Community Platforms: The Highest-LTV Creator Asset
A community is the highest-leverage asset a creator can build. Email lists churn, social algorithms change, platform monetization fluctuates — but a community that pays to belong generates recurring revenue, provides built-in market research, and survives platform changes. Here’s how to build and run one.
Circle: The Premium Community Platform
Circle ($49/month Basic, $99/month Professional, $219/month Business, Enterprise custom) is the platform that powers communities for creators like Tiago Forte, Ali Abdaal, and Pat Flynn. It’s built for creators who treat community as a core business, not a side feature.
Circle organizes communities into “Spaces” — dedicated areas for different purposes: discussion forums, course content, live event rooms, member directories, and direct messaging. Each Space has its own permissions; you can gate course content behind membership tiers while keeping discussions open to all members. The UI is modern, fast, and white-labeled — your community lives at community.yourdomain.com with your branding.
Key features: integrated payments (Stripe — charge monthly or annually with free trials), event management (schedule, host, and record live events with automatic calendar invites), rich member profiles (members can showcase their work, links, and interests), and API access for custom integrations. The Professional plan ($99/mo) removes transaction fees and adds custom domains, analytics, and API access.
Circle’s affiliate program pays 20% recurring commission — one of the highest in the community platform space. A single referral on the $99/mo Professional plan earns you $20/month, every month they stay.
Skool: The Gamified Community Platform
Skool ($99/month, flat rate, unlimited members) was built by Sam Ovens (founder of Consulting.com) and takes a fundamentally different approach to community: gamification. Members earn points for posting, commenting, and completing course modules. Leaderboards create friendly competition. The “classroom” feature packages video courses with community discussion underneath each lesson — a format that drives significantly higher course completion rates than standalone course platforms.
Skool’s simplicity is its strongest feature and its limitation. One flat price, one community, one set of features. No API, limited customization, no white-labeling. For creators who want one thriving community with built-in gamification, Skool is the right tool. For creators who want multiple communities, sophisticated segmentation, or brand control, Circle is the better fit.
Skool’s growth has been remarkable — over 30,000 communities as of 2025. The platform’s discovery features (browse other communities, see what’s working) create a network effect that standalone platforms can’t match. Affiliate program pays recurring commissions.
Mighty Networks: Community + Courses + Commerce
Mighty Networks ($41/month Community, $99/month Business, custom for Mighty Pro) positions itself between Circle and Skool: more features than Skool, less expensive than Circle at the lower tiers. The Community plan includes: member profiles, discussion forums, live streaming, events, and polls. The Business plan adds: online courses, paid memberships (no transaction fees), and a branded mobile app (available in Apple App Store and Google Play Store under your brand — a significant differentiator).
The branded mobile app is Mighty’s killer feature for creators with mobile-first audiences. Your community gets its own app — push notifications, in-app purchases, and native mobile experience — without you touching any code. For creators whose audience is primarily on phones, this alone justifies Mighty over Circle.
Choosing Your Community Platform
- Just starting: Mighty Networks Community ($41/mo). Lowest barrier, mobile app included.
- Scaling fast with courses: Circle Professional ($99/mo). Best combination of features and brand control.
- Gamification-first: Skool ($99/mo). Built-in engagement mechanics drive participation.
- Mobile-first audience: Mighty Networks Business ($99/mo). Branded app is the differentiator.
- Multiple communities: Circle. Its multi-community architecture is purpose-built for networks.