TL;DR. Teachable is course-first ($39-$249/mo tiered, LMS-grade course features, weak native community). Skool is community-first ($99/mo flat, simple classroom + gamified feed). Pick Teachable if you’re selling structured courses with assignments + completion tracking + heavy marketing. Pick Skool if your business is community + courses bundled with engagement as the retention driver.
At a glance
| Skool | Teachable | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $99/mo flat | $39/mo (Basic) |
| Free tier | 14-day trial, no card | No free, paid only |
| Best for | Paid communities, masterminds | Pure course creators |
| Courses | Built-in classroom, simple | LMS — quizzes, certificates, drip |
| Community feed | Native, gamified | Limited Discussions add-on |
| Gamification | Levels 1-9 + leaderboard | None |
| Email marketing | Basic in-platform | Built-in on Pro+ plans |
| Landing pages | No | Yes — course sales pages |
| Sales pipelines | No | Yes — upsells, order bumps |
| API | Unofficial — Apify actor | Official API on Pro+ |
Pricing breakdown
Skool — flat
- $99/mo, unlimited everything, 14-day no-card trial
Teachable — tiered
- Basic ($39/mo) — 1 course, basic features, 5% transaction fee
- Pro ($79/mo) — unlimited courses, no transaction fee, drip + certificates
- Pro+ ($249/mo) — advanced reporting, custom roles, API access
- 5% transaction fee on Basic plan is significant — at $5K/mo in course sales, that’s $250/mo
Annual discounts available (~20%) on Teachable. None on Skool.
When Skool wins
- Community + courses bundled — engagement is your retention strategy
- Solo founder, single tier pricing — $99 flat beats Teachable’s transaction-fee Basic plan
- Gamification drives retention — leaderboard + levels compound engagement
- You don’t need course assessments — Skool’s no-quizzes approach fits discussion-based learning
When Teachable wins
- Pure course business — your product IS the course, no community needed
- Cohort-based courses with certificates — Teachable’s LMS features are mature
- Quiz / assignment-driven learning — Skool has none of these
- Marketing inside platform — landing pages, email sequences, sales funnels (Pro+ plans)
- Affiliates per course — Teachable’s per-course affiliate program is more flexible
- Volume-based pricing favorable — Pro at $79/mo for 10K+ members is cheaper than Skool’s $99
Real revenue patterns
Skool-style
Knowledge community at $30/mo × 80 members = $2,400/mo. Costs: $99 Skool + ~$72 Stripe = $171/mo. Net: $2,229/mo (93%). Plus the community drives course upsells inside the classroom.
Teachable-style
Hero course at $497 × 30 sales/mo = $14,910/mo. Costs: $79 Teachable Pro + ~$450 Stripe = $529/mo. Net: $14,381/mo (96%). No community engagement; pure course sales.
Feature differences that matter
Course assessments
Skool: None native. Members can answer questions in comments.
Teachable: Quizzes (multiple choice, true/false, text answer), graded assignments, completion certificates, gradebook.
Winner: Teachable, decisively, for assessment-driven learning.
Community engagement
Skool: Built-in feed, gamification (levels 1-9), leaderboard, DMs, calendar — all native.
Teachable: Discussions add-on per course (basic forum-style). No gamification. No leaderboard. No DMs.
Winner: Skool, decisively, for community-driven engagement.
Email marketing
Skool: Basic broadcasts inside platform.
Teachable Pro+: Full email marketing — sequences, automation, A/B testing.
Winner: Teachable Pro+ for bundled email; Skool + free Listmonk for cost-conscious.
Course sales infrastructure
Skool: Members buy access via Stripe inside the classroom. Simple.
Teachable: Sales pages, order bumps, upsells, abandoned cart sequences, affiliates per course.
Winner: Teachable for course-product-led growth.
API & automation
Skool: Apify actor — covers everything for ~$1.50/mo. Unofficial but production-grade.
Teachable: Official API on Pro+ plans. Zapier integration. Webhooks.
Winner: Teachable for native API. Skool + Apify for everything else.
Migration: Teachable → Skool
Course content can be exported from Teachable to markdown (manually or via their API). Push to Skool classroom via Apify actor. Members migrated via email-based outreach.
Expected: 50-70% successful transfer. Why migrate? Usually because the operator decided the community is more valuable than the structured-course product.
Migration: Skool → Teachable
Less common. Reason: deciding to focus on course product with LMS-style features.
Export via Apify actor, rebuild course in Teachable (more time-intensive because Teachable’s course structure is more complex), migrate members.
Common questions
Can I do quizzes / assignments on Skool?
No native quiz feature. Some operators improvise: post a “homework” page in the classroom, members answer in comments. Workable for discussion-based courses; not for graded assessment.
Is Teachable’s community feature any good?
Discussions add-on is basic. It works for course Q&A but doesn’t drive engagement like Skool’s gamified feed.
Which has better course consumption UX?
Comparable. Both have rich-text + video + downloads. Teachable has more polished course player. Skool has simpler / lighter feel.
Can I have multiple courses on Skool?
Yes. Unlimited courses in the classroom, included in the $99/mo.
Which is better for cohort-based programs?
Teachable. Skool doesn’t have native cohort grouping or progress tracking.
Are both legit?
Yes. Teachable (founded 2014, acquired by Hotmart 2020) has 100K+ creators. Skool (2019, bootstrapped + profitable) has 1M+ communities. Both stable.
Related comparisons
Try Skool — 14-day free trial
→ Create your Skool community — no credit card, $99/mo flat after trial.
Plan to automate? Use this Apify actor — Skool API for ~$1.50/mo.