle: for group coaches whose membership is the product
If your income comes from a large, ongoing membership where members talk to each other more than to you, Circle is the strongest pure community option here. It is a community platform with courses, events, live streams and paid memberships, and it gives you more ways to divide a community than Skool's single group feed.
For a group coach, Circle's appeal is structure. You can split a community into spaces for each cohort, topic or tier, run events and live streams inside it, and sell paid memberships. That suits a coach with an always-on community plus occasional cohorts, where Skool's one-feed layout gets noisy. Our Skool vs Circle comparison walks through the layout differences.
As listed in October 2026, Professional is $89 a month billed annually with 3 admins, 10 moderators and 2,500 AI credits a month. Business is $199 a month billed annually and Scale is $419 billed annually; Circle Plus is custom-priced. The monthly prices were not shown in our data, so check Circle's page if you prefer monthly billing. There is a 14-day free trial on Professional, Business and Scale with no card required.
The limits matter for coaches. Circle takes a platform fee on payments of 2% on Professional, 1% on Business and Scale, and 0.5% on Circle Plus, on top of Stripe processing. It has no 1:1 scheduling or client management back office, and no per-client habits, check-ins or coaching plans. Branded mobile apps are only on custom-priced Circle Plus. So a Circle-based group coach still needs a booking tool, a contract tool and probably a website builder alongside it. Circle holds 4.1 on Trustpilot from 129 reviews (seen October 25, 2026).
Pick it over Coachful if your business is a big community where member-to-member conversation is the value, you rarely sell 1:1, and you want detailed control over spaces and moderators.
3. Mighty Networks: when members expect an app in their pocket
Mighty Networks suits group coaches whose members mostly engage from their phones and expect a dedicated app for the group. It combines community, courses and events, and members use Mighty-branded apps.
For cohort work, Mighty gives you hosts and moderators, live streaming and course content in one network. As listed in October 2026, Launch is $95 a month ($79 billed annually) with 3 hosts, 10 moderators, 200 GB of storage and 20 hours a month of livestream for up to 100 attendees. Scale is $215 a month ($179 annually) with 5 hosts, 30 livestream hours and 200 attendees. Growth is $354 a month billed annually with up to 1,000 livestream attendees, and Mighty Pro is custom. That livestream allowance is useful for a group coach who wants calls inside the community rather than on a separate video tool. The 14-day trial needs no card and includes Growth features.
Fees and limits: Mighty charges a platform fee of 2% on Launch, 1% on Scale and 0.5% on Growth and Mighty Pro, plus Stripe processing. There is no 1:1 scheduling, no invoicing and no contracts. There are no per-client habits, check-ins or private coaching plans, so the week-to-week accountability that separates a program from a membership has to happen in posts. Your own branded apps (rather than Mighty-branded ones) are only on Mighty Pro. Mighty holds 3.3 on Trustpilot from 219 reviews (seen October 25, 2026). Our Skool vs Mighty Networks article compares the two head to head.
Compared with Skool, Mighty gives you more structure and live-streaming capacity but costs roughly as much as Skool Pro at the entry tier and adds a percentage fee. Compared with a coaching platform, it lacks the private side of the relationship.
Pick it over Coachful if a community-first mobile app and built-in livestreams for large audiences matter more to you than check-ins, 1:1 booking and agreements.
4. Kajabi: the marketing-heavy choice for course-led groups
Group coaches who sell courses and launch with email and funnels, and treat the community as a bonus, often land on Kajabi. It is a course, community, website, funnel and email platform for selling knowledge products.
Kajabi covers the front of the business that Skool skips: a website, sales pages, funnels and email campaigns sit alongside courses and a community. A group coach can run a launch, sell a cohort with a payment plan and deliver lessons in one place.
As listed in October 2026, Basic is $179 a month ($143 billed annually) with 5 products, 2,500 contacts, 1 community, 1 website and 0 AI credits. Growth is $249 a month ($199 annually) with 50 products, 25,000 contacts and 500 AI credits. Pro is $499 a month ($399 annually) with 3 communities and 3 websites. The standard trial is 14 days per Kajabi's help center; a card is optional, but if you enter one Kajabi places an authorization hold and charges when the trial ends, and some features stay locked until you pay.
Fees: Kajabi Payments in the US costs 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.8% + $0.30 on Growth and 2.7% + $0.30 on Pro. Using another processor (other than PayPal) adds a Kajabi fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Growth or 0.5% on Pro.
The gaps for group coaching: Basic allows only one community, so separate cohort and alumni groups need Pro. There is no habit tracking or daily client check-in, and coaching is structured as products and communities rather than per-member plans. Kajabi holds 3.4 on Trustpilot from 2,347 reviews (seen October 25, 2026). See Kajabi vs Skool for a direct comparison.
Pick it over Coachful if you run large launches to a big email list, your courses are the main product and you are comfortable paying for the higher tiers to get multiple communities.
5. Ruzuku: live group courses without platform fees
Ruzuku is the fit for group coaches who teach: a fixed-date course where everyone moves through lessons together and meets live. It is an online course platform whose audiences include coaches, creatives, nonprofits, consultants and teachers.
What makes it relevant here is that live sessions are built in. Ruzuku documents live video meetings for up to 60 participants in conference mode or 250 in presentation mode, plus Zoom support. Course content includes video, audio, downloads, quizzes and discussions, and drip can follow either enrollment date or fixed dates, which is exactly how a cohort calendar works. Community discussions and direct messaging come on every plan.
As listed in October 2026, the Free plan allows up to 5 students enrolled at a time, with no card, though email course invitations need a paid plan. Core is $99 a month ($83.08 billed annually) with unlimited students and courses. Pro is $199 a month ($166.42 annually) with larger video uploads and 4K streaming. Every plan, including Free, has 0% transaction fees; you pay only Stripe or PayPal processing. You can sell one-time access, subscriptions and payment plans, and paid plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Limits: Ruzuku has no booking calendar for 1:1 sessions, so a "cohort plus private call" tier needs a separate scheduler. There are no agreements, client records or daily habits and check-ins. Its pricing-page G2 badge shows 4.4, but we could not verify the review count.
Against Skool, Ruzuku is less social and has no gamification, but its fixed-date drip and built-in live rooms suit a teaching-style cohort better, and it takes no cut of sales.
Pick it over Coachful if your group program is essentially a live course, you want to run a small pilot cohort at no cost, and you do not need 1:1 booking or check-ins.
6. Podia: simple storefront for a small group offer
Podia earns its place for coaches who want one tidy storefront for a small group program, a course and a few downloads, without learning a big platform. It sells courses, downloads, webinars, coaching sessions and community.
A group coach on Podia can sell a cohort, attach a community, host a webinar and offer coaching sessions from one checkout. The setup is lighter than Kajabi's, which is the main reason people pick it.
As listed in October 2026: Mover is $49 a month ($42 annually) with 50 products, 25 community spaces and 100 email subscribers included. Shaker is $99 a month ($84 annually) with 150 products, 100 spaces, 500 email subscribers and one assistant. Earthquaker is $179 a month ($150 annually) with unlimited products and 1,000 email subscribers. There is a 14-day trial with full access and no card. Mover takes a 5% Podia fee; Shaker and Earthquaker take 0%, with Stripe or PayPal processing on top (2.9% + 30¢ standard).
Those email allowances are the catch for a group coach: 100 to 1,000 included subscribers is small if you fill cohorts from a waitlist. Our older profile (September 2026) also notes no mobile app and no native video calls, so live sessions run on Zoom or similar. There are no client habits, check-ins or per-member plans. Podia holds 4.1 on Trustpilot from 153 reviews (seen October 25, 2026).
Moving from Skool, Podia trades leaderboards and discovery for a proper storefront and email. It suits a coach whose group is one product among several rather than the centre of the business.
Pick it over Coachful if you want the simplest possible storefront for a handful of products, your list is small, and you are happy to run live calls and accountability outside the platform.
7. Thinkific: when the group sits inside a structured curriculum
For coaches whose group program is really a curriculum with assessments and a community attached, Thinkific is a solid course platform that also offers communities, memberships and coaching or webinar products.
Thinkific's community features are organized by plan. As listed in October 2026, Start is $109 a month ($82 billed annually) with 10,000 current students, 2 admins, 1 community with 10 spaces, 5 live community events and a maximum group size of 50. Grow is $219 a month ($164 annually) with 3 communities, 20 spaces and group size 100. Expand is $499 a month ($374 annually) with 10 communities and unlimited group size. Prices rose about 10% on August 13, 2026. Every self-serve plan has a 30-day trial.
The "max group size" line is the one group coaches should notice: cohorts above 50 need Grow. Thinkific Payments carries no Thinkific transaction fee, at a processing rate Thinkific describes as in line with other processors at 2.9%. Third-party Stripe or PayPal gateways add a per-plan gateway fee that was not listed on the page.
Gaps: there is no built-in 1:1 scheduling (our older profile notes coaching relies on external booking links), and no client habits, daily check-ins or per-member plans. A branded mobile app is a $199-a-month add-on. Thinkific holds 1.8 on Trustpilot from 868 reviews (seen October 25, 2026). Our Thinkific alternatives for coaches article covers who outgrows it.
Compared with Skool, Thinkific is far stronger on course structure and weaker on the casual, gamified feel that keeps Skool groups chatty.
Pick it over Coachful if your group offer is course-heavy with formal lessons and assessments, you expect thousands of students, and community is secondary.
8. LearnWorlds: for coaches selling to client organizations
LearnWorlds makes sense when your groups are often a company's team or a client organization rather than individuals who found you online. It is a course and learning platform with a website builder, funnels, SCORM and interactive video.
Its distinguishing feature for group coaches is the Learning Center tier, which supports up to 10 client groups, plus SCORM packages that corporate buyers sometimes ask for. Interactive video and a built-in website builder mean you can run a structured leadership or team program without stitching tools together.
As listed in October 2026: Starter is $29 a month ($24 billed annually) with 1 admin, 1,000 active learners a month and a $5 fee per paid enrollment. Pro Trainer is $99 a month ($79 annually) with 5 admins, 2,000 active learners, 20 SCORM packages, 15 page funnels and 2,000 mass emails a month, and no LearnWorlds sales fee. Learning Center is $299 a month ($249 annually) with 25 admins, up to 10 client groups and 5,000 mass emails. Stripe or PayPal fees (2.9% + $0.30) apply. LearnWorlds offers a 30-day trial and says no card is required; the school is scheduled for deletion if you do not upgrade. The pricing page capture above shows euro prices.
Limits: the self-serve plans cap active learners per month, the branded mobile app is a separately priced add-on, and the platform is not built for 1:1 client management, habits or check-ins. LearnWorlds holds 4.8 on Trustpilot from 423 reviews (seen October 25, 2026).
Against Skool, LearnWorlds is more formal and more corporate. That is a strength for team coaching sold to employers and a weakness for a relaxed peer community.
Pick it over Coachful if you sell group programs to companies that want SCORM, interactive video and separate client groups, and you do not need daily member check-ins.
9. Teachable: a low entry price for course-first group coaches
Teachable is the budget course platform on this list for coaches whose group program is mostly recorded lessons with live calls on the side. It sells courses and digital products and offers student mobile apps.
As listed in October 2026: Starter is $39 a month ($29 billed annually) with 5 products, 1 admin and students listed as unlimited. Builder is $89 a month ($69 annually) with 10 products. Growth is $189 a month ($139 annually) with 50 products and 5 admins. Plan cards show a 7-day trial plus a 30-day guarantee, and a pop-up offers a 30-day trial on Builder monthly.
Fees deserve attention. Starter takes a 7.5% platform fee, which on a cohort priced at $500 a seat is $37.50 per seat before processing (an illustrative example). Builder and above take 0%. Teachable Payments processing is 2.9% + 30¢ for US cards and 3.9% + 30¢ internationally, with a $15 chargeback fee.
For group work, Teachable's gaps are the same ones that push coaches off Skool: no native scheduling or calendar sync (our older profile notes coaching calls rely on Calendly or Zoom), and no client habits, daily check-ins or per-member plans. The community side is lighter than Skool's. Teachable holds 3.3 on Trustpilot from 1,110 reviews (seen October 25, 2026).
Where it beats Skool is in the course experience itself and the student apps; where it loses is the sense of a live group. If your members need to talk to each other daily, you will be adding a community tool.
Pick it over Coachful if your group offer is a recorded course with a few live calls, you want student apps at a low price, and you will run the community and accountability elsewhere.
10. Systeme.io: the cheapest way to fill cohorts from a list
Systeme.io wins on cost. Group coaches who need funnels and email to fill a cohort, and want to spend as little as possible, can start free. It is a low-cost marketing suite with funnels, email, courses, a community, a blog and an affiliate program.
As listed in October 2026, the Free plan includes 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, 1 course, 500 students, 1 blog, 1 custom domain and one affiliate program, with no card. Startup is $17 a month with 5,000 contacts, 10 funnels and 5 courses. Webinar is $47 a month with 10,000 contacts and 50 funnels. Unlimited is $97 a month. All plans have 0% transaction fees; you pay only Stripe or PayPal processing. Systeme.io holds 4.9 on Trustpilot from 8,696 reviews (seen October 25, 2026).
For a group coach, the free plan covers what Skool lacks on the front end: a lead-magnet funnel, an email sequence to your waitlist and a sales page for the cohort. Some coaches pair Systeme.io's funnels with a Skool group to keep costs low, which is one of the example stacks below.
The limits are on the delivery side. Our older profile (September 2026) notes no native 1:1 scheduling with client records, habits or check-ins, community and course features that are basic, and no branded mobile app. The free plan allows only one automation rule and one email campaign, which is tight for a launch sequence. So Systeme.io fills the room, but the room itself is plain.
Pick it over Coachful if budget is the deciding factor, you are testing a first cohort, and your members are happy with a basic community and course area.
11. Kartra: email and SMS-driven launches with memberships
Kartra is for group coaches who run promotion-heavy launches with email and SMS, and want memberships, calendars and a helpdesk in the same marketing suite.
As listed in October 2026: Essentials is $59 a month ($52 billed annually) with 500 contacts, 5 pages, 1 product, 1 membership or course and 10,000 emails a month, and a 5% transaction fee. Starter is $119 a month ($99 annually) with 2,500 contacts, unlimited pages, products and memberships, unlimited email and SMS, and 5 team members, with 0% fees. Growth is $229 a month ($189 annually) with 12,500 contacts and 3 domains. Professional is $549 a month ($429 annually). There is a 14-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For a group coach, Starter is the realistic floor, since Essentials allows one membership and 500 contacts. Kartra's calendars can book discovery calls for cohort applicants, and memberships can hold the course content. Our older profile (September 2026) notes there is no mobile app for students or admins, and that funnels and memberships are not portable to other platforms. There are no client habits, check-ins or per-member coaching plans. Kartra holds 3.2 on Trustpilot from 129 reviews (seen October 25, 2026).
Compared with Skool, Kartra is all marketing and little community: you gain funnels, SMS and a helpdesk but lose the lively group feed. Many coaches who choose it keep a separate community tool.
Pick it over Coachful if SMS broadcasts and an in-suite helpdesk are central to how you sell cohorts, and you accept that the member experience is a membership area rather than a coaching app.
12. GoHighLevel: for coaches running groups for several brands
GoHighLevel suits a coach or small agency running group programs under several brands, each needing its own funnels, calendars and messaging. It is an agency-first marketing CRM with funnels, websites, calendars, SMS and email, invoicing, contracts, courses and communities, built around sub-accounts.
As listed in October 2026: Starter is $97 a month ($80.83 billed annually) with 3 sub-accounts and unlimited users and contacts. Unlimited is $297 a month ($247.50 annually) with unlimited sub-accounts. Agency Pro is $497 a month ($414.17 annually). There is a 14-day trial; billing starts automatically at the end unless you cancel. There is no HighLevel platform fee on sales, but SMS, email, phone numbers and AI usage are metered and billed separately. GoHighLevel holds 4.9 on Trustpilot from 15,250 reviews (seen October 25, 2026).
The breadth is real: contracts, calendars and communities in one account cover more of a group coach's journey than Skool does. The trade-off is setup. There is no habit tracking, client check-ins or coaching-program task engine; you would have to simulate weekly work with workflows and forms. There are no built-in video rooms, only Zoom and Google Meet links. HIPAA is a $297-a-month add-on.
For a solo group coach coming from Skool's simplicity, GoHighLevel is usually more machine than needed. For an operator with multiple brands, the sub-account model is the point.
Pick it over Coachful if you manage group programs for several brands or clients, you want CRM-level automation, and you have the time or a contractor to build the workflows.
How do the 12 compare feature by feature?
The matrix shows which group coaching jobs each platform handles natively, as documented in October 2026. "Separate tool" means you would add another product. Skool is included for reference.
| Platform | Community per cohort | Live calls | 1:1 booking | Habits and check-ins | Agreements | Website and funnels | Email sequences | Platform fee on sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachful | Yes, created on enrollment | Built-in video, Zoom, Meet, Teams | Yes, with calendar sync | Yes | Yes, e-signature | Yes | Yes, with branching | 0% |
| Skool | One group per subscription | Calendar for calls | No | No | No | No | No | 10% Hobby, 2.9% to 3.9% Pro |
| Circle | Yes, spaces | Events and live streams | No | No | No | Separate tool | Separate tool | 0.5% to 2% |
| Mighty Networks | Yes | Livestream hours by plan | No | No | No | Separate tool | Separate tool | 0.5% to 2% |
| Kajabi | 1 on Basic, 3 on Pro | Not listed in our data | Separate tool | No | Separate tool | Yes | Yes | 0% on Kajabi Payments; 0.5% to 2% on other processors |
| Ruzuku | Discussions per course | Built-in, up to 60 or 250 | No | No | No | No | Limited | 0% |
| Podia | Yes, spaces | Webinars (older profile: no native video calls) | Coaching sessions | No | No | Storefront | Yes, small allowances | 5% Mover, 0% above |
| Thinkific | 1 to 10 communities | Live community events | Separate tool | No | No | Course site | Separate tool | 0% on Thinkific Payments |
| LearnWorlds | Client groups on Learning Center | Separate tool | No | No | No | Yes | Mass emails | $5 per enrollment on Starter, 0% above |
| Teachable | Light | Separate tool | No | No | No | Course site | Not listed in our data | 7.5% Starter, 0% above |
| Systeme.io | Basic | Webinar plan | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | 0% |
| Kartra | Memberships | Separate tool | Calendars | No | No | Yes | Yes, plus SMS | 5% Essentials, 0% Starter and Growth |
| GoHighLevel | Yes | Zoom and Meet links | Calendars | No (simulated with workflows) | Yes | Yes | Yes, metered | 0%, usage billed separately |
What does a group coaching stack cost each month?
The cheapest sticker price is rarely the cheapest stack, because most community tools need a website, email and booking tool next to them, and several take a cut of every sale. Here are three common stacks next to Coachful on its own, using prices as listed in October 2026 at monthly billing.
| Stack | What it covers | Software cost per month | Fees on sales | Still missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachful alone | Cohort groups, programs with check-ins, 1:1 booking, agreements, website, funnels, email | 15 members: Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients; 40 members: Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients | 0% platform fee; Stripe or Razorpay processing only | PayPal, member discovery directory |
| Skool Pro + Systeme.io Startup | Community, classroom, calls; funnels and email | $99 + $17 = $116 | Skool 2.9% + 30¢ (3.9% + 30¢ above $900) | 1:1 booking, agreements, check-ins |
| Circle Professional + Systeme.io Startup | Community spaces, events; funnels and email | $89 (billed annually) + $17 = $106 | Circle 2% plus Stripe processing | 1:1 booking, agreements, check-ins |
| Kajabi Growth alone | Courses, one community, website, funnels, email | $249 | Kajabi Payments 2.8% + $0.30 | 1:1 booking, agreements, check-ins, second community |
An illustrative example of why fees matter: a 20-seat cohort at $500 a seat brings in $10,000. On Skool Hobby, the 10% + 30¢ fee is about $1,006 for that cohort; on Skool Pro it is about $296 (each charge is under $900, so 2.9% + 30¢ applies), on top of the $99 subscription. On Circle Professional, the 2% platform fee is $200 before Stripe processing. Run four cohorts a year and those percentages become one of your larger software costs, which is why a flat plan with no platform fee often comes out ahead once a group program is established. Every stack above except Coachful and Kajabi also still needs a scheduler and an agreements tool for any 1:1 tier, priced separately.
How would a group coach set up a cohort in Coachful?
Here is how a coach moving an eight-week cohort off Skool might rebuild it. The numbers are an example, not a recommendation.
- Request the build. Use "We'll build it for you" to ask for a cohort sales page, an application funnel and the eight-week program outline, attaching your Skool classroom outline and logo. The team builds it in your account, usually within about 24 hours.
- Shape the weeks. Give each week a goal, two or three daily tasks and one habit (for example, a 10-minute daily practice), and switch on morning or evening check-ins so members report progress between calls.
- Set up live calls. Create a recurring weekly group call on built-in video or Zoom, and a separate paid 1:1 session type with buffers and minimum notice for members who buy the premium tier.
- Connect payments and the agreement. Connect Stripe, offer pay-in-full and a three-part payment plan, and attach a coaching agreement with your attendance and refund policy so it is signed before kickoff.
- Move members. Export your Skool member CSV and have it imported during onboarding; enrollment creates the cohort group automatically.
- Watch the statuses. From week two, check which members show as quiet or at risk and message them before the next call, and use Michelle's pre-session briefs for anyone booked 1:1.
- Plan the next cohort. Point an email sequence at completers with an alumni offer or a waitlist for the next round.
Our guide to migrating from Skool covers the member-move step in more detail, including how to announce the change to your group.
What mistakes do group coaches make when leaving Skool?
- Choosing another community tool when the problem was accountability. If members drift because nothing tracks their weekly work, Circle or Mighty will feel familiar but the drift continues.
- Comparing sticker prices only. A percentage fee on every cohort seat can outweigh a monthly difference of $50 or more.
- Forgetting what does not export. Skool posts, DMs and course progress do not export (older profile), so save key threads and resources before you cancel.
- Moving mid-cohort. Switch between cohorts so nobody loses access to a lesson or call link halfway through.
- Losing the 1:1 upsell. If your new stack has no booking or agreements, the private tier that often pays best gets dropped by default.
Which Skool alternative should a group coach choose?
Choose Coachful if your group program has weekly work, you sell 1:1 alongside it, and you want the sales page, payment, agreement, cohort group and check-ins behind one login. That is most group coaches whose cohorts run for weeks rather than open-ended memberships. Choose Circle or Mighty Networks if the community itself is the product. Choose Kajabi, Thinkific, Teachable or LearnWorlds if courses come first. Choose Ruzuku for teaching-style live cohorts on a small budget, Systeme.io for the cheapest list-building front end, and Kartra or GoHighLevel if marketing automation is the centre of your business.
For more options by audience, see our general Skool alternatives roundup, the version for life coaches and the one for business coaches, or browse our community platform for coaches page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Skool good for group coaching?
Skool is good for the community part of group coaching: a feed, a classroom, a call calendar and leaderboards in one group. It does not offer 1:1 client records, check-ins, agreements, its own website or email automation, so structured cohorts usually need other tools alongside it.
What is the best Skool alternative for group coaches?
We rank Coachful first because it combines cohort groups with programs, habits, check-ins, 1:1 booking, agreements, payments and a website in one platform. Circle and Mighty Networks are stronger if a large community is your main product.
How much does Skool cost in 2026?
As listed in October 2026, Skool Hobby is $9 a month with a 10% + 30¢ transaction fee, and Pro is $99 a month with 2.9% + 30¢ up to $899 and 3.9% + 30¢ above $900. Each community is a separate subscription.
Can I run several cohorts at once without paying for several communities?
It depends on the platform. On Skool each community is a separate subscription and Kajabi's Basic plan includes one community. In Coachful, a cohort group is created automatically for each program enrollment, and the Squads view keeps them apart.
Which alternative has the lowest fees on cohort sales?
Coachful, Ruzuku and Systeme.io take 0% platform fees, leaving only payment processing. Circle and Mighty Networks take 0.5% to 2% depending on plan, and Teachable Starter takes 7.5%.
Can members see their weekly tasks and check in between calls?
In Coachful, yes: programs include weekly goals, daily tasks, habits and morning and evening check-ins, and the coach sees each member's status. None of the other platforms here offers per-member habits and check-ins natively.
Do I lose my Skool posts when I switch?
Our September 2026 profile found that Skool exports members to CSV (name, email, join date and membership answers), but posts, DMs and course progress are not exportable. Save important threads and resources before cancelling.
What is Coachful's free white-glove service?
It is a done-for-you build included on every plan: you describe a website, funnel, program, course outline, email sequence or similar, attach references, and the Coachful team builds it inside your account, usually within about 24 hours. It does not include recording videos, logo design or running ads.
Does Coachful work for large groups?
Coachful's Pro plan has no client cap, and team plans add coach seats with per-coach availability and staff permissions, so co-facilitators can run calls. It is not a public course marketplace and has no discovery directory, so you bring members in through your own website and funnels.
What does Coachful not do?
Coachful has no PayPal, no plan without a monthly fee, no Salesforce or HubSpot integration and no third-party plugins. It is not HIPAA-certified, and the client app runs under the Coachful listing with your branding. You can start with a free trial and ask the team for the white-glove build.
