ChatGPT answers, unedited

If you’re a complete beginner with no development skills, I’d narrow it to Mighty Networks, Circle, and Skool.

My recommendation: Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is a particularly good fit for what you described because it puts paid memberships, discussion, events, payments, and member profiles in one place. You can create recurring or one-time memberships, run online/in-person events, and organize discussions without building a website from scratch. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Its current Launch plan is $79/month ($950/year if billed annually), with a 14-day trial and no credit card required. It also supports unlimited members on the plan, although transaction fees apply. Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

How I'd compare the main options

Circle is worth considering if you want a particularly polished, structured community experience. Its model revolves around “Spaces” for discussions, events, and courses, and it also includes website-building tools. Mighty Networks

Skool is the simpler/leaner alternative if you don't need lots of customization. It combines a community, courses, events, and membership payments, with relatively little to configure. Mighty Networks

What I'd choose for your situation

If your idea is something like:

“People pay $20–$50/month to join a private community, participate in discussions, and attend regular live events.”

I'd start with Mighty Networks.

You could set it up roughly like:

• Home — welcome + announcements
• Discussion — member conversations/questions
• Events — weekly/monthly Zoom or in-person events
• Member directory — people can find each other
• Resources — guides, recordings, etc.
• Paid membership — monthly or annual subscription
• Private spaces — optional groups for different member types

You wouldn't need to code any of that. Mighty also supports payments directly, including subscriptions, installments, promo codes, and multiple currencies. Mighty Networks

One important caveat: $79/month is meaningful when you're just starting. If you tell me roughly how much you want to charge members (e.g. $10, $25, $50/month), expected number of members, and whether events are Zoom/online or in-person, I can compare the actual costs and setup difficulty of Mighty vs Circle vs Skool for your specific idea.

How I'd compare the main options

Circle is worth considering if you want a particularly polished, structured community experience. Its model revolves around “Spaces” for discussions, events, and courses, and it also includes website-building tools. Mighty Networks

Skool is the simpler/leaner alternative if you don't need lots of customization. It combines a community, courses, events, and membership payments, with relatively little to configure. Mighty Networks

What I'd choose for your situation

If your idea is something like:

“People pay $20–$50/month to join a private community, participate in discussions, and attend regular live events.”

I'd start with Mighty Networks.

You could set it up roughly like:

For a beginner with no development skills who wants a paid membership community + events + discussions, I’d avoid building a website from scratch. Use an all-in-one community platform that handles payments, member access, posts, and events. Best No Code Platform HeySummit

Here are the strongest options:

1. Circle — Best overall for a professional paid community

Best for: A membership business, mastermind, professional network, niche community, or creator community.

You get:

• Paid memberships and subscription access
• Discussion spaces (like forums)
• Events and live sessions
• Member profiles
• Courses/content areas
• A more branded, premium feel HeySummit

Why beginners like it:

• Very little technical setup
• Members usually understand the interface quickly
• You can grow into more advanced features later

Downside:

• It can feel expensive when you’re just starting, especially before you have paying members. Guideflow

My fit rating for your situation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

2. Mighty Networks — Best if events and engagement are the heart of the community

Best for: Clubs, interest groups, coaching communities, fitness groups, learning communities.

Strengths:

• Strong community feel
• Events built into the experience
• Good mobile experience
• Supports memberships and courses HeySummit

Downside:

• More features can mean more things to configure.

My fit rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

3. Skool — Easiest “launch fast” option

Best for: A simple paid group, especially if you also sell coaching or a course.

Strengths:

• Very simple interface
• Combines community discussions and course content
• Designed around participation and recurring memberships SaaSPare

Downside:

• Less flexibility for branding and complex community structures. Arythmatic Connect

My fit rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

4. Patreon — Best if you mainly sell access to your content

Best for: Creators, newsletters, podcasts, artists, educators.

Strengths:

• Very easy paid tiers
• Members already know the concept
• Minimal setup

Downside:

• The community/discussion experience is less robust than community-first platforms. Arythmatic Connect

My fit rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

My recommendation for a beginner

Choose based on your community type:

If you are starting from zero and want something you can launch in a weekend, I’d shortlist:

1. Circle (most “business-ready”)
2. Skool (simplest)
3. Mighty Networks (best for event-heavy communities)

A simple beginner setup would be:

• Landing page: Carrd or your platform’s built-in page
• Community: Circle / Skool / Mighty Networks
• Payments: built-in membership checkout
• Events: built-in calendar + Zoom links
• Email: Mailchimp or Kit

If you tell me what kind of community you want to create (e.g., local meetup, coaching, professional network, hobby group, paid newsletter, course community) and your expected member count (50, 500, 5,000), I can narrow it down to one choice.

If you are starting from zero and want something you can launch in a weekend, I’d shortlist:

1. Circle (most “business-ready”)
2. Skool (simplest)
3. Mighty Networks (best for event-heavy communities)

A simple beginner setup would be:

If you're a complete beginner with no development skills, I'd strongly recommend Circle.

circle.so is probably the best fit for what you described: a paid membership community + events + discussions, without needing to stitch several tools together.

My shortlist

• 🥇 Circle — best overall for you

• Paid monthly/annual memberships
• Discussion spaces and chat
• Events, RSVPs, reminders, and live sessions
• Member directory and profiles
• Website builder and custom domain
• Courses if you eventually want educational content
• Professional plan is currently $89/month, with a 14-day trial. Circle Circle
• Best if: you want something polished and professional that you can grow into.
• 🥈 Mighty Networks — best if community engagement is the main product

• Paid memberships
• Discussions/feed and chat
• Events and livestreaming
• Courses
• Native iOS/Android apps
• Particularly strong if you want your community to feel like its own social network. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks
• Best if: you're building a highly social membership rather than primarily a content library.
• 🥉 Skool — simplest

• Community discussions
• Paid subscriptions
• Courses
• Events
• Very little setup; Skool explicitly says you can get a community running in under 30 minutes without integrating other tools. Skool
• Best if: you want the simplest possible setup and don't care as much about sophisticated branding/customization.

What I'd choose

For your first community, I'd go:

Circle → paid membership → discussion areas → event calendar → occasional live events.

You don't need a website, developer, separate forum, or complicated membership system. Circle's current Professional plan already includes discussions, events, paid memberships, a website builder, live streams, custom branding, and a custom domain. Circle

A very simple starting structure could be:

Your Community
│
├── 👋 Start Here
├── 💬 General Discussion
├── 🎯 Members Only
├── 📅 Events
│   ├── Monthly meetup
│   ├── Expert Q&A
│   └── Member networking
└── 📚 Resources

Then charge something like $20–50/month initially rather than trying to build a huge platform from day one.

One caveat: Circle is considerably more expensive than the ultra-simple options, so if you're not sure people will actually pay yet, Skool is worth considering for a lower-cost test. Third-party 2026 comparisons put Skool substantially below Circle and Mighty on entry-level pricing. stackscored.com

If you tell me what the community is about, roughly how many members you expect (e.g. 20, 100, 1,000), and what you want to charge, I can recommend the best platform and give you a step-by-step setup plan requiring zero technical skills.

For a beginner with no development skills, my top recommendation is Mighty Networks.

It’s particularly well suited to what you described: paid memberships + discussions + events, without having to stitch several tools together.

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

You can create:

• Paid monthly/annual memberships and multiple membership tiers
• Discussion feeds and chat for member conversations
• Events with RSVPs and reminders, including online and in-person events
• Livestreams directly within the community
• Member profiles, groups/spaces, polls, courses, and more
• A website and mobile apps without building them yourself Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

The big advantage for a non-technical beginner is that it's designed around the idea of "build a community business", rather than making you assemble a website, membership system, forum, event system, and payment processor yourself.

Mighty currently offers a 14-day free trial. Its Launch plan is listed at $79/month or $950/year, with lower-cost introductory pricing also shown on its Explore plan. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

🥈 Runner-up: Circle

circle.so

I'd choose Circle if you want something that feels a little more like a polished professional membership website.

Its Professional plan currently includes:

• Paid memberships
• Discussions
• Events
• Live streams and rooms
• Website builder
• Custom domain
• Courses
• Member directory
• Custom branding

It's listed at $89/month, with a 14-day free trial. Circle Circle

Mighty vs. Circle

*Mighty's current pricing has several plan/annual-billing options. Mighty Networks Circle

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with Mighty Networks. Don't overbuild it.

Your first version could literally be:

Membership → Community → Events → Discussions

For example:

$29/month — Founding Member
Private community
Weekly discussion
Monthly live workshop
Monthly networking event
Member directory
Replays/resources

Then invite your first 10–20 people, see what they actually use, and only add courses, automations, additional tiers, etc. later.

If you tell me what kind of community you're planning (e.g. entrepreneurs, fitness, local networking, hobby, professional association, coaching, parents, etc.) and roughly how much you'd charge per month, I can recommend the best platform and a simple setup for it.

If you're a complete beginner with no coding skills, I'd shortlist Mighty Networks and Circle. For your specific goal—paid membership + events + discussions—I'd lean toward Mighty Networks.

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

It's designed around exactly what you're trying to build: a community where people pay to belong, interact, and attend events.

You get:

• Paid memberships — monthly, annual, multiple tiers, free trials, promo codes, etc. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks
• Discussion/feed — posts, comments, questions, polls, chat spaces and private groups. Mighty Networks
• Events — online and in-person events, livestreaming, and event management built in. Mighty Networks
• Courses/content, if you eventually want to add educational material. Mighty Networks
• Mobile apps for members, without you having to build an app yourself. Mighty Networks
• An AI co-host that helps beginners set up the community and structure the membership. Mighty Networks

The current entry-level Explore plan is advertised at $35/month when billed annually, with a 14-day free trial; the Launch plan is $79/month. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

🥈 Runner-up: Circle

Circle is probably the one I'd choose if you want a more polished, professional-looking community and expect your business to become more sophisticated.

Its Professional plan is currently $89/month and includes unlimited members, discussions, events, paid memberships, courses, live streams, a website builder, custom branding and a custom domain. Circle

circle.so

Mighty vs. Circle for you

My recommendation: Start with Mighty Networks unless you already know you need Circle's more advanced customization.

And don't overbuild it. For a first version, I'd create just:

1. Welcome / Start Here
2. General Discussion
3. Member Introductions
4. Events & Replays
5. Members-only resources

Then charge something simple like $19–$49/month, depending on the value you're providing.

If you tell me what the community is about (e.g. fitness, business networking, hobby, coaching, professional association, local community), I can recommend the best platform and lay out exactly how I'd structure your first paid membership.

circle.so

Mighty vs. Circle for you

My recommendation: Start with Mighty Networks unless you already know you need Circle's more advanced customization.

If you’re a complete beginner with no technical skills, I’d recommend Mighty Networks as the best starting point.

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

It’s particularly well suited to what you described:

• Paid memberships: charge monthly, annually, or one-time fees. Mighty Networks
• Discussion: members get posts, questions, polls, chat, and spaces for different topics. Mighty Networks
• Events: built-in event calendar, RSVPs, reminders, livestreams, and both online and in-person events. Mighty Networks
• No coding: you can build the whole community without developing a website or app yourself.
• Mobile apps: members can participate through iOS and Android apps as well as the web. Mighty Networks
• Beginner guidance: Mighty includes its "Community Design" framework to help you figure out what to offer members, rather than simply giving you a pile of software features. Mighty Networks

The current Launch plan is listed at $79/month and includes community, courses, and basic automations; there's also a 14-day free trial. Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

🥈 The alternative I'd consider: Circle

Circle is probably my second choice—and arguably better if you want the community to feel more like a professional membership website.

Circle combines discussions, events, paid memberships, courses, website building, livestreams, member profiles, and custom branding. Its Professional plan is currently $89/month with a 14-day trial. Circle Circle

circle.so

Mighty vs. Circle

My advice: Don't overthink this. Start with Mighty Networks, especially if your main product is "pay me to belong to this community, meet people, attend events, and participate in discussions."

If you tell me what the community is about (e.g. fitness, networking, creators, local business owners, parenting, investing, hobby, professional group), I can also recommend the best platform + exact setup for your first 20 members, including what to charge and what your community should contain.

If you’re a complete beginner with no coding skills, I’d start with circle.so.

🥇 My pick: Circle

It’s particularly well suited to what you described:

• Paid memberships: recurring subscriptions, paywalls, and payments are built in.
• Discussion: members get posts, comments, chat, member profiles, and organized discussion spaces.
• Events: you can create and manage events and live sessions inside the community.
• Website: you can build the basic landing/marketing pages without coding.
• No-code: Circle explicitly provides drag-and-drop customization and integrations without code. Circle Circle
• Beginner-friendly: you can start with a 14-day trial; the Professional plan is currently $89/month when billed annually. Circle

The nice thing is that your members don't need to jump between something like Facebook + Zoom + Eventbrite + Stripe. You can put the community, events, content, and payments in one place.

🥈 Another strong choice: Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com is worth considering if your community is going to be very event- and engagement-driven.

It has discussion feeds, chat, events, livestreaming, paid memberships, courses, and native mobile apps. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Its current Launch plan is listed at $79/month, while its lower-cost Explore plan is aimed at getting your first members. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Circle vs. Mighty for you

My recommendation: choose Circle if your vision is something like “members pay $20–$50/month to join a professional community, participate in discussions, attend regular events, and access member-only resources.”

Choose Mighty Networks if the heart of the product is more “a vibrant social club/network where people interact frequently and attend lots of live activities.”

If you tell me what kind of community you want to create (e.g. fitness, networking, hobby, coaching, local club, professional group), I can recommend the best platform and give you a simple step-by-step setup that doesn't require any technical knowledge.

If you’re a complete beginner with no development skills, I’d start with Circle.

circle.so

My recommendation: Circle

It’s particularly well suited to what you described:

• Paid memberships: create subscription tiers and paywalls.
• Discussion: members get organized discussion spaces, chat, profiles, and a member directory.
• Events: create events, collect RSVPs, send reminders, and run live sessions.
• Website: you can build the public-facing pages for your community without coding.
• Payments: memberships and subscriptions are built into the platform.
• Branding: customize the look so it feels like your community rather than a Facebook group.
• Beginner-friendly: it uses visual builders rather than requiring you to build a website or database yourself. Circle Circle

The current Professional plan is $89/month when billed annually, with unlimited members and paid memberships, discussions, events, website building, live streams, and custom branding. There's also a 14-day free trial. Circle

One strong alternative: Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

I'd choose Mighty Networks if your community is going to be particularly event- and engagement-driven. It has activity feeds, chat, events, livestreaming, courses, and paid memberships all in one place. Mighty Networks

Its current entry-level options are also worth looking at: Mighty advertises an Explore plan at $350/year and a Launch plan at $950/year, with a 14-day trial. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Circle vs. Mighty

For you, I'd lean Circle if you're imagining something like:

“People pay $20–$50/month → get access to a private community → participate in discussions → attend weekly/monthly events → access member-only resources.”

You can launch that without hiring a developer or piecing together Stripe + WordPress + Discord + Zoom + an email platform.

If you tell me what the community is about, roughly how much you want to charge per month, and whether events are online or in-person, I can recommend the best platform and give you a simple beginner setup (including exactly what to create first).

If you’re a complete beginner with no development skills, I’d shortlist Mighty Networks and Circle. Both are genuinely no-code and combine the three things you need: paid membership + events + discussion.

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

I’d start with Mighty Networks if your main goal is to build an active community, rather than primarily sell courses.

It gives you:

• Paid memberships — monthly, annual, one-time payments, multiple tiers, free trials, and promo codes. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks
• Discussion — activity feeds, chat spaces, questions, polls, member profiles, and private groups. Mighty Networks
• Events — event calendar, RSVPs, reminders, live events, and even paid individual events. Mighty Networks
• Mobile apps for members, which is particularly useful for a community where you want people checking in regularly. Mighty Networks
• No coding required and a built-in setup/strategy system aimed at people launching their first community. Mighty Networks

The current entry-level Explore plan is advertised at $35/month when billed annually, while the Launch plan is $79/month on monthly billing. There is also a 14-day free trial. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

🥈 Runner-up: Circle

I'd choose Circle if you want something that feels a little more like a polished website + membership business.

Its Professional plan is currently $89/month and includes unlimited members, discussions, events, live streams, a website builder, paid memberships, custom branding, member profiles, and a custom domain. Circle Circle

circle.so

My simple recommendation

For your situation, I'd start with Mighty Networks. You don't need to stitch together a website, Stripe, Discord, Zoom, event calendar, and membership system. The core experience can live in one place.

A very simple first version could be:

$29–49/month membership → private community → weekly discussion prompt → 1 live event/month → member directory → occasional special workshops.

I would not spend time building a complicated website or course library initially. Get 10–20 paying members into the community first, learn what they actually want, and expand from there.

If you're a complete beginner with no development skills, I'd narrow it to two:

🥇 My pick: circle.so

Circle is probably the best fit if your goal is a professional paid membership community rather than just a course or chat group.

You get, in one place:

• Paid memberships and subscriptions
• Discussion spaces and member profiles
• Events, RSVPs, and live rooms
• Courses/content if you want them later
• Website/landing-page builder
• Custom branding and domain
• Member directory
• Gamification and analytics Circle Circle

The current Professional plan is $89/month and includes unlimited members, discussions, events, paid memberships, website builder, live streams/rooms, and custom branding. There's a 14-day free trial. Circle

Why I'd choose it for you: the experience feels more like a polished membership business than a collection of tools bolted together. You can start simple and add sophistication later without rebuilding everything.

🥈 Strong alternative: mightynetworks.com

I'd choose Mighty if your community is going to be very event- and interaction-driven.

It has discussions, chat, member profiles, events, livestreaming, courses, and paid memberships. Its event system includes calendars, RSVPs, reminders, and paid events. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Its current Launch plan is $79/month, with higher tiers at $179 and $354/month. There's also a 14-day free trial. Mighty Networks

Mighty also puts a lot of emphasis on helping new community hosts actually design their membership rather than simply giving them software. Mighty Networks

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd start with Circle if you want:

"A premium online club where people pay monthly, have discussions, attend events, and get exclusive content."

I'd pick Mighty Networks if you want:

"A highly social network where the relationships and regular events are the main product."

I wouldn't build this with WordPress + plugins as a beginner. You'd have more control, but you'd also be signing yourself up to manage hosting, plugins, payments, memberships, email, event software, and inevitable technical problems.

A very simple setup

You don't need a complicated structure initially. I'd launch with:

Membership → $29–$49/month

Inside:

• 👋 Start Here — welcome + community guidelines
• 💬 General Discussion
• 🎯 Member Questions
• 📅 Events Calendar
• 🎥 Event Replays
• ⭐ Members Only — exclusive resources/content

Then run one recurring live event per week and use the discussion area between events.

That is enough to launch. Don't spend weeks building 30 different spaces before you have members.

Bottom line: I'd start with Circle. It gives you the cleanest beginner-friendly path from "I have an idea for a paid community" → "People can pay me, join, talk to each other, and attend my events." Circle

If you tell me what the community is about, roughly how many members you expect, and what you want to charge per month, I can recommend the exact platform/setup and give you a simple launch plan.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd start with Circle if you want:

"A premium online club where people pay monthly, have discussions, attend events, and get exclusive content."

I'd pick Mighty Networks if you want:

"A highly social network where the relationships and regular events are the main product."

I wouldn't build this with WordPress + plugins as a beginner. You'd have more control, but you'd also be signing yourself up to manage hosting, plugins, payments, memberships, email, event software, and inevitable technical problems.

A very simple setup

You don't need a complicated structure initially. I'd launch with:

Membership → $29–$49/month

Inside:

• 👋 Start Here — welcome + community guidelines
• 💬 General Discussion
• 🎯 Member Questions
• 📅 Events Calendar
• 🎥 Event Replays
• ⭐ Members Only — exclusive resources/content

Then run one recurring live event per week and use the discussion area between events.

That is enough to launch. Don't spend weeks building 30 different spaces before you have members.

Bottom line: I'd start with Circle. It gives you the cleanest beginner-friendly path from "I have an idea for a paid community" → "People can pay me, join, talk to each other, and attend my events."

If you're a complete beginner with no development skills, I'd narrow it down to three platforms—and my top pick would be Mighty Networks.

🥇 My pick: mightynetworks.com

It is probably the best fit if your goal is:

• Paid memberships — charge monthly or annually.
• Discussion — members get posts, comments, polls, questions, chats, and groups.
• Events — built-in event calendar, RSVPs, reminders, livestreaming, and paid events.
• Courses/content — useful if you eventually want to add workshops, lessons, or resources.
• Mobile apps — members can participate from iOS/Android as well as the web.
• No coding — it's designed around configuring your community rather than building software. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Current pricing starts at $79/month for the Launch plan (with annual-billing discounts available), and there's a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Mighty Networks

Why I'd choose it for you: it gives you the whole thing in one place instead of forcing you to connect something like a website + Stripe + Facebook Group + Zoom + Eventbrite.

🥈 Heartbeat — excellent alternative

heartbeat.chat is particularly appealing if your community is going to be discussion/event-heavy.

It has discussions, courses, events, payments, workflows, and paid memberships built into the same platform. Heartbeat It also lets you create different paid membership tiers and even charge separately for particular events. Heartbeat Help Center Heartbeat Help Center

A nice bonus for a beginner: its current Pulse assistant can walk you through setting up the community step by step based on what you're building. Heartbeat Help Center

I'd choose Heartbeat over Mighty if your community feels more like a professional group, mastermind, cohort, or membership club than a broad social network.

🥉 Circle — polished and flexible

circle.so is another strong option. It combines community, content, events, and revenue in one platform. Circle

I'd consider it if you care a lot about having a clean, professional-looking branded community and expect to build a more sophisticated membership business over time.

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with Mighty Networks unless you have a specific reason to prefer Heartbeat.

Your initial setup could be incredibly simple:

Paid membership → Community feed → 3–5 discussion topics → Events calendar → Weekly live event → Member directory

Don't build a huge community on day one. Get 10–20 paying members, see what they actually use, and then add features.

If you tell me what kind of community you're creating (e.g. fitness, local business owners, women entrepreneurs, hobby, professional networking, coaching, etc.) and roughly how much you'd charge per month, I can recommend the best platform and give you a simple no-code setup plan from zero to your first paying members.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d start with circle.so.

Why Circle is my top pick

It gives you the three things you specifically need in one place:

• Paid memberships — create subscription tiers and control who gets access.
• Discussion/community — members can post, comment, chat, and have profiles.
• Events — create an event calendar, host live sessions, and manage member access.
• Website + checkout — you can create landing pages and accept membership payments without building a website separately.
• No coding required — it's designed as an all-in-one platform rather than something you assemble with multiple tools. Circle Circle

The current Professional plan is $89/month when billed annually, with discussions, events, paid memberships, website builder, live streams, custom branding, and a custom domain included. There's also a 14-day free trial. Circle

Two alternatives worth considering

mightynetworks.com — I'd choose this if you want your community to feel more like a social network/mobile app. It has feeds, chat, events, RSVPs, paid events, courses, and native mobile apps. Its Launch plan is currently $79/month. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Skool — worth considering if your community is primarily a course/coaching program with discussion around it and you want something extremely simple. It sacrifices some of the design/customization flexibility of Circle.

My recommendation for you

If your idea is something like:

“People pay $20–$50/month to join my community, participate in discussions, attend weekly/monthly events, and get exclusive content.”

I'd go with Circle.

You could set it up roughly like:

Home
→ Welcome / Start Here
→ General Discussion
→ Member Introductions
→ Weekly Discussion
→ Events Calendar
→ Exclusive Resources
→ Announcements

Then create a $29/month membership, connect payments, and invite your first members.

The biggest advantage for a non-technical founder is that you don't need to stitch together Stripe + WordPress + a forum + Zoom + an events system + an email system just to get started. Circle is explicitly designed to bring those functions together. Circle

If you tell me what the community is about and roughly how much you want to charge per month, I can recommend the best platform and give you a simple step-by-step setup plan for a complete beginner.

If you’re a true beginner with no development skills, I’d start with circle.so.

🥇 My pick: Circle

It’s particularly well suited to what you described:

• Paid memberships: recurring subscriptions, paywalls, and different membership tiers.
• Discussion: organized discussion spaces, posts, comments, chat, and member profiles.
• Events: calendars, RSVPs, live rooms, livestreams, and event-based communities.
• Website: you can create your landing pages and community in the same platform.
• No-code: you don't need to build or maintain a website/database yourself.
• Room to grow: you can add courses, gamification, automations, and analytics later. Circle Circle

Circle's current Professional plan is $89/month when billed annually, with unlimited members and paid memberships, discussions, events, website builder, live streams, custom branding, and a 14-day trial. Circle

Two alternatives worth considering

mightynetworks.com — I'd choose this if your community is going to be especially mobile/social and engagement-focused. It has discussions, events, livestreaming, memberships, courses, and native mobile apps. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

heartbeat.chat — interesting if events and paid memberships are the heart of the business. It has paid memberships, discussions, public/private/paid events, calendar integrations, and event automation. Heartbeat Help Center Heartbeat

What I'd do in your shoes

Don't overbuild it initially. I'd launch:

Landing page → $20–50/month membership → private community → weekly event → ongoing discussion

For example:

"A private community for [specific type of person] who want to [specific outcome]. Includes a weekly live event, member discussions, resources, and access to the community."

Start with one membership tier, rather than trying to create a complicated membership system.

My ranking for you:

1. 🥇 Circle — best overall/easiest recommendation
2. 🥈 Mighty Networks — best if community/social engagement is the main product
3. 🥉 Heartbeat — best if paid events and structured programming are especially important

If you tell me what kind of community you want to create (e.g. fitness, business networking, hobby, coaching, local community, professional association), I can recommend the best platform and map out exactly what your first version should look like, including pricing and membership structure.

heartbeat.chat — interesting if events and paid memberships are the heart of the business. It has paid memberships, discussions, public/private/paid events, calendar integrations, and event automation. help.heartbeat.chat heartbeat.chat

What I'd do in your shoes

Don't overbuild it initially. I'd launch:

Landing page → $20–50/month membership → private community → weekly event → ongoing discussion

For example:

"A private community for [specific type of person] who want to [specific outcome]. Includes a weekly live event, member discussions, resources, and access to the community."

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d focus on platforms that handle:

• ✅ Paid subscriptions/memberships
• ✅ Member accounts and access control
• ✅ Discussion spaces
• ✅ Events (calendar, RSVPs, live sessions)
• ✅ Payments
• ✅ Basic branding/customization

My top recommendations:

1. Circle — Best overall for a premium paid community

circle.so

Best for: Professional communities, memberships, masterminds, coaching groups, niche networks.

Why beginners like it:

• Very polished member experience
• Built-in discussions, spaces, events, and live sessions
• Supports paid memberships and gated content
• Feels like “your own community app” rather than a Facebook group Saaspare HeySummit

Downside:

• Costs more than some alternatives
• You’ll spend some time learning how to organize spaces and member journeys

My pick if you want people to pay $20–$200+/month and expect a premium experience.

2. Skool — Easiest to launch

skool.com

Best for: Creators, coaches, courses, accountability groups.

Why it’s beginner-friendly:

• Extremely simple interface
• Combines community discussions + courses + events
• Minimal setup decisions
• Good for “join → learn → participate → stay subscribed” models Arythmatic Connect

Downside:

• Less customizable
• Your community will look more like a Skool community than a fully branded platform

My pick if your priority is launching quickly rather than building a unique brand.

3. Mighty Networks — Best for a branded community

mightynetworks.com

Best for: Membership clubs, interest groups, professional networks.

Strengths:

• Strong mobile experience
• Events, courses, groups, and memberships
• Good for communities where members interact frequently LinoDash

Downside:

• More features means a slightly steeper learning curve

Good choice if you imagine members using it like a private social network.

4. Patreon — Best for fan/supporter memberships

patreon.com

Best for: Creators, podcasts, newsletters, exclusive content.

Strengths:

• Very easy payments and tiers
• Members already understand the concept

Downside:

• Community discussion and events are not its strongest area compared with community-first tools Arythmatic Connect

My recommendation based on your situation

Since you said:

• beginner
• no dev skills
• paid membership
• events
• discussion

I’d narrow it to:

If I were starting from zero, I’d probably choose:

Start with Circle if you’re building a long-term business.
Start with Skool if you’re testing whether people will pay.

A simple first version could be:

• Free public landing page
• $29/month membership
• One weekly event
• 3–5 discussion categories
• Monthly member Q&A
• Cancel anytime

You don’t need a complicated setup to validate the idea.

If you tell me what kind of community you want to create (fitness, business networking, hobby, education, local club, coaching, etc.) and your expected member count (50 vs 5,000), I can narrow it to the best fit.

For your situation—beginner, no coding, paid memberships + events + discussion—I’d start with Mighty Networks.

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

It’s particularly well suited to someone who wants an all-in-one community rather than piecing together several tools. You can create:

• Paid memberships — monthly, annual, or other payment intervals. Mighty Networks
• Discussion spaces — posts, questions, polls, comments, and chat. Mighty Networks
• Events — recurring or one-time events, RSVPs, reminders, and paid events. Mighty Networks
• Live sessions — livestream directly inside the community. Mighty Networks
• Member profiles/directories so members can actually get to know one another.
• Payments and access control without building your own payment system. Mighty Networks
• Mobile apps, which is a big advantage if you expect members to participate from their phones. Mighty Networks

The current Explore plan is advertised at $350/year ($35/month equivalent) and includes community feeds, chat, events, livestreaming, branding, and unlimited spaces. The Launch plan is $79/month and adds courses and additional business features. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

🥈 Strong alternative: Circle

circle.so

I'd choose Circle if you want something that feels a little more like a polished membership website/business platform.

Its Professional plan is currently $89/month and includes discussions, events, paid memberships, website building, live streams/rooms, courses, custom branding, and a member directory. Circle specifically emphasizes its no-code drag-and-drop setup. Circle

Quick comparison

I would not start with Discord, Facebook Groups, or a collection of separate tools. They can be cheaper, but you'll generally end up bolting payments, event management, member management, and other pieces onto them.

What I'd do if I were starting from zero

Start extremely simple:

$20–$40/month membership → private community → weekly discussion → 1 live event/week → monthly member-only event.

Don't build 20 different sections or courses before you have members. Get 10 people paying first, then expand based on what they actually use.

If you tell me what kind of community you're creating (e.g. entrepreneurs, local networking, hobby, professional association, coaching, parents, creatives), I can recommend the best platform and map out exactly what your first version should look like, including pricing and membership tiers.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d avoid general no-code app builders (like Bubble, Glide, etc.) and use a purpose-built community platform. You’ll get memberships, payments, events, member profiles, and discussions without building the plumbing yourself. Arythmatic Connect Guideflow

My recommendations:

1. Circle — Best overall for a premium paid community

Best for: A professional membership community, mastermind, coaching group, industry network, or paid club.

Why it fits beginners:

• Paid memberships and subscription tiers
• Discussion spaces (organized by topics)
• Events and live sessions
• Member directory
• Clean, branded experience
• Less "techy" feeling for members

Downside:

• It is more expensive than some alternatives, so it makes more sense once you’re serious about charging. LinoDash Guideflow

Choose Circle if: You want members to feel like they’re joining a real organization, not a Facebook group.

2. Mighty Networks — Best if events are central

Best for: Communities built around activities, courses, challenges, workshops, or recurring events.

Strengths:

• Membership payments
• Events
• Courses
• Mobile app experience
• Member engagement features

Downside:

• More features means slightly more setup and learning. LinoDash

Choose Mighty Networks if: Your community is about participation ("join us every week") rather than just discussion.

3. Skool — Simplest to launch

Best for: Coaches, educators, and creators who want a paid group quickly.

Strengths:

• Very simple interface
• Built-in community feed
• Courses + discussion
• Membership payments
• Gamification to encourage participation Arythmatic Connect

Downside:

• Less customization and branding control.

Choose Skool if: Your priority is "launch this month" rather than building a highly branded community.

4. Patreon — Best for fans/supporters

Best for: Creators, writers, artists, podcasters, influencers.

Strengths:

• Easy paid tiers
• Members already understand the model
• Good for exclusive content

Downside:

• Community discussion and event management are not its strongest areas. Arythmatic Connect

Choose Patreon if: People are paying mainly to support your work, not because the community itself is the product.

My beginner recommendation

For your specific needs — paid membership + events + discussion — I’d rank them:

1. 🥇 Circle — best long-term choice
2. 🥈 Mighty Networks — best event-focused community
3. 🥉 Skool — easiest first launch
4. Patreon — best for creator subscriptions

A simple beginner setup could be:

• Platform: Circle or Skool
• Payments: built-in subscriptions
• Events: monthly live calls/workshops
• Discussion: 5–8 topic channels (avoid creating too many)
• Membership: start with one paid tier, add tiers later

Before choosing, decide what your community is mainly selling:

• Access to people/network → Circle
• Learning/coaching → Skool or Mighty Networks
• Events and experiences → Mighty Networks
• Exclusive content → Patreon

If you tell me your community idea (e.g., fitness, business, local club, professional network, hobby, coaching, etc.) and expected member count, I can narrow it down to the best fit.

If you’re a complete beginner with no development skills, I’d recommend Circle as the best overall choice.

circle.so

Why I’d pick Circle

It gives you the main pieces you need in one place:

• Paid memberships — charge monthly or annually.
• Discussion spaces — create different areas for conversations, questions, announcements, etc.
• Events — create and manage events, including live sessions.
• Member profiles/directories — members can discover and connect with one another.
• Website builder — you don't need to build a separate website.
• Courses/content — useful if you eventually want to add educational material.
• Custom branding — make the community feel like your own rather than another generic forum. Circle Circle

The current Professional plan is $89/month, with a 14-day trial, and includes discussions, events, paid memberships, website building, live streams, custom branding, and more. Circle

Two alternatives worth considering

Mighty Networks is particularly compelling if you want your community to feel like a social network. It has feeds, chat, events, RSVPs, livestreaming, memberships and native mobile apps. Its current Explore plan is advertised at $350/year when paid annually. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Skool is probably the simplest of the three, especially if your community revolves around a course, program, or coaching offer. Its tradeoff is that you get less flexibility in how the community is structured. UniLink | Link in Bio Website

What I'd build in your situation

Don't overcomplicate it. Start with:

Homepage → Join → Member community

Inside the community:

• 👋 Welcome & introductions
• 💬 General discussion
• ❓ Questions & advice
• 📅 Events calendar
• 🎥 Event recordings
• 📢 Announcements
• ⭐ Members-only resources

Then sell something simple like:

$19–49/month → community + weekly event + member discussions

You can always add courses, coaching, subgroups, or higher-priced memberships later.

My ranking for a nontechnical beginner:

1. 🥇 Circle — best balance of simplicity, professionalism, and flexibility
2. 🥈 Mighty Networks — best if community/social interaction is the core product
3. 🥉 Skool — best if you want the absolute simplest setup and like gamification

If you tell me what kind of community you want to create (e.g. fitness, business networking, hobby, coaching, local community, professional membership), I can recommend the best platform and map out exactly how I'd set it up, including pricing and the membership structure.

1. 🥇 Circle — best balance of simplicity, professionalism, and flexibility
2. 🥈 Mighty Networks — best if community/social interaction is the core product
3. 🥉 Skool — best if you want the absolute simplest setup and like gamification

If you tell me what kind of community you want to create (e.g. fitness, business networking, hobby, coaching, local community, professional membership), I can recommend the best platform and map out exactly how I'd set it up, including pricing and the membership structure.

If you're a complete beginner with no development skills, I'd start with Mighty Networks.

It is particularly well suited to your use case because it combines paid memberships, discussion, events, payments, member profiles, and live streaming without requiring you to build or connect a bunch of separate tools. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

My recommendation

🥇 Mighty Networks — best for you

mightynetworks.com

Why I'd choose it:

• Paid memberships: monthly, annual, one-time, installments, promo codes, etc. Mighty Networks
• Discussion: posts, questions, polls, comments, and chat.
• Events: event calendar, RSVPs, reminders, and paid events. Mighty Networks
• Very beginner-friendly: you can create your community without coding.
• Everything is in one place: members don't have to jump between Facebook, Eventbrite, Zoom, and another payment system.
• It currently offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Mighty Networks

The big advantage for you: Mighty isn't just software; it also provides a framework for figuring out what your membership should actually offer. Its Community Design system is specifically aimed at helping people launch paid communities. Mighty Networks

🥈 Circle — best alternative

circle.so

I'd pick Circle if you care more about having a polished, professional-looking community and website.

It has discussions, events, paid memberships, subscriptions, courses, live streams, a website builder, member directory, and custom branding. Its current Professional plan is listed at $89/month. Circle Circle

The tradeoff is that Mighty feels more purpose-built for a creator launching a community, whereas Circle can feel more like a sophisticated business platform.

What I'd build in your situation

Don't overcomplicate it. Your first version could be:

Membership — $29/month

• 👥 Private member community
• 💬 Discussion area
• 📅 2 live events per month
• 🎥 Recordings of events
• 🗓️ Community calendar
• 👤 Member directory
• 💡 Weekly discussion/question

Then you could eventually add different membership tiers, courses, workshops, or paid events.

My verdict: Start with Mighty Networks, launch a very simple paid community, and don't worry about building a fancy website or custom app yet. You can get the whole first version running without writing code. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

If you tell me what the community is about and roughly how much you want to charge per month, I can recommend the exact platform/setup and show you what your first version should look like.

What I'd build in your situation

Don't overcomplicate it. Your first version could be:

If you’re a complete beginner with no development skills, I’d start with Mighty Networks.

mightynetworks.com

Why I’d pick Mighty for you

It’s essentially an all-in-one membership business, rather than something you have to piece together:

• Paid memberships — charge monthly or annually and give members access automatically. Mighty Networks
• Discussion/community — members have a feed, posts, comments, chats, profiles, etc.
• Events — create and manage virtual or in-person events inside the community. Mighty Networks
• Payments — checkout and member access are built in, so you don't need to connect a bunch of separate services. Mighty Networks
• No coding — it's designed for creators/hosts rather than developers.
• Mobile apps — members can participate from their phones without you having to build an app yourself. Mighty Networks

The current Launch plan is $79/month, with a 14-day free trial; it includes courses, events, badges/gamification and basic automations. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

The main alternative: Circle

Circle is probably my #2 choice.

circle.so

Circle is particularly nice if you want a more polished, organized website-style experience. Its Professional plan is currently $89/month and includes discussions, events, courses, paid memberships, a website builder, live streams, member directory and custom domain. Circle

I'd choose Circle over Mighty if your priority is a clean, professional-looking community with different "spaces" for topics/events/content. I'd choose Mighty if the community experience and member engagement are the heart of the business.

What I'd do in your shoes

Don't build a complicated membership site yet.

Start with something like:

Your community
→ $20–$50/month membership
→ Private discussion area
→ Weekly live event
→ Monthly special event/workshop
→ Member directory
→ Simple welcome/onboarding process

Then get your first 10–20 paying members before worrying about courses, automations, fancy branding, or a custom app.

My recommendation: Mighty Networks → start with the free trial → build the simplest possible version → invite a handful of founding members. It gives you the pieces you specifically asked for without requiring you to become a web developer. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

If you tell me what the community is about (e.g. fitness, local business owners, hobby, coaching, professional networking, etc.), I can also recommend the best platform + what to charge + exactly what your first version should contain.

If you’re a complete beginner with no development skills, I’d start with circle.so.

It’s particularly well suited to the combination you described: paid membership + discussion + events, without needing to stitch together several different tools.

My top pick: Circle

With Circle, you can have:

• 💳 Paid memberships — recurring subscriptions and paywalls are built in.
• 💬 Discussion spaces — create separate areas for topics, announcements, introductions, etc.
• 📅 Events — members can see events, RSVP, and receive reminders.
• 🌐 Your own branded community site — you don't have to build a website from scratch.
• 📧 Email and automations — useful for onboarding and keeping members engaged.
• 📱 Mobile access — members can participate from web and mobile.
• 🛠️ No-code setup — Circle specifically supports drag-and-drop customization and says no code is required. Circle Circle

The current Professional plan is $89/month and includes discussions, events, paid memberships, website builder, live streams, custom branding, and other core features. There's a 14-day free trial. Circle

circle.so

Another excellent option: Mighty Networks

I'd also seriously consider mightynetworks.com.

It's especially good if you want your community to feel like a social network/mobile app rather than primarily a website. It has discussions, chat, events, livestreaming, paid memberships, courses, and native mobile apps. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Mighty also puts more emphasis on helping beginners actually design the membership itself, with its "Community Design" approach and AI Cohost. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Circle vs. Mighty

My recommendation for you: choose Circle if you're imagining something like "a private club with discussions, member resources, and regular events." Choose Mighty Networks if you're imagining "a digital clubhouse where members are constantly interacting with each other."

If you tell me what kind of community you want to create (e.g. fitness, business networking, hobby, parents, local club, coaching, professional association), I can recommend the best platform and show you exactly how I'd structure the membership, pricing, discussion areas, and events as a beginner.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d narrow it to three platforms:

🥇 My top pick: mightynetworks.com

Best if your main goal is a paid membership community with events and discussion.

It gives you, in one place:

• Paid monthly/annual memberships
• Discussion feeds, posts, comments, polls and chat
• Events with RSVPs and reminders
• Live video/events
• Member profiles and directories
• Courses/content if you eventually want them
• Native mobile apps
• Built-in payments and membership access control Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

The big advantage for a non-technical founder is that you don't have to assemble Stripe + Facebook Group + Zoom + Eventbrite + email software yourself.

Mighty also currently offers a 14-day free trial, and its entry-level Explore plan is advertised at $350/year when paid annually. Mighty Networks

I'd choose this if: you want the community itself to feel like the product.

🥈 Heartbeat — best for a more structured/professional community

heartbeat.chat is particularly interesting if your membership will include workshops, education, coaching, or structured programming.

It combines:

• Discussion channels and threaded conversations
• Direct/group messaging
• Paid memberships and tiered pricing
• Events, RSVPs, reminders and recordings
• Courses
• Recurring events/office hours
• Built-in payments
• Automations
• Custom domain
• Mobile app Heartbeat Heartbeat Help Center

Plans currently start at $49/month, with a 14-day trial. Heartbeat

I'd choose this if: your community is more like a membership club + educational program.

🥉 circle.so — best for a polished, brand-forward experience

Circle is another strong all-in-one option. It combines community, events, content, memberships, payments, email/automations and website/landing pages. Circle

It's particularly good if you care about creating something that feels like your own branded membership website, rather than simply putting your group inside another social network.

I'd choose this if: presentation, branding and a polished website are especially important.

What I'd pick for you

My recommendation: start with Mighty Networks.

For your use case, I'd keep the initial setup extremely simple:

Landing page → paid membership → community → discussion → recurring events → member directory

Don't build a huge community with 30 sections on day one. Start with perhaps 3–5 spaces such as:

• 👋 Welcome & Introductions
• 💬 General Discussion
• 🎯 Member Questions
• 📅 Events
• ⭐ Members-only Resources

Then have one recurring event per week or month. Mighty specifically supports the combination of recurring events, discussion, chat and membership, so you can run that entire experience without coding. Mighty Networks

If you tell me what the community is about, roughly how many members you expect, and what you want to charge per month, I can recommend the best platform/plan and give you a very simple "set this up in a weekend" blueprint.

It's particularly good if you care about creating something that feels like your own branded membership website, rather than simply putting your group inside another social network.

I'd choose this if: presentation, branding and a polished website are especially important.

What I'd pick for you

My recommendation: start with Mighty Networks.

For your use case, I'd keep the initial setup extremely simple:

Landing page → paid membership → community → discussion → recurring events → member directory

Don't build a huge community with 30 sections on day one. Start with perhaps 3–5 spaces such as:

• 👋 Welcome & Introductions
• 💬 General Discussion
• 🎯 Member Questions
• 📅 Events
• ⭐ Members-only Resources

Then have one recurring event per week or month. Mighty specifically supports the combination of recurring events, discussion, chat and membership, so you can run that entire experience without coding.

If you're a complete beginner with no development skills, I'd narrow it down to two platforms: Mighty Networks and Circle.

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

I'd choose Mighty Networks if your main product is the community itself.

It gives you, without coding:

• Paid memberships — recurring monthly/annual payments
• Discussion/feed — posts, comments, questions, polls
• Events — calendars, RSVPs, reminders, live and in-person events
• Chat and direct messaging
• Member profiles and groups
• Courses/content, if you eventually want them
• Native mobile apps for members
• Automations to welcome and re-engage members Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Their current entry-level Explore plan is advertised at $350/year when paid annually, while the Launch plan is $950/year; both have a 14-day trial. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

🥈 Best alternative: Circle

I'd pick Circle if you want something that feels more like a polished membership website/business.

It combines:

• Discussion spaces
• Paid subscriptions and paywalls
• Events
• Live streams/rooms
• Courses
• Website/landing pages
• Member directory
• Email and automations
• Custom branding/domain Circle Circle

Its Professional plan is currently $89/month, with a 14-day free trial. Circle

circle.so

Which I'd choose for you

My recommendation: start with Mighty Networks. You can create something like:

$29/month membership → private community → weekly discussion → monthly live event → member directory → occasional workshops

You don't need to build a website, database, login system, payment system, or event infrastructure yourself.

One important beginner tip: don't spend weeks building it before charging people. Start with a very simple membership and get your first 5–10 paying members. Then add features based on what they actually use. Mighty itself recommends validating a community with a small paid offer before building extensively. Mighty Networks

If you tell me what the community is about and roughly what you'd charge per month, I can recommend the exact platform + setup I'd use and estimate your monthly costs.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d start with circle.so.

My recommendation: Circle

It’s particularly well suited to the model you described: people pay for membership → they join a private community → they participate in discussions → they attend member events.

Circle gives you, without coding:

• Paid memberships and subscriptions with access controls
• Discussion spaces for different topics
• Events and RSVPs, including recurring events
• Live streams and live rooms
• Member profiles and directory
• A website/landing-page builder
• Email notifications and automations
• Custom branding and your own domain Circle Circle

The current Professional plan is $89/month, with a 14-day free trial. Circle

Another strong option: Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com would be my second choice.

It's arguably even more focused on community engagement. It has discussion feeds, chat, events, livestreaming, polls, member profiles, memberships and native mobile apps. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

One thing I particularly like for a beginner: Mighty explicitly provides guidance for designing and launching a paid community, rather than simply giving you a bunch of software and leaving you to figure out what to do. Mighty Networks

Circle vs. Mighty

I'd choose Circle if you envision something polished and professional—e.g. a paid network, professional association, mastermind, industry community, or membership business.

I'd choose Mighty if the community itself is the product and you want members interacting frequently through conversations, events, challenges, and mobile.

What I would NOT do as a beginner

I wouldn't try to assemble this from WordPress + plugins + Stripe + Zoom + a forum + email software. You can absolutely do it, but you'll end up maintaining several systems when your real job should be building the community.

I'd also avoid starting with a generic Facebook/Slack/Discord group if you're charging for membership. You have much less control over the overall member experience.

If I were starting from zero

I'd keep the first version extremely simple:

Homepage → Join for $X/month → Member community → 3–5 discussion areas → Events calendar → Member directory

Then launch with perhaps one recurring weekly event and a few discussion prompts rather than trying to populate the platform with tons of content.

If you tell me what the community is about, roughly how many members you expect (e.g. 50 vs. 5,000), and what you want to charge per month, I can recommend the best platform and a simple setup for it.

If you’re a beginner with no development skills and want paid memberships + events + discussion, I’d start with circle.so.

My recommendation: Circle

Circle is essentially an all-in-one community website: you can create discussion spaces, member profiles, events, live streams, a website, and paid memberships without coding. Its current Professional plan is $89/month, with a 14-day trial. Circle Circle

Why I think it fits you:

• Easy to set up — drag-and-drop rather than development.
• Paid membership built in — you can charge recurring subscriptions.
• Discussion — organize conversations into different spaces/topics.
• Events — calendars, RSVPs, reminders, and live events are built in.
• Professional-looking — better suited to a community that you want to feel like a real membership business rather than a Facebook group.
• Room to grow — you can eventually add courses, automations, gamification, etc. Circle

Two alternatives worth considering

Mighty Networks is particularly compelling if events are central to your community. Its platform combines discussions, events, livestreaming, memberships, courses, and mobile apps. Its current plans start at $79/month monthly on the Launch plan. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

Skool is worth looking at if you want the absolute simplest setup and don't care as much about sophisticated customization. It's especially oriented toward paid communities built around learning, accountability, and gamification. EduBracket

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd choose Circle and keep the first version extremely simple:

Your community
→ Home
→ Introductions
→ General Discussion
→ Events
→ Member-only Resources

Then offer one paid membership, rather than trying to create multiple tiers immediately.

For example:

$20/month → community access + weekly discussion + 2 live events/month + member directory

You don't need to build a complicated website, app, or course before launching. Get the community working with your first 10–20 members, then add features based on what they actually want.

circle.so

If you tell me what the community is about and roughly how much you want to charge per month, I can recommend the best platform and setup for that specific idea.

For a beginner with zero development skills, I’d shortlist three, with Circle as my top pick.

🥇 Best overall: Circle

Circle is probably the closest match to what you described: paid membership + discussion + events, without needing to stitch several services together.

• Discussion: organized spaces, chat, member profiles, messaging
• Events: free or paid events, recurring events, live streams/rooms
• Membership: subscriptions, paywalls, trials, discounts
• Website: build your community landing pages without code
• Payments: handled through Stripe
• Beginner-friendly: drag-and-drop customization and built-in automations
• Cost: Professional is currently $89/month, with a 14-day trial. circle.so

Why I'd choose it: It feels more like a polished membership business than a collection of tools. You can have, for example:

Members → Discussion → Events → Resources → Member Directory

and charge something like $29/month or $290/year.

🥈 Best if community engagement is the main thing: Mighty Networks

Mighty is excellent if you want the community itself to feel like the product. It supports discussions, groups, events, courses, gamification, messaging and paid memberships. www.mightynetworks.com

Its current Launch plan is $79/month, with unlimited members, events, courses and spaces, plus a 2% transaction fee. www.mightynetworks.com

I'd pick Mighty over Circle if you're imagining something more like "a club people belong to" rather than primarily a content/membership website.

🥉 Worth considering: Heartbeat

Heartbeat is particularly interesting if your community will revolve around cohorts, live events, workshops, coaching, or a very active discussion environment. It has strong payment and event functionality. www.heartbeat.chat

My recommendation for you

I'd start with Circle. You don't need to know how to code, and you can launch with just a few things: a landing page, paid membership, 3–5 discussion spaces, and an events calendar. Circle specifically supports memberships, discussions, events, payments and automations in one platform. circle.so

If you tell me what kind of community you're planning (e.g. fitness, professional networking, hobby, local club, coaching, parents, creators, etc.) and roughly how much you want to charge per month, I can recommend the best platform and a simple setup for it.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d shortlist three platforms—but my first choice would be Mighty Networks.

🥇 Best overall: Mighty Networks

mightynetworks.com

It’s particularly well suited to what you described: paid memberships + discussion + events, without needing to piece together several services.

• Paid memberships: recurring monthly/annual payments and paid access. Mighty Networks
• Discussion: activity feeds, posts, comments, chat spaces, member profiles, etc. Mighty Networks
• Events: built-in event calendar, RSVPs, reminders, virtual/in-person events, and even paid events. Mighty Networks
• Beginner-friendly: it provides an AI assistant and a framework for designing your community, rather than expecting you to figure everything out yourself. Mighty Networks
• Mobile apps: members can participate through native iOS/Android apps. Mighty Networks
• Trial: 14 days, with no credit card required. Mighty Networks

Why I'd pick it for you: it feels more like you're setting up a club than building a website. You can create something like:

Your Community
💬 General Discussion
🎯 Monthly Challenges
📅 Events Calendar
🎥 Workshops
👋 Introductions
🔒 Members Only

Then charge, for example, $15/month or $150/year for access.

🥈 Best if you want a more polished/professional website: Circle

circle.so

Circle is probably the strongest alternative. Its Professional plan currently includes discussions, events, paid memberships, website builder, live streams, custom branding, member directory, and analytics for $89/month. Circle Circle

I'd choose Circle over Mighty if your community is going to feel more like a professional membership organization, education business, or industry network.

🥉 If keeping costs very low is the priority

I'd still start by comparing Mighty's entry-level offering against Circle rather than choosing solely on price. Mighty currently advertises an Explore plan at $35/month when billed annually, with discussions, chat, events, and branding. Mighty Networks

My recommendation for you

Start with Mighty Networks.

You don't need to learn WordPress, coding, databases, payment integrations, or build an event system. I'd keep your first version extremely simple:

1. Create your community.
2. Set one monthly membership price.
3. Create 4–6 discussion spaces.
4. Add a recurring weekly or monthly event.
5. Invite your first 10–20 members.
6. See what they actually use before adding more features.

If you tell me what the community is about (e.g. fitness, local networking, professional group, hobby, coaching, parents, creators), I can recommend the best platform + exact membership setup + pricing for your particular idea.

🥈 Best if you want a more polished/professional website: Circle

circle.so

Circle is probably the strongest alternative. Its Professional plan currently includes discussions, events, paid memberships, website builder, live streams, custom branding, member directory, and analytics for $89/month. circle.so circle.so

I'd choose Circle over Mighty if your community is going to feel more like a professional membership organization, education business, or industry network.

🥉 If keeping costs very low is the priority

I'd still start by comparing Mighty's entry-level offering against Circle rather than choosing solely on price. Mighty currently advertises an Explore plan at $35/month when billed annually, with discussions, chat, events, and branding.

My recommendation for you

Start with Mighty Networks.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d shortlist three platforms—but my top recommendation is Circle.

🥇 My pick: Circle

circle.so

Circle is probably the best fit if you want your community to feel like a professional paid membership business, rather than just a chat group.

It gives you, in one place:

• Paid memberships — recurring subscriptions and access control
• Discussion spaces — organize conversations by topic
• Events — create and manage events
• Live streams and live rooms
• Member profiles and directory
• Website/landing-page builder
• Custom branding and your own domain
• Courses, if you eventually want educational content
• No coding required Circle Circle

The Professional plan is currently $89/month, with a 14-day free trial. Circle

Why I'd choose it for you: it's relatively easy to start with, but you won't quickly outgrow it if your community becomes a serious business.

🥈 Mighty Networks — best if events are central

mightynetworks.com

I'd choose Mighty if your vision is more like:

"Members join us for an ongoing experience with regular events, activities, conversations and connections."

It has discussion/activity feeds, chat spaces, recurring events, RSVPs, paid events, memberships, courses, and particularly strong mobile experiences. Mighty Networks Mighty Networks

It's also explicitly designed around paid communities and subscriptions. Mighty Networks

Best for: a community where the community experience itself is the product.

🥉 Skool — easiest/simple option

skool.com

Skool is worth considering if you want something extremely straightforward. It's particularly popular for paid communities built around courses, coaching, accountability, and gamification. UniLink | Link in Bio Website

The tradeoff is that it's less flexible and polished for building a highly customized membership experience.

My recommendation for your situation

I'd start with Circle. You can create something as simple as:

Home → Discussions → Events → Member Directory → Resources

Then charge, for example, $19/month, $39/month, or $99/year for membership. You don't need to build a website separately or know how to code.

One important beginner tip: don't spend weeks building the community before you have members. Set up the basic spaces, create 2–3 recurring events, define what members get each month, and start selling/validating it.

If you tell me what the community is about and roughly how much you want to charge, I can recommend the exact platform + plan and show you what I'd build inside it.

For a beginner with zero development skills, I’d recommend Circle as the best overall fit.

🥇 My pick: Circle

It gives you essentially everything you described in one place:

• Paid memberships — recurring subscriptions and access control
• Discussion/community — posts, comments, chat, member profiles
• Events — event calendar, RSVPs, recurring events, reminders, and paid events
• Website/landing pages — so you don't need to build a separate website
• Payments — built into the platform
• No-code customization — drag-and-drop rather than programming
• Mobile experience — members can use it on web and mobile circle.so

Circle's Professional plan is currently $89/month and includes unlimited members, discussions, events, paid memberships, live streams/rooms, custom branding, and a 14-day trial. circle.so

See Circle's plans

Two alternatives worth considering

Mighty Networks is particularly strong for member-driven communities: it combines discussions, chat, events, livestreaming, courses, memberships, and engagement features such as polls and gamification. www.mightynetworks.com

See Mighty Networks

What I'd build in your situation

Keep the first version very simple:

Your community
→ Welcome / Start Here
→ General Discussion
→ Member Introductions
→ Events Calendar
→ Monthly Members-Only Event
→ Resources

Then sell one membership, e.g. $29/month, rather than launching with multiple tiers.

Circle is especially attractive because you can start with that simple setup and later add courses, additional membership tiers, automated onboarding, newsletters, and more without migrating to another system. circle.so

Bottom line: If your goal is “I don't know how to code and I want to get a paid community with discussions and events online without stitching together five different tools,” I'd start with Circle.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d recommend Circle.

🥇 My pick: Circle

It’s particularly well suited to what you described because it puts paid memberships, discussions, events, payments, and your community website in one place. Its Professional plan currently includes unlimited members, discussions, events, paid memberships, a website builder, custom domain, live rooms/streams, and member profiles. It’s $89/month with a 14-day trial. circle.so

The big advantage for a non-technical person is that you don't have to stitch together something like:

WordPress + membership plugin + Stripe + Eventbrite + Discord + email software

Instead, you can build something more like:

Your website → Join → Pay → Member dashboard → Discussions → Events → Member directory

Two alternatives I'd consider

Mighty Networks is probably Circle's strongest competitor. It has discussions, chat, events, courses, livestreaming and membership monetization, and is designed specifically around paid communities. www.mightynetworks.com

I'd choose Mighty Networks over Circle if your vision is more like a social club where members interact constantly, attend events, and use the community almost like a social network.

I'd choose Circle if you want something that feels more like a premium membership organization/business with organized discussion spaces, events, content and a polished website.

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with Circle's 14-day trial and build only these five things:

1. Home — explain what members get.
2. Membership — $X/month or $X/year.
3. Discussion areas — e.g. General, Introductions, Questions.
4. Events — upcoming events + recordings/replays.
5. Member directory — let members discover each other.

Don't worry about advanced automation, courses, AI, or custom integrations initially.

If you tell me what the community is about, roughly how many members you expect (e.g. 50, 500, 5,000), and what you want to charge, I can recommend the best platform and a simple setup for your specific situation.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d shortlist these three:

🥇 My pick: Circle

Circle

I think Circle is the best fit for what you described. It's specifically designed to combine discussions, events, memberships, payments, and content without requiring you to code. Its current Professional plan is $89/month and includes unlimited members, discussions, events, paid memberships, a website builder, live streams, custom branding, and a member directory. circle.so

You could set it up roughly like:

Your Community

• 🏠 Welcome / Start Here
• 💬 General Discussion
• 🎯 Member Questions
• 📅 Events Calendar
• 🎥 Monthly Workshops
• 👥 Member Directory
• 🔒 Premium Members area

You can then sell monthly or annual memberships and use paywalls to control which areas members can access. Circle also supports paid events if you eventually want to charge separately for workshops or special events. help.circle.so

🥈 Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks

I'd choose Mighty Networks if you want the community itself to feel more like a social network. It has discussions, chat, events, polls, livestreaming, paid events, courses, and native mobile apps. circle.sohelp.circle.sowww.mightynetworks.comwww.kajabi.com

It's particularly attractive if your business depends on members coming back frequently and interacting with one another, rather than simply consuming your content.

🥉 Kajabi

Kajabi

Choose Kajabi if your membership is really going to be courses/content + community + marketing. It's stronger than Circle for funnels, email marketing, and selling educational products, but I'd consider it more platform than you need if discussion and events are the heart of your business. www.kajabi.com

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with Circle if your vision is something like:

"People pay $20–$50/month to join a community, participate in discussions, attend regular live events, and get access to members-only resources."

You don't need a developer, separate forum software, a payment system, or a custom website to get started. Circle's drag-and-drop setup and built-in memberships/payments are specifically intended for this kind of launch. circle.so

One important beginner tip: don't build 30 different sections before launching. Start with one membership, 3–5 discussion spaces, and a recurring weekly/biweekly event. Get your first members using it, then expand based on what they actually want.

If you tell me what your community is about and roughly how much you want to charge per month, I can recommend the exact platform and a simple setup for your first 30 members.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d shortlist three platforms—but Mighty Networks would be my first choice for your specific use case.

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

It’s particularly well suited to a paid membership where the main experience is people + conversations + recurring events, rather than primarily selling courses.

You can have:

• Paid monthly/annual memberships
• Discussion/feed posts and comments
• Real-time chat
• Event calendar + RSVPs + reminders
• Livestreams
• Member profiles and directories
• Multiple spaces/groups
• Built-in payments
• A website/community experience without coding

Mighty explicitly supports recurring paid memberships and paid events, and its current plans include community, events, and membership features. www.mightynetworks.comcircle.so

Mighty Networks

Why I'd choose it for you: you can start relatively simply—essentially “join → pay → enter community → see discussions and upcoming events”—without having to stitch together a website, membership system, event software, and discussion forum.

🥈 Circle — best if you want a more polished/professional feel

Circle is probably my second choice.

It combines discussions, events, paid memberships, courses, live streams, website building, member profiles, and payments in one system. Its Professional plan is currently listed at $89/month, with a 14-day trial. circle.so

Circle

I'd pick Circle if you're thinking:

“I want this to feel like a premium membership business, with a beautiful branded website/community.”

🥉 Skool — best if simplicity is everything

Skool is worth considering if you want the least complicated setup possible, particularly if your community will have a course/learning component.

It's known for a very straightforward community + membership model and gamification. The tradeoff is that it's less flexible than Circle or Mighty for building a richer events/community experience.

Skool

My recommendation

For what you described, I'd start with Mighty Networks. It gives you the pieces you actually need without forcing you to become a web developer. It currently offers a 14-day trial with no credit card required, so you can build a prototype before committing. www.mightynetworks.com

One important beginner tip: don't overbuild it. Start with just:

1. A landing/welcome page
2. One paid membership
3. One main discussion space
4. An events calendar
5. A recurring weekly/monthly event
6. A simple member directory

Then add courses, multiple membership tiers, automations, etc. only once members actually need them.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d shortlist three platforms—but my first choice would be Mighty Networks.

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is probably the best fit if your core product is “people pay to belong to a community, attend events, and interact with each other.”

It gives you, in one place:

• Paid memberships with recurring or one-time payments
• Discussion/feed areas and real-time chat
• Event calendars, RSVPs, reminders, and paid events
• Livestreaming
• Member profiles and directories
• Mobile apps
• Optional courses/content
• No coding required www.mightynetworks.com

Its current Explore plan is advertised at $350/year when billed annually (equivalent to about $29/month), with a 14-day trial; the Launch plan is $950/year. www.mightynetworks.com

Mighty Networks

🥈 Circle — best if you want a polished, premium feel

Circle is excellent if you want your community to feel more like a professional membership business.

It combines discussions, events, courses, live rooms, a website, paid memberships, member profiles, and analytics. Its Professional plan is currently $89/month, with a 14-day trial. circle.so

I'd choose Circle over Mighty if branding, website presentation, and a polished customer experience matter more to you than keeping costs down.

Circle

🥉 Skool — easiest/most stripped-down

Skool is worth considering if you want something extremely simple: community + memberships + content + gamification.

The tradeoff is that it's less flexible for an event-heavy community than Mighty or Circle. Recent comparisons consistently position Skool as the simpler, more gamified option. aitechstack.io

Skool

What I'd choose in your situation

My recommendation: start with Mighty Networks. You can create something like:

$29/month membership → private community → monthly member meetup → weekly discussion → member directory → occasional paid workshops

And you don't need to stitch together five different services to make it work.

One important beginner tip: don't build a giant community before getting members. Start with one clear paid membership, one recurring event, and a handful of discussion topics. Once people are actually using it, add complexity. Mighty itself recommends a simple recurring rhythm of themes, events, and conversations rather than overwhelming members with content. www.mightynetworks.com

If you tell me what the community is about and roughly how much you want to charge per month, I can recommend the exact platform/setup I'd use and estimate your monthly costs.

For a beginner with no technical skills, I’d shortlist these three:

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

I'd start with Mighty Networks if your vision is something like:

“People pay $20–$50/month to join my community, participate in discussions, attend regular events, and meet other members.”

It puts membership payments, discussion feeds, chat, member profiles, events, RSVPs, livestreaming, and courses in one place, so you don't have to stitch together several services. www.mightynetworks.com

It's also unusually beginner-friendly: Mighty currently offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and its lower-tier plans are specifically positioned for launching your first community. www.mightynetworks.com

One caveat: its pricing has changed and varies by plan/billing period, so I'd check the current pricing before committing. The current site shows an Explore plan at $350/year when billed annually and a Launch plan at $950/year. www.mightynetworks.com

🥈 Circle — best if you want a more polished business

Circle would be my second choice. It's particularly good if you want your community to eventually become a more sophisticated membership business.

It has paid subscriptions, paywalls, discussions, events, courses, live streams, a website builder, member directory, analytics, and custom branding. Its current Professional plan is listed at $89/month. circle.so

I'd choose Circle over Mighty if you care a lot about branding, organization, and eventually adding more sophisticated marketing/automation.

What I wouldn't do

Since you're a beginner, I wouldn't build this from separate tools like:

• WordPress + membership plugin
• Discord + Stripe
• Zoom + Facebook Groups + payment software
• Custom website + event software

They can work, but you're signing yourself up to maintain multiple systems.

My recommendation

Start with Mighty Networks.

You could launch something very simple:

Membership: $29/month
↓
Private community: introductions + general discussion
↓
Weekly event: live workshop/Q&A
↓
Monthly event: guest speaker/networking
↓
Member directory: people can find and connect with each other

You don't need to build a complicated "platform." Your first goal should be to get 10–20 paying members and see what they actually want.

If you tell me what the community is about (e.g. fitness, entrepreneurs, local networking, hobby, professional group, parents, creators, etc.) and roughly how much you want to charge per month, I can recommend the best platform and a simple setup for it.

For a beginner with zero development skills, I’d start with Circle.

Circle is particularly well suited to what you described because it combines paid memberships, discussion spaces, events, member profiles, payments, and a website builder in one place. Its current Professional plan is $89/month and includes unlimited members, discussions, events, paid memberships, custom branding, and a custom domain. circle.so

My recommendation

1. Circle — best overall for your use case

Think of it as your own private combination of:

• Facebook Groups → discussions/community
• Eventbrite → events & RSVPs
• Patreon → recurring paid memberships
• Simple website → landing page and signup
• Zoom-style live rooms → live community sessions

You can create different membership tiers, restrict access to particular spaces, collect recurring payments, and run both free and paid events without coding. circle.so

2. Mighty Networks — best if community engagement is the priority

Mighty Networks is probably the strongest alternative. It has discussions, chat, events, RSVPs, livestreaming, paid events, memberships, and customizable "Spaces." It is also explicitly designed to let nontechnical people build membership communities without writing code. www.mightynetworks.com

I'd lean toward Mighty if you want the community to feel more like a social network, with lots of member interaction and activity.

Circle vs. Mighty for you

My pick: Circle. It has a particularly clean, organized interface, so I'd choose it if you're starting from scratch and don't have technical help.

One important consideration: $89/month is a meaningful expense before you have members. If you tell me roughly how much you want to charge members (e.g. $10, $25, $50/month), how many members you expect initially, and whether events will be online or in-person, I can recommend the most economical setup and tell you exactly what I'd use.

For a beginner with zero development skills, I’d shortlist Mighty Networks and Circle. Both are genuinely no-code and combine paid memberships, discussions, and events rather than forcing you to stitch several tools together.

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

I’d choose Mighty Networks if your main product is the community itself.

It gives you:

• Paid memberships & subscriptions built in
• Discussion/feed + real-time chat
• Events, RSVPs and reminders
• Livestreaming
• Member profiles/directories
• Courses, if you eventually want educational content
• Mobile apps
• Automated onboarding and engagement features www.mightynetworks.com

The particularly nice thing for a non-technical beginner is that you don't need to assemble a stack of WordPress + Stripe + Zoom + forum software. Mighty is designed around putting the community, events, content and payments together. www.mightynetworks.comcircle.socircle.so

Its current Explore plan is advertised at $350/year when billed annually, with a 14-day free trial; higher plans add more capabilities. www.mightynetworks.com

🥈 Best alternative: Circle

I'd pick Circle if you want a more polished, professional-looking membership business and expect to eventually sell courses, coaching, or other digital products alongside the community.

Circle includes:

• Paid memberships/subscriptions
• Discussion spaces
• Events
• Live streams and live rooms
• Courses
• Website/landing-page builder
• Custom domain and branding
• Member directory
• Analytics circle.so

The current Professional plan is $89/month, with a 14-day free trial. circle.so

Quick decision

For your situation, I'd start with Mighty Networks. You can create something as simple as:

$29/month membership → private community → weekly discussion → monthly live event → member directory → occasional workshops

You don't need to build everything at once. In fact, I'd launch with one membership tier, one discussion area, and one recurring event and see whether people actually pay.

If you tell me what the community is about (e.g. fitness, business networking, hobby, professional association, local community, coaching), I can recommend the best platform and a simple $/month membership structure for it.

If you're starting from zero and want a paid membership community with discussions and events, I'd narrow it to these three:

1. Circle — Best overall for beginners who want to grow

Best if: You want a polished, professional community without needing to piece together different tools.

What you get:

• ✅ Paid memberships (monthly or annual)
• ✅ Discussion forums
• ✅ Live events and event calendar
• ✅ Member profiles
• ✅ Email notifications
• ✅ Private spaces for different membership tiers
• ✅ Courses (if you ever want to add them later)

Pros

• Very beginner-friendly
• Looks professional out of the box
• Everything is in one place
• Scales well as your community grows

Cons

• More expensive than some alternatives
• More features than you may need on day one

Circle is consistently one of the strongest all-in-one platforms for paid communities because it combines memberships, discussions, events, and content without requiring technical setup. circle.sowww.learningrevolution.netdupple.com

2. Mighty Networks — Best if community is your business

Best if: You expect lots of interaction, regular events, and eventually a mobile app experience.

Pros

• Excellent event management
• Strong member engagement features
• Built-in courses and challenges
• Native mobile apps

Cons

• Slightly steeper learning curve
• Interface can feel busy initially

Many creators use Mighty Networks when they want a vibrant community with recurring events and multiple membership offerings. circle.sowww.learningrevolution.netdupple.com

3. Skool — Simplest to launch

Best if: You want the easiest possible setup.

Pros

• Extremely easy to learn
• Built-in gamification encourages participation
• Includes discussions, calendar, and memberships
• Great for coaching and mastermind groups

Cons

• Limited customization
• Fewer branding options
• Less flexible if your community grows into something more complex

Skool is often recommended for first-time community builders who value simplicity over extensive customization. www.learningrevolution.netdupple.com

My recommendation for a complete beginner

If you're planning to charge $20–100/month for membership, I'd choose Circle. It strikes a strong balance between ease of use today and flexibility as your community grows, so you're less likely to need to migrate later.

Typical setup (no coding)

1. Create your community.
2. Connect a payment processor (such as Stripe).
3. Set your monthly membership price.
4. Create discussion spaces (e.g., General, Q&A, Wins, Resources).
5. Schedule recurring events (weekly calls, workshops, office hours).
6. Invite members with a shareable link.

You can usually have a basic community up and running in a day without writing code.

If you tell me what your community is about (for example, fitness, investing, coaching, parenting, AI, or a professional association) and roughly how many members you expect in the first year, I can recommend the platform that best fits that use case and budget.

For a beginner with no development skills, I’d shortlist three platforms—but Circle would be my first choice for your use case.

🥇 My pick: Circle

Circle is particularly well suited to a paid membership community centered around discussion + events. Its Professional plan currently includes:

• Paid memberships and payments
• Discussion spaces
• Events
• Live streams and live rooms
• Member directory and profiles
• Custom branding and domain
• Website builder
• Courses, if you add educational content later
• No coding required

The Professional plan is currently $89/month, with a 14-day trial. circle.so

Why I'd choose it for you: it feels more like a polished membership website than a Facebook Group/Discord server, while still being relatively straightforward to set up.

🥈 Mighty Networks

I'd choose Mighty if you want the community to feel more like a social network of its own, particularly if mobile experience and different sub-groups are important.

It supports paid memberships, events, courses, discussions, and customizable "Spaces." Its current entry-level paid offering is around $79/month when billed annually. www.mightynetworks.com

Best for: a larger, more community-centric organization with multiple groups, programs, or types of members.

🥉 Skool

Skool is probably the easiest to understand, especially if you're going to combine a membership with courses, coaching, or accountability.

It has a very simple structure: community discussion + classroom + events, with gamification such as points and leaderboards. The tradeoff is that it's less customizable than Circle. www.mightynetworks.com

Best for: "Pay $X/month and join my community/coaching group."

My recommendation for your situation

If I were starting from zero, I'd use Circle. You could launch with just three things: a members area, discussion spaces, and an events calendar. Don't overbuild it initially.

If you tell me roughly how many members you expect (e.g. 50, 500, 5,000), what you'd charge per month, and whether events are online or in-person, I can recommend the specific plan and show you what your simplest setup would look like.

If you're a complete beginner with no development skills, I'd shortlist these three:

🥇 My pick: Mighty Networks

I'd start with Mighty Networks.

It is specifically designed to let non-developers create a community with member profiles, discussion feeds, chat, events, livestreams, payments, and memberships without stitching together multiple services. www.mightynetworks.comwww.mightynetworks.comcircle.so

You can, for example, create:

• Free public area — announcements and a few sample discussions
• Paid membership — $19/month or $29/month
• Members-only discussions
• Weekly live event
• Monthly workshop
• Member directory
• Welcome/onboarding experience

It also supports recurring, one-time, and other payment options, so you aren't limited to a single subscription model. www.mightynetworks.com

The current Explore plan is advertised at $350/year when paid annually, with a 14-day trial; higher plans add more capabilities. www.mightynetworks.com

🥈 Heartbeat

I'd choose Heartbeat if your community is more about conversation + live meetings than building a large social network.

It combines channels, discussions, DMs, member directory, events, RSVPs, paid tickets, memberships and payments in one platform. www.heartbeat.chat

Its interface looks particularly well suited to something like:

"A paid membership for 50–500 people who meet online every week."

You can create paid membership tiers without needing to build your own payment system. help.heartbeat.chat

🥉 Circle

Circle is my pick if you care a lot about having a slick, professional-looking branded experience.

It has discussions, events, live rooms, courses, paid memberships, a website builder, member directory and custom domain all in the same platform. Its Professional plan is currently $89/month, with a 14-day trial. circle.so

The downside for a beginner is that it gives you more configuration and business features, which can make the initial setup feel less straightforward than Mighty or Heartbeat.

What I'd do in your shoes

Start with Mighty Networks unless you have a specific reason not to.

Don't try to build a huge community immediately. Set up just:

Landing page → Payment → Member area → Discussion → Events

Then launch with perhaps one membership tier and one recurring weekly event. You can add courses, additional tiers, automations, etc. later.

If you tell me what the community is about, roughly how many members you expect, and what you'd like to charge per month, I can recommend the specific platform and plan—and give you a simple beginner setup that doesn't require any technical knowledge.