XenForo vs Skool

XXenForo8.9Visit Skool8.6Visit

Higher score X XenForo #4 in Online Community Platforms 8.9/10 Paid ✓ 1 of 3 features Visit XenForo

vs

Skool #7 in Online Community Platforms 8.6/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Skool

• XenForo fits best

  Traditional forums needing granular moderation

• Skool fits best

  Low-cost course-led communities

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Side by side

Feature	XXenForo 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Skool 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.6
Ranking	#4 in Online Community Platforms	#7 in Online Community Platforms
Best for	Traditional forums needing granular moderation	Low-cost course-led communities
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	—	$9/mo
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Tickets, Community, Docs	Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features XenForo 1/3 · Skool 0/3
Private groups	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Direct messaging	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Custom domain	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Member limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Moderation tools	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Mobile apps	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Granular permissions, private forums, and moderation workflows Forums support questions, answers, suggestions, articles, and discussions Managed cloud and self-hosted deployment options	Unlimited members, courses, videos, and live calls on both plans Native events, live calls, chat, courses, and community discussions Private access, moderation, mobile apps, Zapier, and API-key integration
Cons	No free plan is available Cloud plans limit monthly page views and storage by tier Statistics focus on event counts and graphs, not marketing analytics	No free plan is available Hobby charges a 10% transaction fee Integrations and customization are comparatively limited
Our verdict	XenForo is community forum software for organizations hosting customer discussions, peer support, knowledge sharing, and user-generated content. It suits teams that want traditional forum structures with private areas, user or group… Read the review →	Skool is a hosted community platform for creators, educators, experts, hobbyists, and artists. It combines community posts, courses, events, live calls, direct messaging, membership payments, and gamification in one service. Owners can… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• XenForo — where it wins

  • Granular permissions, private forums, and moderation workflows
  • Forums support questions, answers, suggestions, articles, and discussions
  • Managed cloud and self-hosted deployment options

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is available
  • Cloud plans limit monthly page views and storage by tier
  • Statistics focus on event counts and graphs, not marketing analytics

• Skool — where it wins

  • Unlimited members, courses, videos, and live calls on both plans
  • Native events, live calls, chat, courses, and community discussions
  • Private access, moderation, mobile apps, Zapier, and API-key integration

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is available
  • Hobby charges a 10% transaction fee
  • Integrations and customization are comparatively limited

• XXenForo8.9/10 · Paid

  A configurable forum platform for organizations that need granular moderation and permissions.

  Visit XenForoFull verdict →
• Skool8.6/10 · Paid

  A low-cost community platform with courses, events, payments, and gamification.

  Visit SkoolFull verdict →