You’ve built a coaching practice that works. Now you’re staring at a decision that feels deceptively simple: which platform will let you turn your expertise into a paid community without forcing you to become a full-time tech support agent? The stakes are real—pick wrong, and you’ll spend months migrating members, rebuilding content, or worse, watching engagement collapse because the platform fights your workflow instead of supporting it. This article exists to help you choose between Mighty Networks and Circle for building a paid coaching community, based on what each platform actually does well and where each one will make you regret your choice.
Why this decision is harder than it looks: You’re not just picking features—you’re choosing whether to prioritize structured content delivery or real-time member interaction, and most platforms force you to sacrifice one for the other.
⚡ Quick Verdict
Mighty Networks is the default choice if you need courses, events, and community under one roof with a native mobile app. It’s built for coaches who want to sell structured learning paths alongside member interaction.
Circle makes sense when your coaching model depends on daily member-to-member discussions, live Q&A sessions, and a forum-style experience where the community itself is the product.
Skip both if you just need a simple blog, aren’t willing to moderate daily, or have minimal content to share.
If I had to decide under time pressure, I would choose Mighty Networks for a course-heavy coaching model and Circle if my members expect to interact with each other more than they interact with my content.
Why building a paid coaching community matters right now
Coaches are moving away from one-on-one sessions because the math doesn’t scale. A paid community lets you monetize your expertise through recurring revenue while serving more people without burning out. The demand for direct access to experts is increasing, but so is the expectation that you’ll provide a space where members can learn from each other, not just from you. This shift matters because it changes how you structure your business: instead of trading time for money, you’re building an asset that grows in value as your member base expands.
The benefit isn’t just financial. A dedicated community gives you direct feedback, reduces churn through peer accountability, and creates a moat around your expertise that’s harder for competitors to replicate. But it also means you’re committing to consistent engagement, content creation, and moderation—responsibilities that don’t disappear once you hit “publish.”
What community platforms like Mighty Networks and Circle actually solve
These platforms exist to centralize everything your coaching business needs: content delivery, member communication, payment processing, and community management. Without them, you’d be duct-taping together a course platform, a forum, a payment processor, and an email tool—each with its own login, interface, and support headache. Mighty Networks offers a comprehensive all-in-one solution that integrates courses, groups, live events, and community features, while Circle emphasizes a clean, forum-like community experience with robust discussion spaces, live streams, and private messaging.
Both platforms allow for various monetization strategies, including one-time payments and recurring subscriptions for access to content and community. They also support custom branding and domains to create a professional and cohesive online presence. The real value is in reducing friction: members get one place to go, and you get one dashboard to manage.
Who should seriously consider these platforms for coaching
You’re a good fit if you’re a coach seeking to scale your impact beyond one-on-one sessions, an educator looking to create exclusive learning environments, or an entrepreneur aiming to build a brand around a thriving, engaged community. Coaches with a strong vision for a structured learning path and integrated content often lean towards Mighty Networks, while coaches prioritizing real-time engagement and dynamic member discussions often find Circle to be a better fit.
- You have a clear content strategy and are ready to publish consistently.
- You’re comfortable moderating discussions and setting community guidelines.
- You want to own the member relationship instead of renting attention on social media.
- You’re prepared to invest time learning the platform’s workflow and features.
Who should NOT use these platforms
These tools are overkill if your primary need is a simple blog or static website. They’re also a poor fit for individuals unwilling to actively engage with and moderate a community—both platforms require you to show up regularly, or your members will disengage and cancel. Creators with very minimal content or interaction needs who might prefer simpler tools should look elsewhere.
⛔ Dealbreaker: Skip both if you’re not willing to commit to at least weekly engagement and content updates, because a dormant community kills retention faster than a bad user interface.
Mighty Networks vs. Circle: When each option makes sense for coaches
Choosing Mighty Networks makes sense when you need integrated courses, events, and community under one roof. Mighty Networks allows creators to sell courses, run membership subscriptions, and host virtual events directly within their branded community, and it provides a native mobile app experience for its communities. Opting for Circle is the right move when a strong, discussion-focused community is the top priority—Circle excels at organizing community content into ‘spaces’ and enabling direct engagement through posts, comments, and live Q&A sessions, and it offers a responsive web experience and a mobile app for members to engage on the go.
Feature Showdown
This grid compares Mighty Networks, Circle, Teachable, and Thinkific based on their core strengths and limitations.
💡 Rapid Verdict:
Best for coaches who need to balance content delivery with community interaction, but SKIP THIS if you need advanced LMS features like detailed progress tracking or automated certificates.
Bottom line: If your coaching model depends on delivering structured courses with clear learning outcomes, default to Mighty Networks; if your members expect to spend most of their time talking to each other rather than consuming your content, Circle is the safer bet.
The trade-off you’re accepting with Mighty Networks is a steeper learning curve and potentially more complexity than you need if your coaching is discussion-heavy. While Mighty Networks offers course creation, its dedicated course features might not be as advanced as specialized learning management systems. With Circle, you’re accepting that Circle’s native course functionality is more basic, often requiring integration with external learning platforms for comprehensive course delivery—which means you’ll likely need to connect Circle with tools like Teachable or Thinkific if you want robust course features.
⛔ Dealbreaker for Mighty Networks: Skip this if you need enterprise-grade course analytics or advanced quiz functionality, because you’ll outgrow it quickly.
⛔ Dealbreaker for Circle: Skip this if you want to deliver courses natively without integrating external tools, because you’ll be managing multiple platforms from day one.
Key risks or limitations to consider
Both platforms come with potential for platform complexity and a learning curve for new users. You’re also accepting reliance on a third-party platform for core business operations, which means if they change pricing, features, or shut down (unlikely but possible), you’re scrambling to migrate. Users on both platforms need to actively manage and moderate their communities to ensure a positive and safe environment—this isn’t optional.
- You’ll need to create content consistently to justify the membership fee and retain members.
- Both platforms require you to drive traffic; they don’t have built-in discovery like social media.
- Integrations exist (Mighty Networks supports integrations with various tools via Zapier, and Circle offers native integrations with popular tools like Teachable, Memberstack, and Zapier), but you’ll still spend time configuring and troubleshooting them.
- Expect to invest at least 10–15 hours learning the platform before you can confidently launch.
How I’d Use It
Scenario: a solo coach looking to monetize their expertise and build a dedicated member base
This is how I’d tackle this workflow.
I would start by mapping out my content calendar for the first 90 days before choosing a platform, because the decision hinges on whether I’m delivering courses or facilitating discussions. If my coaching model is built around a signature framework with modules and lessons, I’d choose Mighty Networks and spend the first week setting up the course structure, payment tiers, and onboarding sequence. If my model is more about live coaching calls and peer accountability, I’d go with Circle and focus on creating discussion spaces organized by topic or member goal.
- Set up a single paid tier first (don’t overcomplicate with multiple membership levels until you have 50+ members).
- Create a welcome sequence that explains how to navigate the platform—most churn happens in the first 72 hours because members feel lost.
- Schedule at least one live event per week (Q&A, workshop, or office hours) to drive engagement and justify the membership cost.
- Monitor which content or discussions get the most engagement and double down on that format.
- Expect the first 30 days to feel slow; community growth is nonlinear, and early members are your beta testers.
- Plan for the friction point where members ask for features the platform doesn’t have—decide in advance whether you’ll integrate external tools or adjust your model.
My Takeaway: I’d choose the platform that aligns with how I naturally deliver value—if I think in lessons and modules, Mighty Networks; if I think in conversations and live sessions, Circle—and I’d accept that I’ll need to adjust my workflow to fit the platform’s strengths rather than expecting it to bend to my exact vision.
Pricing Plans
Below is the current pricing overview for the main contenders. Pricing information is accurate as of April 2025 and subject to change.
| Platform | Starting Price (Monthly) | Key Tiers | Free Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mighty Networks | $49/mo | Community Plan ($49), Courses Plan ($119), Business Plan ($219), Path-to-Pro Plan ($430) | No |
| Circle | $89/mo | Professional ($89), Business ($199), Enterprise ($399) | No |
Mighty Networks starts cheaper if you only need basic community features, but you’ll pay $119/mo to unlock course functionality. Circle’s entry price is higher, but it includes more robust discussion and engagement tools from the start. Neither platform offers a free plan, so factor in at least $500–$1,000 in platform costs for your first six months while you’re building your member base.
🚨 The Panic Test
You have 24 hours to launch. Here’s what you do.
Forget perfection. Just pick one. If you already have course content ready to upload, choose Mighty Networks and use the Courses Plan. If you don’t have structured content but you’re confident you can facilitate live discussions and Q&A sessions, choose Circle Professional. Don’t overthink branding—use a simple logo and a clean color scheme. Set up one paid tier at $29–$49/mo. Write a single welcome post explaining what members get and when they’ll hear from you next. Schedule your first live event within 72 hours of launch. Invite your email list or existing clients first—don’t wait for strangers to find you. Ship it. You can refine later, but you can’t refine what doesn’t exist.
Public Feedback Snapshot
Coaches using Mighty Networks frequently mention the appeal of having courses, events, and community in one place, but some report frustration with the platform’s complexity and the time required to set everything up correctly. Circle users consistently praise the clean interface and the ease of facilitating discussions, though some note that the lack of native course features forces them to integrate external tools, adding cost and complexity. Both platforms receive feedback about the need for active moderation and consistent content creation to keep members engaged. These insights are based on publicly available documentation and reported user feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I migrate my community from one platform to another later?
Technically, yes—you can export member lists and manually move content—but it’s painful and you’ll lose engagement momentum during the transition. Members hate relearning a new interface. If you’re unsure, start with a shorter commitment (quarterly instead of annual billing) and test engagement before you’re locked in.
Do I need to integrate other tools, or is everything built-in?
Mighty Networks includes more built-in features (courses, events, payments), but you’ll still likely need Zapier for email marketing or CRM integrations. Circle requires external tools for robust course delivery, so expect to connect Teachable, Thinkific, or similar platforms if courses are central to your model. Budget extra time and money for integrations either way.
How much time will I spend moderating and managing the community?
Plan for at least 5–10 hours per week initially: responding to posts, moderating discussions, creating content, and troubleshooting member issues. As your community grows, you’ll either need to hire a community manager or accept that moderation will consume a significant portion of your schedule. This isn’t passive income.
Which platform has better mobile app support for members?
Mighty Networks provides a native mobile app experience for its communities, which members download separately. Circle offers a responsive web experience and a mobile app for members to engage on the go. Both work, but Mighty Networks’ dedicated app can feel more polished and integrated, while Circle’s app is newer and still evolving. Test both on your own device before committing.
What happens if I outgrow the platform?
You’ll face a costly migration: exporting content, moving members, rebuilding integrations, and dealing with churn from members who don’t want to switch. The best defense is to choose the platform that aligns with your long-term vision from the start, even if it means paying more upfront or accepting a steeper learning curve. Switching later is always more expensive than choosing correctly now.
