Ubunya vs Skool
Skool sells memberships. Ubunya runs programmes.
Skool is a simple, popular way for a creator to sell a membership by card and get found through its Discovery marketplace. Ubunya is built for organisations that admit people into cohorts, take attendance, issue certificates and get paid by bank transfer, M-Pesa, UPI or Pix.
The short answer
Choose Skool if
- You are a creator selling one membership to a large online audience.
- You want Skool's Discovery marketplace and reviews to bring you new members.
- All your members pay by card and you don't need cohorts, attendance or certificates.
Choose Ubunya if
- You run programmes with intakes, admissions and a start and end date.
- Learners pay by bank transfer, M-Pesa, UPI, Pix, cash or through their employer, often in instalments.
- You need attendance, certificates and impact reports for funders or employers.
- You want your own brand on the app, the emails and the web address.
Skool and Ubunya at a glance
- Price
- Skool: Hobby $9/month, Pro $99/month (about $7.50 and $82 billed yearly)
- Ubunya: One plan agreed with you, paid by invoice in your currency. Every feature is included.
- Fee on payments
- Skool: 10% on Hobby, 2.9% on Pro, plus card processing
- Ubunya: 0%
- Best for
- Skool: Creators selling a membership
- Ubunya: Organisations running cohorts
- Brand
- Skool: Skool-branded app, “Powered by Skool” on every page
- Ubunya: Your name and logo everywhere
Feature by feature
| Feature | Ubunya | Skool |
|---|---|---|
| Community feed, categories and polls | ||
| Courses, lessons and progress | ||
| Points, levels and leaderboards | Yes, and levels can unlock content | |
| Live sessions | Live rooms in the browser, with breakout groups and recording | Skool Calls, or link out to Zoom |
| Admissions | Application forms with a review queue | Up to 3 join questions |
| Cohorts | Intakes with seats, dates and class times | |
| Attendance | Online and in person, with QR check-in | |
| Certificates | Issued on completion, with a public check page | |
| Small groups | Squads inside each cohort | |
| Impact reporting | Impact reports and follow-up surveys | Basic member stats |
| Payments made outside a card checkout | Bank transfer, M-Pesa, UPI, Pix, card and cash recorded, with receipts and balances | Card checkout only |
| One payer for many learners | An employer or sponsor pays for several learners | |
| WhatsApp and SMS | WhatsApp and SMS reminders and announcements | |
| Email broadcasts and automatic sequences | Broadcasts only, no sequences | |
| Phone app | Installable app under your own name and logo | Skool-branded app |
| Web address | ubunya.com/yourname, or your own domain | Custom URL on Pro only |
| Developer access | Public API, MCP server and CLI | Zapier and webhooks |
| Fee on what learners pay | 0% | 10% Hobby, 2.9% Pro |
Skool details as of November 2026, from Skool pricing, Skool Discovery and published reviews. Prices and fees change, so check Skool's site before you decide.
What Skool really costs
The plan price is only part of the bill. Here is what each platform costs a month when 200 learners each pay $50 ($10,000 a month), on the cheapest plan that can sell memberships, billed yearly where offered: the plan, the platform's fee, and card processing where it is charged separately.
| Platform | Monthly cost | How it adds up |
|---|---|---|
| Skool Pro | $372 | $82 plan (yearly) + 2.9% Skool fee |
| SchoolMaker | $386 | $36 plan (yearly) + 0% + Stripe |
| Kajabi Basic | $493 | $143 plan (yearly) + 0% + Kajabi Payments |
| Mighty Networks Launch | $629 | $79 plan (yearly) + 2% + Stripe |
| Whop | $630 | $0 plan + 3% community fee + 2.7% + $0.30 |
| Circle Professional | $639 | $89 plan (yearly) + 2% + Stripe |
| Skool Hobby | $1,008 | $7.50 plan (yearly) + 10% Skool fee |
| Patreon | $1,350 | 10% platform fee + 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Discord | $1,600 | 10% fee + about 6% desktop processing |
| Ubunya | Your plan | One plan by invoice and 0% on learner payments. Learners pay you directly, by bank transfer, mobile money, card or cash, so nothing passes through Ubunya. |
Worked from each vendor's published prices in November 2026. Fees change and card rates vary by country, so check before you decide.
Cohorts, not just a membership
Skool has one community per group with a feed, a classroom, a calendar and leaderboards. It has no idea of an intake: everyone who joins is simply a member, and there is no admissions step beyond three join questions. Ubunya starts from the programme: you open an intake with a start date, seats and class times, people apply, your team admits them, and they move through the cohort together until graduation.
Every learner has a record that follows them: which intake they joined, which sessions they attended, what they paid and which certificate they earned. When a funder or board asks how the last cohort went, the answer is already there.
If you only need an open membership that anyone can join with a card, Skool may be all you need. If you admit people into programmes that start and finish, that structure is what Ubunya is for.
Getting paid the way your learners pay
Skool takes payment by card through its own checkout, and keeps 10% on the Hobby plan or 2.9% on Pro, before card processing. Many of the organisations we work with are paid by bank transfer, mobile money such as M-Pesa, UPI or Pix, a company cheque, a card on their own machine (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) or cash at the first session, often in instalments.
Ubunya records each payment against the learner's fee account, issues a receipt, shows the balance and reminds people before an instalment is due, by email, WhatsApp or SMS. Nothing is taken from what your learners pay: Ubunya charges 0%.
When an employer pays for ten staff, one payer covers all ten seats and gets one invoice, while each learner still has their own place in the cohort.
What feels familiar
If your members know Skool, they will know their way around Ubunya: a feed with categories and pinned posts, a classroom with progress bars, a calendar in each person's own time zone, a members list and leaderboards with nine levels that can unlock content.
The difference is everything around it: applications, intakes, attendance, fee accounts, certificates and reports for the people who fund your programmes.
Attendance and certificates that prove the work
Skool has no attendance and no certificates. Its calendar can host a call, but it doesn't record who came. In Ubunya, people who join a live session are marked present automatically, and for in-person days staff can tick a register or learners can scan a QR code at the door, even on a weak connection.
Completion rules can require attendance as well as lessons. When a learner finishes, their certificate is issued with a public check page, so an employer can confirm it is genuine.
Where Skool is the better choice
No platform suits everyone. Skool does these things better than Ubunya:
- Discovery: Skool's marketplace, ratings and Skool Games bring new members to active communities for free. Ubunya's programme directory is smaller.
- Simplicity and price at the low end: Hobby starts at $9 a month for a creator testing an idea.
- A large creator ecosystem, with many templates and playbooks written for Skool.
Moving from Skool to Ubunya
- Request a community. We set it up with your name, logo and colours, at ubunya.com/yourname or on your own domain.
- Import your members from a CSV export, with their names, emails and phone numbers.
- Recreate your programmes and courses. Lesson videos can be uploaded or embedded, and we can help with the move when we agree your plan.
- Invite members to sign in. Their history starts in Ubunya from the next intake.
Questions
Is Whop legit?+
Yes, Whop is a widely used marketplace for digital products and paid access. It suits selling; it isn't built for running a cohort with attendance and certificates.
Why are creators leaving Patreon?+
Common reasons are the 10% platform fee plus processing, limited tools for courses and community, and wanting more control over their brand and members.
Is Skool better than Patreon?+
For teaching, Skool usually fits better because it has courses and levels. For running cohort programmes with attendance and fee records, Ubunya fits better than either.
What are the downsides of Kajabi?+
Kajabi is expensive to start, about $143 a month billed yearly, its Basic plan limits you to one community and a few products, and its community is secondary to courses and funnels. It also only takes card payments.
Is there something better than Kajabi?+
It depends on what you sell. For funnels and self-paced courses, Kajabi is strong. For cohorts with admissions, attendance, certificates and fees paid by bank or mobile money, Ubunya is a better fit.
Which is better, Mighty Networks or Circle?+
Mighty Networks leans on member matching and AI setup; Circle on customisation and workflows. Both sell access by card. If you run cohorts with admissions, attendance and offline fees, Ubunya is built for that.
Who are Mighty Networks' main competitors?+
Circle, Skool, Kajabi, Heartbeat and SchoolMaker are the usual comparisons. Ubunya is the option for organisations running cohort programmes rather than open memberships.
How much does Circle cost a month?+
Circle Professional is about $89 a month and Business about $199, billed yearly, with a transaction fee from 2% down to 0.5% and Stripe on top. Plus, with the branded app, is priced on request.
Is Circle worth it?+
Circle is worth it if you want a highly customised online community and have the budget for its higher tiers and add-ons. For cohort programmes with attendance and offline fees, Ubunya does more out of the box.
Is Skool worth it?+
For a creator selling one membership by card, Skool is simple and its Discovery marketplace can bring members. It is less suited to organisations that need admissions, cohorts, attendance, certificates or payments outside a card checkout.
What payment options are available on Skool?+
Skool takes card payments through its own checkout, for monthly, yearly or one-time access. Ubunya records payments however learners pay you: bank transfer, M-Pesa, UPI, Pix, card, cheque or cash.
Is Skool better than Patreon?+
For teaching, Skool is usually the better fit because it has courses and levels; Patreon is built for fans supporting creators. If you run cohort programmes, Ubunya adds the admissions, attendance and fee records both lack.
Is Ubunya a Skool alternative?+
Yes, for organisations running cohort programmes. You get the same feed, classroom, calendar and leaderboards, plus admissions, intakes, attendance, offline fees, certificates and impact reports, with no fee on what learners pay.
How much does Skool cost compared with Ubunya?+
Skool Hobby is $9 a month with a 10% transaction fee, and Pro is $99 a month with 2.9%. Ubunya is one plan agreed with you, paid by invoice, with every feature included and 0% on learner payments.
When is Skool the better choice?+
If you are a creator selling a membership by card to a large online audience and want Skool's Discovery marketplace to bring you members, Skool is simple and does that well.
Does Skool support M-Pesa, UPI or bank transfers?+
Skool takes card payments through its own checkout. Ubunya records bank transfers, M-Pesa, UPI, Pix, card and cash payments against each learner's fee account, with receipts, balances and instalment reminders.
Does Skool have its own branded app?+
Skool's iOS and Android apps carry the Skool brand. Ubunya gives each community an installable app under its own name and logo.
Can we move from Skool to Ubunya?+
Yes. Export your members, import them from a CSV and invite them to your new community. We can help with the move when we agree your plan.
Other comparisons
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