Skool

Skool is a purpose-built community platform designed for creators and entrepreneurs to monetize engaged communities. Unlike Mighty Networks or Circle, Skool combines gamification mechanics (points, badges, streaks) with course hosting and live streaming in a single, flat-rate package. For indie hackers, the $9/month Hobby plan offers unlimited members and all core features, making it dramatically cheaper to start than competitors charging $99+/month. The platform excels at member engagement through reputation systems and course bundling, appealing to coaches, course creators, and community-driven businesses who want both conversation and educational content without managing multiple tools.\n\nSkool's gamification approach—where members earn points through engagement that unlock courses—is particularly suited for indie hackers bootstrapping community businesses. Unlike platforms charging per-member or taking transaction fees, Skool's transparent pricing (only Stripe's ~2.9% on actual sales) aligns incentives with creator success. Native video hosting, discussion threads, and event management eliminate the need for separate integrations.