Skool vs. Membership.io: Which one will actually help your members succeed?

Let's be real for a second. You spent a lot of time and money building your audience and turning them into paying members. You care about them. And their results.

But you're tired of watching them struggle. You see them join with excitement, then get lost in the chaos of whatever platform you're using right now.

Maybe you started with Facebook Groups. Then tried Discord or Circle. You’ve heard about Skool and Stan Store, and of course, Membership.io, but how do you know which one will finally work?

Here's the thing…

They can all do similar things, like courses, memberships, communities and coaching programs, but they take totally different approaches to the same problems.

It seems like there are a million different decisions to make when picking a platform for your membership. That’s why we wrote this article to help you figure this out! As membership owners ourselves, we've been exactly where you are. That's why we built what we wished existed… a platform that was easy to use, solved a ton of problems, and grew with us.

Quick Reality Check: Skool vs. Membership.io

*Prices and features change sometimes. Always check the platform’s website before you decide. 

The Big Difference (and Why It Matters)

Before we get into all the details, here's what you really need to know.

Skool's Deal: You're Building on Their Land

When you create something on Skool, you're basically renting space in a crowded digital mall. Great foot traffic, but everyone’s attention is divided. It’s super noisy, distracting, and every other “guru” with something to say is competing for the users on Skool.

Then, you’ll also see Skool's branding everywhere. Your members are reminded they're on someone else's platform.

Our Deal: You Get Your Own Place

Membership.io is a white-label platform, which means everything looks and feels like your brand… not ours. You can customize the design, colors, and experience so your members only see your business front and center.

We give you a completely safe and private Hub for you and your members. Your domain. Zero distractions from other communities.

Think of it like renting an apartment versus owning your house. Both work, but one gives you way more control.

You can design the environment to fit your vision and control how your members experience it, without algorithms, outside ads, or competing noise.

What Do Your Members Actually Experience On Skool

Your members log in and see... a lot. Updates from other communities in their feed. Skool's branding reminds them where they are. Points and leaderboards everywhere.

It's like trying to have a serious conversation in a busy restaurant. Possible, but not ideal.

Inside your Membership.io Hub

Your members enter a space that feels like it was built just for them. Your branding everywhere. Clean interface. Content and community spaces tailored to them and their unique needs. Zero distractions from other communities.

It's like having a conversation in your quiet office, which is way better for learning and taking action.

The reality is, when people aren't distracted, they engage more. When they engage more, they get better results. When they get better results, they stay longer (and that means more money in your pocket).

Note: Results depend on lots of factors, including your content quality and how you run your membership.

Content Organization and Delivery: Basic vs. AI-Powered & Tailored

Skool's Approach

You can upload videos and organize them into modules. It's straightforward. Gets the job done for simple course delivery. It’s very cookie-cutter, where everyone gets the same experience.

What's missing? AI assistance to help you create and organize your content. Automations designed to simplify your workflows. Tools that actually make your life easier (and help your members make more progress).

Our Approach

We built everything around making content creation less of a headache:

Automations and AI That Actually Help

• Automatic transcriptions and captions with every upload (through the library feature)
• Automatic chapters and tagging
• AI Copilot writes headlines, descriptions, summaries, and more

Smart Content Organization

• Members get content suggestions based on where they are (think personalization at scale)
• Everything stays organized and searchable (no more "where did I put that video?")
• Clear paths that are tailored to each member and actually guide people forward

Why This Matters for Your Business

Better content delivery means more progress and happier members. Happier members stick around longer. Members who stick around brag about their results and refer to friends.

When people can actually find and use your stuff, they get more done and take meaningful action. When they complete more, they get results. When they get results, they become your biggest fans.

Money Talk: What You'll Actually Pay

Skool's Pricing: Two options: $9/month Hobby plan with a 10% transaction fee, or $99/month Pro plan with a 2.9% transaction fee.

The Hobby plan seems affordable until you crunch the numbers and actually do the math. If you're making $2,000 a month, you'll pay $9 + $200 in transaction fees = $209 total. That's over 10% of your revenue. Yikes.

The Pro plan at $99/month makes more sense once you're earning regularly, but it's still a big upfront cost for new creators.

Membership.io Pricing: We start at $49 per month because we want you to succeed. As you grow, pricing scales with you. We make more when you make more.

Let's Do the Math: Say you have 50 members paying $47 each. That's $2,350 monthly.

• Skool Hobby: $9 + $235 transaction fees = $244 (10.4% of revenue)
• Skool Pro: $99 + $68 transaction fees = $167 (7.1% of revenue)
• Our Starter plan: $49 (2.1% of revenue)

That's $118 to $195 extra per month with Skool. Money you could spend on better content or marketing to grow faster.

Important! Pricing can change. Always check current rates before deciding.

See our current pricing here.

All the Technical Stuff (Without the Jargon)

What Skool Gives You

A place for your content and community. Basic payment processing. Limited customization options. Basic analytics. It works, but it's pretty bare-bones and cookie-cutter. You can see the full feature list here.

What We Give You

Everything you need to start, run, and grow a real business around your knowledge and expertise.

Money Stuff

• Accept payments
• Set up different subscription options
• Handle billing automatically
• See exactly how much you're making

Making It Yours

• Full customization (through our Hubs feature): your colors, your fonts, your style
• Your own domain (looks way more professional)
• White-label options if you're an agency

Understanding Your Business

• See which content your members love
• Get insights that actually help you improve
  
  

Support: DIY vs. We've Got Your Back

Skool's Support

Mostly self-service. Help documentation and community forums. Fine for simple questions.

Our Support

We're membership owners too. So, we know how important this stuff is:

• Real humans who understand membership businesses (our founder is membership expert Stu McLaren)
• Help moving from other platforms (we'll do the heavy lifting)
• Weekly live calls to help you tap into best practices
• Strategy and training to help make your membership better
• AI-powered help for your members when you're not around

We're not just selling you software. We're your partners in making this work.

Note: Some additional fees may apply for professional services and migration.

So Which One Should You Choose?

Go with Skool if:

• You're cool with building on their platform
• Your people love gamification and social media vibes
• You want a simple setup and don't need much customization
• You don't mind members seeing other communities
• You have an audience of zero (and can tap into Skool’s community)

Go with Membership.io if:

• You want your own space that's completely yours
• Professional branding matters for your positioning
• You want members focused on results, not distractions
• You're building a serious long-term business (not just a hobby)
• You want AI help to make your life easier
• You prefer clean, professional environments

The AI Thing (Why It Actually Matters)

Here's where things get interesting. We didn't just add AI because it's trendy. We built it into how everything works.

For You:

• You can turn your expertise into content way faster
• Automations and AI-powered Copilot improve your workflows

For Your Members:

• They can find answers instantly without bugging you (searchable content and community posts)
• Access help 24/7 that actually understands your material

For Your Business:

• Spot members who might cancel (before they do)
• See which content actually helps people

This isn't just convenient… it's game-changing. Our members tell us they're seeing better engagement and retention with these AI, personalization, and content search features.

Results vary based on how you implement and use these features.

Making Your Decision

Don't just look at features. Think about your goals.

Ask yourself:

• "Am I building a hobby community or a business?"
• “Do I plan to have content and community?”
• "Do my members want to earn points or achieve real results?"
• "What might hold me back in a year?"
• “When this becomes a real business, will the platform grow with me or will I have to switch?”

The Real Test

Here's the reality: if you're charging serious money for transformation, your members probably want a professional environment. One that looks and feels professional, and one that is tailored for each member.

If you're promising results, you want the platform built for results.

Common Questions People Always Ask

Is it easy to move from Skool to Membership.io?

Yep! We help with the whole process. Most people get everything moved in weeks (not months) with our help. Some additional fees may apply.

Which platform helps with retention better?

In our experience, professional membership platforms often see better retention than community-first platforms. But honestly, retention depends on your content quality and how you run things.

Results can vary based on many factors.

Is the AI actually useful or just marketing hype?

The AI features are built into daily workflows, not just stuck on as an afterthought. Members get instant help through search and AI chat agents, and you get insights that actually matter. We consistently hear it saves hours each week.

What if I'm just starting with a small membership?

We start at $49/month, so it's way more affordable when you're getting started. There are discounts for the annual plan ($41/month). Skool’s pricing is limited at either $9/month or $99/month. Take note of transactional fees.

Pricing can change on both platforms. Check their website for the most up to date pricing.

Can I customize things on both platforms?

Skool gives you very limited options. Membership.io gives you complete control, including custom domains, your styling, and even white-label options.

Which has better support?

We offer real support from people who understand membership businesses. Plus AI-powered help for your members. Skool mostly relies on community self-help.

The Bottom Line

Here's what it comes down to: Skool builds communities. We build membership businesses.

If you want a place where people hang out and socialize, Skool does that well.

If you want a professional space where members achieve real results and stick around because of the transformation you provide, you'll probably want the dedicated membership platform.

Success depends on many factors, including your content quality and how engaged your members are.

For Serious Membership Owners

You're not just building a community. You’re creating a forever home for your content and your community. And you're building a business that creates real change in people's lives.

That deserves professional tools, not borrowed space.

Ready to Give Your Membership a Real Home?

We're membership owners who built what we wished existed. Not a community platform trying to add membership features, but a dedicated membership platform built specifically for people like us.

Everything you need is in one place. Content creation tools that actually help. Professional member experience. Business insights that matter. Support from people who get it.

Your members deserve better than points and distractions. They deserve results. And you deserve a platform that helps you deliver them professionally.

Start your free trial today and see what happens when you give your membership the platform it deserves.

Start building the right way →

Questions? Email us at help@membership.io — we're excited to help you build something extraordinary!