Compare Skool and Forem on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Community Platforms tools, Flat monthly or yearly subscription plus a transaction…
At a Glance
Skool
Forem
Primary category
Community Platforms
Community Platforms
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Flat monthly or yearly subscription plus a transaction fee on paid community payments
Open Source / Free
Starting price
$9/month (Hobby plan)
Free (self-hosted)
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Free trial
Yes
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Not documented
Yes
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Skool
Hobby — $9/month monthly or yearly (2 months free yearly)
Pro — $99/month monthly or yearly (2 months free yearly)
Forem
Self-Hosted (Open Source) — Free N/A
Pros & Cons
Skool
Pros
Single product covers community, courses, and events instead of stitching together three tools
Flat, predictable subscription pricing rather than per-member fees
Fast setup with a simple interface that is easy for non-technical creators and members alike
Built-in affiliate program helps creators grow paid membership without extra software
Cons
Limited custom branding and design control compared to white-label community platforms
No native email marketing or automation, so creators often still need a separate email tool
Transaction fees on paid communities (2.9 percent to 10 percent) add up at scale on the wrong plan
Fewer granular permission and moderation controls than larger enterprise community platforms
No built-in native livestreaming; live calls rely on external tools like Zoom links
Forem
Pros
Proven at real production scale, powering DEV Community with 800,000+ registered users
Completely free and open source with no licensing cost for self-hosting
Rich, blogging-forward feature set (Markdown, Liquid embeds, reactions, badges) beyond typical forum software
Built-in AI moderation and content tooling reduces manual moderation workload
Supports multiple distinct branded communities from a single deployment via subforums
Cons
No current first-party managed hosting tier; self-hosting requires real cloud infrastructure and Rails operations skills
No SLA, managed upgrade path, or enterprise support contract available directly from the Forem team
Smaller ecosystem of official integrations and support compared to commercial community platforms like Discourse or Circle
Historical Forem Cloud enterprise hosting option does not appear to be actively offered today, leaving a gap for non-technical organizations
Use Cases
Skool
Paid coaching and mastermind communities — Coaches bundle a private community, course content, and live group calls into one paid membership hosted on Skool.
Course creator communities — Creators sell a course alongside an ongoing discussion space so students stay engaged and accountable after purchase.
Free brand or fan communities — Businesses run a free community to build an engaged audience around a brand, product, or content niche using the gamified feed.
Forem
Developer and technical communities — Organizations build DEV-style communities where members publish technical articles, comment, and build reputation through badges and reactions.
Branded customer or fan communities — Companies self-host Forem to run a fully branded, white-label community platform on their own infrastructure rather than a closed, hosted alternative.
Multi-community media platforms — Organizations running several related but distinct communities use Forem's multi-subforum support to manage them from a single deployment with separate branding and moderation per community.