Skool Pricing (2026): Hobby vs Pro, Fees and Payouts
Skool has two plans, Hobby at $9 a month and Pro at $99, and its transaction fee already includes card processing. What each plan includes, when Pro pays for itself, Growth Boost's cut, and how payouts work.
Skool's pricing page fits on one screen: two plans, two transaction fees and a free trial. The part that takes longer to work out is what those fees cost once members start paying, because Skool's fee already includes card processing, and because a separate cut applies to members Skool's own discovery brings you.
Here is every price and rule from Skool's pricing page and help center, checked on October 30, 2026, with the math for a real year of sales.
The short answer
Skool costs $9 a month on Hobby or $99 a month on Pro, or $7.50 and $82 a month billed yearly, after a 14-day free trial. Hobby takes 10% + 30¢ of each member payment; Pro takes 2.9% + 30¢ (3.9% + 30¢ above $900). Both fees include card processing. Members Skool's Growth Boost brings you carry an extra cut.
Key takeaways
- Two plans: Hobby at $9 a month and Pro at $99, shown as $7.50 and $82 a month on yearly billing ("2 months free"), each with a 14-day free trial.
- Hobby's fee is 10% + 30¢ a transaction; Pro's is 2.9% + 30¢ up to $899 and 3.9% + 30¢ above. Card processing is included, so there's no separate Stripe fee.
- Pro adds a custom URL and affiliates (member referrals); unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls come with both plans.
- Growth Boost is on by default: for a member Skool's discovery brings you, Skool's own example takes $3 of a $10 price plus fees, on every renewal.
- Skool is the merchant of record and pays out weekly, on Wednesdays, through a Skool-created Stripe Express account.
Disclosure: we make Klasira, a course platform that competes with Skool. Every price and rule here comes from Skool's own public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end. Prices change, so confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Skool plans and prices
Skool shows monthly prices with a toggle for yearly billing, which it labels "2 months free". Prices are in US dollars, and members also pay in US dollars.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | Transaction fee (processing included) | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby | $9/month | $7.50/month ($90 a year) | 10% + 30¢ | Unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls. No custom URL, no affiliates |
| Pro | $99/month | $82/month | 2.9% + 30¢ up to $899; 3.9% + 30¢ above | Everything in Hobby, plus a custom URL and affiliates |
How much does Skool cost?
Skool's two plans have the same core product: a community feed, a classroom for courses, a calendar for live calls, and unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls. The plan you choose mostly decides how much Skool keeps from each payment. Hobby costs $9 a month and Pro $99 a month, or $7.50 and $82 a month on yearly billing. Both plans start with a 14-day free trial.
Skool's payment terms say plan fees are non-refundable once paid, including partial billing periods, and that downgrading from Pro to Hobby happens straight away, so you lose the time left on Pro. A custom URL comes with Pro; changing it later is a one-time paid purchase whose price the terms don't state.
What does Skool's transaction fee include?
Unlike most course platforms, Skool's fee already includes card processing, so there's no separate Stripe charge. Skool's subscriptions FAQ gives these rates and examples:
| Plan | Fee on each member payment | Skool's example: a $9 monthly membership pays out |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | 10% + 30¢ | $7.80 |
| Pro | 2.9% + 30¢ up to $899; 3.9% + 30¢ above $899 | $8.40 |
- Transaction fees are non-refundable, even when you refund a member.
- Skool accepts charges up to $100,000.
- Membership prices are set and paid in US dollars; you're paid out in your local currency.
- Skool is the merchant of record: it collects, files and pays sales tax. EU VAT is added on top of your price (a $100 price becomes $119 for a member in Germany).
Pro's 2.9% + 30¢ equals Stripe's standard US card rate; Hobby's 10% is where Skool makes its money.
Does Skool take a cut when its directory sends you members?
Yes, if Growth Boost is on. Skool's traffic-sources article says Growth Boost is on by default and can be switched off under Settings, then Discovery. When a member finds you through a Skool channel such as Discovery, recommended groups or Skool's paid ads, Skool takes a commission on that member. Its example: on a $10 group, Skool takes $3 plus fees. The cut continues on recurring charges while the member stays subscribed, and members keep the rate they joined at if you later change the boost percentage.
Members you bring yourself carry only your plan's normal fee. Skool attributes a member to its network if they joined within 14 days of arriving from a Skool channel, against 90 days for other sources. Skool itself says Growth Boost isn't recommended for high-ticket sales.
Is Hobby enough, or do you need Pro?
Pro costs $90 a month more than Hobby on monthly billing, and saves 7.1 percentage points on every payment. That evens out at about $1,270 a month of member payments: below it, Hobby is cheaper; above it, Pro is. On yearly billing the gap is about $74.50 a month, so Pro wins from roughly $1,050 a month.
The other reasons to move up are features: Pro adds a custom URL for your group and affiliates, so members can earn by referring others. If you plan to run an affiliate program, Hobby won't do.
How does Skool pay you?
Skool creates a new Stripe Express account for you when you connect your bank; you can't use an existing Stripe account. Your available balance is paid out every Wednesday, usually arriving in 1 to 3 business days in the US and 3 to 5 elsewhere. The first payout can take up to 14 days. Skool issues a reverse invoice for each payout, and all your communities pay into the same bank account.
Who each Skool plan suits
- Hobby: a free community, or a small paid one under about $1,000 to $1,300 a month in payments, with no affiliate program.
- Pro: a paid community past that point, anyone running member referrals, or anyone who wants a custom URL.
- Neither: a course business that needs quizzes, certificates, coupons or payment plans; we didn't find those in Skool's help center when we compared Klasira and Skool.
What it costs on real sales
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| Plan | Plan cost for the year | Fee on $60,000 (processing included) | Total for the year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skool Hobby | $90 | $6,090 (10% + 30¢) | $6,180 |
| Skool Pro | $984 (from $82/month) | $1,830 (2.9% + 30¢) | $2,814 |
| Klasira | See pricing | $0 Klasira fee; about $1,830 Stripe processing | Plan price + about $1,830 |
How Skool's fees compare with Klasira
On Pro, Skool's fee is roughly what card processing costs anywhere; on Hobby it's 10%. Klasira charges no transaction fee on any plan and pays each sale into your own Stripe account, so the per-sale cost is Stripe's or PayPal's processing fee, though you handle sales tax registration yourself, where Skool does it for you.
Klasira: 0% transaction fees on every plan, with each sale paid into your own Stripe account. Plan prices are on Klasira's pricing page; we leave them out here so this post doesn't go stale when they change.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Skool a month?
$9 a month on Hobby or $99 on Pro, billed monthly. On yearly billing Skool shows $7.50 and $82 a month. Both plans have a 14-day free trial.
What percentage does Skool take?
10% + 30¢ of each member payment on Hobby, and 2.9% + 30¢ on Pro (3.9% + 30¢ above $899). Card processing is included. Members who come through Growth Boost carry an extra cut; Skool's example is $3 on a $10 membership, plus fees.
Is the Skool Pro plan worth it?
Once members pay you more than about $1,270 a month (or about $1,050 on yearly billing), Pro's lower fee covers its higher price. You also need Pro for a custom URL and affiliates.
Can I turn off Skool's Growth Boost?
Yes. Skool's help center says it's on by default and can be switched off under Settings, then Discovery. Members who already joined keep the rate they joined at.
When does Skool pay out?
Every Wednesday, through a Stripe Express account Skool creates for you. US bank transfers usually take 1 to 3 business days; the first payout can take up to 14 days.
Try Klasira with your own course
If your community is really a course with members, see how it looks as a school with 0% transaction fees. Pick a theme, add one course and connect Stripe, then judge it on your own material. Start your school or see pricing.
Related: Klasira vs Skool, Skool alternatives, Circle pricing, course platform transaction fees compared, course platform fee calculator, all course platform pricing and alternatives.
Sources
Details about other companies in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products, prices and rules change, so confirm with each source before you decide.
More on course platform pricing and alternatives
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7 Best Skool Alternatives in 2026: Communities and Courses
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Systeme.io Pricing (2026): Is the Free Plan Really Free?
