Skool alternative

Keep the community.
Add your own website and storefront.

Skool puts everything inside a community on skool.com. Forento gives you a gamified community too, plus your own website, custom domain, and products you can sell on their own: courses, coaching sessions, downloads, and events.

Start for free Compare plans

4.8/5 on AppSumo · Creators in 151 countries · Free forever plan

Forento and Skool in numbers

$600

saved per year

Forento Start vs Skool Pro, billed monthly

to get started

Skool has no free plan

Forento sales commission on paid plans

Skool Hobby charges 10% + 30¢ per sale

day free trial

On Basic, Start, or Scale

Pricing comparison

Compare the plans for a community with courses

Skool Pro costs $99 per month and charges 2.9% plus 30¢ per transaction, or 3.9% plus 30¢ above $900, which covers card processing. Forento Start costs $49 per month, or $39 billed annually, with no Forento sales commission; Stripe or PayPal fees apply.

Skool

Pro plan

$99/mo

billed monthly

Unlimited members and courses

2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (3.9% above $900)

Built-in video calls and livestreams

Listed in Skool's Discovery directory

Forento

Start plan

$49/mo

billed monthly

Unlimited products and students

Your own website and blog

Custom domain

Community with levels and a leaderboard

See all Forento plans

Feature comparison

Forento vs Skool

Compare the capabilities that matter most when you run a community and sell courses.

Feature	Forento	Skool
Community	Start and Scale	Included
Levels and leaderboard	Start and Scale	Included
Online courses	Included	Included
Course exams	Included	Not included
Coaching sessions as products	Included	Not included
Digital downloads as products	Included	Not included
Website builder and blog	Start and Scale	Not included
Custom domain	Basic and up	Not included
Built-in video calls	Not included	Included
iOS and Android apps	Not included	Included
Discovery directory	Not included	Included
Company based in the EU	Included	Not included
Free plan	Included	Not included
Transaction fee	0% on paid plans, plus processor fees	Hobby: 10% + 30¢; Pro: 2.9% + 30¢ (3.9% + 30¢ above $900), all including processing

Prices checked November 13, 2026, in USD with monthly billing. Skool's transaction fees include card processing, while Forento's 0% commission excludes Stripe or PayPal fees, which are often close to Skool Pro's rate. Skool Pro charges 3.9% plus 30¢ on payments above $900, and Skool Hobby costs $9 per month with a 10% plus 30¢ transaction fee. When Skool's Growth Boost brings you a member, Skool also takes a commission of 30% or more on that member's payments, including renewals; Growth Boost is on by default. Forento Free charges a 20% sales commission. Features depend on the selected plan. Check current Skool pricing.

Honest verdict

Skool or Forento?

Skool is one of the simplest ways to run a paid community. Forento is the better fit when you sell more than community access.

Choose Skool if you

Want the community to be the whole product, with courses inside it
Want new members to find you through Skool's Discovery directory
Want native iOS and Android apps and built-in live calls
Prefer one transaction fee that already includes card processing

Choose Forento if you

Want your own website, blog, and domain instead of a page on skool.com
Sell courses, coaching sessions, downloads, and events from your own storefront, not from inside a Skool group
Want course exams, plus certificates on Scale
Want to start free, on a platform made and hosted in the EU

Why switch?

A community and a business that's yours

🌐

Your own address

Build a website and blog on Start, connect your own domain from Basic, and keep students on your brand.

🛒

Sell every product on its own

Give each course, coaching session, download, and event its own price and checkout, or bundle them in a membership.

🏆

Keep the gamification

Members earn levels and climb a leaderboard, and you can run polls and direct messages on Start and Scale.

Questions about switching from Skool

Is Forento cheaper than Skool?

For a community with courses, yes. Skool Pro costs $99 per month, while Forento Start, with the community, website, and blog, costs $49 per month or $39 billed annually. Skool Hobby costs $9 per month but takes 10% plus 30¢ of each sale. Prices were checked on November 13, 2026.

What does Skool have that Forento doesn't?

Skool has native iOS and Android apps, a Discovery directory that can bring you new members, built-in video calls, livestreams on Pro, and a transaction fee that includes card processing. Forento's community has levels and a leaderboard, but Forento doesn't list your academy in a public directory, and live events use your own video call link.

Can I sell courses on Forento without a community?

Yes. Every course, coaching session, download, event, and membership on Forento is its own product with its own checkout. The community is optional and comes with Start and Scale.

Can I use my own domain?

Yes. Forento Basic and above let you connect your own domain or buy one from the dashboard. Skool communities live at skool.com addresses.

Can I try Forento before I cancel Skool?

Yes. Paid plans include a 30-day free trial, so you can build and test your academy while your Skool community keeps running.

Ready to build a community on your own site?

Try a paid Forento plan free for 30 days, then decide whether Forento fits your community.

Start for free

Keep the community.Add your own website and storefront.