Memberships and subscriptions
Cheapest Circle alternatives 13 tools cheaper than Circle, like for like
- Circle from, billed annually
- $89/mo
- Cheaper tools
- 13
- Lowest price
- Free plan
- Biggest saving, paid plan
- 81%
Data checked Oct 14, 2026 against the vendors' own pages. How we verify
Circle's cheapest paid plan costs $89 per month billed annually (Professional). We found 13 tools in its market that cost less, compared on the same billing basis.
9 are cheaper billed annually, 4 have a free plan (Circle has none).
The largest saving on a paid plan is LifterLMS: $16.58 a month billed annually on Earth Bundle, $72.42 (81%) less than Circle's $89.
No vendor here states that it lacks a feature Circle has. Below, each tool lists the features and numbers it publishes; vendors rarely state what they do not offer, so a feature that is not listed is unknown, not missing.
Circle alternatives by price
| # | Tool | Price per month | Billing basis | Circle, same basis | You save | Free plan | Data checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Donorbox | Free (Standard) | free plan | $89/mo | $89 (100%) | Yes, 5 users | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 2 |  Givebutter | Free plan | free plan | $89/mo | $89 (100%) | Yes, unlimited users | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 3 |  paidtier | Free plan | free plan | $89/mo | $89 (100%) | Yes, 10 transaction fee percent | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 4 |  Podfan | Free plan | free plan | $89/mo | $89 (100%) | Yes | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 5 |  LifterLMS | $16.58/mo | billed annually | $89/mo | $72.42 (81%) | Yes, unlimited members | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 6 |  Tutor LMS | $16.58/mo | billed annually | $89/mo | $72.42 (81%) | Yes, unlimited members | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 7 |  MemberPress | $16.63/mo | billed annually | $89/mo | $72.37 (81%) | No | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 8 |  Heights Platform | $19/mo | billed annually | $89/mo | $70 (79%) | No | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 9 |  LearnWorlds | $24/mo | billed annually | $89/mo | $65 (73%) | No | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 10 |  Teachable | $29/mo | billed annually | $89/mo | $60 (67%) | No | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 11 |  Heartbeat | $40/mo | billed annually | $89/mo | $49 (55%) | No | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 12 |  Kartra | $52/mo | billed annually | $89/mo | $37 (42%) | No | Oct 14, 2026 |
| 13 |  Wild Apricot | $59.40/mo | billed annually | $89/mo | $29.60 (33%) | No | Oct 14, 2026 |
Each value links the page it was read from (hover for the check date).
What you give up for the lower price
- Donorbox · Free plan
Fundraising software for nonprofits offering donation forms, donation pages, recurring giving, events, peer-to-peer campaigns and a donor CRM.
- Price: free plan (Standard); Circle has no free plan source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $89 a month (100%) while you stay within the free plan's limits
- Standard limits: 5 users source
- Matches Circle: has all 4 features we verified for Circle
5 of 8 tracked details verified
Homepage captured Oct 14, 2026 - Givebutter · Free plan
Fundraising platform for nonprofits with donation forms, campaign pages, events, auctions and a built-in donor CRM, with a paid Plus tier.
- Price: free plan (Free); Circle has no free plan source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $89 a month (100%) while you stay within the free plan's limits
- Free limits: unlimited users, unlimited subscribers source
- Verified features: Analytics, AI assistant
5 of 8 tracked details verified
- paidtier · Free plan
No-code platform for creators to build, sell and deliver courses and subscriptions to members through Telegram, Discord and a web dashboard.
- Price: free plan (Free); Circle has no free plan source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $89 a month (100%) while you stay within the free plan's limits
- Free limits: 10 transaction fee percent source
- Verified features: Analytics, Team access, AI assistant
4 of 8 tracked details verified
- Podfan · Free plan
Platform for podcasters that provides a podcast page and sells paid memberships, donations and private member-only feeds, with payments handled through Stripe.
- Price: free plan (Free); Circle has no free plan source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $89 a month (100%) while you stay within the free plan's limits
- In numbers: 3 published plans and a free plan. source
1 of 8 tracked details verified
- LifterLMS · $16.58/mo, saves 81%
WordPress LMS plugin with paid add-on bundles for building and selling online courses and memberships, with quizzes, certificates and e-commerce add-ons.
- Price: $16.58 a month, billed annually, on Earth Bundle source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $72.42 a month (81%)
- Verified features: Analytics, Public API
4 of 8 tracked details verified
- Tutor LMS · $16.58/mo, saves 81%
WordPress LMS plugin for creating, managing and selling online courses with quizzes, assignments, certificates, memberships and an AI course generator.
- Price: $16.58 a month, billed annually, on Individual source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $72.42 a month (81%)
- Individual limits: unlimited members source
- Verified features: Analytics, Team access, Templates, AI assistant
6 of 8 tracked details verified
- MemberPress · $16.63/mo, saves 81%
WordPress plugin that adds membership sites, paywalled content, subscription billing, online courses and coaching tools to a site.
- Price: $16.63 a month, billed annually, on Launch source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $72.37 a month (81%)
- Verified features: AI assistant, Public API
3 of 8 tracked details verified
- Heights Platform · $19/mo, saves 79%
Platform for creating and selling online courses, challenges, memberships and digital products, with community channels and built-in AI tools.
- Price: $19 a month, billed annually, on Challenge source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $70 a month (79%)
- Challenge limits: 0 transaction fee percent, 100 members, 1,000 subscribers source
- Matches Circle: has all 4 features we verified for Circle
5 of 8 tracked details verified
- LearnWorlds · $24/mo, saves 73%
Learning management platform for building, branding and selling online courses and training programs, with AI tools, assessments and a website builder.
- Price: $24 a month, billed annually, on Starter source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $65 a month (73%)
- Starter limits: 1,000 members, 1 users, 300 credits per month source
- Matches Circle: has all 4 features we verified for Circle
7 of 8 tracked details verified
- Teachable · $29/mo, saves 67%
Platform for creating and selling online courses, coaching, digital downloads and memberships, with payments, tax handling and student apps.
- Price: $29 a month, billed annually, on Starter source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $60 a month (67%)
- Starter limits: 5 products, 7.5 transaction fee percent source
- Matches Circle: has all 4 features we verified for Circle
6 of 8 tracked details verified
- Heartbeat · $40/mo, saves 55%
Community platform that combines discussion channels, courses, events, payments and a branded app for people who sell memberships.
- Price: $40 a month, billed annually, on Build source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $49 a month (55%)
- Build limits: 350 members, 5 transaction fee percent source
- Verified features: Analytics, AI assistant, Public API
4 of 8 tracked details verified
- Kartra · $52/mo, saves 42%
Business platform with landing pages, funnels, email marketing, online courses, memberships, checkouts and affiliate management in one subscription.
- Price: $52 a month, billed annually, on Essentials source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $37 a month (42%)
- Essentials limits: 500 subscribers, 10,000 emails per month, 5 transaction fee percent, 5 pages source
- Matches Circle: has all 4 features we verified for Circle
6 of 8 tracked details verified
- Wild Apricot · $59.40/mo, saves 33%
Membership management software for associations, nonprofits and clubs covering a member database, events, email, a website builder and payments.
- Price: $59.40 a month, billed annually, on 100 Contacts source
- Circle on the same basis: $89 a month, billed annually, on Professional source
- Saving: $29.60 a month (33%)
- 100 Contacts limits: 100 subscribers source
- Verified features: Analytics, Templates, Public API
5 of 8 tracked details verified
How we picked
- Pool: tools in the same market as the tool on this page (they list its primary category, and their own primary category is one it lists).
- Like for like: a tool's cheapest paid plan billed monthly is compared with the cheapest plan billed monthly; if that is not cheaper, its price per month billed annually is compared with the annual price. Monthly and annual prices are never mixed in one comparison.
- A free plan counts as cheaper only when the tool on this page has no free plan. Usage-priced and "contact sales" plans are left out.
- Saving = the reference price on the same basis minus the alternative's price, per month; the percentage is rounded. Entry plans differ in seats, accounts and limits, so the saving is for the entry plan, not your team.
- Sorted by price per month, then name. The page is built only when the tool has a verified paid price and at least 3 tools qualify.
Every value is read from the vendor's own pages (or GitHub for licences and stars) and shown with the date we checked it. A value we could not verify is shown as a dash, never estimated, and never read as a “no”. We did not test these tools hands-on unless a listing says so. Methodology
Questions, answered from the data
What is the cheapest alternative to Circle?
LifterLMS: $16.58 a month billed annually on Earth Bundle, against $89 for Circle's Professional on the same basis.
How much can I save compared with Circle?
Up to $89 a month (100%) with Donorbox's free plan, before any difference in limits or seats.
Is there a free alternative to Circle?
Donorbox, Givebutter, paidtier, Podfan and LifterLMS and 1 more have a free plan.
Explore related pages
More on Circle
Comparisons
Prices as published on each vendor's pricing page on the date shown, in USD, for membership platforms. Confirm with the vendor before you buy.