Circle.so has gained recognition in the online community space in recent years, making it a top choice for those seeking a platform to establish their online community.
However, it is important to consider all options and evaluate the features offered by the platform as well as how they stack up against competitors.
In this review, we will provide a detailed analysis of Circle.so, discussing its platform features and highlighting both its strengths and weaknesses.
At the conclusion of this review, you will have a more informed decision on whether Circle is suitable for your needs.
We should begin now.
What Is Circle?
Circle is an online community software platform that allows creators and brands to establish and expand an engaged community on their websites.
The goal is to equip you with the tools needed to establish a platform where your audience can engage and communicate with one another.
The platform provides various community-building features such as posts, online courses, events, live streaming, member directories, messaging, notifications, and moderation tools.
Additionally, the platform offers design customization features, built-in monetization tools, and seamless integration with your current tech stack.
Circle is a cloud-based platform that does not require software installation or technical setups. Simply create a Circle account, set up your community, and point your domain to it.
Circle offers a unique feature compared to Facebook Groups, providing users with the ability to create a customized community and manage audience engagement.
After reviewing the Circle community platform, it’s time to explore the specifics.
Ease of Use
Circle is a user-friendly community-building platform that is easy to navigate without the need for specialized skills.
The admin interface is organized with all spaces listed on the left side of the screen, along with options to create new spaces. Users can easily navigate to a space from here and access discussions and space settings.
Important actions such as creating a new post or starting a live stream are conveniently placed for easy access and visibility.
The tools and settings are organized into clear categories such as Posts, Members, PayWalls, and Settings, making it easy to locate what you need.
The end-user interface closely resembles the admin interface, with the main difference being certain settings.
The platform is designed to be clean and intuitive, with all important features easily accessible from the left sidebar for quick navigation and access to necessary information.
Users have the option of utilizing the search bar in the left panel to efficiently locate posts, comments, and people.
Online Community Builder
The primary function of a community software platform is to facilitate the creation and upkeep of an online community. Let’s analyze Circle’s performance in this regard.
Let’s start by discussing the most essential community options you get here:
- Custom domain: Users can choose to use their own domain name for their community, but it is hosted on a circle.so subdomain by default.
- Public vs private community: Circle offers the option to create a community that can be either public or restricted to members only.
- Branding options: Circle offers users the option to customize their community’s appearance to align with their branding, allowing for modifications such as changing colors and adding a logo.
Now, let’s get into the specific features.
Community Organization
Circle provides two organizational features, Spaces and Space Groups, to assist in community management.
Spaces serve as places for adding posts and content, while space groups are designed for organizing similar spaces together.
First, let’s discuss spaces, as they are essential elements for creating a Circle community.
To start with, there are six types of spaces you can create:
- Posts: To create discussion posts and articles
- Events: To create online and offline events
- Chat: To host group chats in your community
- Courses: To create structured online courses
- Members: To create a private member directory
- Images: To create an Instagram-style space
Furthermore, there are several customization options for spaces, including the ability to add a cover image and adjust SEO settings.
Users have the option to customize their privacy and access settings by selecting from open, private, or secret options. Additionally, they can choose to place their content behind a paywall or display a custom landing page to non-members.
It also offers the capability of managing the permissions of community members in a space, giving you control over actions like adding others, creating posts, and sorting content.
Circle offers various layout customization options for the Posts space, including feed, list, or card layouts. Additional customization options such as displaying a sidebar are also available.
The features available here provide a versatile space for various purposes. For example, you can use the card layout to showcase a collection of blog posts, or you can utilize the list layout to create a Q&A section.
Space Groups are used as a means of organizing related spaces together, without including any specific content within them.
Organizing spaces by theme or attributes, such as access level (free or paid), can be accomplished by creating space groups.
Circle offers a range of options to help you organize your community according to your preferences, with various space types and customizable layouts providing flexibility.
Content and Posts
Creating engaging content and fostering conversations are essential components of managing an online community, requiring the right tools and features to be in place.
As previously stated, Circle offers a Posts-type area for creating discussion posts, articles, and other content.
The editor provides a range of features for creating posts, including adding text, images, videos, downloadable files, and embeddable content. It also includes basic formatting options such as bold, italic, headings, and lists.
An additional option is to include a cover image, which can be beneficial if you are creating a complete article.
Circle also allows for the creation of polls to gather feedback from members.
The most notable feature is the content co-pilot, an AI writing assistant that offers post suggestions, content creation, and writing enhancements.
Circle offers a range of actions that can be performed on posts.
- There are various publishing options available, such as immediate publishing, scheduling, or saving as a draft.
- Various moderation options, such as closing comments, hiding likes, and pinning the post to the top, are available.
- SEO settings involve elements such as setting a meta title, description, and URL slug.
Overall, the feature set for creating posts in Circle is quite powerful.
Events and Live Streaming
Events are a commonly used content type among Circle creators, frequently ranking as the second most popular after posts.
To create an event in Circle, users can easily input essential details, such as date, time, event type (one-time or recurring), and location, to set up the event.
When hosting an online event, there are different delivery options available. You can utilize the platform’s built-in live-streaming capabilities or use an alternative meeting solution such as Zoom.
Members have the ability RSVP for the event, receiving a confirmation email from Circle. Additionally, there is an option for automatic reminders for attendees before the event.
Circle has advanced features in the area of live streaming.
In addition to scheduled events, live streaming is also available for community members to use at any time, with two different options to choose from.
- Start a Live Room: This feature is well-suited for small group meetings, allowing up to 30 members to go live and engage in conversation.
- Start a Live Stream: This format is commonly utilized for broadcasting purposes, such as webinars and Q&A sessions, where only the hosts are able to present and speak.
In live sessions, screen sharing and chat features can be used to interact with members. Additionally, sessions can be recorded and distributed to attendees.
Online Courses
Circle offers a range of course-building tools for creating lessons that incorporate video, audio, and text formats, which can be structured into sections for student organization.
The course creation process in Circle is made easy with the drag-and-drop builder, allowing you to effortlessly add sections and lessons and customize their order.
Circle’s lesson editor allows for easy addition of various types of content, such as videos, audio, and external media, along with the ability to attach downloadable files. Unlimited video hosting is provided, eliminating any worries about video storage and delivery.
Circle has recently introduced content dripping, which enables course sections to be released at designated dates or after a certain number of days from enrollment.
It is important to mention that the platform does not include certain key learning tools like quizzes and certificates.
The course player is designed with a focus on user experience. It features a large content area on the left, a navigation sidebar on the right, and the option for members to hide the navigation and switch to full-screen mode.
One notable feature of Circle’s Community AI is automated transcriptions, which provide the capability for generating captions and allowing users to search within videos and quickly navigate to specific sections.
Circle Courses is a platform that may not have as many features as standalone course platforms, but it is effective for creating courses to engage with your community. Additionally, you can integrate course functionality with features such as discussion spaces and live events to use it as a cohort course platform.
Messaging and Notifications
Circle allows for direct messaging between members, with the option to enable or disable this feature in your community based on your preferences.
Users are able to deactivate direct messaging for certain members, giving them more control over their interactions.
Aside from individual messaging, Circle also offers the option to create group chats where members can communicate with each other, similar to the chat rooms from the early days of the Internet.
The chat interface offers a simple design akin to other messaging apps, featuring useful functionalities such as mentions, chat threads, and voice messages, making it a versatile tool for engagement.
Let’s discuss member notifications.
Members will automatically receive notifications for posts in spaces they are a part of, as well as likes or comments on posts they follow, and direct messages.
Members have the option to customize their notification preferences to choose the activities and spaces they want to be notified about.
Users have the option to receive notifications via email, within the app, or as push notifications on their mobile devices.
Administrators have the ability to control the notifications they receive and select the channels through which they receive them.
You have the option to send a weekly digest to your members with a personalized summary of the activities in your community. With just one click, you can enable this feature, which is a helpful way to keep your members informed.
Mobile Apps
Circle provides users with access to their community via browsers on all devices and free apps available on iOS and Android.
The app’s interface is designed for mobile devices, enabling users to easily participate in discussions, watch courses, and attend livestreams while on the move.
Additionally, mobile apps offer push notifications, enabling members to stay updated while on the move and encouraging their continued engagement with the community.
Circle provides the option to create branded mobile apps for your community.
Sales and Marketing
Circle provides sales and marketing tools to help monetize online communities, including creating landing pages and facilitating access fees.
Landing Pages
Circle’s Lock Screen feature provides users with the ability to create landing pages for their private spaces. These pages are only visible to non-members and can be used to invite them to request an invite or redirect them to a checkout page for purchasing a plan.
The page builder is straightforward, offering support for four page sections: Banner, Space description, course lessons, and a call-to-action (CTA) section.
The page sections have a set layout with limited design options. In the Banner and CTA sections, you can only customize by adding a background image, modifying text, and including a button.
To rearrange the order of page blocks, simply drag and drop them as needed. Additionally, you have the option to hide any of the blocks on the page.
While the Lock Screen feature may not be ideal for constructing detailed sales pages, it can still be utilized to create basic landing pages that can be redirected to your sales page or checkout page.
Payments and Checkouts
Circle’s Paywalls feature allows users to set up pricing plans and restrict access to their spaces and space groups accordingly.
PayWalls allows for the creation of multiple membership tiers with specific spaces or groups included in each plan.
There are two ways of charging for these plans:
- One-time fee: Members only need to pay once.
- Recurring fee: Members are charged daily, weekly, monthly, annually, etc. You can also offer a free trial.
One useful feature is the capability to group multiple subscription plans together and allow members to easily switch between them with just one click, which could be helpful if you’re using it as a membership platform.
Multiple pricing options can be configured for each plan, including monthly, annual, and one-time payment options.
Circle offers the option to create coupons, which can either be percentage-based or a fixed amount.
Circle only connects to Stripe for payment gateways, with no PayPal integration available. The Stripe integration also supports tax collection for handling sales taxes.
Circle’s checkout process involves creating an account and completing payment in one step on a single page.
The checkout page features a streamlined design and requests only essential information.
There are some aspects of the checkout process that could be enhanced.
- There are no additional conversion elements available, such as testimonials or money-back guarantee badges, to add to the website design currently available to use on the platform provided.
- Order bumps and upsells are not able to be added.
Circle offers built-in affiliate marketing tools to help users create and manage their own affiliate program in conjunction with the Paywalls feature.
Overall, Circle’s pricing features and checkout process are fine, but there’s room for improvement, especially when it comes to payment methods and conversion tools.
Reporting and Administration
Community Management Tools
Circle provides two administrative roles, Moderators and Admins, to effectively manage your community.
Admins have access to the complete feature set and can oversee all aspects of the community, such as creating new spaces, managing member billing, and adding moderators.
Moderators are assigned to specific spaces and groups to manage settings, add or remove members, and moderate posts and comments.
In addition to user roles, Circle offers several features to make moderation easier:
- One can enable profanity filters to identify and flag inappropriate content automatically.
- Members have the ability to report posts for review by moderators, who may then take action to remove the content if necessary.
- Moderators have the ability to flag members, which means that all their content must be approved before it can be seen in the community.
Circle allows users to manage members efficiently by inviting, managing profiles, messaging, or removing them from the community.
In addition to those features, Circle offers additional features that aid in member management.
Custom profile fields allow for the collection of additional information from members, which can be used to personalize their experience within the community.
- Member tags allow for the addition of custom labels to members based on their interests or activity, aiding in member segmentation and personalization of their experience.
- Activity scores are generated using an AI algorithm to track member engagement levels within your community.
Circle’s Workflows feature enhances community management capabilities.
Workflows are capable of automating actions within your community in response specific events. This includes sending welcome messages o new members or congratulatory messages when members complete a course.
Workflows are useful for performing bulk actions, such as sending a broadcast message to all members with specific tags at the same time.
Reporting and Analytics
Circle offers analytics to monitor the growth and performance of your community.
The Analytics page is organized into five tabs: Overview, Members, Posts & Comments, Messages, and Spaces.
The Overview tab offers a summary of key metrics, including new, active, and inactive community members. It also provides information on top members, community spaces, and posts.
For deeper insights, you can explore the individual tabs:
- The Members tab provides in-depth member-engagement analytics, showcasing daily and monthly active members, leaderboards of top contributors, and highly appreciated members.
- The Posts & Comments section provides insights into the frequency of member activity and the level of engagement their content is receiving within the community.
- The Messages tab offers information on group chats and individual messages exchanged among members.
- The Spaces tab displays the most active spaces and provides information on the number of posts and comments in each space.
However, the analytics feature has a few limitations.
Currently, there is no available analytics for your online courses or live streams.
Additionally, the dashboards have limited filtering options, as they do not allow users to filter member analytics by tags, user roles, or profile fields.
Circle’s reporting and analytics tools provide a comprehensive performance overview of your community but require some improvements to enhance usability.
Third-Party Integrations
One of Circle’s strengths is its ability to integrate with third-party apps.
Firstly, it provides necessary features.
- Code snippets: JavaScript code snippets can be used to integrate analytics solutions like Google Analytics and other popular tools such as Intercom and ConvertBox into your community website.
- Zapier: Circle’s Zapier integration allows users to connect their community with various external apps, such as email providers or shopping carts.
Furthermore, Circle provides advanced integration options.
One of the integrations offered by Circle is single sign-on (SSO) with various membership platforms such as Thinkific, Teachable, and WordPress, as well as a custom SSO option.
By connecting Circle to your current membership platform, members can conveniently access their accounts using a single set of credentials.
Circle’s public API provides access to data from your Circle account and allows for specific actions to be taken within your community.
This allows for the creation of custom apps to enhance functionality and connect your community to other services such as Slack and others.
The platform also offers embed widgets, which enable users to integrate their Circle community on another website. Users have the flexibility to embed the entire community, a specific space, or comments from a particular post.
Customer Support
Circle offers support through their dedicated team, reachable via email, with prompt responses during US hours.
Live chat support is not available, but there is a support widget in the bottom-right corner of the admin area where you can send a message and receive a response directly in your inbox.
The widget allows users to search through a vast knowledge base of articles efficiently, providing a helpful self-help option.
Circle has a vibrant user community that provides support and inspiration. Users can connect with other community owners, share ideas, and receive feedback and advice from the Circle team and fellow users.
Pricing Plans
Regarding Circle’s pricing, you can choose from four plans:
- Basic Plan: $39/month
- Professional Plan: $99/month
- Business Plan: $249/month
- Enterprise Plan: $399/month
There is a transaction fee in addition to the monthly cost for all plans: 4% for Basic, 2% for Professional, 1% for Business, and 0.5% for Enterprise plans.
The Basic plan has restrictions on the number of members (100), spaces (10), and total storage (10 GB), which may be considered limiting.
To access more features, upgrading to the Professional plan is recommended. This plan offers unlimited members, 20 spaces, 100 GB of storage, live streaming, online courses, and white labeling, making it a valuable option for creators.
For customers requiring larger storage limits or advanced features such as automation workflows and APIs, upgrading to the Business or Enterprise plan is recommended.
For branded community apps, Circle.so Plus is the platform’s premium service that you may need.
It is evident that Circle offers a variety of plans to accommodate different needs, from beginners to those with larger communities.
Furthermore, there is a 14-day free trial available for testing the platform and its features, with no requirement for a credit card.
Circle vs the Competition
We will review the Circle platform in comparison to its competitors before delivering our verdict.
Circle and Mighty Networks are competitors in the same market, with Circle being stronger in multiple areas.
- It provides a simpler experience and enhances user satisfaction.
- It offers advanced community management tools, including automation workflows, custom profile fields, member tags, and more.
- Mighty Networks does not offer support for SSO or API functionalities, unlike Circle.
BuddyBoss, a competitor of Circle, is a WordPress plugin that offers extensive functionality by utilizing the vast library of WordPress plugins.
BuddyBoss has more limited features compared to Circle, as it does not natively support online courses, live streaming, or automation workflows.
The platform does not provide an out-of-the-box solution, requiring users to invest more time in learning how to set up and use it. Many users may find the process too complicated.
Circle.so Review – The Final Verdict
Circle is considered one of the top community platforms.
The platform offers a user-friendly interface and a variety of tools for community-building and engagement, such as support for online courses and live streaming.
Additionally, it provides advanced features such as automation workflows, SSO integrations, and a public API, which are beneficial for expanding online communities.
The platform offers budget-friendly pricing options along with a 14-day free trial that does not require a credit card.
Circle is known for its user-friendly interface and scalability, making it a top choice for online community platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Circle.so used for?
Circle is an online community platform that creators and business owners use to build and engage with their communities. It offers a variety of features and tools for creating spaces, hosting events, and offering online courses.
Is Circle.so a good platform?
Circle is a platform that provides a range of features for building and managing online communities, such as online courses, live streaming, automation workflows, and API access. It has a clean and intuitive interface that makes it easy to use.
How does Circle.so work?
Circle is a cloud-based platform that allows users to create an account and easily build and engage with communities by adding content and utilizing various tools and features.
Can you host courses on Circle?
Circle allows users to host online courses with its built-in online course builder. This feature simplifies the process of creating and managing courses, and also provides hosting for course videos.
Does Circle.so have an app?
Circle offers both Android and iOS apps for community members to use, which can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Can you live stream in Circle?
Circle allows users to host live streams with its built-in feature, making it easy to go live with members. Additionally, you have the option to schedule live events.
Who created Circle.so?
The founders of Circle, Andrew Guttormsen, Sid Yadav, and Rudy Santino, were previously employed at Teachable. The platform was released in 2020 and has since gained popularity among numerous online communities globally.
