ChatGPT answers, unedited

For your model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + waitlists + optional/high-ticket 1:1 coaching—I’d narrow it to Circle, Kajabi, Mighty Networks, and Bonzai rather than generic course platforms.

My shortlist

What I'd choose for your specific model

If the mastermind experience itself is the product → Circle.

Circle is particularly compelling when members are paying for access to you + peers + ongoing discussion + live sessions, rather than simply consuming course material. Its Spaces, events, live rooms, DMs and community structure are well suited to a private mastermind. Pick the Platform Jean-Marie Cordaro

A clean setup would be:

• Public waitlist
• → application / qualification
• → payment
• → private cohort Space
• → live mastermind sessions
• → optional 1:1 upgrade
• → alumni/private ongoing community

If your biggest priority is filling cohorts and selling the 1:1 upgrade → Kajabi.

Kajabi is stronger as a marketing/sales machine: landing pages, email sequences, offers, funnels and automation are central to the platform. That's useful if your funnel looks like:

Lead → waitlist → launch emails → cohort purchase → 1:1 upsell → next cohort

Its tradeoff is that community/group coaching isn't as central to the product as it is with Circle or Mighty Networks. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

If the mastermind is highly structured and cohort-based → Mighty Networks.

Mighty has particularly strong native support for cohort courses, community, events, livestreaming and memberships, making it attractive if each cohort has a defined start/end date but you also want an ongoing member ecosystem afterward. Mighty Networks CourseStack Review

If you're fundamentally a coaching business rather than a community business → Bonzai.

Bonzai is worth considering if your product ladder is something like:

Mastermind → Group coaching → VIP 1:1 → Consulting

It is specifically oriented toward combining coaching offers, programs, courses, communities, payments and follow-up rather than treating coaching as an add-on to an LMS. Jean-Marie Cordaro

The key distinction

I'd decide based on where the value lives:

• Your expertise + marketing/sales funnel: Kajabi
• Peer interaction + intimate mastermind community: Circle
• Structured cohorts + community + events: Mighty Networks
• Multiple coaching offers + 1:1 operations: Bonzai

For a premium mastermind with genuinely limited seats, I'd personally investigate Circle first, then Kajabi if your sales/marketing automation is the bigger pain point.

One important caveat: "waitlist" can mean two different things—a simple email list for the next cohort, or a true capacity-controlled queue that automatically promotes people when a seat opens. Those require different workflows, so I'd evaluate the actual signup → payment → capacity → waitlist → upgrade journey rather than just whether a platform has a feature literally called “waitlist.”

If you tell me your cohort price, number of seats (e.g. 8/12/20), whether applications are required, and what you charge for the 1:1 add-on, I can map the exact funnel/workflow I'd use on Circle vs Kajabi vs Mighty.

If you're fundamentally a coaching business rather than a community business → Bonzai.

Bonzai is worth considering if your product ladder is something like:

Mastermind → Group coaching → VIP 1:1 → Consulting

It is specifically oriented toward combining coaching offers, programs, courses, communities, payments and follow-up rather than treating coaching as an add-on to an LMS.

The key distinction

For a mastermind + private coaching business, I’d optimize less for “course hosting” and more for:

• limited seats + application/waitlist flow
• premium checkout/payment plans
• cohort start dates
• private member spaces
• community/accountability
• easy upsell into 1:1
• keeping client relationships owned by you

My shortlist:

1. Kajabi — best all-in-one for a premium coaching business

Best if: your cohort is one part of a larger coaching ecosystem (lead magnet → waitlist → cohort → 1:1 → alumni).

Why it fits:

• landing pages + email sequences + checkout
• applications/funnels
• coaching offers and packages
• upsells and payment plans
• community/course delivery
• built-in scheduling options for coaching workflows Kajabi

A typical setup:

Free workshop / newsletter
→ waitlist page
→ application
→ 6–12 week mastermind cohort
→ VIP 1:1 upgrade
→ alumni membership

Tradeoff: it is more expensive and broader than you may need if you only run cohorts. Community is not its strongest differentiator compared with community-first tools. Circle

2. Circle — best for mastermind-style communities

Best if: the value is mostly the room: peer connection, accountability, conversations, networking.

Why it fits:

• private spaces for each cohort
• discussions and member profiles
• events/live sessions
• structured cohort spaces
• ongoing alumni community

A strong model:

• “Founders Circle Cohort Spring 2027” space
• private discussion channels
• weekly calls
• resource library
• alumni area
• invitation-only 1:1 upgrades

Circle is often a better emotional fit for masterminds because the community itself becomes part of the product. Circle Kajabi

Tradeoff: you’ll likely need another tool for more sophisticated sales funnels/email automation.

3. Maven — best if you want cohort-native enrollment

Best if: you sell a defined transformation (e.g., “Scale your consulting business to $50k/mo”) and want cohort mechanics built in.

Strengths:

• cohort-first experience
• scheduled programs
• waitlists
• live cohort workflows
• marketplace/discovery potential LearnStream

Tradeoff:

• less ideal as the long-term “home” for a high-touch mastermind ecosystem
• you may outgrow it once you add multiple offers, alumni, and private coaching tiers

My recommendation by business model

For your exact model, I’d probably build:

Front end: Kajabi

• waitlist landing page
• application funnel
• email nurture
• checkout

Delivery: Circle

• cohort room
• mastermind conversations
• accountability
• alumni network

Private coaching: Kajabi offers or a scheduling/payment tool connected to your CRM

That gives you the “exclusive room” feeling while keeping your sales engine under your control.

A few questions would change the recommendation:

1. What is your typical cohort price ($500, $5k, $25k+)?
2. How many people per cohort (5, 10, 50+)?
3. Do you already have an email list/audience, or do you need the platform to help with discovery?

That gives you the “exclusive room” feeling while keeping your sales engine under your control.

A few questions would change the recommendation:

1. What is your typical cohort price ($500, $5k, $25k+)?
2. How many people per cohort (5, 10, 50+)?
3. Do you already have an email list/audience, or do you need the platform to help with discovery?

For a mastermind + private coaching business with limited seats, waitlists, and 1:1 upgrades, I’d optimize for application flow, scarcity, relationship management, and upsells rather than a generic course platform.

My shortlist:

My recommendation by business model

If you sell a $3k–$25k mastermind with a few seats

I’d lean:

Kajabi + Circle

• Kajabi:

• lead magnet → waitlist → application → nurture emails
• payment plans
• upsells
• private coaching offer
• Circle:

• mastermind community
• member discussions
• resources
• alumni continuity

This gives you a “premium advisory firm” feel rather than a “course creator” feel.

If your offer is mostly live cohort transformation

Example:

• 8 weeks
• 15–30 people
• weekly calls
• curriculum + accountability

I’d look hardest at Maven. It was designed around cohort launches and has built-in workflows around cohort enrollment. Maven Help Center Maven Help Center

If your biggest asset is your network/community

Choose Circle.

A mastermind is often sold because of:

• who else is in the room
• accountability
• access
• conversations
• introductions

Circle is strong when the community itself is the product. Kajabi

The funnel I’d build for your model

1. Waitlist page

• “Next cohort opens in March”
• collect:

• name
• email
• business stage
• goals
• application questions

↓

2. Application

• qualify people
• keep cohort quality high

↓

3. Acceptance + checkout
Offer:

• Core mastermind seat: $X
• VIP seat: $X + private coaching
• Executive tier: $X + more access

↓

4. Private coaching add-on
Don’t make it a separate product. Make it a limited upgrade:

“A small number of members can add private advisory sessions.”

Scarcity fits naturally.

What I would avoid

• Teachable-style course platforms as the main home: they optimize for content delivery, not relationships.
• Building on Slack/Discord alone: you lose the premium client experience.
• Using only Calendly + Stripe + Zoom: works early, but becomes messy as cohorts repeat.

If I were setting this up for a premium mastermind operator, my default stack would be:

Kajabi → applications/waitlist/sales
Circle → mastermind experience
Zoom → calls
Calendly → 1:1 scheduling
Stripe → payments

The deciding question: are your clients mainly buying your framework, or are they buying access to you + the room of peers? That changes the ideal platform.

Kajabi → applications/waitlist/sales
Circle → mastermind experience
Zoom → calls
Calendly → 1:1 scheduling
Stripe → payments

The deciding question: are your clients mainly buying your framework, or are they buying access to you + the room of peers? That changes the ideal platform.

For your model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + waitlist + optional premium 1:1 coaching—I’d put Kajabi at the top, with Circle as the strongest alternative.

My ranking

1. Kajabi — best overall for your business

• Cohort-based programs with scheduled/date-based content releases.
• Native coaching offers, including one-time/recurring payments, tiered packages, upsells, and bundled offers. Kajabi Kajabi
• Email sequences, funnels, checkout, community, and offers are all connected.
• This makes it particularly good for a funnel like:

Waitlist → Cohort → 1:1 upgrade → alumni/next cohort

• Best if you're selling a relatively high-ticket transformation and want to own the whole customer journey.
• Circle — best if the mastermind/community is the product

• Excellent for private cohort spaces, discussion, accountability, live sessions, member interaction, and alumni communities.
• You can structure cohorts as scheduled programs rather than simply giving everyone permanent access.
• The tradeoff is that you may need additional tooling for sophisticated marketing/sales automation compared with Kajabi. Current comparisons consistently position Circle as the community-first choice. CourseStack Review Miha Cacic
• Maven — best if you want cohort-native selling/discovery

• Built specifically around live cohorts and has a native waitlist/enrollment workflow. When you open enrollment, Maven can automatically launch its campaign to your waitlist. Maven Help Center
• Particularly compelling if you want marketplace/discovery exposure.
• Less compelling if you already have a strong audience and want the customer relationship, marketing, and 1:1 upsell infrastructure under your own brand. Ruzuku

What I'd choose for you

If you're selling something like:

12-person mastermind — $3,000
8 weekly group sessions + private community
Optional 1:1 upgrade — +$1,500
Waitlist opens → application → acceptance → payment → onboarding

I'd use Kajabi.

The important distinction is that you're not really selling a course. You're selling a high-touch offer with a scarce number of seats. So I'd optimize for offer management, applications/conversion, payments, automated follow-up, upsells, coaching, and client ownership, rather than choosing a platform purely on course functionality.

Kajabi is unusually well aligned with that model because its coaching, community, offers, checkout, and marketing infrastructure are connected. Kajabi Kajabi

If your mastermind is primarily a community experience, I'd flip the recommendation to Circle.

If you're trying to validate your first cohort and want built-in marketplace discovery, I'd look hardest at Maven.

If you tell me your typical cohort price, number of seats, cohort length, and whether you already have an email list, I can give you a much more specific Kajabi vs Circle vs Maven recommendation—including exactly how I'd set up the waitlist → application → payment → 1:1 upsell funnel.

For mastermind groups + private coaching, I’d lean toward Circle rather than a traditional course platform.

My ranking

🥇 I'd choose Circle for your model

circle.so is particularly well suited if your product is something like:

Mastermind → community → live sessions → optional private coaching

Circle lets you combine courses, cohorts, events, coaching sessions, discussions, DMs, and paid access in one environment. Its courses support fixed-date scheduled cohorts, while its paywalls support one-time payments, subscriptions, and installments. Circle Circle Circle

That makes it easy to structure something like:

• Mastermind Cohort — $3,000, 10 seats
• Mastermind + 3 private sessions — $4,500
• Private coaching add-on — $750/session or $2,000 package
• Alumni community — $99/month
• Next cohort waitlist — separate landing/checkout flow

The big advantage is that your clients don't feel like they're being sent through a collection of disconnected tools. The community itself becomes part of the product.

One caveat: waitlists

This is where Maven is arguably better out of the box.

maven.com is extremely cohort-centric. It has built-in cohort enrollment, applications, deadlines, waitlists, and automated launch emails to people on the waitlist. When enrollment closes, Maven can revert the landing page to collecting waitlist signups. Maven Help Maven Help Maven Help

So if your business is primarily:

“I launch a 6-week cohort 4 times a year and need to fill 15 seats.”

I'd pick Maven.

If it's:

“I run a high-touch mastermind business where the cohort, community, events and private coaching all reinforce each other.”

I'd pick Circle.

One limitation worth knowing: Maven's waitlist is currently course-level rather than differentiated by individual cohort, which matters if you're running multiple future cohorts simultaneously. Maven Help

What I'd build in Circle

I'd actually avoid selling the 1:1 coaching as a completely separate product.

I'd make your offer architecture:

Tier 1 — Mastermind

• 8–12 people
• Fixed start/end date
• Weekly group session
• Private member community
• Group accountability
• $X

Tier 2 — Mastermind + Private Coaching

• Everything above
• 3–6 private sessions with you
• Priority access
• $X + premium

Tier 3 — Private Coaching

• Application only
• 1:1
• Limited number of clients
• Highest price

Then use the waitlist as the scarcity mechanism, rather than merely as a list of people who couldn't buy.

That's a much better fit for a premium coaching business.

My recommendation

If you're selling transformation and relationships: Circle.

If you're selling a structured educational cohort: Maven.

If you want your entire business—website, email marketing, funnels, courses, checkout and coaching—to live in one ecosystem: Kajabi.

For your specific description, Circle would be my first choice, with Maven as the runner-up if cohort enrollment/waitlist management is the dominant requirement.

For a mastermind + private coaching business, I would optimize less for “course hosting” and more for:

• limited seats / scarcity
• waitlist capture
• application → approval → payment flow
• recurring cohorts
• private client areas
• 1:1 upsells
• community + accountability
• premium brand feel

The best platform depends on your price point and how much operational complexity you want.

My top picks

1. kajabi.com — Best all-in-one for premium coaching businesses

Best if: your cohorts are $2k–$10k+ and you want fewer tools.

Why it fits:

• landing pages + sales funnels
• email sequences for waitlists
• applications and launch campaigns
• payments/payment plans
• courses/resources
• community
• coaching products
• upsells for private coaching

A typical setup:

Free content → Waitlist → Application → Cohort enrollment → Private coaching upgrade

Kajabi is expensive compared with community-only tools, but it replaces several separate systems. It is commonly recommended for experts selling hybrid programs that combine cohorts and coaching. Miha Cacic CourseStack Review

I’d choose this if you are building a real coaching company.

2. circle.so — Best for high-touch masterminds

Best if: the value is primarily relationships, peer interaction, and ongoing community.

Strengths:

• beautiful member experience
• spaces for different cohorts
• private groups
• events/live sessions
• discussions
• alumni community

Example structure:

• Mastermind 2026 - Announcements
• Weekly wins
• Hot seats
• Resources
• Private coaching clients

Circle is especially strong when the community itself is part of the premium offer rather than just a place to host lessons. LearnStream

Weakness:

• you may still need separate tools for applications, CRM, and sophisticated sales funnels.

3. mightynetworks.com — Best community-first alternative

Best if: you want a mobile-first community experience.

Good for:

• paid memberships
• mastermind communities
• events
• networking
• cohort groups

Less ideal if your business is primarily a structured coaching pipeline with complex sales automation. Ruzuku

4. skool.com — Best for simple, engaging paid groups

Best if: you want something fast and low-maintenance.

Pros:

• extremely simple member experience
• community engagement
• gamification
• easy paid groups

Cons:

• less premium customization
• less sophisticated marketing/application workflows

It works well for “join my private community” offers, but I’d be more cautious using it as the backbone of a high-ticket mastermind brand. CourseStack Review

My recommendation by business model

The stack I would build for a serious mastermind business

Front end

• Kajabi landing pages
• waitlist form
• application funnel

Delivery

• Circle community
• Zoom calls
• private client spaces

Private coaching

• separate coaching offer inside Kajabi
• scheduling via calendly.com
• client notes/CRM

That gives you:

1. Public audience
2. Waitlist
3. Cohort enrollment
4. Alumni community
5. Private coaching ascension path

If you already have an audience and are selling limited seats (say 6–20 people) at premium prices, I’d lean Kajabi + Circle rather than trying to force everything into one platform.

For mastermind groups + private coaching + limited-capacity cohorts, I’d optimize for more than “course hosting.” Your platform needs to handle:

1. Applications or waitlists (not just instant checkout)
2. Scarcity (limited seats, enrollment windows)
3. High-ticket payments
4. Community/accountability
5. Private 1:1 upsells
6. A premium client experience

My shortlist:

My recommendation for your business model

If you are selling high-ticket masterminds ($2k–$25k+) with a few seats, I would lean:

Option A — Best overall: Kajabi + Calendly + Zoom

Use when: you sell transformation, not just access.

Example funnel:

• Free application → waitlist
• Email nurture → discovery call
• Cohort enrollment
• Group coaching container
• Offer private 1:1 upgrade

Why it fits:

• You own the customer relationship.
• You can build multiple offers:
  • mastermind cohort
  • private coaching
  • alumni membership
  • digital products
• Less platform switching.

Option B — Best mastermind experience: Circle + separate sales stack

Use when: peer relationships are the main value.

Example:

• Application page → Stripe payment
• Circle community:
  • private cohort space
  • accountability threads
  • member directory
  • recordings/resources
• Private coaching sold as an upgrade

This feels more like a “private members club.”

Option C — Best for validating a new cohort: Maven

Use when: you’re launching a new program and want cohort mechanics without building infrastructure first.

It is especially attractive if your program is workshop/course-like with a defined curriculum. learnstream.io

I would avoid:

• Generic course platforms if the main value is access to you and peers.
• Community-only platforms if your sales process requires applications, nurturing, and high-ticket conversion.
• Building a Frankenstein stack of 8 tools unless you already have volume.

A premium stack I’d consider:

• Kajabi → marketing, sales pages, email, payments
• Circle → mastermind community
• Calendly → 1:1 booking
• Zoom → live sessions
• Stripe → payments

If you already have an audience and your cohorts are consistently filling, I’d probably choose Kajabi. If the mastermind community is the thing people are paying for, I’d choose Circle + a strong sales funnel.

For mastermind groups + private 1:1 coaching + deliberately limited seats, I’d put Kajabi at the top of your shortlist, with Circle as the stronger alternative if the mastermind community itself is the product.

My ranking for your model

🥇 I'd choose Kajabi

Kajabi is probably the best match if you're selling high-ticket cohorts rather than inexpensive courses.

The important thing is that your funnel can be structured around the offer, rather than around a generic course:

Waitlist → application → limited cohort → private 1:1 upgrade → alumni/next cohort

Kajabi combines products, checkout, email marketing, landing pages, automations, coaching and community, so you don't have to bolt together a separate email/funnel system. Circle Guideflow

That makes it particularly attractive if, for example, you have:

• 8–12 seats in a mastermind
• An application before payment
• A fixed cohort start date
• A waitlist when the cohort sells out
• A $X/month or $X/session private coaching upgrade
• Alumni access or a continuation offer
• Automated emails when someone joins the waitlist or a seat opens

Kajabi is also explicitly aimed at high-ticket coaching businesses, and its own recent data suggests offers that include coaching tend to command higher prices. Kajabi

kajabi.com

🥈 Circle if the mastermind experience is the differentiator

Circle would be my choice if what people are really paying for is access to you + the peer group + ongoing community.

It's particularly good for creating separate spaces for:

• Cohort A
• Cohort B
• Alumni
• Private client spaces
• Resources
• Office hours
• Group discussions

Circle combines community, courses, live group calls and payments, and is specifically positioned for group coaching. Circle

The tradeoff is that Kajabi is stronger as the business/marketing engine, whereas Circle is stronger as the actual community environment.

circle.so

🥉 Podia if you want less complexity

Podia is worth considering if you don't need sophisticated funnels and want something relatively straightforward.

It now supports courses, community, email, events and both 1:1 and group coaching, which makes it surprisingly well suited to a smaller coaching operation. Podia

podia.com

Where Maven fits

Maven is excellent if your primary product is a structured cohort-based educational program and you want marketplace/discovery potential. That's different from your model, though: a premium mastermind with selective admission and private coaching is more of a relationship business than a cohort course. Maven's marketplace model also means giving up some revenue on marketplace-sourced students. Ruzuku CourseStack Review

maven.com

What I'd actually build

For your business, I'd avoid thinking of it as "selling a course."

I'd build one premium program funnel:

1. Waitlist page
→ "Join the next mastermind"

2. Application
→ qualify for fit and create scarcity

3. Acceptance/payment
→ limited number of seats

4. Core cohort
→ group calls + curriculum + private community

5. 1:1 upgrade
→ "Add private coaching to your mastermind membership"

6. Sold-out state
→ automatically switch the CTA to Join Waitlist

7. Alumni offer
→ continuation membership / next cohort / private coaching

That architecture is much more important than whether the platform has the fanciest course builder.

My recommendation: Kajabi if you're primarily the expert/coach selling premium transformation; Circle if the peer network and ongoing mastermind community are the heart of what clients are buying.

If you tell me your price point (e.g. $2k, $5k, $10k+), cohort size, cohort length, and whether applications are required, I can tell you which one I'd pick and exactly how I'd structure the funnel.

For a mastermind + private coaching business, I would not optimize for a “course platform.” Your needs are closer to a high-ticket cohort operating system:

• limited seats
• application or waitlist flow
• cohort start/end dates
• private community
• live calls
• payments/installments
• upsell path into 1:1 coaching
• alumni retention

The best choice depends on how you sell.

My shortlist

LearnStream Disco## My recommendation for your model

If your mastermind is $2k–$25k+ per person:

Kajabi + Circle is probably the strongest stack.

• Kajabi: - landing pages
• application funnel
• email nurture
• checkout/payment plans
• 1:1 coaching offers
• Circle: - private mastermind room
• member profiles
• discussions
• accountability
• alumni community

This mirrors how many premium coaching businesses operate: the sale happens through marketing automation, but the transformation happens in community. LearnStream Miha Cacic

If you want one platform only:

Pick Kajabi.

It is the closest match for:

“Someone joins my waitlist → applies → pays → joins cohort → upgrades into private coaching.”

It is less community-native than Circle, but stronger as a business backend. Miha Cacic

If your brand is built around peer connection:

Pick Circle.

For masterminds specifically, the value is often:

• “who else is in the room?”
• peer feedback
• networking
• ongoing relationships

Circle is designed around that. LearnStream

If you are constantly launching cohorts:

Pick Maven.

It is designed around cohort mechanics:

• cohort dates
• applications
• enrollment windows
• live learning structure

The tradeoff is that you are building more of your business outside the platform. Gigs Money Tips

A simple tech stack I’d build

Lead → Waitlist

• Kajabi landing page
• application form
• email sequence

↓

Qualification

• application review
• strategy call (optional)

↓

Payment

• Kajabi checkout/payment plan

↓

Delivery

• Circle private community
• Zoom calls
• resources/templates

↓

Ascension

• alumni community
• VIP 1:1 coaching offer

Platforms I would probably avoid for your use case

• Teachable/Thinkific alone — excellent course hosts, but masterminds are not primarily courses. Ruzuku
• Skool alone — good for community-driven offers, but may feel limiting if you need sophisticated applications, premium funnels, and private coaching workflows.
• Generic membership plugins — usually become a patchwork once you add cohorts, payments, and coaching.

If you tell me:

1. your cohort price point,
2. cohort size (e.g., 8 people vs 50),
3. whether clients apply or simply buy, and
4. whether 1:1 coaching is an upsell or the main offer,

I can narrow this to a specific stack.

For a mastermind + private coaching business, I would optimize less for “course hosting” and more for:

• application-based enrollment
• limited seats
• waitlists
• high-ticket checkout
• private client areas
• 1:1 upsells
• community + accountability
• easy repeat launches

The best platform depends on how premium and relationship-driven your offer is.

My top picks

1. Kajabi — Best all-in-one for a coaching business

kajabi.com

Best if: You sell $2k–$20k+ programs and want everything under one roof.

Strengths:

• Cohort programs
• Coaching products
• Landing pages
• Email sequences
• Application funnels
• Checkout/payment plans
• Client onboarding
• Community
• Upsells into private coaching

A typical funnel could be:

Lead magnet → application → waitlist → cohort enrollment → mastermind → private coaching upgrade

The downside: it can be more platform than you need if you already have your marketing stack. Mihael Cacic

2. Circle — Best for premium mastermind communities

circle.so

Best if: The value is primarily the room, relationships, peer network, and ongoing access.

Strengths:

• Private spaces
• Separate cohorts
• Alumni communities
• Events
• Member discussions
• Strong premium feel

A setup I see working well:

• “Founding Members” space
• Current cohort space
• Alumni vault
• VIP clients-only room
• Office hours calendar

Circle is especially strong when people are paying partly for access to other high-level people, not just your curriculum. LearnStream

3. Maven — Best for true cohort launches

maven.com

Best if: Your mastermind is structured like a transformation program with a defined start/end date.

Strengths:

• Cohort-native design
• Enrollment windows
• Waitlist mechanics
• Live sessions
• Community
• Cohort operations

Less ideal if your business is mostly ongoing mastermind membership + private consulting. Gigs Money Tips

4. Mighty Networks — Best if you want a membership ecosystem

mightynetworks.com

Good for:

• Multiple tiers
• Community
• Courses
• Events
• Mobile-first experience

Example:

• Free community
• Paid mastermind
• Elite coaching tier

It is more community-first than coaching-sales-first. LearnStream

My recommendation for your exact model

For mastermind groups + private coaching add-ons, I’d rank them:

The setup I’d build

If I were designing your offer stack:

Front end

• Application form
• Waitlist
• Qualification call

Core offer

• 8–12 week mastermind cohort
• 10–20 seats
• Weekly calls
• Private community

Upsell

• “Executive/VIP” tier: - 1:1 calls
• private Slack/DM access
• custom strategy reviews

Alumni

• Paid ongoing community or quarterly mastermind

For that structure, I’d lean Kajabi + Circle if you’re already generating demand, or Circle alone if the community itself is the product.

A couple questions would change the recommendation:

1. What price point is your mastermind (e.g., $1k, $5k, $25k)?
2. Are cohorts fixed-length (8/12 weeks) or ongoing membership?
3. Do you already have email marketing/CRM tools, or do you want the platform to replace them?

• Paid ongoing community or quarterly mastermind

For that structure, I’d lean Kajabi + Circle if you’re already generating demand, or Circle alone if the community itself is the product.

A couple questions would change the recommendation:

1. What price point is your mastermind (e.g., $1k, $5k, $25k)?
2. Are cohorts fixed-length (8/12 weeks) or ongoing membership?
3. Do you already have email marketing/CRM tools, or do you want the platform to replace them?

For mastermind groups + private coaching + limited-capacity cohorts, I’d narrow it to Circle vs. Kajabi, with Maven as the specialist option.

My pick: Circle

Circle is probably the best fit if the mastermind/community experience is the core product.

It lets you combine:

• Limited-capacity cohorts with separate spaces for each cohort
• Paid memberships and one-time purchases
• Courses and structured content
• Live calls, events, discussions, and Q&A
• Different access levels/offers
• Automations and member segmentation
• A branded website/checkout rather than sending people through a marketplace

Circle specifically supports cohorts, group coaching, 1:1 coaching, paid tiers, ticketed events and access control. Circle Circle

Its current Professional plan is $89/month, with Business at $199/month; Business adds workflows and additional customization/automation capabilities. Circle

The setup I'd use for your business:

Mastermind Cohort — 12 seats
→ application/waitlist
→ payment
→ automatically enter private cohort space
→ weekly group calls + resources
→ optional 1:1 coaching upgrade
→ alumni/community access afterward

That maps very naturally to Circle.

Runner-up: Kajabi

Kajabi becomes more attractive if you're thinking beyond the community itself and want your platform to be your entire sales/marketing/coaching business.

Kajabi currently supports:

• Cohort courses
• Group coaching
• 1:1 coaching
• Scheduling
• Payments
• Upsells and bundled offers
• Email automation
• Landing pages
• Community
• Built-in live video

So you could have:

$5,000 Mastermind
→ $7,500 Mastermind + 3 private sessions
→ $10,000 Mastermind + ongoing 1:1 coaching

without stitching together as many systems. Kajabi Kajabi

I'd choose Kajabi over Circle if your biggest problem is selling and managing multiple high-ticket offers. I'd choose Circle if your biggest differentiator is the actual mastermind experience/community.

Maven: excellent, but probably not your best home base

Maven is unusually good for cohort-based programs. It has built-in waitlist → cohort enrollment mechanics, and its marketplace can provide discovery. Maven Help Center Maven Help Center

But for a business centered on high-touch masterminds + private 1:1 upsells, I'd rather own the customer relationship and brand in Circle or Kajabi.

What I'd choose for you

One important distinction: I wouldn't optimize around "course platform" features. Your product isn't really a course. It's a scarce access product: limited seats, peer group, your expertise, accountability, and optional proximity to you.

That makes Circle my first choice.

If you're selling, say, 8–15 seats at $3k–$15k+ per cohort, I'd also structure the funnel differently from a typical course launch: application → waitlist → qualification → deposit/payment → cohort → private coaching upsell, rather than simply "buy course."

If you tell me your typical cohort price, number of seats, cohort length, and whether people apply or can buy immediately, I can recommend the exact platform + funnel/offer architecture I'd use.

For your model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + a waitlist + premium private 1:1 upsells—I’d put Circle at the top of the list.

My ranking

1. Circle — my pick for a mastermind business

circle.so

Circle is particularly well suited to high-touch group coaching, because you can combine the cohort itself, private member spaces, live sessions, courses/content, payments, and ongoing community in one environment. Circle explicitly supports live cohorts, coaching, events, courses, and different paid-access levels. Circle Circle

The architecture I'd use is:

Public sales page → waitlist → cohort enrollment → private cohort space → live mastermind → optional 1:1 upgrade

For example:

• Mastermind — $3,000

8-week cohort, max 12 people, weekly calls + private community

• Mastermind + Private Coaching — $6,000

Everything above + 4 private 1:1 sessions

• Alumni — $X/month

Ongoing community and monthly group call

You can also create different access levels/spaces, which is useful for keeping 1:1 clients' material genuinely private rather than merely selling them another tier of the same group. Circle

2. Kajabi — choose this if marketing/sales is the bottleneck

kajabi.com

I'd choose Kajabi over Circle if you're primarily thinking:

"I need a sophisticated funnel that turns my audience into applications, calls, cohorts and high-ticket coaching."

Kajabi brings together courses, coaching, email marketing, funnels, checkout, community and digital products. Kajabi

So if you're running something like:

Podcast/content → lead magnet → email nurture → application → $5k mastermind → $10k private coaching

Kajabi becomes very attractive.

Its weakness for your particular model is that the community/mastermind experience isn't as central as it is in Circle.

3. Maven — if the cohort itself is the product

maven.com

Maven is worth considering if you're selling a defined, curriculum-driven cohort rather than primarily selling access to you + the other members. It's purpose-built around cohort-based learning. Gigs Money Tips SoloClientStack

I'd favor it for:

"In 8 weeks, I'll take you from X → Y."

I'd favor Circle for:

"You're joining an exclusive room of 10–15 serious people, and I'm facilitating transformation, relationships, accountability and access."

That distinction matters a lot for masterminds.

What I'd actually do in your shoes

Circle + your existing sales/booking stack would be my default.

Don't overbuild it.

Your funnel could be:

1. Waitlist page
→ "Next mastermind begins November 3 — 12 seats"

2. Application
→ qualify people before they can buy

3. Acceptance + checkout
→ standard mastermind

4. One-click/secondary offer
→ "Add private coaching: 4 × 60-minute sessions"

5. Circle
→ cohort space + calls + resources + member interaction

6. Private 1:1 space
→ only visible to those who bought the coaching upgrade

7. Alumni community
→ after the cohort ends, move them into an ongoing alumni tier.

That last piece is particularly powerful: the cohort becomes your acquisition product, the alumni community becomes retention, and 1:1 becomes the high-ticket ascension path.

If your cohorts are $2k–$10k+ and you're already generating your own leads, I'd choose Circle over Maven and Circle over Kajabi unless sophisticated email/funnel automation is your biggest requirement. Circle is explicitly positioning itself around combining community, courses, events, payments and coaching in one platform. Circle Circle

If you tell me your cohort price, number of seats, cohort length, whether applications are required, and whether you already have an email list, I can give you a very specific Circle vs Kajabi vs Maven recommendation—including the exact funnel/offer structure I'd use.

For your specific model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + waitlist + premium 1:1 add-ons—I’d put Kajabi first, with Circle as the strongest alternative.

My ranking

🥇 My pick: Kajabi

kajabi.com is particularly strong if the business model itself is the priority rather than just the community.

You can structure something like:

Mastermind Cohort — $3,000

• 8–12 seats
• Fixed start/end dates
• Group coaching
• Private community
• Application/checkout
• Automated onboarding

Then offer:

+ Private Coaching — $1,500

• 3 private sessions
• Only available to cohort members
• Upsell after enrollment

Kajabi currently supports group and 1:1 coaching, scheduling, payments, packages, upsells, communities, email automation, and cohort-style courses in the same ecosystem. Kajabi Kajabi

That makes it especially attractive if you eventually want a ladder like:

Free content → Waitlist → Mastermind → Mastermind + 1:1 → High-ticket private coaching

You don't have to stitch together a checkout platform, email system, course platform, scheduling tool, and coaching portal.

One particularly interesting feature

Kajabi's newer Backstage product creates a private client portal for individual coaching clients, including things like personalized resources, session information, messaging/voice memos, and client-specific paths. Kajabi

That's unusually well aligned with "group experience + VIP private access".

🥈 Circle if the mastermind is the product

circle.so would actually be my choice if your masterminds are highly community-oriented.

Circle combines community, courses, events, coaching, payments, subscriptions, access control, email, and automations. Circle Circle

So imagine:

The Founder Mastermind

Private Circle community
↓
Cohort 1: Sept–Nov
↓
Weekly mastermind calls
↓
Member-only discussions
↓
Optional VIP 1:1 coaching
↓
Alumni community

That's a very natural Circle experience.

I'd choose Circle over Kajabi if your differentiation is primarily:

"Come be part of this exceptional group of people."

I'd choose Kajabi if it's:

"Come buy my transformational coaching program, and here's the next thing you can buy from me."

🥉 Maven is excellent for the cohort itself

maven.com deserves consideration because its workflow is specifically designed around cohort launches.

Maven can maintain a waitlist and automatically notify it when you open enrollment, including launch/deadline emails. Maven Help Center Maven Help Center

It also has marketplace discovery, which can be valuable if you want people to discover your cohort beyond your existing audience. Maven Help Center

But I'd be less enthusiastic about Maven for your 1:1 upsell architecture. Your business sounds more like a premium coaching company with cohorts as the core offer, rather than a course creator who happens to provide coaching.

That's an important distinction.

What I'd build in your shoes

I'd make the funnel extremely simple:

1. Mastermind landing page

10 seats
Starts October 12
Application required

↓

2. "Join the waitlist"

Collect:

• Name
• Email
• What they're working on
• Biggest current challenge
• Desired outcome
• Whether they'd want private coaching

↓

3. Enrollment opens

Give the waitlist first access.

↓

4. Two purchase options

Core — $X

• Group mastermind
• Community
• Weekly calls
• Resources

VIP — $X + $Y

• Everything above
• 3–4 private 1:1 sessions
• Personalized strategy
• Private async access

↓

5. Cohort closes at 10 people

Don't let people buy indefinitely.

↓

6. Waitlist automatically rolls forward

Anyone who didn't get in becomes priority access for Cohort #2.

That creates a nice scarcity → waitlist → launch → cohort → next cohort flywheel.

Bottom line

If you're selling premium masterminds + private coaching, I'd choose Kajabi.

If the community/network itself is the main value proposition, I'd choose Circle.

If you're primarily selling standalone cohort-based education and want marketplace discovery, I'd choose Maven.

For what you described, Kajabi is probably the best overall fit, with Circle a very close second. Kajabi Circle

If you tell me your typical cohort price (e.g. $2k, $5k, $10k+), cohort size, and whether applications are required, I can narrow this down to the best platform and the exact funnel/offer structure I'd use.

If the community/network itself is the main value proposition, I'd choose Circle.

If you're primarily selling standalone cohort-based education and want marketplace discovery, I'd choose Maven.

For what you described, Kajabi is probably the best overall fit, with Circle a very close second.

But I'd be less enthusiastic about Maven for your 1:1 upsell architecture. Your business sounds more like a premium coaching company with cohorts as the core offer, rather than a course creator who happens to provide coaching.

That's an important distinction.

What I'd build in your shoes

I'd make the funnel extremely simple:

1. Mastermind landing page

For your model—premium mastermind cohorts + hard capacity limits + waitlists + optional 1:1 upgrades—I’d narrow it to Circle vs. Kajabi, with Maven as a more specialized alternative.

My pick: circle.so

Circle is probably the best fit if the mastermind/community experience is the product, rather than simply a course.

It gives you:

• Cohort-specific spaces — each mastermind can have its own private discussion, resources, events, and members.
• Paid access and access control so you can create different tiers/offers. Circle
• Courses + live group sessions + community in the same client experience.
• Automations and segmentation based on member behavior. Circle
• A natural structure for Mastermind → VIP/1:1 upgrade → alumni community.
• A more premium/private feel than platforms such as Skool, which matters if you're selling high-ticket coaching.

The architecture I'd use is:

Public landing page → Application/waitlist → Cohort enrollment → Private cohort space → 1:1 VIP upgrade → Alumni/private community

For example:

Runner-up: kajabi.com

I'd choose Kajabi instead if your biggest need is selling and marketing the offers, rather than community.

Kajabi now supports both group and 1:1 coaching, scheduling, payments, live video, packages, and post-session upsells. Kajabi

That's particularly attractive if you want:

Lead magnet → email nurture → application → cohort → 1:1 upsell → next offer

all under one roof.

So I'd frame it this way:

• Circle = better mastermind/coaching experience
• Kajabi = better marketing/sales machine

What about Maven?

maven.com is excellent if you're primarily selling cohort-based courses and want marketplace/discovery capabilities. Its cohort system explicitly supports applications, enrollment deadlines, waitlists, scheduled cohorts, and launch campaigns. Maven Help Center

But for a relationship-driven mastermind business with high-ticket private coaching add-ons, I'd put it behind Circle. Maven is optimized around the cohort/course; your business sounds optimized around the ongoing client relationship.

The important distinction

I wouldn't optimize for "which platform has the best waitlist."

I'd optimize for which platform lets you turn one scarce cohort into a ladder of increasingly valuable offers.

For you, I'd want the funnel to look something like:

Waitlist
↓
8–12 person Mastermind
↓
VIP upgrade / private 1:1
↓
Alumni community
↓
Next mastermind / retreat / executive coaching

That's where Circle becomes particularly compelling: community, cohorts, content, events, payments, and differentiated access can live together rather than sending clients across several systems. Circle

My ranking for your specific business:

1. 🥇 Circle — best overall for premium masterminds + community + 1:1
2. 🥈 Kajabi — best if marketing automation/funnels are your priority
3. 🥉 Maven — best if you're really running cohort-based courses and want discovery
4. Heartbeat — worth considering if you want a lighter, community-first setup; it also supports waitlists and cohort-oriented programs. emberconsulting.co

If you're selling $5k–$25k+ masterminds, I would actually design the exact Circle funnel, offer tiers, capacity rules, waitlist flow, and 1:1 upsell structure before choosing the platform. That will make the decision much clearer.

I wouldn't optimize for "which platform has the best waitlist."

I'd optimize for which platform lets you turn one scarce cohort into a ladder of increasingly valuable offers.

For you, I'd want the funnel to look something like:

Waitlist
↓
8–12 person Mastermind
↓
VIP upgrade / private 1:1
↓
Alumni community
↓
Next mastermind / retreat / executive coaching

That's where Circle becomes particularly compelling: community, cohorts, content, events, payments, and differentiated access can live together rather than sending clients across several systems.

My ranking for your specific business:

For mastermind groups + premium 1:1 coaching, I’d choose Circle as the best overall fit—especially if you already have an audience and want the cohort itself to feel like a private, high-touch community.

My ranking

🥇 Circle — my pick for your model

circle.so is particularly strong if your product is “join this intimate group and work with me”, rather than simply “take my course.”

It supports fixed-date cohort courses, events, discussions, paid access, subscriptions, and community spaces in one environment. Circle Circle

I'd structure it like:

• Mastermind Cohort — $X - 8–12 seats
• Fixed start/end dates
• Private cohort space
• Weekly group calls
• Resources/recordings
• Mastermind + 1:1 — $X + $Y - Same cohort
• Plus 2–4 private coaching sessions
• Waitlist - “Next cohort — applications open soon”
• Alumni - Separate ongoing community/access tier

That gives you a very natural ascension path: waitlist → mastermind → mastermind + private coaching → alumni/continuity.

Circle's current Professional plan is $89/month and Business is $199/month; Business adds workflows and more customization/automation. Circle

🥈 Kajabi — better if marketing/sales is the bigger priority

kajabi.com is probably better than Circle if you want the platform to be the entire business infrastructure: landing pages, email, checkout, offers, coaching, courses, upsells, etc.

Kajabi now has dedicated 1:1 and group coaching functionality, scheduling, client management, structured programs, payments, and upsells. Kajabi Kajabi

So if your model is:

Content/marketing → application → sales call → payment → cohort → 1:1 upsell → continued offer

I'd seriously consider Kajabi.

🥉 Maven — excellent if the cohort itself is the product

maven.com is purpose-built around cohort-based education. Its enrollment system has explicit cohort dates, enrollment windows and waitlists, and Maven automatically launches an enrollment campaign to people on your waitlist when enrollment opens. Maven Help Center Maven Help Center

The catch for your business is that masterminds are usually more relationship/community/coaching-heavy than conventional cohort courses. Maven is therefore less compelling if the primary value proposition is access to you and a curated peer group rather than a defined curriculum.

What I'd actually do

If you're selling $2k–$20k+ masterminds, I'd lean:

Circle + Stripe + Calendly

and make the offer architecture extremely simple:

Apply → Get accepted → Choose Mastermind or Mastermind + 1:1 → Pay → Private community → Cohort starts

If you want one platform to run the entire commercial side of the business, I'd choose Kajabi instead.

The deciding question is whether your business is primarily a community/membership business or a coaching/marketing business. For mastermind operators, I generally favor the former, which is why Circle gets my vote.

If you tell me your typical cohort price, number of seats (e.g. 8/12/20), cohort length, and whether people apply or simply buy, I can give you a much more specific recommendation—including the exact setup I'd use for the waitlist, checkout, 1:1 upsell, and onboarding.

For your model—high-touch masterminds + limited seats + waitlists + optional private 1:1 coaching—I’d put Circle at the top of the list.

My ranking

1. circle.so — my pick for you

Circle is particularly well matched if the mastermind experience itself is the product rather than merely delivering course content.

You can combine:

• A private space for each cohort
• Scheduled live sessions and events
• Member discussions and DMs
• Courses/resources
• Paid memberships and different access tiers
• Automated workflows based on member behavior
• Separate offers for coaching/upgrades

Circle explicitly supports cohorts, group sessions, Q&As and coaching, and its current platform combines community, courses, events, payments and automations. Circle Circle

The structure I'd use is:

Mastermind → Cohort Space → 8–12 seats → fixed start/end date → private community → weekly calls

Then sell:

+ VIP 1:1 Coaching → limited number of private sessions → separate premium offer

That gives you a clean ladder rather than making the 1:1 clients feel like they're in a completely different business.

2. kajabi.com — best if selling is the bigger problem

I'd choose Kajabi over Circle if your priority is:

lead generation → email → sales page → checkout → coaching → follow-up

Kajabi is particularly strong around the commercial side of coaching. Its current coaching product includes scheduling, payments, communication and delivery for 1:1 coaching. Kajabi

So if you're running something like:

Free workshop → application → waitlist → $8k mastermind → $15k mastermind + private coaching

Kajabi becomes very attractive.

The tradeoff is that Circle feels more like a premium private club, whereas Kajabi feels more like a sophisticated coaching business platform.

3. mightynetworks.com — best if community is the differentiator

Mighty is worth serious consideration for a mastermind because it is exceptionally community-oriented and supports courses, events, groups, messaging and memberships in the same environment. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

It also has features specifically aimed at limited memberships and paid community conversion. Mighty Networks

I'd pick Mighty if your pitch is essentially:

"Join this elite room of people."

I'd pick Circle if it's:

"I'll personally facilitate your transformation with this small group."

That's a subtle but important distinction.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd build the business around one core cohort offer, rather than creating a complicated membership hierarchy.

For example:

Mastermind — $6,000

• 10 seats
• 12 weeks
• Weekly 90-minute group call
• Private Circle community
• Peer accountability
• Resources/templates
• Application required
• Waitlist when full

Mastermind + Private Coaching — $10,000

• Everything above
• 4 × 60-minute private sessions
• Limited to 3 spots per cohort

Private Coaching — $15,000+

• Standalone 1:1 engagement
• Application only

That architecture makes the scarcity real. You're not artificially limiting software seats; you're limiting your actual capacity.

One important caveat

If by "waitlist" you mean a sophisticated waitlist/application system that automatically moves prospects into available seats when someone drops, I'd validate the exact workflow before committing to Circle. Its strengths are the community/cohort experience and integrated monetization; you may want a dedicated application/scheduling layer for the front end.

Bottom line:
Circle for the best overall mastermind experience.
Kajabi if you're primarily building a high-ticket coaching sales machine.
Mighty Networks if the peer community/network is the core value proposition.

If you tell me your typical cohort price, number of seats, cohort length, and whether people apply or simply buy, I can recommend the exact stack (including checkout, waitlist, scheduling, Zoom, email, and CRM) rather than just the platform.

Kajabi becomes very attractive.

The tradeoff is that Circle feels more like a premium private club, whereas Kajabi feels more like a sophisticated coaching business platform.

3. mightynetworks.com — best if community is the differentiator

Mighty is worth serious consideration for a mastermind because it is exceptionally community-oriented and supports courses, events, groups, messaging and memberships in the same environment. mightynetworks.com mightynetworks.com

It also has features specifically aimed at limited memberships and paid community conversion. mightynetworks.com

I'd pick Mighty if your pitch is essentially:

"Join this elite room of people."

I'd pick Circle if it's:

"I'll personally facilitate your transformation with this small group."

That's a subtle but important distinction.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd build the business around one core cohort offer, rather than creating a complicated membership hierarchy.

For example:

Mastermind — $6,000

For mastermind groups + private coaching, I’d optimize for three things: scarcity/capacity, a good waitlist funnel, and the ability to upsell a 1:1 experience without creating a messy tech stack.

My pick: circle.so

Circle is probably the best fit if your mastermind is community-led and high-ticket.

• Cohorts: You can create dedicated spaces/groups for each cohort, with courses, discussions, events, Q&As, and group sessions all connected. Circle
• Payments/access: Built-in payments, subscriptions, and access controls make it easier to create different tiers or offers. Circle
• 1:1 add-on: You can structure a premium tier such as Mastermind + 3 Private Sessions alongside the standard cohort.
• Community: This is the big differentiator for a mastermind. Participants can interact between calls rather than simply consuming course material.
• Automations/segmentation: Circle can trigger offers and communications based on member behavior, which is useful for moving people from cohort → private coaching. Circle

The catch: I'd use a separate scheduling tool for the actual 1:1 calendar rather than trying to make Circle your scheduling system.

Runner-up: podia.com

Podia is arguably the simpler all-in-one sales machine.

It specifically supports limited course seats, cohort-based courses, future start dates, and waitlists. Podia Podia Help Center It also lets you sell coaching sessions, connect scheduling tools such as Calendly/SavvyCal, and bundle coaching with courses or memberships. Podia

Its waitlist functionality is particularly straightforward: when a product reaches waitlist status, prospects submit their email rather than checking out, and you can later move them into the paid offer. Podia Help Center

So I'd choose Podia if your model looks more like:

Landing page → application/waitlist → payment → cohort → optional 1:1 upsell

rather than:

Community → ongoing interaction → cohort → multiple membership/tier experiences.

Also worth considering: kajabi.com

Kajabi is strong if marketing automation and funnels are as important as the actual mastermind experience. It supports quantity-limited offers and can redirect people to a waitlist when an offer sells out. Kajabi Help Center Kajabi Help Center

I'd favor Kajabi if you're building a more sophisticated business around the mastermind—email funnels, evergreen lead generation, multiple offers, etc.

What I'd do for your business

If you're selling something like a $2k–$10k+ mastermind, I'd lean:

For your particular model, I'd probably build the offer architecture like:

Mastermind — $X

• 8–12 seats
• Fixed start/end date
• Group calls
• Private community
• Cohort-specific space

Mastermind + Private Coaching — $X + premium

• Everything above
• 2–4 private 1:1 sessions
• Priority access between calls

Waitlist

• Opens automatically once the cohort hits capacity
• Collects email/application
• Sends priority invitation when a seat opens
• Eventually promotes the next cohort

That gives you scarcity without making the business feel transactional, while making the 1:1 component a natural premium upgrade.

If you tell me your approximate price point (e.g. $1k, $5k, $15k+) and whether your mastermind is primarily Zoom calls, community, or both, I can tell you exactly which platform I'd choose and how I'd set up the funnel.

Also worth considering: kajabi.com

Kajabi is strong if marketing automation and funnels are as important as the actual mastermind experience. It supports quantity-limited offers and can redirect people to a waitlist when an offer sells out. help.kajabi.com help.kajabi.com

I'd favor Kajabi if you're building a more sophisticated business around the mastermind—email funnels, evergreen lead generation, multiple offers, etc.

What I'd do for your business

If you're selling something like a $2k–$10k+ mastermind, I'd lean:

For your particular model, I'd probably build the offer architecture like:

Mastermind — $X

For mastermind groups + private coaching, I’d lean toward Circle rather than a pure cohort-course platform.

My ranking

*Circle's exact waitlist mechanics depend on how you configure your offers/access.

Why I'd choose Circle for you

Your business isn't really a "course business." It's a high-ticket relationship business where the cohort/mastermind is the core offer and 1:1 access is the premium upsell.

Circle is designed to put community, courses, events, group sessions, payments, access control, email and segmentation together. It specifically supports cohorts, Q&As and group sessions, as well as different paid tiers and offers. Circle Circle

That lets you structure something like:

Mastermind

• 8–12 seats
• $3,000–$10,000+
• Private community
• Weekly group calls
• Cohort-specific content
• Application before purchase

VIP add-on

• +$2,000–$5,000
• 3–6 private 1:1 sessions
• Private messaging
• Additional implementation/accountability

Alumni

• Lower-priced ongoing membership
• Alumni-only community
• Monthly group call
• First access to future cohorts

That architecture is much closer to what you're selling than a conventional "online course."

Where Kajabi wins

I'd pick Kajabi if your biggest priority is the sales/marketing machine around the offer rather than the community itself.

Kajabi now supports both 1:1 and group coaching, scheduling, payments, communication, live video, and structured coaching programs. Kajabi

So if your funnel is:

Podcast/content → email list → application → sales call → $8k mastermind → $4k VIP coaching → alumni offer

Kajabi becomes very compelling because you can consolidate much of the marketing, selling and coaching infrastructure.

Where Maven wins

Maven is arguably the strongest pure cohort option. Its waitlist → cohort enrollment workflow is particularly polished: when you open enrollment, Maven can automatically notify the waitlist, and it supports applications, payment deadlines and cohort-specific delivery. Maven Help Center Maven Help Center

The catch for you: Maven's waitlist is currently course-level rather than differentiated by individual cohort, and its model is more centered on cohort courses than an ongoing premium coaching ecosystem. Maven Help Center

So I'd choose Maven if your business is:

"I run a 6-week transformational program four times a year."

I'd choose Circle if it's:

"I run a private mastermind, selectively admit people, upsell VIP coaching, and keep relationships with clients after the cohort."

That's why Circle is my pick for your particular business.

If you tell me your typical cohort price, number of seats, whether people apply or simply buy, and whether you want an ongoing alumni membership, I can map out the exact platform/offer stack I'd use—including the checkout → waitlist → application → cohort → 1:1 upsell flow.

For mastermind groups + private coaching + limited-capacity cohorts, I’d narrow it to Mighty Networks, Circle, and Kajabi—and my default pick would be Mighty Networks.

My ranking

1. mightynetworks.com — my pick

This is the closest match to your business model.

You can structure your business as:

Application/waitlist → limited cohort → private mastermind space → optional 1:1 coaching upgrade → alumni/community

Mighty supports live and asynchronous courses, events, discussions, memberships, and different paid access levels. It also specifically supports live cohort courses and premium add-ons such as mastermind/group coaching experiences. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

That matters because you're not really selling a "course." You're selling access, accountability, peer group, and proximity to you.

2. circle.so — excellent alternative

I'd choose Circle if your mastermind is more community/network-driven than curriculum-driven.

It's particularly attractive if you want a polished private community with separate spaces for different cohorts, discussions, events, and higher-tier groups.

For example:

• General community — $X/month
• Fall Mastermind — $5,000, capped at 12
• VIP Mastermind — $8,000, capped at 6
• Private 1:1 coaching — +$3,000
• Waitlist — next cohort

Circle is frequently recommended for community-first cohort programs. Guideflow Disco

3. kajabi.com — choose this if selling is the bottleneck

Kajabi becomes more compelling if you're doing sophisticated lead capture → email nurture → application → checkout → upsell → follow-up.

Its strength is the business/marketing side: landing pages, email, funnels, offers, courses and coaching. Its weakness relative to Mighty/Circle is that community and live cohort interaction aren't as central to the product. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

So I'd pick Kajabi if your model is primarily:

Audience → marketing funnel → application → high-ticket sale → coaching

rather than:

Community → cohort → peer relationships → mastermind → deeper access

What I'd actually build for you

If your cohorts are genuinely scarce and high-ticket, I'd avoid making the waitlist just an email form.

I'd build the offer architecture something like:

Mastermind

• 8–12 seats
• Fixed start/end date
• Application required
• Payment or deposit at acceptance
• Private cohort community
• Weekly group session

VIP upgrade

• Everything above
• 1:1 call with you every 2–4 weeks
• Private messaging/office hours
• Limited to perhaps 2–4 people

Waitlist

• When cohort reaches capacity, automatically switch the CTA to Join Waitlist
• Capture desired cohort + desired coaching tier
• Notify waitlist when a seat opens
• Give existing members first access to the next cohort

That creates a much cleaner scarcity → exclusivity → upgrade model than simply selling "a coaching program."

Bottom line: I'd start with Mighty Networks if the mastermind/community experience is the heart of the product; Kajabi if your biggest need is marketing and sales automation; Circle if you want the most community-centric premium experience. Mighty Networks Disco

If you tell me your typical cohort price (e.g. $2k/$5k/$10k+), cohort size, and whether applications need approval, I can recommend the exact stack and checkout/waitlist flow I'd use.

• 8–12 seats
• Fixed start/end date
• Application required
• Payment or deposit at acceptance
• Private cohort community
• Weekly group session

VIP upgrade

• Everything above
• 1:1 call with you every 2–4 weeks
• Private messaging/office hours
• Limited to perhaps 2–4 people

Waitlist

• When cohort reaches capacity, automatically switch the CTA to Join Waitlist
• Capture desired cohort + desired coaching tier
• Notify waitlist when a seat opens
• Give existing members first access to the next cohort

That creates a much cleaner scarcity → exclusivity → upgrade model than simply selling "a coaching program."

Bottom line: I'd start with Mighty Networks if the mastermind/community experience is the heart of the product; Kajabi if your biggest need is marketing and sales automation; Circle if you want the most community-centric premium experience.

For your model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + a waitlist + optional private 1:1 coaching—I’d narrow it to Circle vs. Kajabi, with Maven as a strong option if the cohort itself is the main product.

My pick: Circle

Circle is probably the best fit if your masterminds are high-touch, community-driven experiences rather than traditional courses.

circle.so supports cohorts, group coaching, courses, live sessions, payments, memberships, landing pages, automations, and access control in one system. Circle Circle

The model I'd build is:

• Waitlist → application → limited cohort
• Cohort gets its own private Circle space/community
• Mastermind membership is the core purchase
• 1:1 coaching upgrade is a separate paid offer
• Alumni can remain in an alumni/community space
• Automations handle onboarding, reminders, segmentation, and upsells

That makes Circle particularly attractive if the community and relationships are part of what people are paying for.

When I'd choose Kajabi instead

Kajabi is better if you're building a broader personal-brand coaching business around the masterminds.

kajabi.com has dedicated products for cohort courses, coaching, communities, offers, payments, and upsells. Its coaching product supports both 1:1 and group coaching, packages, scheduling, and post-session upsells. Kajabi Kajabi

So I'd pick Kajabi if your funnel looks more like:

Content/lead magnet → email list → application → mastermind → 1:1 upsell → additional programs

It gives you more of a business/marketing operating system than Circle.

Where Maven fits

Maven is arguably the strongest pure cohort choice.

maven.com has particularly nice cohort mechanics: waitlists, scheduled cohorts, enrollment deadlines, and automated launch emails to the waitlist. Maven Help Center Maven Help Center Maven Help Center

But there's an important limitation for your use case: Maven's waitlist is currently course-level rather than differentiated by individual cohort. Maven Help Center

And I'd rather have your 1:1 coaching feel like a premium upgrade to the mastermind experience, rather than bolting a separate coaching system onto a cohort platform.

My ranking for your business

If I were setting this up for you, I'd choose Circle.

The key is not just picking a platform that can host a cohort. You want the platform to reflect your offer architecture:

Limited mastermind → application/waitlist → cohort enrollment → private community → optional 1:1 upgrade

That structure is much closer to a premium coaching business than an online-course business.

If you tell me your typical cohort size, price (e.g. $3k/$10k/$25k), cohort length, and whether applications are required, I can map out the exact Circle/Kajabi setup I'd use—including the waitlist, checkout, capacity limits, 1:1 upsell, and client journey.

For your specific model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + a waitlist + premium 1:1 coaching add-ons—I’d shortlist Circle, Kajabi, and Maven, but they’re optimized for different businesses.

My pick: Circle

circle.so is probably the best fit if your mastermind is fundamentally a high-touch community experience, rather than a traditional course.

It gives you:

• Cohort-based programs with fixed start/end dates.
• A private community where each cohort can have its own space.
• Live sessions, events, discussions, Q&As and coaching.
• Paid memberships and different offers/tiered access.
• Built-in payments, landing pages, email/automation and access control.
• The ability to sell additional products/offers to existing members. Circle Circle

That makes a structure like this relatively natural:

Mastermind → $X/month or $X/cohort
↳ Private cohort community
↳ Weekly group calls
↳ Resources/templates
↳ Office hours

Optional upgrade → 1:1 Coaching
↳ 3 private sessions
↳ VIP implementation support
↳ Higher-touch package

Circle's Professional plan is currently $89/month, with Business at $199/month. Circle

Runner-up: Kajabi

kajabi.com is better if selling and marketing the offer is as important as delivering the mastermind.

Kajabi is particularly strong for the 1:1 add-on side: it supports individual and group coaching, tiered packages, upsells, bundled offers, payments, scheduling and automated follow-up. Kajabi

I'd choose Kajabi if your business looks more like:

Audience → webinar/content → sales funnel → mastermind → coaching upsell → additional products

rather than:

Mastermind → community → relationships → recurring membership

Maven is interesting—but I'd put it third for you

maven.com is excellent if you're selling a professional cohort-based program and want the platform itself to help with cohort enrollment.

Its waitlist mechanics are particularly good: it can collect waitlist leads, automatically notify the waitlist when a cohort opens, and move a cohort back to a waitlist after the payment/application deadline. Maven Help Center Maven Help Center

It also has a built-in audience/discovery marketplace. Maven Help Center

The problem for your model is that a mastermind + bespoke 1:1 relationship is a little different from Maven's core "cohort course" paradigm. You'd likely end up wanting another system for some of the high-touch coaching operations.

How I'd rank them for you

The setup I'd use

If you're selling a premium mastermind, I'd make the customer journey:

Landing page
→ Apply / Join waitlist
→ Limited cohort (e.g. 8–12 people)
→ Private Circle space
→ Weekly mastermind
→ VIP 1:1 coaching upgrade
→ Alumni / next cohort

The important distinction is that I wouldn't build this like an online course. Your scarce asset is access to you and the other members, so the platform should make the community and cohort experience feel premium.

Bottom line: Circle for the core business; Kajabi if you're building a larger marketing/funnel ecosystem around it. Maven would be my choice if your offer is closer to a structured professional course than a relationship-driven mastermind.

For your model—high-ticket mastermind cohorts + limited seats + waitlists + optional private 1:1 coaching—I’d put Circle at #1.

My ranking

🥇 Circle — my pick for you

Circle is particularly well suited to a premium mastermind because the actual client experience can live in the same place as your selling and administration.

Circle supports courses, cohorts, group sessions, events, discussions, payments, subscriptions, access control, email/automations and segmentation. Circle Circle

That lets you structure something like:

Mastermind → Cohort → 12 seats

• Application / waitlist
• Enrollment opens
• Payment → automatically grants access
• Private cohort space
• Weekly mastermind calls
• Resources/course material
• Peer discussion
• Announcements
• Optional "VIP 1:1 Coaching" upgrade
• Separate private space/session access for VIP clients

The important part is that you're not really selling a "course." You're selling access to you + a curated group + transformation. Circle's community-centric architecture fits that much better than a conventional LMS.

circle.so

Circle currently lists its Professional plan at $89/month, with courses, discussions, events, website builder, live rooms/streams, paid memberships and analytics included. Circle

🥈 Kajabi — if your priority is selling

Kajabi would be my choice if your business is becoming more of a marketing machine: email funnels, landing pages, offers, payments, upsells, coaching products, etc.

Kajabi explicitly supports cohort courses, coaching programs, communities and offers, with checkout, payment plans, subscriptions and upsell functionality. Kajabi Kajabi

So a sophisticated funnel could be:

Waitlist → application → cohort offer → checkout → VIP 1:1 upsell

That's excellent for monetization.

The downside: for an intimate mastermind where member-to-member interaction is part of the product, I prefer Circle.

kajabi.com

🥉 Mighty Networks — excellent if community is the product

Mighty Networks is also very compelling. It combines community, courses, events, live streaming, messaging, paid memberships and subgroups. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

I'd choose Mighty over Circle if your mastermind is becoming a large ongoing membership/community rather than a relatively small number of premium cohorts.

It also has particularly strong native mobile/community functionality. Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

What I'd actually build

For your business, I'd avoid making the platform too complicated.

I'd create three offers:

1. Mastermind — $X

• 8–15 seats
• Fixed start/end date
• Application required
• Weekly group call
• Private cohort community
• Curriculum/resources

2. Mastermind + 1:1 — $X + premium

• Everything above
• 2–4 private sessions
• Priority access
• Possibly asynchronous Voxer/DM support

3. Waitlist

• No payment
• Collect application + email
• Automatically notify when a seat opens
• Give waitlist members first access

Circle is particularly attractive because its payments/access-control and community experience can live together rather than forcing you to stitch several systems together. Circle Circle

One important caveat

If by "waitlist" you mean true seat-controlled enrollment—e.g. exactly 12 seats, automatically close enrollment at 12, then maintain a queue and automatically offer a newly available seat to the next person—I'd evaluate the exact workflow before committing. That's more specialized than simply having a waitlist landing page.

My recommendation: start with Circle + Stripe + Zoom/Calendar if needed, rather than building a Frankenstein stack. If you're selling $3k–$20k+ masterminds, the client experience and simplicity are more important than having every possible marketing feature.

If you tell me your typical cohort price, number of seats, cohort length, and whether applications are required, I can map out the exact stack and enrollment/waitlist flow I'd use.

Mighty Networks is also very compelling. It combines community, courses, events, live streaming, messaging, paid memberships and subgroups. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

I'd choose Mighty over Circle if your mastermind is becoming a large ongoing membership/community rather than a relatively small number of premium cohorts.

It also has particularly strong native mobile/community functionality. Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

What I'd actually build

For your business, I'd avoid making the platform too complicated.

I'd create three offers:

1. Mastermind — $X

• 8–15 seats
• Fixed start/end date
• Application required
• Weekly group call
• Private cohort community
• Curriculum/resources

2. Mastermind + 1:1 — $X + premium

• Everything above
• 2–4 private sessions
• Priority access
• Possibly asynchronous Voxer/DM support

3. Waitlist

• No payment
• Collect application + email
• Automatically notify when a seat opens
• Give waitlist members first access

Circle is particularly attractive because its payments/access-control and community experience can live together rather than forcing you to stitch several systems together.

One important caveat

For mastermind groups + private coaching, I’d put Circle at #1 overall, with Kajabi as the stronger choice if your priority is marketing automation and selling high-ticket offers.

My ranking for your model

🥇 My pick: Circle

Circle is particularly well matched to a limited-seat mastermind because the community is part of the product rather than just a place to host course videos.

Circle supports courses, cohorts with fixed start/end dates, live sessions, Q&As, discussions, direct messaging, payments, subscriptions, and upsells. Circle Circle

That lets you structure something like:

Mastermind

• 12 seats
• $3,000 enrollment
• Applications → waitlist → enrollment
• Private cohort space
• Weekly group calls
• Resources/content
• Peer discussion
• Office hours

VIP upgrade

• +$1,500
• 2 private 1:1 sessions
• Private messaging
• Personalized feedback

Executive/Private Coaching

• $5,000–$10,000+
• Separate private client experience

Circle's payment system supports one-time purchases, subscriptions, trials and installment plans, and its access controls can tie payment to member access. Circle

That's a very natural fit for a "limited seats + premium upgrade" business.

circle.so

🥈 Kajabi if you're building the bigger business

Kajabi becomes more attractive if your mastermind is only one piece of a larger coaching ecosystem.

Kajabi now supports both group and 1:1 coaching, scheduling, payments, structured programs, client management, upsells, courses, email marketing, funnels and communities. Kajabi Kajabi

So you could build:

Free content/email list
↓
Mastermind waitlist
↓
Application
↓
$3–10K cohort
↓
VIP 1:1 upgrade
↓
Ongoing private coaching / alumni offer

Kajabi is especially compelling because the marketing/sales infrastructure is much more central to the platform. Its coaching product also supports upselling an additional offer after a coaching session. Kajabi

And its newer Backstage product is designed around personalized private client portals, including messaging, tasks, resources and progress visibility. Kajabi

kajabi.com

Where Maven fits

Maven is excellent if you're essentially selling a cohort-based educational program.

Its waitlist/enrollment workflow is particularly native: you can open a cohort for enrollment/applications and Maven sends its launch campaign to your waitlist when enrollment opens. Maven Help Center

I'd choose Maven over Circle if your product is:

"8-week program where I teach you X"

rather than:

"12 carefully selected people join an ongoing mastermind with me."

For a true mastermind, community + relationships + access to you are the product, which pushes me toward Circle.

What I'd actually build

If I were designing your business, I'd avoid making the platform overly complicated.

I'd have three offers:

1. Core mastermind

$2,500–$10,000+ / cohort

Limited to 8–15 people.

2. VIP mastermind

Core mastermind + $1–3K

Includes a handful of private sessions.

3. Private coaching

$1,500–$5,000+/month

For people who want significantly more access to you.

The important thing is that the waitlist should be for the cohort itself, while the 1:1 offer should be an upgrade/upsell, not a completely separate sales process.

Bottom line

Choose Circle if your mastermind's value comes primarily from the people, conversations, access, accountability and community.

Choose Kajabi if your mastermind is part of a larger personal-brand/high-ticket coaching funnel and you want email marketing, sales funnels, courses, coaching, payments and client portals under one roof.

Choose Maven if you're really selling a structured cohort course rather than a relationship-driven mastermind.

For what you described, I'd start with Circle unless you already have a substantial marketing funnel that makes Kajabi's ecosystem valuable. Circle Kajabi

For your specific model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + private 1:1 coaching add-ons—I’d choose Kajabi first, with Circle as the strongest alternative.

My ranking

🥇 Best overall: kajabi.com

The big reason is that you're not really selling a "course." You're selling a premium offer ladder:

Waitlist → Mastermind Cohort → Mastermind + 1:1 → Private Coaching

Kajabi is unusually well suited to that structure. It now supports group and 1:1 coaching, scheduling, payments, client management, community, landing pages, email, and upsells in one ecosystem. Kajabi Kajabi

Even better for you, Kajabi added limited-quantity offers: you can cap how many times an offer can be purchased and redirect people once the limit is reached. That's almost exactly the mechanism you want for a 10-, 12-, or 15-person mastermind. Kajabi

I'd structure it something like:

• Mastermind Waitlist — free
• Mastermind Cohort — 12 seats
• Mastermind + 3 Private Sessions — 4 seats
• Private 1:1 Coaching — application/invite only
• Alumni Mastermind — optional recurring offer

That gives you scarcity without having to manually manage a bunch of disconnected checkout, scheduling, email, and community tools.

Kajabi also explicitly supports upselling additional coaching after a session, which fits your premium add-on model nicely. Kajabi

🥈 Circle if the mastermind itself is the product

circle.so is the one I'd pick if the community/peer interaction is more important than the marketing funnel.

Circle has built-in community, courses, events, payments, access control, email/automations, cohorts, group sessions, and paid tiers. Circle

So if your mastermind looks like:

private community → weekly mastermind → hot seats → member introductions → ongoing peer accountability → occasional 1:1

I'd seriously consider Circle.

The distinction I'd make is:

Kajabi = business/offer engine with community attached.
Circle = community engine with monetization attached.

For a high-ticket coaching business, I slightly prefer the former.

🥉 Maven if you want cohort-specific mechanics

maven.com is particularly good if you're selling fixed-date cohorts and want a polished enrollment/waitlist experience. Maven's current workflow supports opening cohorts/applications and automatically launching enrollment communications to your waitlist. Maven Help Center

But I wouldn't make it my first choice for your model because the 1:1 premium upsell is central to your business, rather than incidental.

What I'd actually do

If you already have an audience and sell primarily through your own network:

Kajabi + Stripe + Zoom (if you prefer Zoom)

Keep the architecture extremely simple:

Landing page
↓
Join waitlist
↓
Application / qualification
↓
Choose your tier
→ Cohort only
→ Cohort + 1:1
↓
Limited seats
↓
Cohort delivery + community
↓
1:1 scheduling
↓
Alumni / next cohort

That is a much better fit than building a complicated "course business."

One particularly important point: don't make the 1:1 add-on a separate product journey. Make it a tier of the cohort offer. For example:

Mastermind — $X
12 seats
Mastermind + Private Coaching — $Y
4 seats
Includes 3 private sessions with me

That lets you monetize the people who want more access without turning your mastermind into a 1:1-heavy business. Kajabi's own current coaching guidance also highlights the hybrid group + 1:1 model as a natural premium offer structure. Kajabi

Bottom line: I'd pick Kajabi for you unless the community experience is the #1 thing you're selling. If it is, pick Circle.

If you tell me your typical cohort size, price point, cohort length, and whether people apply or buy directly, I can narrow this down to the exact setup I'd use—including the waitlist → application → checkout → 1:1 upsell flow.

For your specific model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + waitlists + premium 1:1 add-ons—I’d put Kajabi first, with Circle as the strongest alternative.

My ranking

🥇 I'd choose Kajabi for you

kajabi.com

The key reason is that your business isn't just a cohort. It's a high-ticket offer ladder:

Waitlist → Mastermind → 1:1 upgrade → ongoing/private coaching

Kajabi is unusually well suited to that.

It supports 1:1 and group coaching, scheduling, payments, client access, live video, program resources, and structured coaching programs. It also lets you sell individual sessions or packages and create post-session upsells. Kajabi Kajabi

More importantly for your limited-capacity model, Kajabi lets you put a quantity limit on an Offer and redirect people to a waitlist once the capacity is reached. Kajabi

So you could structure something like:

Mastermind

• 8 seats
• $5,000
• Starts October 1
• Application/payment → onboarding

VIP Mastermind

• 8 seats
• $8,000
• Includes mastermind + 4 private sessions

Private Coaching Add-on

• Existing mastermind members only
• $2,500 for 3 private sessions

Waitlist

• When 8 seats are gone, everyone goes to the next-cohort waitlist.

That's a much better fit than forcing everything into a generic "community membership."

🥈 Circle if the mastermind experience is the product

circle.so

I'd choose Circle instead if your differentiation is the community itself—peer relationships, discussion, accountability, live calls, member networking, etc.

Circle is particularly strong here: it combines courses, discussions, events, live sessions, messaging, memberships, and community spaces. It explicitly supports cohort-based courses with fixed start/end dates and scheduled course delivery. Circle Circle

The tradeoff is that I'd rather have Kajabi handling the commercial architecture of a coaching business—offers, upsells, coaching packages, scheduling, etc.—while Circle is arguably the nicer member experience.

Where I'd put Maven

Maven makes sense if what you're really selling is a cohort-based educational program rather than a long-term mastermind.

I'd be less inclined to use it for your model because you have an important second layer: private coaching attached to the cohort.

You don't want your tech stack to make this journey awkward:

"I joined your mastermind. Now I'd like to pay you another $3,000 for private access."

That's exactly the sort of monetization flow I'd want centralized.

The setup I'd build

If I were designing your business, I'd make the funnel:

CONTENT / REFERRALS
↓
Waitlist
↓
Application / qualification
↓
Mastermind — 6–10 seats
↓
VIP 1:1 upgrade
↓
Alumni / next cohort
↓
Ongoing private coaching

And I'd make the 1:1 offer an intentional scarcity mechanism, not just a Calendly link.

For example:

8 mastermind seats

2 VIP coaching upgrades available

Includes everything in the mastermind + 4 private sessions with you.

That creates a very clean premium ladder.

One important distinction

If you're primarily selling $5k–$20k+ masterminds, I would not choose a platform based primarily on course features.

I'd optimize for:

1. Offer architecture
2. Capacity control
3. Application + checkout
4. Waitlist
5. Upsells
6. Private-client scheduling
7. Community/member experience
8. Email automation

On that score, Kajabi is my pick for your business.

If your mastermind is extremely community-centric, I'd choose Circle instead.

If you tell me roughly what you charge for the mastermind, cohort size, cohort length, and whether people apply or simply buy, I can map out the exact Kajabi vs Circle setup—including the checkout, waitlist, VIP upgrade, and 1:1 funnel I'd use.

Where I'd put Maven

Maven makes sense if what you're really selling is a cohort-based educational program rather than a long-term mastermind.

I'd be less inclined to use it for your model because you have an important second layer: private coaching attached to the cohort.

You don't want your tech stack to make this journey awkward:

"I joined your mastermind. Now I'd like to pay you another $3,000 for private access."

That's exactly the sort of monetization flow I'd want centralized.

The setup I'd build

If I were designing your business, I'd make the funnel:

CONTENT / REFERRALS
↓
Waitlist
↓
Application / qualification
↓
Mastermind — 6–10 seats
↓
VIP 1:1 upgrade
↓
Alumni / next cohort
↓
Ongoing private coaching

And I'd make the 1:1 offer an intentional scarcity mechanism, not just a Calendly link.

For example:

8 mastermind seats

2 VIP coaching upgrades available

Includes everything in the mastermind + 4 private sessions with you.

That creates a very clean premium ladder.

One important distinction

If you're primarily selling $5k–$20k+ masterminds, I would not choose a platform based primarily on course features.

I'd optimize for:

1. Offer architecture
2. Capacity control
3. Application + checkout
4. Waitlist
5. Upsells
6. Private-client scheduling
7. Community/member experience
8. Email automation

On that score, Kajabi is my pick for your business.

If your mastermind is extremely community-centric, I'd choose Circle instead.

If you tell me roughly what you charge for the mastermind, cohort size, cohort length, and whether people apply or simply buy, I can map out the exact Kajabi vs Circle setup—including the checkout, waitlist, VIP upgrade, and 1:1 funnel I'd use.

For your specific model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + waitlists + premium 1:1 add-ons—I’d put Kajabi first, with Circle as the strongest alternative.

My ranking

🥇 I'd choose Kajabi for you

Kajabi is unusually well matched to the "cohort → deeper 1:1" revenue ladder.

You can structure something like:

Mastermind cohort — $3,000
→ 8–12 seats
→ fixed start/end dates
→ private community
→ weekly group calls
→ application/waitlist
→ limited quantity checkout

VIP mastermind — $5,000
→ same cohort
→ + 3 private 1:1 sessions

Private coaching — $2,500/month
→ available as an upsell to qualified members

Kajabi specifically supports group and 1:1 coaching, scheduling, payments, packages, upsells, and client management in the same system. Kajabi Kajabi

More importantly for your limited-capacity model, Kajabi now supports limited-quantity offers: when the specified number of purchases is reached, you can redirect people to a landing page—for example, a waitlist for the next cohort. Kajabi

That is a very good fit for a high-ticket mastermind where you don't want 100 people simply clicking "buy."

kajabi.com

🥈 Circle if the mastermind is the community

Circle would be my choice if the magic of your offer is primarily peer interaction, ongoing relationships, and community rather than your sales funnel.

Circle gives you community spaces, courses, cohorts, events, payments, access control, segmentation, and landing pages. Circle Circle

I'd particularly consider Circle if you want:

• A permanent alumni community
• A separate private space for each cohort
• Cohort-specific discussions
• Events and group calls
• Ongoing membership after the mastermind
• A polished "private club" feeling

The weakness relative to Kajabi is your 1:1 monetization/operations layer. Kajabi is more explicitly designed around coaching programs and upselling additional coaching. Kajabi Kajabi

circle.so

I wouldn't make Skool your primary platform

Skool is attractive if you mainly want a paid community with courses and discussion.

But your business sounds more like a premium expertise business with a community component, rather than a community business with some coaching attached.

That's an important distinction.

Skool's strength is simplicity and community. Kajabi's advantage is connecting lead → application → checkout → cohort → upsell → 1:1 coaching → email follow-up in one business system. Kajabi Kajabi

skool.com

The setup I'd build

If I were designing your funnel, I'd make it:

Content / referrals
↓
Mastermind landing page
↓
"Apply for next cohort"
↓
Application + qualification
↓
Accepted → pay deposit/full tuition
↓
Cohort capped at 8–12
↓
Remaining prospects → waitlist
↓
During cohort → offer VIP 1:1 upgrade
↓
End of cohort → private coaching / alumni mastermind

That architecture lets you sell scarcity without manufacturing scarcity: the cohort genuinely has a fixed number of seats.

Bottom line

Choose Kajabi if you want to build a scalable premium coaching business around your masterminds.

Choose Circle if your long-term vision is a highly valuable private community/alumni network and the community experience is the product.

For what you described, I'd start with Kajabi—especially because the limited-seat checkout + waitlist + native coaching/upsell combination maps so closely to your model. Kajabi Kajabi

If you tell me your typical cohort price, number of seats, cohort length, and whether people apply or buy directly, I can narrow this down to the exact platform + funnel I'd use.

For your model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + a waitlist + optional private 1:1 coaching upgrades—I’d narrow it to Kajabi, Circle, and Maven, with Kajabi as my overall pick.

My ranking

1. kajabi.com — my pick

I'd choose this if your mastermind is a premium business offer, rather than primarily a course.

Kajabi supports both group and 1:1 coaching, scheduling, client management, offer packaging, and upsells. It specifically supports selling individual sessions or packages and can present an upsell after a coaching session. Kajabi

That maps nicely to something like:

Mastermind

• 8–12 seats
• $5,000–$15,000
• fixed start/end dates
• application → acceptance → payment
• waitlist when full

Optional upgrades

• +$1,500: 3 private sessions
• +$3,000: 6 private sessions
• VIP: mastermind + ongoing 1:1

The big advantage is that your cohort isn't an isolated product. You can build the whole customer journey around it: lead capture → nurture → application → sale → onboarding → cohort → 1:1 upsell → alumni/next cohort.

Kajabi also says its coaching product supports live group sessions, private notes, scheduling, resources, and upsells. Kajabi

2. circle.so — best if community is the product

I'd pick Circle if the magic of your mastermind is the members interacting with each other.

Think:

private community → cohort space → weekly calls → peer accountability → hot seats → alumni community

Circle is particularly strong for private spaces, cohort-based programs, live rooms and ongoing community. Circle

The downside is that I'd be less excited about it if your business is heavily funnel/application/upsell driven. Kajabi is more naturally oriented around the commercial side of the business.

3. maven.com — best if the cohort itself is the centerpiece

Maven is purpose-built around cohort-based programs. It has explicit cohort enrollment and waitlist functionality, including launching an enrollment campaign to people on your waitlist. Maven Help Center

It's particularly attractive if you want the platform to feel like:

"Join my next 6-week mastermind"

rather than:

"Join my coaching business."

I'd put Maven ahead of Kajabi if cohort operations and discovery were your primary concerns. But for a high-ticket mastermind business with meaningful 1:1 revenue, I'd rather own the entire customer journey in Kajabi.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd build this as one core cohort offer with three levels, rather than making the 1:1 coaching a completely separate product:

Core — Mastermind
$X → group sessions + community

VIP — Mastermind + Private
$X + $Y → group + 3/6 private sessions

Private — 1:1
$Z → standalone coaching

Then use a waitlist when the cohort hits capacity and automatically invite the next people when a seat opens.

That structure makes the 1:1 upgrade feel like an obvious premium tier, rather than trying to sell coaching after someone has already bought.

Bottom line:

• Kajabi if you're building a serious premium coaching business → my recommendation
• Circle if the peer community is the main value
• Maven if you're primarily a cohort-course operator and want cohort-native infrastructure/discovery

If you tell me your typical cohort size, price point, and whether people apply or simply buy, I can narrow this down to the best setup—including exactly how I'd structure the waitlist and 1:1 upsell.

I'd pick Circle if the magic of your mastermind is the members interacting with each other.

Think:

private community → cohort space → weekly calls → peer accountability → hot seats → alumni community

Circle is particularly strong for private spaces, cohort-based programs, live rooms and ongoing community. Circle

The downside is that I'd be less excited about it if your business is heavily funnel/application/upsell driven. Kajabi is more naturally oriented around the commercial side of the business.

3. maven.com — best if the cohort itself is the centerpiece

Maven is purpose-built around cohort-based programs. It has explicit cohort enrollment and waitlist functionality, including launching an enrollment campaign to people on your waitlist. Maven Help Center

It's particularly attractive if you want the platform to feel like:

"Join my next 6-week mastermind"

rather than:

"Join my coaching business."

I'd put Maven ahead of Kajabi if cohort operations and discovery were your primary concerns. But for a high-ticket mastermind business with meaningful 1:1 revenue, I'd rather own the entire customer journey in Kajabi.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd build this as one core cohort offer with three levels, rather than making the 1:1 coaching a completely separate product:

Core — Mastermind
$X → group sessions + community

VIP — Mastermind + Private
$X + $Y → group + 3/6 private sessions

Private — 1:1
$Z → standalone coaching

Then use a waitlist when the cohort hits capacity and automatically invite the next people when a seat opens.

That structure makes the 1:1 upgrade feel like an obvious premium tier, rather than trying to sell coaching after someone has already bought.

Bottom line:

• Kajabi if you're building a serious premium coaching business → my recommendation
• Circle if the peer community is the main value
• Maven if you're primarily a cohort-course operator and want cohort-native infrastructure/discovery

If you tell me your typical cohort size, price point, and whether people apply or simply buy, I can narrow this down to the best setup—including exactly how I'd structure the waitlist and 1:1 upsell.

For mastermind groups + limited-capacity cohorts + waitlists + private 1:1 add-ons, I’d usually narrow it to three platforms. The “best” depends on whether your business is primarily community-led, cohort-program-led, or premium coaching-led.

My top pick for your model: Kajabi

Best if you sell high-ticket transformations and want one system for:

• Cohort landing pages
• Applications/waitlists
• Payments and payment plans
• Email nurture sequences
• Group coaching delivery
• Private 1:1 upgrades
• Client portals

Kajabi supports structured coaching programs, including both 1:1 and group coaching, with scheduling, resources, payments, and offers. Kajabi Kajabi It also has private client experiences for higher-touch work through Backstage. Kajabi

A setup I’d consider:

Free lead magnet → waitlist → cohort application → cohort offer → 1:1 VIP upgrade

Example offers:

• Core mastermind: $3,000–$10,000
• VIP tier: cohort + monthly private calls: $8,000–$25,000
• Executive 1:1: separate premium package

Why I like it for you: it matches a coach’s business model, not just a community.

Best for community-heavy masterminds: Circle

Choose Circle if the main value is:

• Peer relationships
• Member networking
• Accountability
• Ongoing alumni community
• Multiple cohorts living together

Circle is strong for cohort spaces and community engagement. Circle

A good structure:

• Main community - Alumni lounge
• Resource library
• Events
• Private cohort spaces - Cohort A
• Cohort B
• VIP clients handled separately through a coaching CRM

The weakness: you may need extra tools for sophisticated sales funnels, applications, and 1:1 client management.

Best pure cohort experience: Maven

Maven is excellent if your product is basically:

“Join this 8-week transformational cohort with me.”

It is built around cohort delivery and has features for private cohorts and cohort management. Maven Help Center

I’d pick Maven if:

• You run 2–6 cohorts per year
• Your curriculum is the core product
• You don’t need a large CRM/business operating system

I’d be less excited about it if your main business is premium coaching upsells.

My ranking for your specific business

The stack I’d build for a premium mastermind operator

Kajabi

• Website/landing pages
• Waitlist
• Email sequences
• Checkout
• Cohort delivery
• 1:1 offers

• Zoom

• Live sessions

• Optional Circle

• If alumni/community becomes a major asset

Your biggest asset is probably not the content — it’s the scarcity, application process, peer group quality, and access to you. I’d choose a platform that makes the buying journey feel premium rather than one that only hosts lessons.

If you tell me your approximate price point (e.g., $500, $5k, $25k+ per seat) and whether cohorts are rolling enrollment vs fixed start dates, I can narrow the recommendation further.

For mastermind groups + private coaching + limited-capacity cohorts, I’d optimize for application flow, scarcity, waitlists, community, payments, and upsells more than a traditional “course platform.”

My shortlist:

Gig Money Tips Guideflow## My recommendation by business model

1. You sell a $3k–$25k mastermind with a few seats

I’d choose:

Circle + a sales funnel tool (or Kajabi alone)

Your flow:

1. Landing page → “Apply for next cohort”
2. Application form
3. Qualification call
4. Payment plan checkout
5. Private Circle community
6. Cohort space + alumni space
7. 1:1 coaching upgrade

Circle is particularly strong when the value is partly the network and peer accountability, not just your content. Guideflow

2. You want the simplest all-in-one setup

Choose Kajabi.

A typical offer ladder:

• Free newsletter / lead magnet
• Waitlist
• Group mastermind cohort
• VIP tier (+ monthly 1:1)
• Alumni membership

Kajabi shines when you need the marketing machinery around the offer: email sequences, checkout, funnels, and multiple offers under one roof. Guideflow

3. You run cohorts repeatedly (e.g., every quarter)

Choose Maven, Circle, or Disco depending on your style.

• Maven → “I launch a cohort, teach for 8 weeks, graduate people.” Ruzuku
• Circle → “The cohort becomes a community that keeps paying.” Guideflow
• Disco → “I’m building a scalable academy with multiple programs.” Disco

For your specific use case, I’d probably build this stack:

Option A (premium coach):

• Kajabi → marketing, applications, payments, email
• Circle → mastermind experience
• Zoom → calls
• Calendly → 1:1 scheduling

Option B (leaner):

• Circle → community + cohorts
• Stripe → payments
• Tally/Typeform → applications
• Calendly → calls

Features I would not compromise on

For a limited-seat mastermind, make sure the platform supports:

• Waitlist pages
• Application forms (not just “buy now”)
• Private cohort spaces
• Separate alumni groups
• Payment plans
• Add-on offers for 1:1 coaching
• Automated onboarding emails
• Calendar/event management
• Easy duplication for the next cohort

One question changes the answer quite a bit: Are your masterminds primarily (a) a structured program with a start/end date, (b) an ongoing membership community, or (c) a high-ticket advisory group where the cohort is mostly a container for your coaching?

For mastermind groups + private coaching, I’d narrow it to Kajabi, Circle, and Maven. The best choice depends on whether your business is primarily selling transformation, building community, or selling cohorts through a marketplace.

My pick: Kajabi

Kajabi is probably the strongest fit for the model you described.

Why:

• Limited-capacity cohorts: you can package a cohort/group-coaching offer with defined dates and enrollment.
• Waitlists + launch marketing: Kajabi's email, funnels, automations, and checkout are all integrated.
• 1:1 add-ons: this is where it gets particularly attractive for you. Kajabi supports structured 1:1 coaching, scheduling, payments, client dashboards, and upsells. www.kajabi.com
• Tiered offers: you could sell something like:
  • Mastermind — $X
  • Mastermind + 2 private sessions — $X + $Y
  • VIP — mastermind + ongoing 1:1
• Upsells: someone joins the cohort and then gets offered private coaching without you having to move them into another system.
• Marketing: useful if you're selling premium programs rather than simply hosting them.

Kajabi also added date-based course dripping specifically for cohort programs, which is useful when everyone needs to progress on the same schedule. www.kajabi.com

When I'd choose Circle instead

Circle is better if the mastermind community itself is the product.

It's especially compelling if your experience is:

weekly mastermind → peer relationships → accountability → ongoing community → occasional private coaching

rather than:

structured curriculum → cohort completion → next offer.

Circle is very strong for private spaces, group coaching, live sessions, courses, and ongoing member communities. circle.so

I'd choose Circle if you want one permanent home for alumni, where Cohort 1, Cohort 2, VIP clients, etc. can have different spaces.

When I'd choose Maven

Maven is the interesting third option if you want cohort-native selling and discovery.

Maven explicitly supports waitlist-to-enrollment launches, with its system notifying your waitlist when enrollment opens. circle.sohelp.maven.com

It's excellent for a defined, premium cohort such as:

6-week Executive Leadership Mastermind — 12 seats — $5,000

But for your particular model, I'd be less enthusiastic about Maven if 1:1 coaching is a major revenue stream. Kajabi is more naturally built around having the cohort, coaching, marketing, and upsells under one roof.

How I'd rank them for your business

Bottom line: I'd use Kajabi if you're building a premium coaching business where the mastermind is the core offer and 1:1 is the high-ticket ascension path.

A particularly clean funnel would be:

Waitlist → Application → Limited-seat mastermind → checkout → onboarding → VIP/1:1 upsell → alumni/community → next cohort

That structure plays directly to Kajabi's strengths, including its ability to package coaching programs, collect payments, schedule sessions, and offer bundled/upsell products. www.kajabi.com

If your masterminds are $3k–$20k+, I'd actually evaluate the platforms somewhat differently than I would for a $500 course—the sales/application/qualification workflow becomes much more important than the course-hosting features.

For your specific model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + waitlists + premium private 1:1 add-ons—I’d put Kajabi at #1.

My ranking

Why I'd choose Kajabi

Kajabi now maps unusually well to your offer structure:

• Limited seats: you can put a quantity limit on an Offer, so enrollment closes when the cohort hits capacity. help.kajabi.comhelp.kajabi.com
• Waitlist: Kajabi has a built-in workflow for sending people from a sold-out offer to a waitlist form/landing page. help.kajabi.com
• Cohorts: its cohort-based courses support scheduled content, live sessions, and separate cohorts. help.kajabi.com
• 1:1 upsell: you can create a separate 1:1 Coaching offer and use Kajabi's scheduler for private sessions. help.kajabi.com
• Group coaching: you can create multiple groups inside a group-coaching program, which is useful if you're running several mastermind cohorts throughout the year. help.kajabi.comhelp.kajabi.com

So your funnel could look like:

Mastermind waitlist → application/enrollment → 8–12 person cohort → private 1:1 upgrade → alumni/community offer

That can all live under one ecosystem rather than stitching together a course platform + waitlist software + scheduler + payment system + email automation.

When I'd choose Circle instead

If the community itself is the product, I'd seriously consider Circle.

Circle is particularly strong for a mastermind where the value comes from ongoing interaction: discussions, DMs, live events, Q&As, courses, and community can all live together. It explicitly supports fixed-start/fixed-end cohort courses, flexible pricing and upsells, and course waitlists. circle.so

I'd choose Circle over Kajabi if your promise is something like:

"Join an elite room of 12 founders and have access to the room, relationships, conversations and me."

I'd choose Kajabi if it's more:

"Join my 12-week proprietary program, get the curriculum/coaching system, and optionally add private access to me."

Maven

Maven is attractive if you're primarily selling cohort-based educational programs. It has a launch/waitlist workflow and handles cohort enrollment around specific start/end dates. help.maven.com

But for mastermind + private coaching upsells, I wouldn't make it my first choice. Your business sounds more like a high-ticket coaching ecosystem than a conventional cohort course business.

Bottom line: I'd start with Kajabi, especially if you're planning multiple tiers such as:

• Mastermind: $2k–$10k+
• Mastermind + private coaching: $5k–$20k+
• Private coaching only: premium/high-touch
• Waitlist: automatically captures people when the cohort sells out

If you tell me your typical cohort price, cohort size, whether applications are required, and whether the 1:1 add-on is a one-off or recurring, I can narrow this down to the best platform and the exact offer architecture I'd use.

For your model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + waitlists + optional private 1:1 coaching—I’d put Kajabi first, with Mighty Networks as the strongest alternative.

My ranking

Why I'd choose Kajabi for you: it now has dedicated group and 1:1 coaching, scheduling, payments, structured programs, client management, and upsells in the same ecosystem. You can sell the cohort as the core offer and then offer a private coaching upgrade without stitching together a bunch of tools. www.kajabi.com

Its coaching system also supports packages and individual sessions, and Kajabi explicitly supports cohort-style group coaching. www.kajabi.com

The setup I'd use

I'd structure your funnel roughly like:

Mastermind landing page
→ "Apply / Join Waitlist"
→ qualified prospects enter your waitlist
→ cohort opens with X seats
→ checkout
→ onboarding + private community
→ optional 1:1 upgrade
→ post-cohort continuation offer

The important distinction is that you're not really selling a "course." You're selling a high-touch transformation with scarce access to you. So I'd optimize for offer management + payments + client experience, rather than choosing a platform primarily because it has a nice course player.

When I'd pick Mighty instead

If the community itself is a major part of the mastermind, I'd seriously consider Mighty Networks.

Mighty is particularly strong for cohort experiences because courses, events, discussion, messaging, subgroups and community live together. It also supports bundles that can include coaching, masterminds, private groups and events. www.mightynetworks.com

Its current platform specifically supports tiered plans and bundles, which could map nicely to something like:

• Mastermind — $X
• Mastermind + 2 private sessions — $Y
• Mastermind VIP — $Z
• Private coaching only — $X/month

www.mightynetworks.com

My actual recommendation

Choose Kajabi if your business is primarily you + your expertise + premium coaching.

Choose Mighty if your business is becoming a community of high-level peers that happens to include your coaching.

For a typical mastermind operator doing, say, 8–20 people per cohort with a handful of premium 1:1 clients, I'd lean Kajabi.

One caveat: I'd specifically test the waitlist mechanics before committing. "Waitlist" can mean anything from a simple lead form to a true capacity-aware queue with automatic invitations, and that's an important distinction for your use case.

If you tell me your cohort price, number of seats, cohort frequency, and whether people apply or can buy directly, I can narrow this down to the best platform and the exact stack I'd use.

For mastermind groups + private coaching, I’d pick Circle as the best overall platform.

Circle

My ranking for your model

Why I'd choose Circle

Your business isn't really a "course business." It's a high-ticket relationship business with limited seats.

Circle lets you combine:

• Private cohort spaces — one space/community per mastermind cohort
• Live events and calls
• Member discussions and accountability
• Paid access and multiple pricing options
• Upsells at checkout — useful for your 1:1 upgrade
• Different access levels for different clients
• Courses/content alongside the actual mastermind experience

Circle's current paywalls support one-time payments, subscriptions, installments and multiple pricing options, and its checkout can present an upsell immediately after the primary purchase. help.circle.so

So you could structure an offer like:

Mastermind — $5,000
→ 12 seats
→ 8 group sessions
→ private community
→ weekly accountability

Mastermind + Private Coaching — $8,500
→ everything above
→ 4 private 1:1 sessions

That is a very natural fit for Circle's access/paywall model. Circle explicitly supports selling courses, coaching, memberships and events in one ecosystem. circle.so

Where Kajabi wins

Kajabi

If your priority is marketing and selling the coaching business, rather than the actual mastermind community, I'd seriously consider Kajabi.

Its coaching product includes scheduling, payments, client management, structured programs, milestones and automated enrollment. www.kajabi.com

So:

Circle = better client experience/community

Kajabi = better business/marketing infrastructure

One caveat: waitlists

If "waitlist" means a sophisticated application → qualification → waitlist → limited-seat enrollment funnel, I wouldn't make the platform itself responsible for everything.

I'd use:

Landing page → application → qualification → waitlist → checkout → Circle

That gives you control over who gets a seat rather than simply selling seats on a first-come basis.

For a premium mastermind, that's important. You probably don't want someone paying $5–10K without first being approved.

My recommended stack

For your specific business, I'd probably build:

Circle → community, cohort delivery, calls, content, payments
Stripe → payments
Calendly → 1:1 scheduling if Circle's scheduling isn't sufficient
Your email CRM → waitlist/nurture/application follow-up

And create three offers rather than trying to make one product do everything:

1. Waitlist — free
2. Mastermind — limited cohort
3. Mastermind + 1:1 — limited even further

That gives you a very clean ascension path.

If you're selling $3K–$20K+ masterminds, I'd choose Circle over Maven. Maven is excellent when the core product is a structured cohort course; Circle is better when the community and ongoing relationship are the product. Maven's own current discovery system is also oriented around course marketplace discovery and building waitlist momentum. help.maven.com

If you tell me your typical cohort price, number of seats, cohort length, and whether applications are required, I can recommend the exact stack and funnel I'd use—including how I'd set up the waitlist and 1:1 upsell.

For your specific model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + waitlists + premium 1:1 add-ons—I’d narrow it to Circle, Kajabi, and Mighty Networks, with Circle as my first choice.

🥇 My pick: Circle

For a mastermind business, I'd favor Circle because your community itself is part of the product.

You can structure it something like:

Mastermind
→ Application / waitlist
→ Cohort 1
→ Private cohort space
→ Weekly group calls
→ Resources/content
→ Member discussions
→ Optional 1:1 coaching upgrade

Circle supports gated spaces, paid access, courses/events and live interaction, which makes it particularly well suited to a premium cohort rather than just a conventional online course. www.mightynetworks.com

Circle

🥈 Kajabi if your biggest priority is selling

I'd choose Kajabi instead if your business is heavily dependent on:

• landing pages
• email sequences
• sales funnels
• payment plans
• lead nurturing
• selling multiple offers
• 1:1 coaching alongside group programs

Kajabi now supports Courses, Communities, Coaching, and marketing in one platform, including scheduling/payment functionality for coaching. help.kajabi.com

Kajabi

The tradeoff is that I think Circle gives you a better premium mastermind experience, whereas Kajabi gives you a better marketing/sales machine.

🥉 Mighty Networks if community is the moat

Mighty Networks is compelling if you envision eventually having a broader ecosystem:

Free audience → paid community → mastermind → VIP mastermind + 1:1 → alumni membership

Mighty supports courses, events, community, livestreaming and paid bundles, so it can accommodate a fairly sophisticated membership ecosystem. www.mightynetworks.com

Mighty Networks

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd build the offer architecture around capacity, rather than around the platform:

Waitlist
→ “Apply for the next mastermind”

Core offer
→ 8–12 people
→ 8–12 weeks
→ weekly group session
→ private community
→ resources/templates

VIP upgrade
→ mastermind + 2 or 4 private 1:1 sessions
→ deliberately capped at, say, 3–4 people

Alumni
→ optional ongoing community/membership

That makes the scarcity real: the mastermind has limited seats, while the 1:1 upgrade has an even tighter capacity constraint.

One important distinction: I wouldn't pick Maven for this unless the mastermind is essentially a cohort-based course. Maven is excellent at the cohort-course model and has strong waitlist/launch mechanics, but your business sounds more like a high-ticket relationship/community business than a course business. www.mightynetworks.commaven.com

My ranking for you:

1. Circle — best overall for premium mastermind cohorts
2. Kajabi — best if sales/marketing automation is the priority
3. Mighty Networks — best if you're building a larger community ecosystem
4. Maven — best if the offer is primarily a structured cohort course

If you tell me your typical cohort price, number of seats, cohort length, and whether people apply or simply buy, I can give you a much more definitive recommendation—including the exact setup I'd use for the waitlist → checkout → cohort → 1:1 upsell flow.

For your model—premium mastermind cohorts + limited seats + waitlists + optional private 1:1 coaching—I’d shortlist Circle, Kajabi, and Maven, but my top pick is Circle.

My ranking

1. Circle — probably the best fit

Circle is particularly strong if the mastermind itself is the product, rather than simply a course delivered to a group.

You can combine:

• A sales/landing page
• Paid cohort enrollment
• Private community spaces
• Cohort-specific discussion areas
• Live sessions/events
• Office hours
• Direct messaging
• Membership/subscription tiers
• Upsells
• Courses/resources
• Automations and segmentation

Circle explicitly supports cohort courses with fixed start/end dates, plus coaching sessions, live Q&As and events. Its current Professional plan is $89/month and Business is $199/month; workflows and more advanced customization are on Business. circle.so

The architecture I'd use for you:

Mastermind → private Circle space → weekly group calls → community → optional "Private Coaching" upgrade

That creates a very natural premium experience.

2. Kajabi — choose this if you're really selling coaching

Kajabi is stronger if your business looks more like:

Content/marketing → application/sales → coaching program → 1:1 upsell → email follow-up

Its coaching product supports structured programs, scheduling, payments, client dashboards, private notes, individual sessions, packages, and post-session upsells. It also supports group coaching. circle.sowww.kajabi.comhelp.maven.comcircle.so

So if you're personally spending a lot of time with clients and expect 1:1 coaching to become a significant percentage of revenue, I'd seriously consider Kajabi over Circle.

The tradeoff: Circle generally feels more like a high-end mastermind/community, while Kajabi feels more like a digital coaching business operating system.

3. Maven — excellent for cohort launches, less ideal for your exact model

Maven is extremely good at the "limited cohort → waitlist → enrollment window → cohort starts" model.

It has built-in waitlist functionality, automated waitlist emails, cohort launch campaigns, and the ability to close enrollment and automatically turn the landing page into a waitlist page. help.maven.com

It even recommends applications when you have a deliberately small cohort—for example, 10 seats with substantially more demand. help.maven.com

But I'd favor Maven if you're selling a cohort-based course.

For a true mastermind where the ongoing relationships, conversations, community, and access to you are part of the value proposition, I'd rather have Circle.

What I'd build in your shoes

I'd structure your offer as three tiers:

Tier 1 — Mastermind

• 8–12 seats
• Fixed cohort dates
• Weekly/biweekly group sessions
• Private community
• Group accountability
• Resources/templates

Tier 2 — Mastermind + Private Coaching

• Everything above
• X private sessions with you
• Priority access
• Personalized implementation/accountability

Tier 3 — 1:1 Coaching

• Separate premium offer
• Application required
• Limited number of clients

Then use the waitlist as the default state whenever the cohort is full, rather than sending people to a generic "sold out" page.

That matters psychologically: you're not saying "no." You're saying "this is selective; get in line for the next opening."

My actual recommendation

If you're already generating your own audience through LinkedIn, email, referrals, podcasting, etc.:

→ Circle

If you're building a broader coaching business with funnels, email marketing, courses and lots of 1:1:

→ Kajabi

If your core product is a structured, repeatable educational cohort:

→ Maven

For a premium mastermind operator, I'd pick Circle + a scheduling tool for the 1:1 component rather than trying to force everything into a course platform. Circle's current platform already combines courses, community, events, payments, memberships and coaching-oriented experiences, which makes it particularly well suited to this model. circle.so

If you tell me your typical cohort price (e.g. $2k/$5k/$10k+), cohort size, and whether the mastermind runs continuously or in 8–12 week cycles, I can narrow this down to the best setup—including exactly how I'd handle applications → waitlist → payment → seat limits → 1:1 upsells.

For your model—premium mastermind cohorts + private 1:1 coaching add-ons + genuinely limited seats + waitlists—I’d narrow it to Kajabi vs. Maven vs. Circle.

My pick: Kajabi

Kajabi is probably the best fit if you are building a coaching business/brand, rather than primarily selling courses.

Why:

• Cohort/group coaching: Kajabi supports structured group coaching programs and cohort-style delivery. www.kajabi.com
• 1:1 add-ons: You can sell individual sessions, multi-session packages, and upsells after coaching sessions. www.kajabi.com
• Offers/checkout: You can package different tiers—e.g. mastermind only, mastermind + 1:1, VIP/private coaching—and sell them through offers. www.kajabi.com
• Private client experience: Its Backstage product is specifically designed for premium 1:1 client portals. www.kajabi.com
• You can keep your website, email marketing, payments, checkout, coaching delivery and client management under one roof.

The big advantage for you is that you can make the business architecture look something like:

Mastermind
→ 8 seats
→ $X / cohort
→ application or checkout
→ cohort community/content/live calls

Mastermind + VIP
→ 8 seats
→ $X + premium
→ same cohort
→ 2–4 private sessions

Private Coaching
→ separate high-ticket offer
→ application/book-a-call
→ private client portal

That is much closer to a premium advisory business than a conventional online course business.

When I'd choose Maven instead

Maven is arguably better if the cohort itself is the product and you want a very polished enrollment/waitlist experience.

Maven has unusually strong cohort mechanics: waitlists, applications, enrollment, cohort management and automated waitlist/enrollment emails are built around the cohort model. help.maven.com

It also has a marketplace/discovery engine, which could potentially bring you new prospects. maven.com

But: for your specific model, I'd hesitate to make Maven the core platform if private 1:1 coaching is a meaningful revenue stream. Maven is optimized around cohort-based education; Kajabi is more naturally suited to the broader expert/coaching business.

Circle is the wildcard

Circle is the one I'd consider if the community experience is the heart of your mastermind.

Circle combines community, courses, events, live rooms, memberships and payments. Its current Professional plan is $89/month, while Business is $199/month. circle.so

You could create:

• Cohort A community
• Cohort B community
• alumni community
• VIP/private spaces
• live mastermind calls
• paid tiers
• recurring memberships

Circle supports different membership tiers, subscriptions, one-time payments and access controls for specific spaces. circle.so

Its weakness for you: I'd still rather have Kajabi handling the premium offer architecture + coaching business and Circle handling the community if community is exceptionally important.

How I'd rank them for your business

One important distinction

If you're selling $5k–$25k masterminds, I wouldn't optimize primarily for "course platform" features.

I'd optimize for:

Application → qualification → limited seats → payment → onboarding → cohort experience → VIP upsell → alumni/re-enrollment

That's why I'd lean Kajabi for you.

If your mastermind is more like "10 executives, 6 weeks, $3,000, live curriculum", I'd seriously consider Maven.

If it's more like "8 founders, ongoing peer group, intimate community, weekly calls, occasional 1:1, recurring membership", I'd lean Circle.

If you tell me roughly your price per cohort, cohort size, duration, and whether you want applications vs. direct checkout, I can recommend the exact platform + setup I'd use.

For mastermind groups + private coaching, I’d shortlist Kajabi, Circle, and Maven—but my default pick would be Kajabi if you want one system to run the whole business.

My ranking for your model

\*Kajabi can limit an offer by quantity and redirect people once capacity is reached, which is particularly useful for a scarce-seat mastermind. www.kajabi.com

🥇 I'd choose Kajabi if I were you

Your business isn't really a "course business." It's an offer ladder:

Waitlist → Limited-seat mastermind → optional private 1:1 → alumni/next cohort

Kajabi maps nicely onto that. It supports courses/cohorts, coaching, communities, offers, payments, upsells and email automation in the same ecosystem. www.kajabi.com

A setup I'd use:

• Mastermind landing page → application/waitlist
• Cohort offer → e.g. 8–12 seats
• Capacity reached → automatically send visitors to "Join the next cohort" / waitlist page
• Checkout → mastermind only
• Upsell/add-on → "Add 3 private coaching sessions"
• Post-purchase automation → onboarding, scheduling, reminders
• Alumni offer → next cohort or ongoing private coaching

That gives you a clean way to sell scarcity without making the sales process feel hacked together.

🥈 Circle if the mastermind is the community

I'd pick Circle if the value proposition is heavily based on peer interaction, ongoing community, discussion, accountability and alumni relationships.

Circle puts courses, discussions, live events, memberships and automations into the same community environment. circle.so

So if you're thinking:

"People aren't just buying my coaching—they're buying access to a room of exceptional people."

Circle may actually be better than Kajabi.

🥉 Maven if cohorts are your entire business

Maven is unusually good if your primary product is a premium, time-bound cohort. It is built around cohort launches, enrollment, waitlists and live delivery, and also has marketplace discovery. maven.com

The downside for your particular model is that private 1:1 coaching becomes less central. If you're going to have a substantial coaching upsell, I'd rather own the entire customer journey in Kajabi.

The important distinction

I'd make the decision based on what you're ultimately selling:

"Join my 8-person mastermind and get transformed."
→ Kajabi

"Join this elite community of 50 operators and participate in masterminds/coaching."
→ Circle

"Join my 6-week live expert-led cohort."
→ Maven

For mastermind + private coaching + limited seats + waitlist, Kajabi is my strongest recommendation.

If you tell me your approximate price per mastermind seat (e.g. $2k, $5k, $10k+) and whether people apply before paying, I can narrow this down further—the ideal setup changes quite a bit at high-ticket pricing.

For mastermind groups + private coaching, I’d optimize for something slightly different from a normal “course platform.” Your key requirements are:

1. Limited seats — e.g. 8–15 people, with enrollment closing automatically.
2. Waitlist — capture demand after the cohort fills.
3. Cohort experience — dates, live sessions, resources, community.
4. Premium 1:1 upsell — easily sell a private coaching tier/add-on.
5. Good checkout + automation — deposits, payment plans, onboarding, reminders, upsells.
6. Ideally, one client experience, rather than stitching together 5 apps.

My ranking for your model

🥇 I'd pick Kajabi for you

Kajabi is probably the strongest fit if you're building a high-ticket coaching business rather than simply selling a cohort course.

Kajabi supports both group and 1:1 coaching, built-in scheduling, live sessions, payment collection, community, email automation, funnels, upsells, and payment plans. It also lets you sell individual sessions or packages and create upsells after coaching sessions. www.kajabi.com

That maps very nicely to an offer ladder like:

Mastermind → Mastermind + private coaching → VIP 1:1

For example:

• Mastermind: $3,000 — 10 seats
• Mastermind + 3 private sessions: $5,000 — 3 seats
• Private coaching: $12,000 — 2 seats
• Next cohort waitlist: automatically opens when full

The important distinction is that you're selling access to you and a transformation, not just content. Kajabi is particularly strong when the cohort is one part of a larger business with funnels, email, coaching, memberships, and higher-ticket offers. www.kajabi.com

🥈 Maven if the cohort itself is the product

Maven is more compelling if your business is fundamentally cohort-based.

It's purpose-built around cohort launches, enrollment, waitlists, live delivery, and community. Maven also has marketplace/discovery functionality, which can help if you want the platform to contribute to customer acquisition. maven.com

I'd choose Maven over Kajabi if your model is:

“I run a premium 6-week mastermind six times a year.”

I'd choose Kajabi if it's:

“I run masterminds, sell private coaching, nurture leads, have multiple offers, and want this to become a substantial coaching business.”

🥉 Circle if the community is the mastermind

Circle becomes very attractive if the value proposition is primarily peer relationships + ongoing community + your facilitation.

Circle supports paid community/paywall models, including examples of cohort programs with waitlists and different coaching tiers. circle.sowww.kajabi.com

I'd use Circle when you want something like:

Application → paid mastermind → private community → monthly calls → alumni community → optional 1:1 coaching

rather than a conventional course curriculum.

One underrated option: Podia

Podia is worth considering if you want something simpler. Its current functionality allows you to set automatic signup limits on products, events, and plans, which is directly relevant to limited-capacity cohorts. help.podia.com

But for a premium mastermind business, I'd probably spend the extra money for Kajabi unless simplicity is your overriding concern.

What I'd do in your shoes

Kajabi + an application-first funnel.

Don't make your mastermind look like a $97 online course where someone simply clicks “Buy.”

I'd structure the funnel:

Landing page
↓
Apply for the next cohort
↓
Application/qualification
↓
Accepted → checkout
↓
8–12 seats available
↓
Cohort fills → waitlist automatically
↓
Offer accepted applicants a VIP 1:1 upgrade

And I'd make the 1:1 option a distinct premium tier, rather than trying to bolt it on after someone purchases.

That lets you turn one cohort into a natural ascension path:

Waitlist → Mastermind → Mastermind + 1:1 → Private coaching → Alumni/referral

Bottom line: Kajabi is my pick for your particular business model. Maven is the better specialist if you're primarily a cohort-course operator; Circle is the better choice if your mastermind is fundamentally a community. www.kajabi.com

For your specific model—limited-capacity mastermind cohorts + a waitlist + premium private 1:1 add-ons—I’d shortlist Kajabi, Circle, and Maven, with Kajabi as my default recommendation.

My ranking

1. 🥇 Kajabi — best fit for your business

If you're selling something like:

8-person mastermind — $5,000
→ application/waitlist
→ cohort onboarding
→ weekly group calls
→ private community
→ optional $1,500 private coaching package

I'd choose Kajabi.

It lets you put the marketing funnel, checkout, email automation, course/program delivery, coaching, and customer journey under one roof. Kajabi also specifically supports selling additional 1:1 coaching sessions to existing coaching clients, without requiring them to repurchase the entire program. help.kajabi.comwww.kajabi.comcircle.so

That's unusually well aligned with your model because the natural customer ladder becomes:

Waitlist → Mastermind → 1:1 upgrade → next cohort / alumni offer

You can also use date-based course delivery for cohorts rather than treating everything as an evergreen course. help.kajabi.comwww.kajabi.comcircle.so

Kajabi

2. 🥈 Circle — choose this if the community is the product

I'd choose Circle over Kajabi if your mastermind is primarily about peer interaction, accountability, discussion, networking, and ongoing community rather than structured curriculum.

Circle combines courses, discussions, events, live rooms, memberships, payments and website functionality. Its current Professional plan is $89/month and Business is $199/month. circle.so

It's particularly attractive if you envision:

• Cohort A
• Cohort B
• Alumni community
• VIP/private mastermind
• Private 1:1 clients
• Events/workshops
• Ongoing membership

all living inside the same community ecosystem.

Circle

My hesitation: for a high-ticket coaching business where the sales funnel and 1:1 monetization are as important as the community, Kajabi has the more natural business infrastructure.

3. 🥉 Maven — excellent if cohorts are the core product

Maven is purpose-built around cohort-based education. It has cohort enrollment, waitlist functionality, landing pages, Stripe payments, email campaigns, and cohort scheduling. It also explicitly supports opening enrollment to your waitlist when a cohort launches. maven.com

The catch for you is that Maven is optimized around selling the cohort itself, whereas your business sounds more like an expert/coaching business that happens to use cohorts.

Maven takes 10% of course revenue (plus Stripe fees), so I'd also think carefully about that economics if you're selling $5k–$15k programs. maven.com

Maven

What I'd build for you

If I were designing the funnel, I'd make it:

1. Waitlist
→ "Apply for the next Mastermind"

2. Application
→ qualifying questions
→ desired outcome
→ current situation
→ willingness/ability to invest

3. Acceptance
→ personalized acceptance email
→ checkout for the cohort

4. Cohort
→ 6–10 people max
→ weekly group session
→ private community
→ resources/frameworks

5. 1:1 upgrade
During the cohort:

"Want individual attention on your specific business? Add 3 private coaching sessions."

This is where Kajabi's native additional-session functionality becomes particularly useful. help.kajabi.com

6. Post-cohort
→ alumni community
→ next mastermind
→ ongoing advisory
→ higher-ticket private coaching

The key distinction

I'd make the decision this way:

Choose Kajabi if: you're building a coaching business with cohorts.

Choose Circle if: you're building a community/business where the mastermind is the community.

Choose Maven if: you're primarily building and repeatedly launching standalone cohort programs.

For what you described, I'd pick Kajabi. It gives you the cleanest path from lead → waitlist → limited cohort → 1:1 upsell → recurring/high-ticket relationship without having to stitch together several systems. help.kajabi.com

If you tell me your typical cohort price, cohort size, program length, and whether applications are required, I can narrow this down to the exact stack I'd use (including whether you even need Kajabi, or whether a much cheaper setup would be better).

For your model—limited-seat mastermind cohorts + a waitlist + optional/private 1:1 coaching upgrades—I’d put Kajabi first, with Circle as the strongest alternative.

My ranking

🥇 Kajabi — best fit if selling is the priority

I’d choose Kajabi if your business is fundamentally a high-ticket coaching business with cohorts as the product.

It supports cohort courses, group coaching, 1:1 coaching, payments, offers, scheduling, and upsells in the same ecosystem. Its checkout can also enforce limited quantities, and when the limit is reached you can redirect people to a landing page—useful for a “12 seats only → join the waitlist” model. www.kajabi.comwww.kajabi.com

A clean offer structure could be:

Mastermind Cohort — $X
→ 10–15 seats
→ application/checkout
→ cohort community + calls

Mastermind + Private Coaching — $Y
→ everything above
→ 2–4 private sessions

Private Coaching — $Z
→ standalone 1:1 package

That makes the 1:1 component an actual upsell, rather than something you have to manage separately. Kajabi explicitly supports selling individual sessions and packages and upselling clients into additional offers. www.kajabi.comwww.kajabi.com

Kajabi

🥈 Circle — better if the mastermind is the community

I'd pick Circle if the value proposition is primarily:

“Join this intimate group of exceptional people and have an ongoing place to learn, connect and get coached.”

Circle combines community, courses, events, live sessions, memberships, payments and automations. It also specifically supports cohorts, live sessions, coaching, upsells and paid memberships. circle.so

For a mastermind, I actually prefer Circle's member experience to Kajabi's. You can have:

• Main mastermind space
• Private cohort space
• Weekly discussion
• Live calls
• Resources
• Member directory
• DMs
• Separate VIP/1:1 space
• Alumni community

That feels much more like an actual private mastermind than an online course.

Circle

🥉 Mighty Networks — strong community alternative

Mighty is particularly good if you're building toward a larger membership ecosystem around your masterminds. It combines community, courses, events, livestreaming, memberships and messaging, with native mobile apps. www.mightynetworks.com

I'd favor it over Circle if you expect the business eventually to look like:

Free audience → paid membership → mastermind → advanced mastermind → events

rather than primarily:

Marketing → application → high-ticket mastermind → private coaching

Mighty Networks

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with Kajabi if your biggest problem is selling and monetizing limited-capacity programs.

Start with Circle if your biggest differentiator is the quality of the mastermind community itself.

And there's an important distinction:

• Kajabi = business/coaching operating system
• Circle = premium community operating system
• Mighty = community/membership ecosystem

For high-ticket mastermind + optional 1:1, my lean is Kajabi because the ability to package the cohort, enforce seat limits, collect payment, schedule coaching and sell upgrades in one commercial system maps unusually well to your model. www.kajabi.comwww.kajabi.com

If you tell me your cohort price, number of seats, whether people apply before paying, and whether the mastermind is ongoing or 6/8/12 weeks, I can narrow this down to the best setup—including exactly how I'd structure the waitlist → application → payment → 1:1 upsell funnel.