Circle vs Mighty Networks: Which Platform Suits Your Paid Community?

By Ellis Grant, EdTechKit Editorial

Documentation checked 14 to 23 September 2026. Based on public supplier documentation, not hands-on product testing.

If you're choosing between Circle vs Mighty Networks, you've probably noticed something frustrating. On the surface, they look almost identical. Both run paid communities. Both host courses. Both do live events. Both have mobile apps. Both charge similar prices.

So how do you choose?

The answer is hiding in the details most comparison articles skip. Things like how many spaces you get before you're forced to upgrade, how many people can actually talk in a live session (not just watch), what a "moderator" can and can't touch, and what you can take with you if you ever leave.

This guide works through those details one at a time. By the end, you'll know which platform to put first on your shortlist, and exactly what to test before you commit.

A quick note on evidence: this is based on Circle's and Mighty Networks' public pages, not on running a community on either. Official pricing pages were checked on 23 September 2026 and both showed US dollars with annual-billing monthly equivalents.

Circle vs Mighty Networks Pricing: What Each Plan Costs

Both pricing pages showed US dollars. But they show billing differently, and that matters.

Circle displayed annual-billing monthly equivalents only. Mighty Networks showed annual equivalents, a separate annual cash figure for Launch, and higher month-to-month prices when you switch to monthly billing.

The Circle annual totals and Mighty's Scale and Growth totals are our arithmetic, not checkout quotes.

The rounding lesson hiding in Mighty's Launch price

Here's a small detail that teaches a big lesson.

Mighty shows Launch at USD 79 a month on annual billing. Multiply that by 12 and you get USD 948. But Mighty separately quotes USD 950 for the year.

It's only two dollars. But it shows why you should always use the quoted annual cash figure, not a rounded monthly number times twelve. On bigger plans and add-ons, that gap can grow.

What the platform fee does and doesn't cover

Both platforms charge a platform fee on member payments, on top of the subscription. And both run payments through Stripe.

Mighty says its platform fee is deducted from your Stripe earnings, and Stripe also charges its own processing fee for web payments. Mighty's help page gives a broad typical range rather than a UK quote. Mighty also describes a different purchase route on iOS.

Circle says its paywalls are powered by Stripe, so Circle's platform fee and Stripe's processing fee are separate costs too.

So for both: subscription, plus platform fee, plus Stripe. Get a Stripe quote for your UK business rather than assuming a rate.

The Break-Even Points Nobody Calculates for You

Both platforms lower their platform fee as you move up. So at some level of sales, the higher plan pays for itself. Here are the numbers, using annual-billing monthly equivalents and only revenue that carries the fee.

On Mighty's month-to-month prices, Launch to Scale has a USD 120 gap, which puts the break-even at USD 12,000 a month.

Now look at that second row. Circle Business and Scale charge the same 1% fee. So Scale never pays for itself through fees. You'd only move to Scale for something else, like Circle Scale's bigger staff allowance (10 admins and 100 moderators). That's a useful thing to know before a sales call tries to upsell you.

Spaces and Staff: Why the Number of Moderators Tells You Less Than You Think

How many spaces you really get

This is one of the clearest differences between the two.

Circle Professional includes 20 spaces. Business includes 30. Plus offers flexible spaces.

Mighty Networks lists unlimited spaces on its plan table.

If your community needs lots of separate areas (one per cohort, one per topic, one per local group), that matters. With Circle Professional, 20 spaces can fill up quicker than you'd expect. Check Circle's extra-space pricing before you rule it out, but know that Mighty doesn't make you count.

Staff allowances, and the question they don't answer

Here's the thing. Knowing you can have 10 moderators tells you nothing about what each moderator can do.

Imagine you run three cohorts, each with its own tutor. You want each tutor to manage only their cohort's space. No access to billing. No access to other cohorts. No ability to export your whole member list.

A headcount can't promise that. Only the role definitions can.

Mighty does document this in some detail. It describes a Space Host as controlling that space, without powers beyond it unless they also hold a network-wide role. A Space Moderator has narrower settings powers. Both can edit courses and quizzes in their space.

Circle's pricing page gives counts but, in the sources we reviewed, didn't define each role's exact powers. That doesn't mean Circle can't do it. It means you need to see it before you buy.

Our learning community platform checklist has a step-by-step test for exactly this.

Live Sessions: The Difference Between Watching and Talking

This one is easy to miss, and it matters a lot if you run workshops.

Circle lists two different live formats: live streams and live rooms. On Professional, a live stream holds up to 100 attendees. A live room holds 15 participants. There's also a 10-hour figure.

On Business, that rises to 200 attendees, 20 participants and 15 hours.

Why does the split matter? Because a live stream is mostly broadcast. People watch. A live room is where people actually talk, show their faces and take part. So on Circle Professional, if you run interactive workshops, 15 people is your ceiling for real participation.

Circle's page doesn't say how often the hours figure resets, so check that.

Mighty Networks lists 20 streaming hours and 100 viewers per stream on Launch, rising to 30 hours and 200 viewers on Scale.

Courses and Quizzes: Don't Assume "Course" Means Assessment

Circle Professional lists courses. The official source we captured didn't establish quizzes, marking or completion rules.

Mighty's comparison table lists on-demand, cohort-based and live courses, plus quizzes and tests.

But here's a word of caution for both. "Has a course feature" doesn't mean "supports tutor-marked assignments". If assessment affects whether someone completes your programme, test the exact question types, pass rules, retries, feedback and export.

If formal assessment is central to what you sell, you may want a dedicated course platform alongside, or instead.

Our course platform requirements checklist helps you test that properly.

Mobile Apps: Shared App vs Your Own Branded App

Both platforms give members access through their iOS and Android apps on every compared plan. Circle also checkmarks a desktop app.

But "available on iOS and Android" usually means the supplier's app, with their name on it. An app with your name, your icon and your own app store listing is a different thing entirely.

• On Circle, branded apps sit with Circle Plus, at custom pricing.
• On Mighty Networks, branded apps sit with Mighty Pro, at custom pricing.

If your own app is a must, you're in quote territory with either. Ask about scope, who owns the app store listing, who handles releases and what it costs in total.

Email and Integrations: The Add-Ons That Change Your Budget

Circle

Circle's Email Hub is an optional add-on. The 10,000-contact tier shows as +USD 99 a month on top of the community plan. Circle Plus includes 10,000 contacts.

Professional, Business and Plus all include Circle's listed Zapier integration. Admin API and Headless Member API access starts on Business.

So if Zapier covers your workflow, you can stay on Professional. If you need the APIs, it's Business. Those are different needs, so don't upgrade for an API you'll never use.

Mighty Networks

Mighty's Scale plan summary lists APIs and integrations. Check the specific integration you need rather than assuming every connection needs Scale.

The source we captured didn't establish a separate newsletter allowance or price.

For both, price your real contact count, sends, transactional emails, API volume and any Zapier subscription you'll need.

Leaving Later: What You Can Actually Export

Nobody joins a platform planning to leave. But your exit options are a big part of the real cost.

Circle's comparison grid checkmarks bulk import and export on all three main plans. But it doesn't define which records or fields are included. Circle also lists payment migration on Professional, standard migration on Business and priority migration on Plus.

Mighty is more specific about exports. From Launch upwards, it documents downloadable Excel member lists for a whole network, for a single space you host, and for each paid plan. Listed fields include identity, subscriptions, space memberships and course completion data.

That's useful. But it isn't a complete export of your content or payment history.

Mighty's current pricing page lists migration services on Growth and above, checked 14 October 2026. Ask for a written scope and any separately negotiated charges.

Use our course platform migration checklist to build that list.

Which One Suits Your Community? Five Common Situations

One paid community with courses and regular live sessions

Start with Circle Professional and Mighty Launch side by side. Circle bundles community, courses and live formats in its entry plan. Mighty Launch gives unlimited spaces and clear streaming and staff allowances. Drop either one if a rehearsal fails your replay, capacity or role needs.

Several cohorts with different tutors

Keep both conditional. Staff counts don't prove that a tutor can be fenced into one cohort. Ask each supplier to demonstrate your exact setup: a tutor, their cohort, a cancelled member and a saved direct link.

You need more than 20 spaces

Mighty Launch moves up your list, because it lists unlimited spaces. That's a capacity difference, not proof of better access controls or lower total cost.

Your own app is non-negotiable

You're comparing Circle Plus and Mighty Pro, both custom priced. Get scope and total cost in writing before comparing either with the fixed-price plans.

Formal assessment or tutor marking is central

Mighty lists quizzes and tests. Our Circle source confirms courses but not assessment. Neither source proves a full marking and feedback workflow. Test it, or keep a specialist course platform in the running.

Run These Four Tests Before You Commit

1. Access test. Create test members: free, paid, wrong cohort and cancelled. Check spaces, events, replays, courses, notifications and saved links for each.
2. Staff test. Give a tutor only the role you plan to buy. Confirm they can teach and moderate, but can't see billing, export members or enter other cohorts.
3. Cost test. Fill in the buyer matrix with subscription cash, platform fees, Stripe fees, email or integration costs, tax and migration work as separate lines.
4. Exit test. Export some harmless sample records and check the counts and fields match.

Download the Circle vs Mighty Networks buyer comparison matrix (CSV).

See our UK course platform cost guide for how to fill in each cost line.

Sometimes the right answer is to stay where you are until a supplier can show you the missing piece working.

Circle vs Mighty Networks: Quick Answers

Is Circle or Mighty Networks cheaper?

On annual billing, Circle Professional shows USD 89 a month and Mighty Launch USD 79 a month, both with a 2% platform fee. Stripe processing applies on top for both. The cheaper option depends on your plan needs, add-ons and sales.

Which has more spaces, Circle or Mighty Networks?

Mighty Networks lists unlimited spaces. Circle Professional includes 20 and Business includes 30.

Can I have my own branded app on Circle or Mighty Networks?

Yes, but on custom-priced plans: Circle Plus or Mighty Pro. Lower plans use the supplier's shared app.

Does Circle have Zapier on the cheapest plan?

Circle lists Zapier on Professional, Business and Plus. Its Admin and Headless Member APIs start on Business.

Which is better for courses with quizzes?

Mighty's comparison lists quizzes and tests. Our Circle source confirms courses but not quizzes. If assessment matters, test both or consider a dedicated course platform.

Can I export my members from Mighty Networks?

Mighty documents Excel member exports from Launch upwards, including identity, subscriptions, space memberships and course completion data. It's not a full content or payment history export.

Keep Exploring

• Skool pricing for UK community businesses. Another community platform, with a very different fee model.
• Community platform guides. All our community guidance in one place.

Sources

Public documentation only. No account, checkout or migration test. A gap in what we could retrieve is never treated as proof a feature is missing. This page contains no affiliate links.

• Circle pricing (checked 23 September 2026): https://circle.so/pricing
• Mighty Networks pricing (checked 23 September 2026): https://www.mightynetworks.com/pricing
• Mighty Networks, Space Host and Space Moderator permissions (checked 14 September 2026): https://docs.mightynetworks.com/for-hosts/admin-and-moderation/what-permissions-do-space-hosts-and-space-moderators-have
• Mighty Networks, transaction fees (checked 14 September 2026): https://docs.mightynetworks.com/for-hosts/payments-and-access/does-mighty-networks-charge-a-transaction-fee
• Mighty Networks, download member data (checked 14 September 2026): https://docs.mightynetworks.com/for-hosts/analytics-and-integrations/can-i-download-my-member-data
• Circle payments (checked 14 September 2026): https://circle.so/payments