Best for · weekly cohort · USD
Best course platform for a weekly cohort (2026)
A live weekly cohort is a dated group that meets on a schedule — not a recorded library, and not a pure community room. Thinkific Start is the LMS shape (you bring Zoom). Kajabi is the OS that hosts the live video. Circle is events inside a branded community. Skool is a room with live calls. Pick the shape, then the deeper page.
Who this page is for
Experts who already have a method and will run it as a live weekly cohort: a group that starts on a date, meets most weeks, and ends (or renews as a new cohort). Recordings are leftovers. This is not facilitation advice and not a methodology page.
If the offer is a membership people stay in forever, use best membership platform. If you already know the fork is Thinkific vs Kajabi only, use Thinkific vs Kajabi for cohorts. If the “cohort” is actually a paid community with a weekly call, read Skool vs Circle vs Mighty Networks first.
The short version
Thinkific Start
The course LMS with live cohorts on Start. Public card: “Live cohorts and coaching — unlimited Zoom sessions, bookable calendars, and attendance tracking.”
Actually for
A dated weekly group on a learning platform. You already have Zoom (or another conference tool). You want calendar drip, attendance, and a course player. Email and funnels live elsewhere.
Not for
Basic ($54/mo). Live cohorts sit on Start ($109 / $82). Thinkific does not host the live video — official coaching FAQ: connect your own conference tool.
Kajabi
The all-in-one. Official course FAQ: evergreen vs cohort courses (scheduled groups with live video). Built-in live video. No Zoom required.
Actually for
A weekly live program plus sales page, email, checkout, and maybe coaching in one stack. Group coaching and cohort live video are first-class on Kajabi; capacity detail stays on Thinkific vs Kajabi for cohorts.
Not for
A cheap first cohort. Public Basic is $179/mo. You pay for landing pages, email, and funnels whether the live room is the whole product or not.
Circle / Skool — only if
The “cohort” is really a community that happens to meet weekly — not a course with a start date and a curriculum spine.
Go elsewhere
Circle Professional ($89/mo* annual) if the home is a branded community with events and courses. Skool Hobby ($9) / Pro ($99) if the home is a one-feed room with live calls.
Do not force it
Do not buy Circle or Skool to get a course LMS. Do not sit on Thinkific Basic and expect Start’s live-cohort row.
What “weekly cohort” means here
Course spine + live weekly meeting. People enroll into a dated group, progress through lessons, and show up live most weeks. That is Thinkific Start (Zoom) or Kajabi cohort courses (native live). Deep fork: Thinkific vs Kajabi for cohorts.
Community with a weekly event. The product is the room or the branded community; the weekly call is a ritual. Circle lists events, live streams, and live rooms on Professional. Skool lists unlimited live calls on Hobby and Pro. Those are community hosts. Vendor pages: Circle, Skool.
Recorded library (not this page). People buy tonight and watch alone. Thinkific Basic or Kajabi evergreen — not a weekly cohort host decision.
Cited shapes, September 19, 2026
USD. Monthly / annual where the vendor publishes both. Full fee tables live on the linked pages — this table is the shape, not a second pricing encyclopedia.
| Thinkific Start | Kajabi | Circle Professional | Skool | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public floor for this shape | Start $109/mo · $82/mo annual. Live cohorts are a Start add on top of Basic ($54 / $40). | Any named plan. Basic $179/mo · $143/mo annual. “Cohorts Courses” on the public feature grid. | Professional $89/mo* (annual billing). Page data priceMonth 99. Not a course LMS. | Hobby $9/mo · Pro $99/mo. Room with courses and live calls inside the feed. |
| Live video | You connect Zoom or another conference tool. Thinkific does not host the live session. Unlimited Zoom sessions on the Start card. | Built-in live video for cohort courses and coaching. Zoom/Meet optional. Capacity detail on the cohorts comparison page. | Live streams and live rooms on Professional. Live stream attendees / live room / hours: 100 / 15 / 10 on Professional. | Unlimited live calls on Hobby and Pro (pricing cards). Skool is merchant of record. |
| Cohort / weekly mechanics cited | Unlimited Zoom sessions, bookable calendars, attendance tracking (Start card). Calendar-date drip so a cohort shares a schedule (help; see cohorts page). | Scheduled groups that progress together with live video (course FAQ). Drip on a date or days after purchase. | Events + courses + community under your brand. A weekly meeting is an event in the home — not Start’s cohort LMS row. | Courses and live calls inside the group. A weekly call in a feed is not a dated LMS cohort. |
| Platform fee (reminder) | Thinkific third-party gateway fees on some plans — see Thinkific gateway fees. Not re-priced here. | Kajabi Payments or 3rd-party surcharge — see Kajabi. | 2% plus Stripe on Professional — see Circle pricing. | Hobby 10%+$0.30 · Pro 2.9%/$3.9% tiers — see Skool. |
| Who owns checkout | Your processor via Thinkific. | Kajabi Payments or your Stripe (with plan surcharge rules). | Your Stripe + Circle’s cut. | Skool is merchant of record. You do not keep your Stripe. |
Sources: Thinkific, Kajabi, Circle, and Skool official pricing/product pages fetched September 19, 2026. Deeper fee math stays on the linked pages. Full list at the bottom.
The decision
Pick Thinkific Start if the product is a course with a weekly live session, you already run Zoom (or will), and you do not need Kajabi’s email/funnel OS in the same bill. Public Start is $109/mo ($82 annual). Do not buy Basic for this shape.
Pick Kajabi if the weekly cohort needs native live video plus sales pages, email, and checkout in one stack — and you will use that OS. Public Basic is $179/mo. You are not buying a cheap Zoom wrapper.
Pick Circle only if the weekly meeting lives inside a branded community home (spaces, site, events) and the community is the product. Professional is $89/mo* annual. Start at Circle and Circle pricing.
Pick Skool only if the product is a paid room with a weekly call, not a dated course cohort. Hobby $9/mo to test the shape; Pro $99/mo once $97–$497 memberships renew. Start at Skool.
If you are stuck between Thinkific Start and Kajabi only, stop here and read Thinkific vs Kajabi for cohorts. That page owns the two-host fee and capability table.
Skip this framing if
The offer is a recorded library people buy anytime — use a player/OS page, not a cohort page. The offer is a forever membership with no cohort start date — use best membership platform. You wanted Teachable in the mix — Teachable’s public pricing page is a course/school grid and does not advertise a distinct live-cohort product the way Thinkific does; start at Kajabi vs Teachable vs Thinkific.
Visit the hosts
Thinkific affiliate slot — not live Circle affiliate slot — not live
Kajabi’s trial box and visit button use affiliate links. The Kajabi pricing button is a pricing-page affiliate. Visit Skool uses the Skool signup affiliate. Thinkific and Circle stay official product URLs plus labeled affiliate slots. Official vendor pricing pages remain the citation for every number on this page.
Omitted on purpose
- Full fee tables for Thinkific gateway %, Kajabi Payments, Circle 2%, and Skool 10%/2.9%/3.9%. Those are already published on the linked pages. This page picks a shape.
- Mighty Networks as a fifth column. Mighty is a branded membership network; if that is the product, use Mighty Networks / Mighty vs Circle — not a weekly-cohort LMS frame.
- A break-even month presented as advice. Public floors are enough to see Start ($109) vs Kajabi Basic ($179) vs Circle Professional ($89*) vs Skool Hobby ($9).
- Teachable as a live-cohort host. Public Teachable pricing does not advertise a Thinkific-style live-cohort row this directory treats as distinct.
- Keyword volumes, cohort-facilitation tips, and anything that documents your method for you.
Sources
- Thinkific pricing — Basic $54/$40; Start $109/$82 with “Live cohorts and coaching — unlimited Zoom sessions, bookable calendars, and attendance tracking.” Fetched September 19, 2026.
- Thinkific Coaching & Webinars — connect your own video-conference tool (cited on the cohorts page; capability, not re-fetched as a price). Cross-check: Thinkific vs Kajabi for cohorts.
- Kajabi pricing — public Basic $179/$143; Cohorts Courses on the feature grid. Fetched September 19, 2026.
- Kajabi online courses / coaching FAQ — evergreen vs cohort with live video; built-in live; group room capacity cited on the cohorts page.
- Circle pricing — Professional $89/mo*; priceMonth 99 / priceYear 89; live streams/rooms; events; courses; 2% plus Stripe. Fetched September 19, 2026.
- Skool pricing — Hobby $9/mo, Pro $99/mo; unlimited courses/videos/live calls. Fetched September 19, 2026.