Comparing Skool, Circle, and Mighty Networks from a community manager's perspective: daily workload, management tools, and what you'll actually need to run your community efficiently.
You're choosing a community platform and everyone's talking about features. But here's what actually matters: How much time will you spend managing it every day?
This guide compares Skool, Circle, and Mighty Networks from a community manager's perspective - the daily workload, management tools, and operational reality of running each platform.
All three platforms can host your community. But here's what you'll actually be doing every day:
The bottom line: Choose your platform based on your community needs (courses, events, brand), but know that you'll need content management tools regardless of which you pick. Once you've chosen, learn how to increase your community engagement effectively.
Management workload: Moderate. Simple interface = less to manage, but zero automation means manual daily work.
Management workload: Moderate-High. More features = more to manage. List-view scheduling helps but isn't strategic.
Management workload: High. Most features = most complexity. Primitive scheduling. Requires dedicated community manager.
Single community: 45-60 min/day (posting, moderation, engagement)
Multiple communities: 45-60 min × N communities
Want simplicity and are okay with daily manual work OR plan to add scheduling tools immediately.
Single community: 60-90 min/day (more features = more management)
Multiple communities: 60-90 min × N communities
Need organizational flexibility and can handle moderate complexity. Will still need content management tools for strategic planning.
Single network: 90-120 min/day (events, courses, community all need attention)
Multiple networks: 90-120 min × N networks
Have dedicated community management time/team and need all-in-one functionality. Definitely requires content management tools.
| Management Feature | Skool | Circle | Mighty Networks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup Complexity | ✅ Easy (30 min) | ⚠️ Medium (1-2 hrs) | ❌ Complex (2-4 hrs) |
| Daily Management Time | 45-60 min | 60-90 min | 90-120 min |
| Post Scheduling | ❌ None | ⚠️ List view only | ⚠️ List view only |
| Content Calendar | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Recurring Posts | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Campaign Scheduling | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Content Repurposing | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| AI Content Ideas | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| AI Moderation | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Multi-Community Dashboard | ❌ No | ❌ No | ⚠️ Limited |
| Member Management | ⚠️ Basic | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Good |
| Analytics | ⚠️ Basic | ⚠️ Basic | ⚠️ Basic |
| Starting Price | $9-99/mo | $49-399/mo | $49-319/mo |
| Verdict: All three require external content management tools for efficient community management | |||
Circle and Mighty Networks have basic scheduling (you can set a post to publish at a specific time). But they're missing actual content management:
Think of it this way: They have scheduling, but not content management. It's like having a notepad vs. having Buffer or Hootsuite.
Most successful community managers layer StickyHive on top of their community platform to add real content management:
Think Buffer for communities: You get the platform you want + the content management system you need.
Here's how to choose:
Whichever platform you choose, add a community management tool like StickyHive to handle:
You can switch platforms later if needed (though it's manual work). Start with the platform that fits your immediate needs and budget. Focus on building engagement first.
Platform: Skool
Why: Simple, gamified, students love the leaderboard. Easy to upload course videos.
Needs StickyHive for: Scheduling daily discussion prompts and moderating spam posts automatically.
Platform: Circle
Why: Professional look, can create spaces for different customer segments, good integrations.
Needs StickyHive for: Scheduling product updates, AI-moderating support questions, managing multiple Circle spaces.
Platform: Mighty Networks
Why: Branded mobile app, members want to access workouts on their phone, event calendar for challenges.
Needs StickyHive for: Scheduling workout posts, managing multiple networks (different programs), automated moderation.
It depends on your needs. Skool is best for course creators wanting gamification, Circle for flexible professional communities, and Mighty Networks for branded mobile apps and events. All three lack native post scheduling and advanced moderation, which most community managers add through tools like StickyHive.
Yes, but migration is manual. You'll need to export members and content, then import to the new platform. There's no automated migration tool. It's doable but takes time, so choose thoughtfully.
Yes. Skool has zero scheduling. Circle and Mighty Networks have basic scheduling (post at X time) but no content calendar, recurring posts, campaigns, or repurposing tools. Most professional community managers use tools like StickyHive to add Buffer-style content management on top of their platform.
Skool has the simplest interface and fastest setup (30 minutes). Circle is medium complexity (1-2 hours setup). Mighty Networks has the most features but steepest learning curve (2-4 hours setup).
Mighty Networks allows multiple networks under one brand. Skool and Circle require separate accounts for each community. To manage multiple communities efficiently (regardless of platform), use a unified dashboard like StickyHive.
Some community managers run different communities on different platforms (e.g., one Skool, one Circle). StickyHive works with all three platforms, so you can manage everything from one dashboard regardless of where your communities live.
Choose your platform based on:
Then layer on management tools to handle:
The platform matters less than how you manage it. Pick the platform that fits your community type, then focus on driving engagement.
Works with Skool, Circle, & Mighty Networks • 14-day free trial