Updated September 2026
Circle.so alternatives, an honest map.
The alternatives to Circle.so come in three kinds: another ready-made platform, open-source software you host yourself, or a platform built for you.
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Who wrote this: Socio Connect, an all-in-one platform for churches, nonprofits, associations and alumni networks, and one of the options below. We’ve put ourselves first because it’s our list; read it with that in mind. Circle is a good tool for creators and brands; if that’s you, we say so.
Harbor Point Church is an example.
Where it fits
Where Circle.so fits.
Here’s each option, with prices from each vendor’s own published pages, so you can pick the kind that fits before you pick the product. If seat caps, a metered Admin API or the transaction fee are what you’re outgrowing on Circle, check how each option handles the same things.
Circle.so is popular with creators, brands and smaller communities. Its published plans run from $89/month for Professional to $419/month for Scale, with Circle Plus, which brings a branded app under your name, quoted privately. Paid memberships carry a 0.5–2% transaction fee, by plan.
The reasons people look around tend to be the same: the fee on paid memberships, wanting an app under their own name without a quoted top tier, or an organization that needs giving, events and volunteers beside its community. Which of those matters most to you decides which kind of alternative to look at.
Harbor Point Church is an example.
Start here
Three kinds of alternative.
Each kind trades something different. Start here.
Ready-made platform
Subscribe to a platform
You get: Nothing to build. You sign up, set it up, and the vendor runs, hosts and updates it. Socio Connect is one of these.
You trade: A monthly or yearly bill while you use it, and the vendor decides what comes next. Check what each plan includes and whether it takes a fee on payments.
Open source
Host the software yourself
You get: Free software, and you control the hosting and the data.
You trade: You need technical people to run, update and secure it, and what it does is shaped by what the project builds.
Custom build
Have one built for you
You get: A platform shaped around a program or a way of working no ready-made platform covers.
You trade: An upfront cost and a build measured in months. We build these too: see custom builds.
Ranked
The Circle.so alternatives, ranked.
Ranked by fit for organizations that want to replace Circle, not add to it. Socio Connect is first because we wrote the list.
- 01
Socio Connect
Ready-made platformBest for: Churches, nonprofits, associations and alumni networks that use Circle as their community and run giving, events and volunteers somewhere else
Pricing
Free, then $99, $299 and $599 a month by active people; Enterprise priced to fit
Socio Connect is one platform to run a church, nonprofit, association or alumni network: people and households, groups, giving, events and ticketing, kids check-in, volunteers, courses, messages and a public website, on one record per person. The Assistant tells your team who needs them this week, and why, and drafts the note.
app.harborpoint.church/assistantHarbor Point Church is an example.
Strengths
- One record per person, in place of separate tools
- Giving, dues and tickets to your own Stripe account, with no platform fee
- Kids check-in, volunteers, courses and your website on the same record
- The Assistant: who needs your team this week, with a reason for each name. Meet the Assistant
- Published prices, and a 14-day Community trial with no card
Trade-offs
- Your own app in the stores is coming on Enterprise; today, members use the web
- Built for organizations: creators selling courses may find a creator platform a closer fit
- You bring your people over from a spreadsheet
- 02
Mighty Networks
Ready-made platformBest for: Creators and membership communities
Pricing
$79–$354/month; Mighty Pro quoted
Mighty Networks is a community platform built for creators and membership businesses, with courses, events and memberships in one place.
Strengths
- Courses, events and memberships together
- Published plans from $79/month
- The Mighty Networks app is included on every plan
Trade-offs
- Branded apps under your name need Mighty Pro, quoted privately
- A 0.5–2% transaction fee on payments, by plan
- Designed around creators more than institutions
- 03
Kajabi
Ready-made platformBest for: Course creators who want courses, products and community in one place
Pricing
$143–$399/month, billed annually
Kajabi is built around online courses and digital products for creators, with community features alongside.
Strengths
- Courses, digital products and community together
- Marketing emails included, unlimited, on every plan
Trade-offs
- Its Branded App under your name is a paid add-on on Basic and Growth, included on Pro
- A 0.5–2% transaction fee by plan, only if you use a third-party processor other than PayPal; none with Kajabi Payments
- Contacts and products are limited by plan
- 04
Hivebrite
Ready-made platformBest for: Alumni networks, associations and nonprofits with a bigger budget
Pricing
$895–$1,995/month, billed annually; upper tiers quoted
Hivebrite is a community platform built for alumni networks, associations and nonprofits, with member directories, events and groups.
Strengths
- Built for alumni networks and associations
- Member directories, events and groups
- A white-label native app under your own name
Trade-offs
- Published plans from $895/month, billed annually, with upper tiers quoted
- Priced well above creator platforms
- 05
Discourse
Open sourceBest for: Discussion-led and technical communities with people to run it
Pricing
Free to self-host; hosted plans $100–$500/month, Enterprise quoted privately
Discourse is open-source discussion software. You can host it yourself, which puts the data in your hands, or pay for hosting.
Strengths
- Open source; self-hosting gives you the data
- Built for threaded discussion
- Free to self-host
Trade-offs
- Built around discussion; events, giving and member management usually sit in other tools
- No branded app on its standard plans; members use the Discourse Hub app (Discourse only considers a branded app for Enterprise customers)
- Needs technical people to host and maintain it
Competitor pricing as published by each vendor, checked September 2026. Plans and prices change; figures for tiers a vendor quotes privately are not stated here.
Next step
Down to Circle or Socio Connect?
If you’re deciding between Circle and Socio Connect, read Socio Connect vs Circle.so. It sets the plans, fees and jobs side by side, and says when to stay. If you’re weighing Circle against Mighty Networks, read Mighty Networks vs Circle.
In their words
“This is a game changer for how we serve our community of men.”
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