Are you looking to build an exceptional course or a strong community? But you’re clueless about selecting the best platform from Teachable and Circle. Let’s help you select the right platform further in the article.
Teachable is designed for course creation, while Circle focuses on community building. This article will guide you through Teachable and Circle core features, key differences, strengths and weaknesses, pricing plans, and a lot more.
Creators, educators, or entrepreneurs seeking to create a course, connect with audiences, or share knowledge can use these two platforms ideally. As Teachable and Circle are different platforms, you can consider your goals and choose the right fit by following this comparison.
Teachable Vs. Circle: 2024 Overview
The table below summarizes the differences between Teachable and Circle, helping you understand both platforms.
| Feature | Teachable | Circle |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Type | Online course platform | Community platform |
| Starting price | $59/ month | $99/ month |
| Free Trial | Offers a free plan | 14 Days |
| Best Suited For | Course oriented businesses | Community-driven businesses |
| Focus on | Course creation and online education | Community building and engagement |
| Course Creation | Course builder, quizzes, lectures | Limited course creation |
| Live Events | Integrates with Zoom, limited in-app options | Built-in live streaming and event scheduling |
| Integrations | Supports tools like Zapier, Mailchimp, etc. | Integrates with Slack, Zapier, Stripe, etc. |
| Monetization | Paid courses, subscriptions, bundles | Paid memberships, group access, events |
| Mobile Access | Mobile-friendly | Dedicated mobile app for members |
Disclaimer: As both platforms provide different features serving different users, this comparison will help you get a glance at their types, free trial availability, focus, core features, and purpose.
What Is Teachable?
Teachable is an online course platform primarily known for its course-building tools. This makes it popular among educators and content creators who want to share knowledge through structured courses.
It allows creators to build, market, and sell online courses. Teachable has served over 32 million students and sold over 30 million products, making it an ideal platform for beginners and businesses.
It helps educators design engaging courses with various content formats, quizzes, and assignments. The easy interface allows users to create structured courses with minimal technical setup.
What Is A Circle?
Different from Teachable, Circle focuses on community building and engagement. It’s a powerful tool for creating vibrant online communities where members can connect, share, and participate in discussions and live events.
More than creating a course, it primarily engages the interactive communities where members can connect, participate in discussions, and access exclusive content.
The Circle platform is ideal for influencers, coaches, and creators with membership-based businesses who rely on community engagement.
Key Differences: Teachable Vs. Circle
Here, we’ll explore each feature of Teachable Vs. Circle that will give detailed information about these platforms from basic to advanced levels.
1. Course Creation Features
Teachable Course Creation Feature
As you know, Teachable is primarily designed to create engaging online courses and provides a way to earn revenue through them.
Teachable allows you to create lectures, upload videos, and organize content in an easy-to-follow format. You can also add quizzes and assignments to enhance the learning experience.
Circle Course Creation Feature
Circle does not offer the in-depth course creation tools that Teachable does. However, it does allow sources for some course content but not advanced.
These Circle course tools are limited and more suited for creators who want to add educational content within a community-focused environment. Circle is not designed to build courses but to help build a strong community.
2. Community Building and Engagement
Teachable Community Building and Engagement
Teachable offers basic community-building options compared to Circle. This includes comments and discussions within courses, allowing students to interact on specific lessons.
As it is not designed to build a community, the platform has limited tools. Basically, the community feature offers a dedicated space for users to discuss, share, and exchange experiences.
Circle Community Building and Engagement
Circle excels at community engagement. It offers robust community tools such as dedicated spaces for different topics, live events, group discussions, and real-time chats.
Circle members can interact with each other, attend live events, and participate in group activities. It is ideal for creators who rely on a strong community to enhance the value of their offerings.
3. Monetization Options
Teachable Monetization
Teachable provides several monetization options, including one-time course payments, subscriptions, and course bundles.
Teachable supports major credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal. This makes it flexible for creators who want tiered pricing or to upsell additional content. This feature allows creators to offer multiple payment options for students worldwide.
Circle Monetization
Circle allows for community-driven monetization through paid memberships and access to exclusive content or groups.
Circle integrates with payment platforms like Stripe, enabling creators to accept credit card payments securely. This setup is ideal for building subscription-based revenue models.
4. Customization And Branding
Teachable Customization and Branding
Teachable offers creators ample customization options to match their brand’s identity. Users can add logos, customize colors, and adjust the layout to create a polished, branded course experience.
This branding flexibility allows course creators to provide a professional look and feel, enhancing their student’s overall experience and engagement.
Circle Customization and Branding
Circle allows creators to brand their communities fully. This offers customization options like personalized logos, color schemes, and custom layouts.
This flexibility helps creators design a unique, professional community space that aligns with their brand’s identity. With Circle, community managers can deliver a consistent look and feel that exclusively enhances the company identity.
5. Pricing Structure
Teachable Pricing Plans
Teachable offers several plans based on the tools needed for course creation. They offer Basic, Pro, and Pro+ subscription plans monthly and annually.
Apart from that, Teachable also provides a free plan for beginners and those who want to save on the cost of a paid subscription. However, the free plan includes limited features compared to the features offered in the free trial.
The plans include various features such as quizzes, assignments, and integrations. Higher-tier plans offer more advanced options, such as priority support and custom domains.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of their pricing structure:
| Teachable Plan | Monthly Billing | Annual Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $59 | $39/ month |
| Pro | $159 | $119/ month |
| Pro+ | $249 | $199/ month |
Let’s explore each plan in detail:
1. Basic Plan: The Basic plan provides essential features for beginners to start their online business. It includes 5 published products per type, community access, integrated email marketing, custom domains, and a 5% transaction fee. This plan is ideal for entrepreneurs testing the waters of online course creation.
2. Pro Plan: The Pro plan offers advanced features for growing businesses. It excludes transaction fees and includes 50 published products, unlimited membership tiers, affiliate marketing, live chat support, and public API access. The plan also provides 5 admin seats and tools to increase order value.
3. Pro+ Plan: The Pro+ plan is designed for established businesses needing extensive capabilities. It includes all Pro features plus 200 courses, coaching products, digital downloads, and product bundles. It also offers custom user roles and advanced features for scaling businesses.
Additionally, if you opt for the Pro+ plan, check whether the Teachable Pro+ plan is worth buying and whether it is required for your needs.
Circle Pricing Plans
Circle has tiered plans based on the community-building tools provided. The pricing plans are structured into Professional, Business, and Enterprise.
Its pricing focuses on community features, live events, and spaces. Each plan comes with a 14-day free trial and monthly or annual billing option.
| Circle Plan | Monthly Billing | Annual Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Professional | $99 | $89/ month |
| Business | $219 | $199/ month |
| Enterprise | $399 | $360/ month |
Let’s explore each plan in detail:
1. Professional Plan: Circle’s most popular option is the Professional Plan, perfect for those starting their community. It includes essential features like rich member profiles and a searchable member directory. It is an affordable entry point for creators building their first community.
2. Business Plan: The Business plan expands on Professional features by adding advanced workflows and customization options. It’s designed for growing communities that need more control over their operations. This plan provides the tools required to scale your community effectively.
3. Enterprise Plan: The Enterprise plan offers the highest level of features and support. It includes unlimited workflows, dedicated service, and priority support. It is ideal for established brands and large communities requiring standard functionality and personalized assistance.
6. Integrations And Tools
Teachable Integration and Tools
Teachable connects with essential tools like Mailchimp for email marketing, Zapier for automation, and Google Analytics for tracking user engagement.
These integrations help course creators expand their reach, automate workflows, and gather insights into course performance.
Teachable also offers integrations with payment processors like PayPal and Stripe to support seamless transactions. Explore these 20 Teachable Apps that you can integrate with your school’s space for seamless automation.
Circle Integration And Tools
Circle integrates with platforms like Slack for community communication, Zapier for automating tasks, and Stripe for handling payments.
These integrations enable creators to streamline member engagement, manage payments for memberships or events, and connect with additional apps.
Circle’s integrations make it versatile for creators who prioritize community management and monetization.
Pros And Cons Of Teachable And Circle
Here’s a quick overview of the Pros and Cons of the Teachable and Circle platforms to help you decide the best fit for your needs.
Strengths And Limitations Of Teachable
Pros of Teachable
- Advanced Course Creation Tools: It offers a structured course builder with options for quizzes, assignments, and multimedia.
- Flexible Monetization Options: Supports multiple payment modes, such as one-time payments, subscriptions, and course bundles.
- User-Friendly Interface: It allows beginners to create and launch courses with minimal setup and technical knowledge.
Cons of Teachable
- Limited Community Features: Community-building tools are basic. Only limited to comments and discussions within courses.
- Limited Live Event Support: Teachable relies on third-party integrations like Zoom for live events and has few built-in live interaction options.
Strengths And Limitations Of Circle
Pros Of Circle
- Extensive Community Tools: This tool provides extensive tools for community building, including spaces for discussions, live events, and group activities.
- Built-in Monetization for Memberships: This feature supports paid memberships and exclusive access options.
- Flexible Customization Options: it offers a high level of customization for branding community spaces and enhancing the member experience.
Cons Of Circle
- Limited Course Creation Tools: Circle lacks tools and features for creating structured and standard online courses.
- Cost of High-tier plans: High-tier plans might be expensive for some users, especially because community features and engagement tools are scaled up.
Teachable Vs. Circle: Which One Is Better For You??
Selecting the best platform among Teachable and Circle depends on your goals, preferences, needs, and budget.
Teachable is ideal, if you need a platform focused on:
- Creating
- Marketing
- Selling courses
It offers excellent tools for course creation and built-in marketing and sales features, making it great for educators focused on monetizing their content.
On the other hand, Circle is best for – creators prioritizing community-building. With its emphasis on interaction and engagement, Circle enables you to create a connected space for your students, perfect for those who already have course content and want to add a community element.
So, from Teachable and Circle, choose the platform that best aligns with your requirements and purpose.
Additional Note: If you are seeking a platform similar to Teachable, check the comparison between Teachable and LearnWorlds, which serve in one domain to deliver engaging features to audiences.
Conclusion: Teachable Is Best For Course Creators, While Circle Is Ideal For Community Builders
“Teachable” and “Circle” serve different purposes, so your choice depends on your main goal. Teachable is the best choice for course creators, and Circle offers the best to community-focused businesses.
With the free Teachable plan, beginners can test the platform; on the other hand, Circle offers a 14-day free trial, letting you explore its community-building capabilities. Both platforms provide true to their value and features catering to different needs.
Ultimately, consider what matters most to your business and educational purpose and choose the platform that best fits your priorities.
FAQs
Circle is designed specifically for community engagement and interaction, making it the better choice for those who want to build a community.
Circle offers integrations with tools like Slack, Zapier, and Stripe. This allows you to enhance your community experience with integrated tools.
Teachable is user-friendly and accessible for beginners. It offers tools to help create and sell courses easily. Not only beginners but professionals can also create courses on Teachable for commercial purposes.
Teachable has limited support for live events, primarily through integrations with platforms like Zoom. This platform does not support extensive live events or courses.
