GoHighLevel Communities vs Skool: 2026 Comparison
For years, the default advice for anyone building a paid community was simple: go to Skool. HighLevel had a Communities feature, but it was the part people tolerated rather than chose. That changed in November 2026. In one release wave, HighLevel gave Communities paid channels, multiple pricing plans and a proper analytics dashboard, which are the three things that turn a chat space into a real membership business. So the question agencies and course creators keep asking is finally worth a serious answer: GoHighLevel Communities versus Skool, which one should you actually run in 2026? Below is an honest, feature-by-feature comparison, with the new capabilities drawn from HighLevel's official release notes.
What is GoHighLevel Communities?
GoHighLevel Communities is HighLevel's built-in platform for running a members area: discussion channels, courses, events and now paid access, all inside the same account that holds your CRM, funnels, email and calendars. It is not a separate product you buy. If you already pay for HighLevel, Communities is included, which is the single biggest difference from a standalone tool like Skool. Members get a feed, channels, notifications and a mobile app, and admins manage everything from the same dashboard they use for the rest of their marketing.
What changed in November 2026?
Three releases landed together on November 2, 2026, and together they are what make this comparison fair. Here is what each one does.
Paid channels
Individual channels can now be sold, not just hidden. An admin sets a channel to visible or hidden, and chooses free, recurring (monthly or annual) or one-time pricing, in multiple currencies. A visible paid channel shows in the sidebar with a lock icon, so non-members can see it exists and read its description, then join and pay without a manual add. There is a test mode to check the payment flow before going live. In practice this lets you run a free main community with premium channels inside it, which is a proven way to upsell without launching a second product.
Multiple pricing plans
You can now offer several membership tiers in one community, for example Basic, Pro and VIP, each with its own price, benefits and billing cycle (weekly, monthly, yearly or one-time). Each plan can bundle private channels, paid events and courses, you can mark one as Most Popular, reorder them, and members can compare plans and switch at any time. Free-tier configuration alongside paid plans is listed as coming soon, so for now the tiering is built around paid plans. This is the structure that lets a community grow revenue per member instead of relying on one flat price.
Community analytics dashboard
Communities finally has real numbers. A new analytics section shows total earnings (revenue minus refunds and chargebacks), total and new members, inactive members you can export to CSV, and pending invites, each compared against the previous period. It also breaks down traffic sources such as Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, a peak activity heatmap by day and hour, and an engagement chart covering posts, comments, reactions, poll votes and event RSVPs. For anyone who has run a community blind, this is the difference between guessing and managing.
GoHighLevel Communities vs Skool: the comparison
Here is the side-by-side on the points that actually decide which platform fits. Skool figures reflect its published pricing at the time of writing, so confirm current rates before you commit.
| GoHighLevel Communities | Skool | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform cost | Included in your HighLevel plan | $9 (Hobby) or $99 (Pro) per month |
| Platform cut of revenue | None from HighLevel, your own Stripe fees apply | 10% on Hobby, 2.9% + $0.30 on Pro |
| Pricing tiers | Multiple plans (Basic, Pro, VIP) in one community | One membership price per community |
| Paid and hidden channels | Yes, per channel, recurring or one-time | Whole-community access, no per-channel paywall |
| Analytics | Revenue, members, traffic, peak hours, engagement | Lighter, core community metrics |
| CRM, funnels, email, calendars | Built in, same platform | Not included, needs other tools |
| Agency rebilling | Yes, resell it to clients | No, it is the creator's own tool |
| Best for | Agencies and businesses already in HighLevel | Creators who want the simplest standalone community |
How much do GoHighLevel Communities and Skool cost?
This is where the math gets interesting. Skool charges a monthly platform fee plus a cut of every payment: at the time of writing that is a Hobby plan around $9 a month with roughly a 10% transaction fee, or a Pro plan around $99 a month with a 2.9% plus $0.30 fee. On real revenue, that percentage is the part that adds up. GoHighLevel Communities is included in the HighLevel subscription you likely already pay for, and HighLevel does not take a Skool-style percentage of your community revenue. Payments run through your own connected Stripe account, so you pay standard processing fees and nothing to the platform on top. If you are not already on HighLevel, see the full 2026 pricing breakdown to weigh the whole platform, not just the community piece.
Which one should you choose?
Be honest about what you are. Skool is excellent at one thing: a clean, simple, standalone community with very little setup, a culture creators already know, and a discovery marketplace attached. If a community is your entire business and you want the least friction, Skool is a strong, proven choice.
GoHighLevel Communities wins when the community is one part of a bigger operation. If you also run funnels, email, booking, a CRM or client work, keeping the community in the same platform removes a separate subscription, a separate login and the fragile glue between your member list and your marketing. You can tag a member the moment they join a paid channel, trigger an onboarding sequence, and see it all in one place. Pair it with AI Employee to answer member questions and drive engagement automatically, and the gap widens further. For agencies the decision is almost made for you: you can rebill Communities to clients as part of a managed account, which Skool does not allow.
Why this matters for agencies and HighLevel experts
Communities quietly became a new line of revenue you can sell. Coaches, course creators and membership businesses were already buying Skool with their own money and running it outside your reach. Now you can offer the same thing inside the account you already manage, wrapped with the CRM, funnels and automations that make a community actually retain. That means a higher-value retainer, a stickier client who cannot easily leave, and a cleaner pitch: one platform instead of five. It also pairs naturally with the rest of the LevelUp 2026 release wave HighLevel shipped this autumn.
The catch is that a community that converts is a build, not a toggle. Tiers, paid channels, onboarding automations, payment setup and the engagement loops that stop churn all have to be configured around how the business actually runs. That is what our team does. GHLStarboys is an official HighLevel 2026 Marketplace Award winner, with 350+ experts serving 1,200+ agencies, and we build HighLevel systems, Communities included, that work from day one. You can start with HighLevel here and book a free growth call to have us set up your community, tiers and automations. If you are building this into a service you sell, our guide to building a GoHighLevel agency team is a useful next read, and if you are still deciding on the platform itself, see whether GoHighLevel is worth it.
Disclosure: the HighLevel link above is an affiliate link. GHLStarboys may earn a commission if you sign up through it, at no extra cost to you. Skool is an independent product and is not affiliated with GHLStarboys or HighLevel. Pricing and features for both platforms can change, so confirm current details on each provider's site.
Frequently asked questions
Is GoHighLevel Communities better than Skool?
It depends on your setup. GoHighLevel Communities is better if you already use HighLevel or run other marketing, because it is included in your plan, takes no platform cut of revenue, and connects to your CRM and automations. Skool is better if you want the simplest possible standalone community with minimal setup and a built-in discovery marketplace.
Does GoHighLevel Communities charge a transaction fee?
HighLevel does not take a Skool-style percentage of your community revenue. Payments run through your own connected Stripe account, so you pay standard Stripe processing fees and nothing extra to the platform on community sales.
Can you charge for access in GoHighLevel Communities?
Yes. As of November 2026 you can set individual channels to paid with recurring or one-time pricing, and offer multiple membership tiers such as Basic, Pro and VIP in one community, each with its own price and benefits. A test mode lets you check the payment flow before going live.
How much does Skool cost in 2026?
At the time of writing, Skool offers a Hobby plan around $9 a month with roughly a 10% transaction fee, and a Pro plan around $99 a month with a 2.9% plus $0.30 fee. There is no free plan, but a trial is available. Confirm current rates on Skool's site, as pricing can change.
Is GoHighLevel Communities included in my plan?
Yes. Communities is a built-in HighLevel feature, not a separate paid add-on, so it is included in the HighLevel subscription you already pay for. That is the main cost advantage over running a standalone platform alongside your CRM.
Can agencies resell GoHighLevel Communities to clients?
Yes. Because Communities lives inside HighLevel, agencies can offer it as part of a managed account and rebill it to clients, rather than sending them to a separate tool. Skool is the creator's own subscription and cannot be rebilled this way.
The bottom line
Skool is still the cleanest standalone community on the market, and for a creator who wants nothing but a community, it is a fine choice. But the November 2026 updates close the gap that used to make this a one-sided contest. If your community sits next to funnels, email, a CRM or client work, GoHighLevel Communities now gives you paid channels, real pricing tiers and proper analytics without a second subscription or a platform cut, inside a system you already run. For agencies, it is a new product to sell. When you are ready to build a community that converts and retains, our award-winning team can set it up for you. Book a growth call and we will map it to your offer.
