6 Best Mighty Networks Alternatives for Paid Communities (2026)

Quick picks

Each platform below wins for a different kind of Mighty Network. If you're short on time, start here.

• Lowest cost below about $22,000 a month in sales: Whop
• A community that runs on points and levels: Skool
• Courses, downloads and community from one small business: Podia
• Course-first programs with certificates: Thinkific
• One suite with a branded app on its top plan: Kajabi
• The closest feature match, with branded apps on Circle Plus: Circle
• Livestreams, gamification and member apps in one place: staying on Mighty Networks

We list Whop first because it has the lowest yearly cost in our math at $1,000 and $10,000 a month, and because it's the only platform here with a self-serve tool that moves Mighty's web card subscribers with their renewal dates. We earn a commission from Whop and nothing from the other platforms on this list.

What a year costs on each platform

At $10,000 a month in sales, Mighty's Launch plan costs about $7,755 a year in plan and payment fees. Every alternative here except Circle costs less. For each platform we used the cheapest plan that sells memberships with courses at that revenue, for a $49 monthly membership.

Prices as of October 2026, from each company's public pricing and help pages. Plans change, so check before you buy.

To get each number, we added the monthly plan price, the fee rate times revenue and 30¢ for every $49 charge, then multiplied by 12. Plans are billed month to month, every charge is a US card on the platform's default or recommended processor, and add-ons, taxes, payout fees, currency conversion and Whop's $0.07 Radar fee are left out. The fee rates are 3.2% on Whop (2.7% card plus its 0.5% billing fee when enabled, which we count on every renewal), 10% on Skool Hobby, 2.9% on Skool Pro and Podia Shaker, 7.9% on Podia Mover, 3.6% on Thinkific and Kajabi Basic (2.9% card plus 0.7% on recurring charges), 5.6% or 4.6% on Circle, and 4.9% or 3.9% on Mighty's Launch or Scale plan (its 2% or 1% fee plus Stripe's 2.9%).

A few notes before you pick:

• Mighty's Explore plan costs less at $1,000 a month ($1,441 a year), but it doesn't include courses. Mighty's Growth plan, billed yearly at $354 a month, comes to about $28,321 a year at $50,000.
• Whop's fee page also lists Radar fraud screening at $0.07 per transaction, which adds about $17, $171 and $857 to its row. Counting it, Skool Pro and Podia Shaker cost less than Whop above about $22,000 a month, by about $1,469 a year at $50,000. Without it, the crossover is about $33,000 and the gap $612.
• Whop's row assumes no Discord or Telegram app. Both apps' store listings say adding them puts a 3% fee on that product's payments, though Whop's fee page lists no such fee. If it applies, Whop's row becomes about $817, $8,175 and $40,873, more than Mighty's Launch plan at $10,000.
• Neither Mighty nor Podia says whether Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee applies to the subscriptions they create in your Stripe account. If it does, add about $840 a year at $10,000 to their rows.
• Sales made inside Mighty's iOS app pay Apple 15% instead, which this table leaves out.

Try your own price and volume in the fee calculator.

Why hosts look for Mighty Networks alternatives

Most of the reasons come back to the late-2025 plan overhaul and what each plan now includes.

• The plan lineup changed. An archived pricing page from October 16, 2025 shows the Courses, Business and Growth plans, and by December 31, 2025 they'd been replaced by Launch, Scale and Growth. A host posting on r/CommunityManager that day said the features their network relied on now sat on the top Growth plan.
• On the new plans, course video counts toward storage: 200 GB on Launch, 500 GB on Scale and 1 TB on Growth.
• Every plan takes a fee on top of Stripe: 5% on Explore and during the Growth trial, 2% on Launch, 1% on Scale and 0.5% on Growth.
• Integrations such as Zapier, Kit and affiliate tools start on Scale, at $215 a month billed monthly.
• Stripe is the only processor, so there's no PayPal.
• Purchases in the iOS app pay Apple 15%, take 8 to 12 weeks to reach your Stripe, and can't be refunded by you.

The Mighty Networks to Whop migration plan covers how to leave without losing your web subscribers.

How we chose these alternatives

We looked for platforms that sell paid community access with courses and events, which is how most Mighty Networks are used. Circle and Skool are the community-first category leaders, Kajabi, Podia and Thinkific are course platforms with communities built in, and Whop sells community access alongside other products. Below Whop, the order follows each platform's yearly cost at $10,000 a month, lowest first.

All prices and features were checked against each platform's own pricing page or help center on October 2 and 3, 2026, and every source is linked at the end of this page. This comparison is based on documentation, not paid test accounts. For switching effort, we looked at how each one handles members who already pay through your own Stripe account, since that's where Mighty keeps web subscriptions.

1. Whop: best for the lowest cost and an easy subscriber move

Whop is a pay-per-sale platform with no monthly plan. You attach apps to a product: Chat, Forums, Courses with video lessons and quizzes, Events for live or in-person sessions, Files, and access to a Discord or Telegram group. Livestreaming is built in too, and replays save automatically. If you gate a Discord or Telegram group, Whop's fee page lists no extra fee, but both apps' store listings say adding them puts a 3% fee on that product's payments, so budget for it until Whop settles the conflict.

There's no plan to pay for. Whop takes 2.7% + 30¢ per US card sale, plus its 0.5% billing fee when enabled (we count it on every renewal), and 1.5% more on international cards. That comes to $457, $4,575 or $22,873 a year at $1,000, $10,000 or $50,000 a month in $49 memberships, before its $0.07 Radar fee per transaction, which adds about $17, $171 or $857. If the 3% Discord or Telegram fee applies, the totals rise to about $817, $8,175 or $40,873, more than Mighty's Launch plan at $10,000 a month.

Where it's strong:

• Without a Discord or Telegram app attached, it costs less than every Mighty plan at every revenue level we modeled for web card sales, Radar fee included.
• Whop Migrations copies active card subscriptions from the Stripe account Mighty uses, with each member's card and renewal date.
• Checkout takes cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal (one-time or recurring), plus crypto for one-time payments, where Mighty takes Stripe only.

Where it falls short:

• Points, badges and leaderboards aren't among Whop's native apps as of October 2026; third-party App Store apps add leaderboards and levels.
• There's no built-in email marketing (broadcasts, sequences or segments) as of October 2026. Whop sends join and leave messages with an optional email copy, transactional emails and forum posts by email, so newsletters need an App Store app or your own email tool.
• Whop Migrations moves card subscriptions only (no Link, ACH or SEPA), each member needs an email on file, and Stripe emails members a cancellation notice when they move.
• You can't connect your own Stripe account, and new accounts face identity checks, possible reserves and a $2,500 cap per checkout until approved.
• Whop's Discover marketplace lists you instantly at a 0% published commission, but press coverage of Whop's 2026 funding described its biggest categories as trading signals, sports-betting picks and crypto communities, so a coaching or hobby community may find fewer natural buyers there.

Switching from Mighty: web card subscribers move with Whop Migrations, iPhone subscribers cancel with Apple and re-join through a trial link, and courses are rebuilt from your outline. Choose Whop if you mainly sell access to courses, chat and events and want to stop paying a plan fee plus a percentage.

2. Skool: best for gamified communities

Skool is a community platform built around one feed, a classroom, a calendar, and points that move members up nine levels and onto a leaderboard.

Skool's $9 Hobby plan keeps 10% + 30¢ of every sale, while the $99 Pro plan keeps 2.9% + 30¢, rising to 3.9% + 30¢ on single charges over $900. Because Skool is the merchant of record, it files sales tax and EU VAT itself. For a Mighty-sized community of $49 members, that's $1,381 a year at $1,000 a month on Hobby, and $5,403 or $22,261 at $10,000 or $50,000 on Pro.

Where it's strong:

• Its gamification goes further than most, with level-locked courses as well as points and leaderboards.
• Live calls are unlimited on Hobby and Pro alike, and Pro adds webinars.
• There's no tax filing for you to do.

Where it falls short:

• Every price is in USD, and payments go through Skool's own merchant account, not your Stripe or PayPal.
• Each group has one feed with categories, which is less structure than Mighty's separate spaces.
• Growth Boost is on unless you turn it off, and it keeps 30% of the recurring revenue from any member Skool's Discovery or ads send you.

Switching from Mighty: Skool processes every payment on its own merchant account, so every paying member signs up again. Choose Skool if engagement mechanics keep your members around. The Skool alternatives list covers its limits.

3. Podia: best for solo creators who sell a little of everything

Podia relaunched in June 2026 as a community-first platform, with a home feed, spaces, member DMs and group chats, and courses that live inside the community.

Mover costs $49 a month with a 5% fee, Shaker $99 and Earthquaker $179, both with no Podia fee. Payments go to your own Stripe account, plus PayPal for one-time payments on Shaker and up. A year costs $1,609 at $1,000 a month on Mover or Shaker, then $5,403 and $22,261 on Shaker.

Where it's strong:

• Courses, downloads, coaching, events and email marketing come with every plan.
• Money lands directly in your own Stripe or PayPal account.
• Shaker's 0% fee makes it one of the cheapest options here at high volume.

Where it falls short:

• Mover caps you at 50 products, 500 videos and 25 community spaces.
• There's no public API or webhooks, and email subscribers above 100, 500 or 1,000 cost extra.
• Podia's free migration doesn't move subscriptions or payment details, so paying members sign up again.

Choose Podia if you sell a little of everything to a small audience. Our Podia alternatives cover what people leave it for.

4. Thinkific: best for course-first programs

Thinkific puts the course at the center and treats the community as a place to discuss it, with live lessons and seat sales to companies on top.

Its $54 Basic plan can't sell memberships, so a Mighty host would start on Start at $109, which adds memberships, certificates, assignments and Zoom live lessons. Thinkific Payments charges 2.9% + 30¢ per US card charge and 0.7% more on subscriptions. For $49 memberships, Start costs $1,813 a year at $1,000 a month, $6,363 at $10,000 and $26,581 at $50,000.

Where it's strong:

• Courses are unlimited on every self-serve plan, with room for up to 10,000 current students.
• Thinkific collects and remits US and Canadian sales tax.
• A branded mobile app is available as a $199 a month add-on.

Where it falls short:

• Basic and Start include 1 community, and Grow 3.
• Your own Stripe or PayPal needs the $219 Grow plan and adds a gateway fee.
• Thinkific's help center says there's no direct way to transfer active subscriptions from another platform.

Choose Thinkific if your community exists to support a course, not the other way round.

5. Kajabi: best for one suite with a branded app

Kajabi bundles courses, coaching, a community, email marketing, funnels and a website in one plan, and includes a branded mobile app on Pro.

Plans run from Basic at $179 a month ($143 a month if you pay yearly) to Growth at $249 and Pro at $499. On Basic, Kajabi Payments takes 2.9% + 30¢ per US card and 0.7% more on subscription charges; bring your own Stripe instead and Kajabi adds 2%, 1% or 0.5% by plan. That puts Basic at $2,653, $7,203 and $27,421 a year at our three revenue levels.

Where it's strong:

• Pro includes a branded app in your name; on Basic and Growth it's a $199 a month add-on.
• Because Mighty's web subscriptions sit in your Stripe, Kajabi can move them into Kajabi Payments on request, with the next charge dates unchanged.
• Every plan includes unlimited marketing emails, landing pages and funnels.

Where it falls short:

• Basic and Growth include 1 community, and Pro 3.
• Basic caps you at 5 products and 2,500 contacts.
• Customers paying with Stripe Link or ACH can't be included in its subscription migration.

Choose Kajabi if you'd rather pay one bigger bill than run several tools. The Kajabi alternatives page explains why some creators leave it.

6. Circle: best for the closest feature match

Circle is the most Mighty-like option here: spaces for posts, chat, events and courses, live streams and live rooms, gamification, a member directory, workflows from Business up, and custom-branded apps on Circle Plus.

Circle charges $99 a month for Professional ($89 billed yearly) with a 2% fee, $219 for Business ($199 yearly) with 1%, and $419 a month billed yearly for Scale, also at 1%. As on Mighty, members pay into your own Stripe account, and Stripe adds its 2.9% + 30¢ plus 0.7% Billing on subscriptions. In our math Professional costs $1,933 a year at $1,000 a month and $8,643 at $10,000, and Business $33,901 at $50,000.

Where it's strong:

• Its community features are the deepest here, with live streams for 100, 200 or 500 attendees by plan.
• Payments stay in your own Stripe account, as they do on Mighty.
• Communities with $100,000 or more in yearly revenue can have Circle's team migrate their payments for free.

Where it falls short:

• It's the most expensive option here at $10,000 a month.
• Workflows start on Business, and Email Hub, extra admins and extra live hours cost more.
• Stripe is the only processor, so there's no PayPal.

Choose Circle if you want Mighty's depth with different tools and can carry the cost. Compare the two community leaders side by side in Skool vs Circle vs Whop, or see our Circle alternatives.

Should you leave Mighty Networks at all?

Stay if the parts of Mighty your members value most are ones the alternatives charge extra for or don't offer. Leaving costs you every iPhone subscriber's re-sign-up, at minimum.

Mighty Networks is still the better choice when:

• You run Mighty Pro with your own branded iOS and Android apps.
• Livestreaming is the product. Growth includes 40 hours a month for up to 1,000 attendees, and Space Hosts and Moderators can go live.
• You want gamification, courses, events and livestreams in one member app without paying for add-ons.
• A large share of members subscribed in the iOS app, since each of them has to cancel with Apple and re-join elsewhere.
• You're on a legacy plan with unlimited course video, which Mighty says isn't affected by the new storage counting.

If price is the main problem, check yearly billing first. It saves $72 a year on Explore, $192 on Launch and $432 on Scale.

How to move off Mighty Networks

The Mighty side of a move is the same wherever you go. Download the Member List and each paid plan's member list (Launch plan and up), download your native videos, and write down every plan's price and interval, because plan names don't carry over to Stripe. Don't archive or deactivate plans until members have moved, and keep Stripe connected.

If Whop is your pick, the free migration tool builds your products, course outlines and community apps, the member CSV converter cleans your Mighty export, and our guide to moving subscriptions covers the Stripe step.