# Circle vs Skool: which do AI models recommend for community, September 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, Community platforms. Two of twelve models named Circle first on the direct prompt; zero named Skool. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/customer/community-platforms/circle-vs-skool/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle | 15% | #3 of 14 | 23% | 43 | 12 of 12 |
| Skool | 2% | #8 of 14 | 20% | 10 | 6 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Qwen 3.7 Flash: circle first (first choices: Circle) (alternatives: Discourse, Guru, Microsoft Viva Topics & Teams, Salesforce Communities)
- MiniMax M2.5: circle first (first choices: Circle, Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Bettermode, Salesforce Experience Cloud)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Bettermode) (alternatives: Circle, Gainsight Customer Communities)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Bettermode, Circle, Salesforce Experience Cloud)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Bettermode) (alternatives: Gainsight Customer Communities, Higher Logic Vanilla, Influitive, Zendesk Community)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Gainsight Customer Communities, Khoros Communities)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Bettermode) (alternatives: Discourse, Gainsight Customer Communities, Higher Logic Vanilla)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Bettermode, Gainsight Customer Communities)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Bettermode) (alternatives: Discourse, Jatra)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Bettermode, Gainsight Customer Communities, Salesforce Experience Cloud, Zendesk Community)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Bettermode, Gainsight Customer Communities, Salesforce Experience Cloud, Zendesk Community)

## What the models said about Circle

- "Avoid Creator-First Platforms (e.g., Circle, Mighty Networks, Skool)" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, direct prompt, hard negative)
- "Avoid: Paid SaaS like Circle ($89/mo)" (Grok 4.1 Fast, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Very polished UX, but support/billing concerns are notable... Circle for post-cancellation billing issues" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Start with Circle if you want a polished, low-maintenance experience that covers marketing, support, and engagement." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "If you have ~$90/month and no developers, Circle offers the best value for a professional customer community." (Kimi K2, budget prompt, first choice)
- "the best customer community platform is usually Circle if you want a polished, all-in-one branded community" (GPT-5.4 mini, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Skool

- "Avoid Creator-First Platforms (e.g., Circle, Mighty Networks, Skool)" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, direct prompt, hard negative)
- "Why to be cautious: Feature limitations and poor user experience" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Final Pick: If you can spend even a tiny amount, Skool at $9/month gives you the most features per dollar." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Skool at $99/month is one of the most cost-effective all-in-one options with gamification and payments built in." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, budget prompt, alternative)
- "Skool is a highly simplified platform that combines discussion threads, a course classroom, and an event calendar." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt, alternative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.