Skool Hobby Plan $9/Month – My Honest Review After 30 Days
When I first heard that the Skool Hobby Plan had launched for just $9/month, I was skeptical.
Skool has long been known as a premium, all-in-one community platform — one that offered powerful tools for course creators, membership communities, and digital entrepreneurs. But at $99/month, it was out of reach for many beginners.
Now, with the Skool Hobby Plan available at just $9/month, I knew I had to try it. So I did. And after 30 full days of building, testing, and running a real community, I’m ready to share my honest, hands-on review.
TL;DR – The Skool Hobby Plan is one of the most underrated tools for creators in 2025. It’s affordable, clean, powerful, and yes — totally worth the $9/month.
Let’s dive in.
What Is the Skool Hobby Plan?
The Skool Hobby Plan is a new pricing tier that gives solo creators access to the core Skool platform — for only $9/month. It was launched in 2025 as a more accessible entry point for hobbyists, small creators, and people just getting started with building an online community.
With the Skool Hobby Plan, you get:
✅ Unlimited members
✅ Unlimited courses
✅ Native video hosting
✅ Integrated payments (with 10% fee)
✅ Access to Skool’s discovery network
✅ Access to the Skoolers community and competitions
That’s a lot of value packed into a $9/month plan. But what does that actually feel like in practice?
Let me walk you through my experience over the past 30 days.
Day 1–5: Setting Up My Skool Group
After signing up for the Skool Hobby Plan, I was surprised by how simple the onboarding was.
I was up and running in about 15 minutes — group created, course shell ready, homepage filled out, and Stripe connected for payments.
Here’s what I loved during setup:
🟢 The interface is dead simple
The UI is clean, intuitive, and fast. Unlike other community tools I’ve used (like Kajabi, Circle, or Discord), Skool doesn’t overwhelm you with settings and configurations.
You focus on content, community, and value — not tech headaches.
🟢 Unlimited courses & members
Yes, even on the Hobby Plan, I was able to add multiple course modules, structure lessons, and set access levels — all without restrictions.
I invited a few friends to test it, and we were off to the races.
💡 If you’re wondering whether the Skool Hobby Plan limits you to just one course — it doesn’t. That alone makes the $9/month price insane.
Skool Hobby Plan $9/Month – My Honest Review After 30 Days 1
Day 6–10: Adding Content & Video
Next up: uploading course material and launching my first live call.
🧠 Course Builder
Skool’s course builder is simple and structured. You can create modules, lessons, and mark them as free or paid. The progress tracking is automatic, which is great for accountability.
🎥 Native Video Hosting
This was a huge win. I uploaded several 10–20 minute videos directly into Skool — no Vimeo, no YouTube, no extra cost.
The video player is fast, crisp, and optimized for both mobile and desktop.
As a creator, I appreciate the ability to host video inside the same platform where my members are learning and discussing. That’s rare — and usually expensive.
Day 11–15: Community Interaction
One of the reasons I wanted to try the Skool Hobby Plan was to see how it handled community engagement.
Let me tell you: Skool nails it.
🧵 Posts & Threads
Your Skool group includes a forum-like feed where members can post, comment, and react. Think of it like a cleaner, more focused Facebook Group — without the distractions or algorithms.
🏅 Levels & Gamification
Members earn points by engaging (commenting, posting, watching content), which levels them up. This small detail creates massive retention and motivation.
The engagement inside my Skool group felt more genuine and productive than any other platform I’ve tried.
Day 16–20: Selling Access & Payments
Around day 16, I flipped the switch and made one of my courses paid.
Setting up pricing was easy — you can create one-time or recurring membership pricing inside Skool, connected directly to Stripe.
Here’s what stood out:
Payments are fast and clean
Skool tracks everything in one place
Members are automatically given access based on purchase
Yes, the Skool Hobby Plan takes a 10% fee (which includes Stripe’s cut), but honestly — that’s fair for a $9/month tool. Once I scale up, I can always upgrade to the Pro Plan and drop to 2.9%.
Day 21–25: Discovery, Traffic, and Suggested Communities
I started noticing something interesting — I was getting members who didn’t come from me.
That’s because Skool has a built-in discovery engine. On the Hobby Plan, your group is part of a larger ecosystem, and members browsing other communities might see yours as a suggested group.
This built-in traffic source is one of Skool’s secret weapons — and it’s included in the Hobby Plan.
It’s like getting free SEO for your community.
Day 26–30: The Skoolers Community & The Skool Games
As part of your subscription, you also get access to Skoolers — the official Skool community.
Inside, I found:
Weekly trainings on growing your group
Member map to find local Skoolers
Live calls with creators and experts
Access to The Skool Games — a quarterly competition where you can win prizes (like trips to Skool HQ)
This adds massive bonus value to the Skool Hobby Plan — you’re not just getting software, you’re joining a movement.
Skool Hobby Plan: Pros & Cons After 30 Days
✅ Pros
Super affordable ($9/month)
Unlimited members & courses
Native video hosting included
Easy payment setup
Clean, focused UI
Built-in community tools
Discovery from Skool network
Active support via Skoolers
❌ Cons
10% transaction fee (but fair at this price)
No custom domain support
Can’t hide suggested communities
No plugin support (like Zapier) on Hobby Plan
Solo admin only
How It Compares to Other Platforms
Here’s how the Skool Hobby Plan stacks up vs other tools I’ve used:
Feature
Skool Hobby Plan
Gumroad
Kajabi
Circle
Price
$9/month
Free (10–14% fee)
$149/month
$49/month
Courses + Community
✅
❌
✅
✅
Video Hosting
✅
❌
❌ (Vimeo)
❌
Native Payments
✅
✅
✅
❌
Built-in Discovery
✅
❌
❌
❌
Transaction Fee
10%
Up to 14%
5%+
4%+
For me, Skool Hobby Plan wins on usability, value, and long-term potential.
Who Should Use the Skool Hobby Plan?
Here’s who I recommend the Skool Hobby Plan to:
🧑🏫 Coaches testing their first digital course or community
🧠 Consultants building a knowledge-based membership
🛠️ Creators validating niche communities
🎓 Teachers offering cohort-based learning
🎮 Hobbyists building groups around passions (chess, MMA, dating, etc.)
If you’re looking for the best way to sell courses online, build a community, and get paid — the Skool Hobby Plan is where you should start.
Is the Skool Hobby Plan Worth $9/Month?
In one word: Yes.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another online community platform that gives you this much for this little. For $9/month, I’m getting:
Unlimited members
Unlimited courses
Video hosting
Community engagement tools
Payment integration
Discovery traffic
Creator support through Skoolers
It feels like I’m getting $99/month value — for less than the cost of two lattes.
Final Thoughts: My Honest Review of the Skool Hobby Plan
After 30 days using the Skool Hobby Plan, I can say this confidently:
If you’re just starting your creator journey — or if you’ve tried other platforms and felt overwhelmed or priced out — Skool Hobby Plan is the best $9 you’ll ever spend.
It’s simple. It’s powerful. And it’s built to grow with you.
Whether you’re teaching, coaching, mentoring, or just organizing your people — Skool is the new standard in online community platforms.
