Which community platform has the lowest fees?

Skool typically wins — flat $99/mo with 0% transaction fees. Heartbeat Scale ($59/mo, 0% tx) wins at smaller sizes.

How much does Circle cost per month?

Starter ($49/mo, 1% tx), Basic ($89/mo, 0% tx), Professional ($199/mo, 0% tx), Business ($360/mo, 0% tx).

What transaction fees does Mighty Networks charge?

3% transaction fee on all plans (Courses $49/mo, Business $119/mo), on top of Stripe processing.

How do I calculate break-even for a membership community?

Break-even = Platform monthly fee divided by net revenue per member (price minus transaction % minus Stripe 2.9%+$0.30).

Is Kajabi worth the cost for a small community?

Kajabi runs $69-$399/mo with 0% transaction fees. Best for course+community combos; hard to justify for community-only under 30 members.

Does Heartbeat have a free plan?

Yes — $0/month but 5% transaction fee. Scale plan ($59/mo, 0% tx) wins past ~15 members at $49/month.

How does Stripe processing work in the calculation?

Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per monthly charge per member. All calculations on this site include Stripe automatically.

5 Platforms · Real Numbers

See exactly what you keep from every membership dollar

Q: Does Skool charge transaction fees on memberships?

No. Skool charges 0% transaction fees. You pay a flat $99/month plus standard Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30 per charge).

Compare fees across Skool, Circle, Mighty Networks, Kajabi, and Heartbeat — before you commit to a platform.

Your Setup

Select your platform and enter your pricing

Platform

Plan

Monthly Membership Price per member

$1$500

Active Members

1500+

Your Results

Monthly revenue breakdown

$0.00

Net monthly profit

Profit margin 0%

Gross revenue $0.00

Platform monthly fee -$0.00

Transaction fees -$0.00

Processing fees (Stripe) -$0.00

Net profit $0.00

Compare All Platforms

Best plan per platform shown — ranked by net profit

Monthly Price Per Member

Active Members

Platform	Best Plan	Monthly Fee	Tx Rate	Gross Revenue	Total Fees	Net Profit	Margin

* Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30/member) included. Best plan = highest net profit at your inputs.

Break-Even Calculator

Members needed to cover your platform cost

Platform

Plan

Monthly Membership Price

members to break even

Profit at Scale

Monthly net profit as your community grows

Members	Net Profit

Platform Fee Reference

All plans, all fees — verified 2025

Platform	Plan	Monthly	Transaction Fee	Payment Processor	Members
Skool	Skool	$99	0%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
Circle	Starter	$49	1%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
	Basic	$89	0%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
	Professional	$199	0%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
	Business	$360	0%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
Mighty Networks	Courses	$49/mo	3%	Mighty Payments (Stripe-powered)	Unlimited
Mighty Networks	Business	$119/mo	3%	Mighty Payments (Stripe-powered)	Unlimited
Kajabi	Kickstarter	$69	0%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
	Basic	$149	0%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
	Growth	$199	0%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
	Pro	$399	0%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
Heartbeat	Free	$0	5%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
	Pro	$25	2%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited
	Scale	$59	0%	Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)	Unlimited

Note: Fees are current as of 2025. Platform pricing changes frequently — always verify on each platform's pricing page before committing. Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 applies per monthly charge. Mighty Networks uses Mighty Payments (Stripe-powered); their 3% is billed as a platform transaction fee on top of standard Stripe rates. Annual billing typically saves 15–25%.

Run the Calculator

Profit Calculator — FAQ

Common questions about calculating community platform profits.

Which platform has the lowest fees at my price point?

It depends on your price and member count. Skool ($99/mo, 0% tx) wins at higher volumes. Heartbeat Scale ($59/mo, 0% tx) wins at smaller sizes. Enter your numbers above — the result card updates instantly.

Does Skool charge transaction fees on memberships?

No. Skool charges a flat $99/month with 0% transaction fees. You only pay standard Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30/charge). No revenue share.

What's the difference between transaction fees and processing fees?

Transaction fees are charged by the platform (e.g., Mighty Networks' 3%). Processing fees are charged by Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 per charge) — every platform here uses Stripe, so processing is unavoidable.

Why does profit margin matter more than net profit?

Net profit is the dollar amount; margin is the percentage you keep. A 60% margin means you retain $0.60 of every dollar. High margin = less pressure to grow; low margin = every churn hurts more.

How do I improve my profit margin?

Three levers: (1) raise membership price, (2) switch to a plan with 0% transaction fees, (3) grow members to dilute the fixed platform fee. Raising price has the highest leverage — a $10 price increase at 50 members adds $500/mo gross with the same fixed costs.

Compare All — FAQ

How the platform comparison works.

Which platform wins at $49/month with 50 members?

At those inputs, Skool typically leads — 0% transaction fees and a $99 platform fee nets around $1,900/mo. Heartbeat Scale ($59/mo) comes close. Enter your own numbers — the table re-ranks in real time.

Why does "Best Plan" change based on my inputs?

Within each platform, the calculator picks whichever plan yields the highest net profit at your specific price and member count. At low volumes, cheaper plans often win even with a small transaction fee. At high volumes, 0% transaction fee plans pull ahead.

What does "Tx Rate" mean in the table?

Transaction rate — the percentage the platform takes off your gross revenue, on top of Stripe processing. Skool: 0%. Circle Starter: 1%. Mighty Networks: 3%. Heartbeat Free: 5%.

When does Circle Basic beat Skool?

Never on pure profit math — Circle Basic costs $89/mo vs Skool's $99/mo but both have 0% tx fees, so Circle Basic actually wins by $10/month at every member count. Try it: set the inputs and look at the table.

Does the comparison include Stripe processing fees?

Yes — every column in the table includes Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per member per month. The footnote below the table confirms this. "Total Fees" = platform fee + transaction fee + Stripe processing.

Break-Even — FAQ

Understanding your membership break-even point.

What exactly is the break-even point?

The minimum number of paying members needed so your monthly membership revenue covers the platform's flat monthly fee. Formula: Platform fee ÷ net revenue per member (after tx fees and Stripe).

Why does Heartbeat Free show 0 members to break even?

Because the Free plan costs $0/month — there's no fixed platform fee to cover. Break-even is immediate. The trade-off is a 5% transaction fee on all revenue, which compounds quickly at scale.

How many members do I need to cover Kajabi's cost?

Select Kajabi and your plan in the calculator. At $49/month membership, Kajabi Kickstarter ($69/mo) needs just 2 members. Kajabi Pro ($399/mo) needs ~10 members. Since Kajabi has 0% tx fees, once you're past break-even the margin is strong.

What if my net revenue per member is negative?

This can happen on high-fee plans with very low membership prices (e.g., a 5% tx + Stripe on a $5/month price). The calculator shows "N/A" — meaning no member count will ever cover costs. You'd need to raise your price or switch plans.

How should I use the Profit at Scale table?

The scale table shows your projected net profit at 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 members. The "BE" badge marks where you cross break-even. Use it to set a realistic launch goal — e.g., "I need 8 members to stop losing money."

Fee Guide — FAQ

Understanding the platform fee reference table.

How often do platform fees change?

Frequently. Platforms update pricing every 6–18 months. This guide is verified as of 2025 — always confirm on each platform's pricing page before committing. We update when major changes are announced.

What's the cheapest way to start a paid community?

Heartbeat Free — $0/month platform fee, just a 5% transaction fee. Great for validating whether people will pay. Once you hit ~10–15 paid members, model the switch to Heartbeat Scale or Skool.

Do all plans listed include unlimited members?

Yes — all plans in this guide have unlimited members. None of the five platforms (Skool, Circle, Mighty Networks, Kajabi, Heartbeat) charge per-seat fees. Revenue grows with member count without changing your plan.

Does Mighty Networks use Stripe directly?

Mighty Networks uses Mighty Payments, which is Stripe-powered under the hood. The standard 2.9% + $0.30 Stripe rate applies, plus Mighty's 3% platform transaction fee on top. You don't connect your own Stripe account.

Are annual billing discounts factored in?

No — all prices shown are monthly billing rates. Annual plans typically save 15–25%. If you commit annually, divide the annual price by 12 to get your effective monthly cost, then plug it into the Profit Calculator manually.