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Skool Updated Review: Why Use This Community Building Tool In 2025
Skool is a modern, streamlined platform for community building and course hosting. It aims to simplify how creators, educators, and entrepreneurs cultivate online communities.
Unlike legacy platforms with cumbersome feature sets, Skool focuses on what matters most: engagement, learning, and monetization. It integrates gamification, seamless monetization, and a user-friendly design to build interaction.
Skool bridges the gap between social platforms like Facebook Groups and course-oriented platforms like Teachable.
Table of Contents
Skool Features
To start us off, let’s look at what Skool offers right out of the box.
1. Community Building
Skool allows users to build free or paid communities with the flexibility to offer content and engagement tailored to different audience segments. Anyone can join free communities, engage in discussions, view tutorials, or access resources the host shares.
Paid communities operate on a subscription model, where members pay a monthly fee for exclusive content or interaction. Paid communities can be public (content is partially visible) or private (content is restricted to paying members).
2. Gamification
Gamification allows members to earn points for performing activities such as participating in discussions, posting comments, or engaging with content. Leaderboards allow you to make interaction fun while encouraging friendly competition.
Users can also actively collaborate or participate in challenges.
3. Classroom for Courses
The Classroom tab is another feature that makes Skool an excellent choice for content creators because it allows them to serve courses directly to their community without needing a separate course platform.
You can offer different types of content in the classroom, such as videos, audio, and text.
You can structure courses, tailor them to your learners’ journeys, and drip-feed content based on members’ engagement or subscription levels. This lets you control who sees your content and provides members with a personalized learning experience.
4. Monetization Options
Suppose you’re an entrepreneur or creator wanting to monetize your expertise. Skool is a great way to do so, as it allows you to earn revenue through:
You can earn revenue on Skool through the following ways:
- Paid memberships (You can charge subscription fees for premium content, establish tiered memberships, or run hybrid models combining free and paid tiers.
- Courses and workshops
- Affiliate marketing
- Collaborating with brands for exclusive content or events
5. Integration and Scalability
Skool is a simple tool. If you’ve had any experience with Circle, you might find Skool less customizable. However, from our experience with Skool and Circle, Skool covers most of your essential needs when you integrate it with other tools through Zapier.
Why Use Skool?
There are plenty of community-building tools available, but why is Skool worth your time and money?
For starters, it’s an all-in-one solution. Skool combines community building, course hosting, and monetization into one simple, intuitive space.
Second, it offers a seamless user experience. Skool’s clean design and powerful engagement tools make it easier for creators to focus on growth and connection.
Hosts and members can easily navigate the tool by avoiding clutter and unnecessary features. As a creator, you can focus on content and engagement without worrying about technical setup.
Third, it has strong engagement features. Gamification tools such as leaderboards and badges drive consistent participation.
These features keep communities active, helping creators maintain high retention rates. Additionally, tools for live Q&A sessions and real-time interactions make fostering deep connections with members easy.
Fourth, you can establish predictable, ongoing income streams with Skool’s subscription model. Even if you’re running a small community, you can become profitable quickly by leveraging your audiences.
More so, Skool’s affordable pricing keeps your running costs low, allowing you to turn a profit without hassle.
Lastly, Skool stands out for its active community support. The platform itself fosters a supportive ecosystem. You can collaborate with other Skool users to share best practices, and personalized customer support is available for technical or strategic questions.
Challenges and Drawbacks
Like any other tool, Skool has some drawbacks worth considering before you commit to this tool in the long term.
First, Skool’s fixed monthly fee of $99 may make it unsuitable for smaller creators or those just starting out. Competitors like Circle offer tiered pricing based on member count, but Skool’s flat fee doesn’t scale down for smaller communities.
Second, Skool offers limited customization. While simplicity is a hallmark of Skool, it comes at the expense of advanced customization. Unlike Circle, which offers robust tools for tailoring the look and feel of communities, Skool prioritizes ease of use over flexibility.
Third, managing a Skool community requires consistent effort. From responding to member queries to updating course materials, creators must commit to staying actively involved. However, this is typical of running a paid community regardless of the platform you use. And on that note, let’s compare Skool to Teachable and Circle.
How Does Skool Compare with Alternatives?
Thus far, we’ve covered Skool’s features and its pros and cons, but how does it compare to other tools?
Skool vs. Teachable
Teachable excels in course creation, offering advanced features like quizzes, certifications, and detailed reporting. However, it lacks community-building tools, making it less suitable for engagement-focused businesses. Skool, by contrast, provides an all-in-one space for courses and vibrant communities.
Skool vs. Circle
Circle offers greater flexibility and lower pricing, making it ideal for complex or large-scale community structures. However, it has a steeper learning curve, and its interface can feel overwhelming. Skool’s streamlined approach appeals to creators, prioritizing simplicity and engagement.
How to Get Started with Skool
Getting started with Skool is straightforward, even for beginners, thanks to its intuitive interface and helpful resources. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
1. Sign up and explore the platform
Visit Skool and create an account.
Begin with the 14-day free trial, which allows you to test all features without an upfront commitment.
Skool’s flat monthly cost of $99 covers all features, including hosting unlimited members and courses. Pricing is adjusted as the community grows or based on the value of the content.
Once logged in, navigate the dashboard. Familiarize yourself with the community management tools, classroom features, and gamification elements.
2. Define your community’s purpose
Identify your community’s niche or focus. Whether education- or hobby-based- or business-oriented, clarity on the community’s purpose will help attract the right members.
Create a clear value proposition: What benefits will members gain by joining your group? This will guide your content creation and marketing efforts.
3. Set up your first community
Use the platform’s easy setup process to name your community, add a description, and choose between free or paid access models.
Decide on a subscription price for paid communities. Many creators start small and adjust pricing as their group grows.
4. Add content to the classroom tab
Populate the Classroom tab with high-quality content, including video tutorials, downloadable content, or structured courses.
Organize content into modules or levels, and use Skool’s drip-feed system to provide personalized content.
5. Promote and grow your community
Promote your Skool group through social media, email, or blog content.
Starting off with a free tier will help you attract members. You could also offer discounts.
Collaborate with influencers or existing communities to reach a wider audience.
6. Engage and gamify
Activate gamification features such as leaderboards and badges to encourage participation and keep the community active.
You can also host live Q&A sessions or challenges to build deeper connections with your members.
7. Integrate with other tools
Connect Skool to tools like Zapier to automate workflows or to link with email marketing software or payment processors.
These integrations will help you streamline operations and provide a seamless experience for your community.
8. Test and improve
Gather feedback from members and use it to refine your content and engagement strategies.
Maintain value and interest over time by regularly updating your classroom tab with new content and keeping community activities alive.
Remember, the key to success is consistent engagement, high-quality content, and a clear focus on your community members’ needs.
Conclusion: Is Skool Worth It?
Skool is a powerful, user-friendly tool for creators who want to engage their audience while earning recurring revenue. Its simplicity, gamification, and integrated course hosting make it a suitable tool for educators, influencers, and entrepreneurs.
Skool’s tools and support system will be invaluable if your primary goal is to build a community. However, if Skool’s pricing is an issue, try Circle or Teachable.