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Groupanda vs Skool: choosing a Skool alternative for your private community

What each one is built for, what each keeps from a member's payment, and where Skool wins, taken from Skool's own pages and dated.

Groupanda is a Skool alternative for private communities that run on conversation rather than a classroom. Skool pairs a community with courses and live calls, from $9 a month billed monthly, plus a transaction fee that includes processing. Groupanda is free to use, with a 6% platform fee on paid groups, and Stripe's processing fee comes out of your payout.

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What is Skool built for?

Skool is built around a feed and a classroom. Groupanda is built around channels. That one difference decides most of what follows.

  • A feed of posts, sorted by engagement

    On Skool, members write posts and comments in up to 10 categories. Each category is sorted by recent engagement, by newest, or by the top posts of the week or month.

  • A Classroom next to the feed

    Skool gives each group a Classroom of courses, built from pages, video lessons hosted by Skool, and files. A course can unlock at a member level or be sold for a one-time price inside the group.

  • A calendar with live calls

    Skool's events sit in a calendar and default to Skool Call, its own live calls, on both plans. Calls support screen share and recording. Webinars are a Pro plan feature.

  • Points, levels and leaderboards

    Every like on a post or comment gives its author a point on Skool. Points lead through 9 levels, shown next to each name and on the group's leaderboards.

And in Groupanda

Groupanda is real-time chat in channels. You reply with a quote, and search messages within a channel. A message carries text with photos, a document or a voice message. Each channel is open to every member, or limited to the plans you choose. There are no calls, video or events.

How much does Skool cost?

Skool: a monthly plan, plus a fee on every transaction

Paying monthly, Hobby costs $9 a month and Pro $99, both with unlimited members. Billed yearly, they come to $7.50 and $82 a month. On top of the plan, Skool takes a fee on every transaction. It is 10% plus 30 cents on Hobby, and 2.9% plus 30 cents on Pro, or 3.9% plus 30 cents on transactions above $900. Skool processes the payments itself, so these fees include processing.

Then there is Growth Boost. Skool promotes the group in its Discovery results and in ads it runs off its own site. When that brings you a paying member, Skool takes a 30% commission on that member's recurring payments, for as long as the subscription stays active. Growth Boost is on by default, and you can turn it off under Settings, then Discovery.

Skool's Payments FAQs say all subscription prices on Skool are in USD, and members pay in USD. Payouts arrive in your local currency, every Wednesday.

Groupanda: a 6% platform fee, and nothing added to the price

Groupanda is free to use, with no monthly charge. On a paid group the member pays the price you set. Out of that payment, Groupanda keeps a 6% platform fee. Stripe's processing fee is deducted from your payout. Nothing is added on top of what the member pays. Stripe Connect pays out to the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Norway, Liechtenstein, Canada, and Switzerland.

We do not print a Stripe rate. It depends on the card and the currency, so one number would be wrong for someone.

One $20 payment, three ways

On a $20 monthly price, Skool Hobby keeps $2.30 and Skool Pro keeps $0.88, processing included. Groupanda keeps $1.20, and Stripe's processing fee then comes out of your payout. Skool's plan also costs $9 or $99 a month, paid monthly. Groupanda has no monthly charge.

Skool's percentages include payment processing, so they only compare with Groupanda's once you add Stripe's rate, which depends on card and currency. At this price Skool Pro keeps less of the payment than Groupanda does, and Pro costs $99 a month, paid monthly.

Is there a free alternative to Skool?

Not among Skool's own plans. Its pricing page lists two, Hobby at $9 a month and Pro at $99 when paying monthly. Its payment terms, updated 19 February 2026, describe both as recurring subscriptions after a 14-day free trial. Neither page, read on 28 September 2026, describes a free plan for the group owner.

Members can join a free group on Skool. Its pricing help lists free groups next to subscriptions, freemium, tiers and one-time payments. The owner still pays for Hobby or Pro.

And in Groupanda

Groupanda is free to use, with no member limit. There is no trial, because nothing expires. Creating an account and a group needs no card. Nothing is charged each month, and there is a 6% platform fee on paid groups.

Groupanda and Skool, row by row

Every row is a fact, and the rows Skool wins are in the table too. Sources and dates are under it.

What you are comparingGroupandaSkool
What the group is built aroundReal-time chat in channels, where you reply with a quote.A feed of posts and comments in up to 10 categories, next to a Classroom and a calendar.
Monthly price for the ownerNone. Free to use, with no member limit.$9 a month on Hobby and $99 on Pro when paying monthly, or $7.50 and $82 a month billed yearly. Unlimited members on both.
Fee on each payment6% platform fee, on subscriptions and one-time payments.10% plus 30 cents on Hobby. 2.9% plus 30 cents on Pro, or 3.9% plus 30 cents above $900.
Payment processingStripe's fee, deducted from your payout. It depends on card and currency, so there is no single number to quote.Included in the transaction fee. Skool processes the payments on its own merchant account.
Members the platform brings youOpen groups are listed in Groupanda search. Groups joined by invitation or after approval are not.Growth Boost, on by default, takes 30% of the recurring payments of members Skool brings you, while their subscription stays active.
How members can payFree channels and up to 5 plans, side by side. Each plan is a monthly subscription or a one-time payment with no renewal date.A free group, a monthly or annual subscription with an optional 7-day free trial, freemium, tiers, or a one-time payment. Skool wins this row.
Currency members pay inOne currency per group, chosen from 11.USD. Skool says all subscription prices are in USD, and payouts arrive in local currency.
Where the owner can be paidWhere Stripe Connect pays out: US, UK, European Union, Norway, Liechtenstein, Canada, Switzerland.More than 150 countries and territories on Skool's payout list, updated September 2026. Skool wins this row.
Where the money landsMembers' payments land in the group owner's own Stripe account. Stripe then pays them out to the owner's bank account.Skool pays out to the owner's bank account every Wednesday.
Classroom and lessonsNo video. Channels carry photos, documents up to 10 MB and voice messages up to 2 minutes.A Classroom of courses with pages, video hosted by Skool, and files. Skool wins this row.
Live calls and eventsNone: no calls, video or screen share, and no events or calendar.Events in a calendar, and Skool Call live calls with screen share and recording, on both plans. Webinars on Pro. Skool wins this row.
Points and levelsEmoji reactions, @mentions, and messages pinned by the owner and admins.Each like earns a point, points lead through 9 levels, and every group has leaderboards. A course can unlock at a level. Skool wins this row.
RolesOwner, admins and members, with no moderator role.Owner, billing managers, admins and moderators. More than one admin needs Pro, and a group can have up to 30. Skool wins this row.
Inviting membersThe group's invite link, for groups that are open, by invitation, or after approval.An invite link, email invites, and a bulk import of email addresses from a CSV file. Skool wins this row.
AppsWeb, iOS, Android.Web, iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android.

Both columns are dated. The Skool column comes from Skool's own pricing page, help centre and app store listings below. Each line gives the date the page shows as its last update, or says that it shows none. We read every one of them on 28 September 2026. The Groupanda column describes Groupanda on 28 September 2026.

Sources

When Skool is the better choice

Plenty of communities belong on Skool, and a comparison that pretends otherwise is not worth reading. Stay on Skool if any of this is your main event.

  • Your group teaches, and courses with video lessons in a Classroom hosted by Skool are the heart of it.
  • You meet live, and Skool Call runs your calls with screen share and recording straight from the group's calendar.
  • You want members to earn points and levels, climb a leaderboard, and unlock courses as they go.
  • Your bank account is in a country on Skool's payout list that Stripe Connect does not pay out to.
  • You want to offer your members annual billing or a free trial before they pay.

Groupanda earns its place when the community lives in conversation. The group chats in channels, the members pay for access, and nothing is charged each month.

If Discord is also on your list, the fees on a paid Discord server are compared row by row in the same way. For Skool next to Circle, Mighty Networks and the other platforms, see our list of the best community platforms.

What does Groupanda cost?

Groupanda is free to use, with no member limit and no charge per member. On a paid group the member pays the price you set. Out of that payment, Groupanda keeps a 6% platform fee. Stripe's processing fee is deducted from your payout. Nothing is added on top of what the member pays, and there is no monthly charge. Stripe Connect pays out to the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Norway, Liechtenstein, Canada, and Switzerland.

See full pricingFeatures

Questions people ask before moving

Is there a free alternative to Skool?

Groupanda is free to use, with no member limit, no trial that runs out, and a 6% platform fee on paid groups. Skool's own plans are paid: its pricing page lists Hobby at $9 a month and Pro at $99 when paying monthly. Its payment terms, updated 19 February 2026, describe both as subscriptions after a 14-day free trial. Neither page, read on 28 September 2026, describes a free plan for the group owner.

How much does Skool cost?

Paying monthly, Hobby costs $9 a month and Pro $99, both with unlimited members. Billed yearly, they come to $7.50 and $82 a month. On top of the plan, Skool takes a fee on every transaction. It is 10% plus 30 cents on Hobby, and 2.9% plus 30 cents on Pro, or 3.9% plus 30 cents above $900. Those fees include payment processing.

What is Skool's Growth Boost, and what does it cost?

Growth Boost promotes your group in Skool's Discovery results and in ads Skool runs off its own site. When that brings you a paying member, Skool takes a 30% commission on that member's recurring payments, for as long as the subscription stays active. It is on by default, and you can turn it off under Settings, then Discovery.

Can I move a community from Skool to Groupanda?

Yes. Create the workspace, rebuild the categories you use as channels, and invite members with the group's invite link. There is no import tool, so members join through the link themselves. Turn on paid access when you are ready, if you are in a payout country. Stripe Connect pays out to the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Norway, Liechtenstein, Canada, and Switzerland.

When is Skool still the better choice?

Five cases. Your group is built on lessons and video in a Classroom. You run live calls and events from a calendar. You want points, levels and leaderboards. Your bank account is in a country Skool pays out to and Stripe Connect does not. Or you want to offer your members annual billing or a free trial.

Last updated:

Run the conversation and the membership in one place

Create a workspace, invite your members, and turn on paid access when you are ready. Nothing to install, and no card needed to start.

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