Hobby Versus Pro

Hobby usually suits a community that is still proving paid demand. Pro usually becomes cheaper when steady paid revenue makes its lower transaction fee worth the higher monthly subscription.

The choice is a simple break-even question, but only after you include your real charge sizes, refunds, and referral commissions. The figures below are Skool's September 2026 prices and fees, so glance at the live pricing page before you act on them.

What you are comparing

As of September 2026, Hobby is $9 per month and Pro is $99 per month, leaving a $90 monthly price gap. Hobby used a 10% plus 30c transaction fee, while Pro used 2.9% plus 30c for charges up to $899 and 3.9% plus 30c for charges above $900.

Both plans listed the same core set of unlimited members, courses, videos, live calls, custom URL, and affiliate features. That makes the basic choice mostly about cost, not a broader feature bundle.

When Hobby wins

• Choose Hobby while you are testing whether people will pay and the fixed Pro premium would be larger than the fee savings.
• Hobby is cheaper below about $1,267.61 in monthly gross paid revenue when all charges use the standard Pro fee tier and both plans are compared with the same transaction count.
• Hobby can still be sensible around that line when revenue is irregular or likely to drop again.
• Staying on Hobby a little longer can reduce fixed overhead while you learn which offer and price members actually want.
• Review the choice monthly once paid revenue begins to approach the break-even.

When Pro wins

• Choose Pro when reliable fee savings are greater than the monthly plan-price gap.
• Pro is cheaper above about $1,267.61 in monthly gross paid revenue under the same standard-tier assumptions.
• If every charge falls into the higher Pro fee tier, the simplified break-even rises to about $1,475.41 in gross paid revenue under the same September 2026 prices.
• Pro becomes more attractive when paid revenue is stable enough that the savings repeat each month.
• Recalculate instead of relying on the simple threshold when your community mixes subscriptions and high-ticket purchases.

Break-even worksheet

The prices and fees in these steps are Skool's.

1. Write down your expected monthly gross paid revenue.
2. Count the number of payments you expect that month.
3. List the amount of each payment, especially any high-ticket purchase.
4. Separate standard Pro charges from charges that use the higher Pro fee tier.
5. Estimate refunds, remembering that transaction fees are non-refundable.
6. Add any commission promised through your Affiliate Program.
7. Calculate Hobby: $9 + 10% of gross paid revenue + $0.30 for each payment.
8. Calculate Pro standard charges: $99 + 2.9% of applicable revenue + $0.30 for each payment.
9. Calculate Pro large charges: $99 + 3.9% of applicable revenue + $0.30 for each payment, combining tiers when needed.
10. Add refund losses and referral commissions to the relevant side.
11. Choose the plan with the lower expected monthly cost, then set a date to review the decision.

When both plans use the same transaction count, the fixed 30c charge cancels from the comparison. The standard calculation becomes $90 divided by 0.071, which is about $1,267.61 in monthly gross paid revenue.

For an all-large-charge comparison, the percentage gap is smaller. With the same September 2026 fees, $90 divided by 0.061 gives a simplified break-even of about $1,475.41.

Two plain examples

Both examples use Skool's prices and fees and the standard Pro fee tier.

With 100 payments of $12, gross revenue is $1,200. Hobby costs $159 and Pro costs $163.80, so Hobby is cheaper by $4.80.

With 100 payments of $20, gross revenue is $2,000. Hobby costs $239 and Pro costs $187, so Pro is cheaper by $52.

Best practice

• Start from Skool's current plan prices and payment FAQ, because the worksheet only works with current numbers.
• Use your expected revenue, payment count, and charge sizes instead of a public revenue benchmark.
• Model high-ticket purchases separately.
• Include refunds, because a refunded member can still leave transaction costs behind.
• Include community referral commissions as a separate cost.
• Review the choice after a price change, offer change, or sustained move across the break-even.

Pitfalls

• Do not choose from the monthly subscription price alone.
• Do not choose from the percentage fee alone.
• Do not use the standard break-even for high-ticket charges without recalculating.
• Do not assume that one strong month makes Pro permanently cheaper.
• Do not forget refunds or referral commissions.
• Do not treat a third-party estimate as Skool's official recommendation.
• Do not present the break-even as a promise about your community's revenue.