$9 Hobby Plan vs $99 Pro Plan - 2025 Comparison
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Skool just introduced a brand new $9 Hobby plan alongside its existing $99 Pro plan, shaking up the pricing and feature landscape. In this detailed guide, we’ll explore the key differences, benefits, and trade-offs between these two plans — so you can decide which one fits your needs best.
This comparison is based on the latest information available in 2025, but keep in mind that Skool is still evolving, and features may shift over time. Ready? Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of these plans and what they mean for your community-building journey.
Table of Contents
- Understanding the New $9 Hobby Plan vs. $99 Pro Plan
- When Does It Make Sense to Upgrade?
- Advertising and Branding: The Hobby Plan’s Trade-Offs
- Plugin and Feature Differences
- Summary: Which Skool Plan Should You Choose?
- FAQs About Skool’s Hobby and Pro Plans
- Final Thoughts
Understanding the New $9 Hobby Plan vs. $99 Pro Plan
Skool’s $99 monthly plan has long been the go-to for creators wanting powerful community and course management tools. Now, with the introduction of the $9 Hobby plan, they’ve opened the door for smaller or newer communities to get started at a much lower cost. Here’s the gist of what each plan offers:
- Pro Plan ($99/month): Formerly the only option, this plan offers unlimited members, unlimited courses, and the ability to have multiple admins or moderators — perfect for larger, more active communities.
- Hobby Plan ($9/month): The new entry-level plan, focused on smaller communities or hobbyists who want core features but can compromise on some advanced tools and branding options.
Core Features and Limits
Both plans give you access to the major features that make Skool such a solid choice: unlimited members and courses. However, the Pro plan lets you have multiple admins, while the Hobby plan limits you to just one admin. This is a critical distinction if you plan to build a larger community that requires moderation or team management.
Furthermore, the Pro plan offers much lower transaction fees: 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction, which is very competitive for a platform charging $99 monthly. The Hobby plan, on the other hand, has a 10% transaction fee, which can add up quickly as your community grows.
When Does It Make Sense to Upgrade?
One of the biggest questions is: at what point does it financially make sense to move from the Hobby plan to the Pro plan?
Based on transaction fees alone, the break-even point is around $1,200 in monthly recurring revenue. This includes subscription revenue or sales from courses inside your community. Below that threshold, the lower $9 monthly fee with higher transaction fees might be more cost-effective. Once you consistently exceed $1,200 in revenue, the Pro plan’s lower fees and additional features start to pay for themselves.
The Value of a Custom and Professional URL
Another compelling reason to upgrade to the Pro plan is the ability to use custom, short, and professional URLs for your community. Skool still has plenty of available short URLs because it’s a relatively new platform. For example:
- My paid community URL is
skool.com/pro - My free community URL is sk
ool.com/educate
These URLs are clean, memorable, and perfect for branding — you can put them on merchandise, business cards, or marketing materials without looking clunky or unprofessional. This feature is reserved exclusively for Pro plan users.
Advertising and Branding: The Hobby Plan’s Trade-Offs
One thing to note about the $9 Hobby plan is that it comes with a few compromises in terms of advertising and branding:
- Suggested Communities: Your members will see suggested communities in the sidebar, which feels like having ads inside your own space. While these aren’t ads from other companies (just other Skool communities), they can be distracting and take away from your brand focus.
- “Powered by Skool” Branding: There is a small “Powered by Skool” graphic on your community’s cover image and sidebar when viewed on desktop. This is an unavoidable branding element on the Hobby plan.
Affiliate Program Limitations
If you’re planning to build a referral or affiliate program within your community, the Hobby plan has significant restrictions. While you can invite people to join Skool using your affiliate link and earn commissions, the auto-attribution feature is currently enabled but is expected to be turned off soon for Hobby plan communities.
What does this mean? If someone joins your community and invites others, those new members won’t earn commissions on your Hobby plan. Also, when people click the “Powered by Skool” link or the “Create a Community” button from inside your Hobby community, you might not receive affiliate credit anymore.
On the upside, if someone uses your affiliate link to start a $9 Hobby community and later upgrades to the $99 Pro plan, you will still receive a 40% commission on their new plan. So your referral income potential isn’t lost.
Plugin and Feature Differences
Skool’s Pro plan is packed with advanced plugins and automation features designed to streamline community management and improve engagement. The Hobby plan offers a more stripped-down version, which still includes some useful tools:
- Ask members questions before they join the community to qualify them.
- Unlock chat and posting privileges at levels 2 and 3 to help control spam.
However, the Hobby plan does not include these valuable Pro features:
- Auto direct messages (auto DMs) to welcome new members — a huge time-saver and engagement booster.
- Onboarding videos for new members.
- Zapier integrations for automations.
- Meta and cancellation videos.
- Google Ads tracking for advanced marketing insights.
- Custom links in the sidebar to promote your content or offers.
- Instant membership approvals.
- Webhooks for deeper integrations.
Why I Personally Stick with the Pro Plan
For me, the deciding factors for staying on the $99 Pro plan are the custom short URL, the powerful sidebar links, and especially the auto DMs. The ability to automatically welcome new members saves me countless hours I would otherwise spend manually sending greetings and managing community onboarding.
While the $9 Hobby plan is attractive for its low cost, I prefer to invest in features that save me time and present a professional face to my members. For serious community builders, these features are well worth the price.
Summary: Which Skool Plan Should You Choose?
| Feature | $9 Hobby Plan | $99 Pro Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $9 | $99 |
| Unlimited Members and Courses | Yes | Yes |
| Number of Admins | 1 | Unlimited |
| Transaction Fees | 10% | 2.9% + $0.10 |
| Custom URL | No | Yes |
| Suggested Communities Ads | Yes | No |
| “Powered by Skool” Photo Branding | Yes | No |
| Affiliate Program | Limited / Disabled | Full Access |
| Auto DMs | No | Yes |
| Onboarding Video | No | Yes |
FAQs About Skool’s Hobby and Pro Plans
Q: Can I start with the $9 Hobby plan and upgrade later?
A: Absolutely! You can begin with the Hobby plan to test the waters and switch to the Pro plan anytime you outgrow the features or want to reduce transaction fees.
Q: Will my members see ads or suggested communities on the Hobby plan?
A: Yes, members in Hobby communities will see suggested communities in the sidebar, which functions like internal ads. This is not present in the Pro plan.
Q: Does the Hobby plan support affiliate commissions for member referrals?
No, the affiliate program for member referrals is disabled on the Hobby plan. While you can still earn commissions for referring new communities, your members cannot earn commissions by inviting others to yours.
Q: Are custom short URLs available on the Hobby plan?
No, custom and professional short URLs are exclusive to the Pro plan. Hobby plan communities use longer, less branded URLs.
Q: What are the transaction fees for each plan?
The Hobby plan charges 10% transaction fees, which can add up as your revenue grows. The Pro plan offers a much lower 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction fee, making it more cost-effective for larger communities.
Q: Can I use integrations like Zapier and Google Ads tracking on the Hobby plan?
No, these advanced integrations are only available on the Pro plan.
Final Thoughts
Skool’s new $9 Hobby plan is a welcome addition for creators and community builders who want to get started affordably. It offers all the core features to run a community and host courses but comes with some trade-offs in branding, affiliate capabilities, and automation.
For those serious about scaling their community, managing multiple admins, reducing transaction fees, and maintaining a professional brand with custom URLs and advanced plugins, the $99 Pro plan remains the best choice.
Remember, the decision boils down to your current revenue, growth plans, and how much time you want to save on community management tasks. If you’re just starting out or running a small hobby community, the $9 plan is a fantastic option. But if you’re building a business that relies on strong branding, automation, and team collaboration, investing in the Pro plan will pay off.
Ready to build your own community? You can try Skool risk-free with a 14-day free trial using my referral link. Dive in, explore the features, and see which plan fits your vision best.
Have questions or want to learn more? Feel free to reach out or join my community where we discuss Skool and other powerful tools to grow your online presence.
Have a wonderful day and happy community building!
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