Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is the pick if you want a road from free all the way to your own app in the App Store without switching tools. It's the wrong pick if you want email built in or Skool-style levels.

Pricing, checked on mightynetworks.com/pricing and the plan guide, 16 October 2026. There's a free Explore plan with a 5% fee, one Host, no courses. Launch is $79 a month ($950 a year) with 2%. Scale is $179 with 1%. Growth is $354 with 0.5%. Mighty Pro, where the branded apps live, is custom pricing. Every trial starts on Growth for 14 days, no card.

Mighty's cut comes out of your Stripe payout, and Stripe's own fee is separate and on top. Their help centre says so (Does Mighty Networks charge a transaction fee). One quirk: purchases inside the iOS app carry no Stripe fee.

What you're paying for

The ladder. Explore is free and takes payments, so you can charge members before you've paid Mighty a cent. That puts it with Systeme.io and Nas.io as the three platforms here with a real free runway. And it's the only one of the three that leads to a branded app.

Your own Stripe. Connect your account, get paid directly (Connect Stripe). No PayPal, no other processors. Local currencies work.

Spaces, unlimited on every plan. Each one can be free, paid, or bundled. A plan can sell one Space or a bundle, as a subscription, an installment plan, or a one-time payment for lifetime access (How do I create a plan). That's how you sell a course on its own: put it in a Space, give the Space a one-time price. Subscription Groups let members hop between related plans, which is tiered pricing in practice.

Bulk import. CSV upload up to 100,000 records on Launch and up, sent in batches of 50 (How do I invite people). Invites expire after four weeks and get three reminders.

What it doesn't do

Email marketing isn't native. Mighty's "email newsletter" feature is a Kit integration, which means Kit's Creator plan on top of Mighty's Business plan or higher (Create an email newsletter). The broadcasts and sequences are Kit's, not Mighty's. Already pay for Kit? Fine. Don't? Second bill.

Gamification is recognition, not levels. Members get 10 points a day for showing up, 20 per recognition, and streaks for consecutive days. The leaderboard shows the top 10 per Community Value and refreshes Mondays (How does gamification work). No levels. Nothing unlocks. If Skool's "post to earn the course" loop is what you're after, this isn't it.

The branded app is Mighty Pro only. Every plan gets the shared Mighty app on iOS and Android. Your own icon in the store is a custom-priced conversation. The ladder's long, but the top rung isn't on the price list.

Can you leave?

Members, yes. An Excel file with ID, name, email, membership type, Space memberships, join date, and referral data, for the whole network or per Space (Can I download my member data). Mighty's article mentions a plan requirement, so check it applies to your tier.

Posts, comments, courses: not mentioned anywhere in the export docs. Assume you rebuild.

Does Mighty Networks have a free plan?

Yes. Explore is free to start, takes payments at a 5% fee, and gives you one Host and one moderator. No courses, no events. You trial Growth for 14 days first, then drop to Explore if that's where you want to sit.

Is Mighty worth $79 over Skool at $9?

If you need Spaces, your own Stripe, and installment plans, yes. If you want engagement mechanics, no. Skool's levels and unlocks do more for a feed than Mighty's Monday top-10, and Skool's $70 a month cheaper on the entry plan.

Mighty or Circle?

Mighty if you want a free runway and a clearer road to a branded app. Circle if you want the better admin experience and email you can switch on with a credit card.

Mighty or Kajabi?

Mighty if the community comes first. Kajabi if the course and the email list come first and the community is a tab.

Sources, all checked 16 October 2026: Mighty pricing, which plan is right for you, transaction fees, connect Stripe, create a plan, invite people, download member data, gamification, email newsletter via Kit.