What each week held
Withheld: something was read in 1 week of the last 12. A series needs at least 2 to say anything a single reading does not.
What it declares
- gamification (points/leaderboards/levels)
- single flat-rate pricing
- native courses/classroom
- community discovery directory
- branded/white-label spaces
- live streaming and events
- workflow automation
- custom domain
As the company’s own pages describe it. Forge did not test any of these.
What users raised
The reading listed none.
Everything on record
4 observed claims. Newest first; the tag on each row is what kind of claim you are reading.
- PRICINGCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Bettermode discontinued its free tier in March 2026 and restructured into Starter, Growth, and Premium plans.
Signals a packaging shift among adjacent platforms in this segment, relevant to buyers comparing the full paid-community-platform landscape.
buddyboss.com/blog/best-community-platforms/ - PRODUCTCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Skool differentiates on built-in gamification (points, levels, leaderboards) and a community discovery directory, while lacking custom domains, native live streaming/workflows, and white-label options present in Circle.
Positions the two platforms along an engagement-vs-branding/customization axis, shaping which creators self-select into each.
codingoblin.com/blog/skool-vs-circle - PRICINGCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Circle's pricing starts at $89/month for its Professional tier (capped at 20 spaces and limited admins) and scales to $199/month for Business, with white-labeling and full branding only available at the Business tier or above.
Brands wanting to remove Circle branding must budget for the higher tier, a key packaging distinction versus Skool, which offers no white-labeling at any price.
kourses.com/skool-vs-circle/ - PRICINGCOMPANY CLAIMSep 30, 2026
Skool's entry plan (Hobby) starts at $9/month but carries a 10% transaction fee on paid memberships; its Pro tier runs about $99/month with a lower ~2.9% fee.
Creators evaluating total cost at scale need to weigh Skool's low sticker price against its fee stack, which can exceed Circle's cost at higher revenue volumes.
kourses.com/skool-vs-circle/
A record of what Forge read in public about Creators and brands running a paid group — its own pages and what people wrote about it. Nothing here is a test of the product, a ranking or a score, and Forge has no relationship with this company.