Circle vs Mighty Networks vs LearnWorlds: choose your paid community
Circle leads for community-led paid learning memberships. See when Mighty Networks or assessment-led LearnWorlds should come first, with UK buying checks.
Read the guideFor UK course creators, coaches, membership and training businesses
Compare course and membership platforms. Avoid costly mistakes.
Independent UK comparisons of Podia, Teachable, LearnWorlds, Circle and more. See the real monthly cost, what your members experience and what it takes to switch.
No platform pays for placement or rankingBuilt from supplier documentation, with check datesUnconfirmed costs and features are flagged
Paid learning memberships
Before you build your paid community
See which platform suits your members, teaching and budget.
Make a clearer choice
Platforms comparedPodiaLearnWorldsCircleMighty NetworksTeachable
At a glance
Which course or membership platform is best for you?
Use the short verdicts to find the relevant comparison, then check the full evidence before choosing.
| Decision | Useful when | Our verdict | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Podia vs LearnWorlds | You want to compare an easier all-in-one setup with a platform built for more involved teaching and administration. | Choose Podia when simple selling and fewer separate tools matter most. Choose LearnWorlds when assignments, assessment depth, learner reporting or more controlled staff access are central. Both support quizzes and certificates, so compare the depth you need rather than treating either feature as exclusive. | Compare Podia and LearnWorlds |
| Circle vs Mighty Networks | You are building a paid community and need the spaces, events, courses and member journey to suit how people participate. | Choose Circle when structured spaces, courses, events and live sessions support your programme. Choose Mighty Networks when member discovery and connection are more central to the experience. Check the full comparison against the workflows your community must support. | Compare Circle and Mighty Networks |
Verdicts are based on supplier documentation, not hands-on testing. Use the calculator with prices and fees you have checked for your own setup.
Start here
Answer these 3 questions before you pay for a course platform
Start with how you teach and sell. Once you know what the platform must do, the cost comparison shows which one is worth paying for.
What will it really cost you each month?
Compare subscriptions, fees, extra tools and one-off work over the same period.
Which platform suits how you teach and sell?
List the teaching, payment, team and community tasks the platform must handle well.
How do you switch without locking students out?
Plan exports, access, payments and a safe fallback before moving learners or members.
Featured guidance
Go deeper before you choose
Circle vs Mighty Networks: Which Platform Suits Your Paid Community?
Circle vs Mighty Networks for paid communities, compared honestly. Pricing, fees, spaces, live sessions, staff roles and exports, plus the break-even points nobody calculates.
Read the guidePodia vs LearnWorlds: Which Course Platform Suits How You Teach?
Compare Podia and LearnWorlds for course delivery, assessments, certificates, staff permissions, community, migration and long-term operating needs.
Read the guideSkool Pricing UK: Hobby or Pro? The Sales Level Where Pro Starts Saving You Money
Skool pricing for UK community owners, explained clearly. Hobby vs Pro in pounds, the exact sales level where Pro gets cheaper, and the hidden cost of low membership prices.
Read the guideCourse Platform Costs in the UK: Why Your £49 Plan Could Really Cost £108 a Month
What a course platform really costs a UK business. The hidden fees behind the headline price, a worked £5,020 example and a free calculator to compare your options.
Read the guideCourse Platform Migration Checklist: How to Switch Without Losing Students, Progress or Payments
A course platform migration checklist for UK course and membership businesses. Protect learners, progress, payments and email consent when you switch, with a free CSV worksheet.
Read the guideCourse Platform Requirements Checklist: Test the Way You Teach Before You Commit to a Plan
A practical course platform requirements checklist for UK course businesses. Test quizzes, marking, certificates, reporting and accessibility in one real journey before you pay.
Read the guideLearning Community Platform Checklist: Test Paid Member Access Before It Leaks
A learning community platform checklist for paid memberships and cohorts. Test private spaces, cancellations, notifications, staff roles and moderation before you buy.
Read the guidePodia Pricing UK: Mover, Shaker or Earthquaker? What You’ll Really Pay (and When the 5% Fee Bites)
Compare Podia's monthly and annual prices, Mover's 5% fee, the Mover-to-Shaker break-even and extra UK costs before choosing a plan.
Read the guidePlatform Migration Pilot: How to Rehearse Your Switch (and Why Matching Totals Can Fool You)
How to run a course platform migration pilot with test data. Why matching totals can hide missing records, how to log mismatches, and when to say go or no-go.
Read the guideTeachable Pricing UK: Starter or Builder? The Exact Point Where the Upgrade Pays for Itself
Teachable pricing for UK course creators, explained simply. Starter, Builder and Growth in pounds, the exact sales level where Builder pays for itself, and how VAT works.
Read the guidePractical planning resources
Free planning tool
Compare the full cost with your own numbers
Compare two or three setups using the same business assumptions. Include the subscription, fees, add-ons, setup work and exit costs you can verify, and leave unknowns visible rather than treating them as free.
Service horizon in monthsYour monthly salesSuccessful charge countBase subscription and billing cycleRequired add-onsProcessor and platform feesSetup and internal effortTax and leaving costs
Open the cost calculator
Budgeting tool, not accounting, tax or legal advice. It does not automatically select a plan, convert currencies or decide tax treatment. Tax and reverse charge are not modelled unless you enter confirmed values.
How EdTechKit works
Independent guidance that shows its limits
Guides use supplier pricing pages and help documentation. They do not claim hands-on use, and anything still uncertain is left for you to confirm before buying.