Skool Review 2024: Is it the Best online community platform?

Tired of Facebook groups that bury your important posts and need more engagement? You’re not alone.

Many creators and entrepreneurs are turning to dedicated community platforms like Skool.

But is it worth the hype?

In this Skool review, we’ll dive deep into its features, pricing, and limitations to help you decide if it’s the right online community platform for you in 2024.

Let’s get started!

What is Skool?

Skool is a platform where you can build an online community and host online courses.

Imagine a dedicated space, free from the distractions of social media, where your members can easily access your content, connect, and participate in discussions.

It’s designed to streamline your online courses and build deeper relationships with your audience.

Instead of relying on messy Facebook groups or other social media platforms, Skool provides a centralized hub for all your community activities.

This means you can share announcements, host live events, and offer challenges all in one place.

Skool also provides tools to increase engagement within your Skool community, such as gamification with points and badges.

Which can motivate community members to participate and contribute.

Who Created Skool?

Sam Ovens created Skool in 2019.

He was already a successful entrepreneur who helped people build online communities.

He knew how important community building was for businesses. But he also knew that existing platforms could have been better.

They could have been more neat and easier to use. Sam wanted something better, so he built Skool.

His vision was to make it easy for anyone to create their own community and connect with their audience.

He wanted to make online communities more organized and engaging.

Top Benefits of Skool

Skool stands out in the online course platform market by combining courses with a thriving community.

Here’s why it might be a good fit for you:

• Ultimate community building platform: Skool is more than just a platform for courses; it is designed for community building. It gives your audience a dedicated space to connect, free from social media distractions.
• Community engagement: Boost community engagement with gamification (points and badges!), challenges, and interactive group discussions. This encourages members to participate actively.
• Create courses: Easily create courses with videos, text, and resources—host unlimited courses to provide diverse learning paths for your audience.
• Community feature: The community feature is central to Skool. Seamlessly blend your courses with community interaction for a dynamic learning environment.
• Skool mobile app: The Skool mobile app lets you manage your community from anywhere.

Best Features of Skool

Skool offers a range of features designed to help you build and manage a thriving online community.

But what truly sets it apart is the seamless integration of community elements with online courses.

Let’s explore some of the standout features that make Skool unique:

1. Community

This is the heart of Skool. It’s where your members can connect with you. Think of it like a social media platform without distractions and algorithm limitations.

Here’s what makes it special:

• Organized discussions: Say goodbye to messy Facebook group threads! Skool keeps conversations organized with topics and easy-to-follow replies.
• Direct messaging: Members can easily connect through private messages, fostering collaboration and support.
• Rich content sharing: Share various types of content, including text, images, videos, and files, to keep your community engaged and informed.

2. Classroom

Skool makes it incredibly easy to create and deliver online courses. Here’s what you can do:

• Structure your content: Organize your courses into modules and lessons with videos, text, and downloadable resources.
• Deliver a clear learning path: Guide your students through your courses with a structured curriculum and progress tracking.
• Offer various content formats: Engage students with diverse content, including videos, quizzes, and downloadable worksheets.

3. Calendar

Keep your community informed and engaged with the built-in calendar feature.

• Schedule events: Plan and announce live sessions, workshops, or challenges directly within Skool.
• Send reminders: Automated reminders ensure members don’t miss important events or deadlines.
• Boost participation: A clear calendar helps members stay organized and encourages them to participate in community activities.

4. Leaderboard

Tap into the power of gamification to motivate your members.

• Encourage engagement: Award points for activities like completing courses, participating in discussions, and attending events.
• Spark-friendly competition: The leaderboard displays top members, fostering a sense of achievement and encouraging participation.
• Recognize and reward: Identify and acknowledge your most active members, creating a sense of belonging and appreciation.

5. Challenges

Skool helps you create engaging challenges to motivate your community and drive specific actions.

• Boost participation: Design challenges around specific goals, like completing a course module, attending a live event, or contributing to discussions.
• Increase engagement: Encourage friendly competition and collaboration among members as they work towards a common goal.
• Drive results: Use challenges to encourage desired behaviors, such as increased course completion rates or active participation in the community.

Pricing

Skool keeps its pricing simple with a single plan that includes all features. Here’s a breakdown:

Plan	Price (monthly)
Skool	$99

Pros and Cons

Every platform has its strengths and weaknesses. To help you make an informed decision, let’s take a balanced look at the pros and cons of Skool.

Alternatives of Skool

While Skool offers a compelling combination of community and courses, there are other options available.

Here are some popular alternatives worth considering:

• Circle So: A popular platform specifically designed for creating online communities. It offers similar features to Skool, with a strong emphasis on discussions and member engagement. However, it may be less robust for hosting online courses.
• Mighty Networks: This platform combines community features with the ability to host online courses and memberships. It offers more customization options than Skool but can be more expensive.
• Kajabi: A comprehensive platform that includes features for creating and selling online courses, memberships, and marketing automation. While it has community features, they are not as central to the platform as in Skool.
• Thinkific: Primarily known for its course creation capabilities, Thinkific also offers basic community features. It’s a good option if your primary focus is on delivering online courses with a smaller community aspect.
• Podia: Another platform focused on selling digital products and online courses. It offers a simple & affordable solution with basic community features.

Ultimately, the best choice totally depends on your specific needs and priorities.

Consider factors like your budget, the importance of community features, and the level of customization you require when making your decision.

Personal Experience with Skool

My team and I needed help to keep our online community engaged.

We relied on a Facebook group, but it was becoming increasingly more work to manage, and members felt lost in the noise.

We decided to give Skool a try, and it completely transformed our community experience.

Here’s how we used Skool to achieve our desired results:

• Centralized Hub: We migrated all our community activity from Facebook to Skool, creating a dedicated space for members to connect and learn.
• Organized Courses: We used the Classroom feature to structure our online courses, making it easier for members to navigate and consume our content.
• Engaging Challenges: We leveraged the Challenges feature to encourage participation and drive specific actions within the community.
• Increased Interaction: The Leaderboard and gamification features motivated members to be more active and contribute to discussions.
• Improved Communication: The direct messaging and organized discussion threads made it easier to connect with individual members and foster a sense of belonging.

Benefits we experienced:

• Increased engagement: Members became more active and participated more frequently in discussions and challenges.
• Improved course completion rates: The structured learning environment and gamification helped motivate members to finish our courses.
• Stronger community bonds: Skool facilitated deeper connections and fostered a sense of belonging among our members.
• Reduced administrative overhead: Managing our community became much easier with Skool’s streamlined tools and organized interface.

Overall, Skool has been instrumental in helping us build a thriving and engaged online community.

It’s a powerful platform that combines the best of online courses and community building.

Final Thoughts

Skool offers a powerful blend of community and online courses, making it a compelling choice for creators and entrepreneurs looking to build engaged audiences.

Its streamlined features, focus on community interaction, & affordable pricing make it a strong contender in the online platform market.

However, consider the limitations, like basic customization and lack of built-in webinars, before making your decision.

If you’re looking for a dedicated space to foster a thriving community and deliver online courses, Skool is definitely worth exploring.

Start your free 14-day trial and see if it’s the right fit for you.

You might be surprised at how quickly you can build a connected and engaged community around your passion.

Frequently Asked Questions