5+ Mighty Networks Alternatives [2023]: For Community & Courses

WRITER:
Mihael Cacic
EDITOR I:
Anja Jazbinsek
EDITOR II:
Matija Laznik
Updated date: November 17th, 2023

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Mighty Networks is known for helping creators grow their online audiences and bring them together into communities with memberships and courses.

Its community platform eliminates the distractions and noise of websites like forums and social media. However, Mighty Networks has limited customization capabilities and education features, nudging many to search for an alternative.

If you’re looking for Mighty Networks alternatives, we explore five equally viable options that address the diverse needs of creators in this article. We’ve tried to highlight how each alternative fills the gaps left by Mighty Networks based on our experience and testing.

Let’s get into it!

Best Mighty Networks Alternative: Executive Summary

You will get an all-encompassing business platform if you switch to Kajabi.
You will get the best customization options if you switch to Podia.
You will get advanced evaluation features if you switch to Thinkific.

Best Overall Runner-Up Third Best Alternative
Kajabi Podia Thinkific
Best all-in-one alternative for large communities, teams, and businesses. Best for startups looking for an affordable, feature-rich solution. Best alternative for advanced evaluation and lessons.
Visit Tool Site Visit Tool Site Visit Tool Site

Buying Guide and How We Rate Our Tools

During our many tests and reviews, we’ve identified four key criteria every creator looks at when choosing a community- and course-building software:

Ease of Use: We assess how fast a beginner can learn to navigate the tool, the ease of setting up, and overall management. In addition, if the support team is responsive and the tool is reliable in its performance.

Features: What features are available and are they suitable for building and growing an online community? We also check their application and if they suit specific use cases. Finally, how do they compare with Mighty Networks?

Customization: What options and controls do you get to tweak the community’s aesthetics? Do they offer free templates, and what are the design options? Lastly, we check the integration options and what systems and platforms are compatible.

Value for Money: We look at each platform’s pricing and what you get for that price. We also check the transparency of the tool’s billing and cancellation policy.

Note: low scores aren’t always bad.

Each tool has its own strengths and weaknesses suited for different end organizations. For instance, if a platform targets large enterprises, small businesses and individuals will usually find its features more complex. Ultimately, it all comes down to understanding which platform is right for your needs.

Now that we’ve set the scene, let’s walk through a mini-review of each.

All Mighty Networks Alternatives

Kajabi

Best all-in-one platform for course creation and community building, specifically for larger businesses and teams.

Read More

Ease of Use:
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Features:
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Customization:
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Value for Money:
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Skool

Best for creators in micro-niches looking to create courses with gamification and other engagement features, suitable for a growing community.

Read More

Ease of Use:
⭐⭐⭐
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Features:
⭐⭐⭐
Customization:
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Value for Money:
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Podia

Ideal alternative for small businesses and teams that need advanced features like courses, subscriptions, and forums.

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Ease of Use:
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Features:
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Customization:
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Value for Money:
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Thinkific

Best alternative for educators or coaches looking a well-rounded course creation platform.

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Ease of Use:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Features:
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Customization:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for Money:
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Teachery

Best alternative for startups and beginners — offers unlimited courses, students, and pages on a single plan.

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Ease of Use:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Features:
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Customization:
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Value for Money:
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1. Kajabi — Best All-In-One Platform for Community-Building

Ease of Use Features Customization Value for Money
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Kenny Reuter and Travis Rooser created Kajabi in 2010 as a well-rounded alternative to other online course platforms on the market.

Its core features include:

  • an intuitive drag-and-drop course editor,
  • a community-building feature,
  • powerful marketing tools,
  • countless integrations, including Zapier.

Kajabi is right for individuals or teams looking for a comprehensive course creation program to sell courses and nurture an engaging online community.

Kajabi Pros Kajabi Cons
✅ Built-in marketing tools ❌ Doesn’t offer lots of gamification tools
✅ Round-the-clock customer support ❌ Limited functionality on entry plans
✅ Drag-and-drop editor for course creation  
✅ Its tools are some of the most well-developed on the market  

Mighty Networks provides more robust community features than Kajabi.

Mighty Networks provides community-building features that you can’t find on Kajabi, like live events, surveys, and polls. Apart from its built-in social networks, you can integrate it with popular social media platforms like Instagram & TikTok.

Kajabi, on the other hand, offers only basic community features that let users create a discussion forum and group chat. Additionally, you can only access community integrations through third-party applications.

Kajabi has a more advanced scheduling tool to streamline social media management.

Kajabi’s scheduling tool is more advanced than Mighty Networks’. For example, you can schedule posts to multiple platforms simultaneously — something Mighty Networks doesn’t support.

Mighty Networks focuses on community building, while Kajabi focuses on course creation.

Kajabi has a built-in drag-and-drop course builder. Additionally, it also offers advanced course delivery options, including a drip feature and an Android & iOS mobile app so students can learn from anywhere. You can also build your own website within Kajabi.

Mighty Networks, on the other hand, does not have a native site builder. Users have to use a third-party host or web content management system. However, you get the option of making changes to your site content directly from Mighty Networks.

Kajabi’s pricing plans are expensive but offer more advanced features in the premium tiers.

Mighty Networks‘ most affordable option is the Community Plan, at $33 per month for an annual subscription. The Community Plan lets you establish a basic membership site with Zoom and event integrations to communicate with fellow members. You need to upgrade to the Business Plan if you need advanced capabilities like course creation and analytics. Mighty Pro unlocks white-label apps and notifications.

In contrast, Kajabi’s Basic Plan costs a bit more ($119 per month) but offers significantly more features, including:

  • a website builder,
  • multiple digital products,
  • marketing automation funnels,
  • landing page builders,
  • customizable built-in themes.

Use Kajabi if:

  • You want an all-in-one platform to manage your courses and community.
  • You want to build a website along with your courses.
  • You want to use sales funnels to lead customers through the pipelines.

2. Skool — Best Platform for Gamification and Boosting Retention Rates

Ease of Use Features Customization Value for Money
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sam Ovens created Skool in 2019 to help creators monetize their passion and engage with like-minded individuals through courses and gamification features.

Its key features include:

  • online courses,
  • robust gamification and engagement features,
  • peer-to-peer support forums,
  • fan communities.

Skool stands out with its gamification features and its simple user interface, making it ideal for beginners who want to quickly create engageable courses.

Skool Pros Skool Cons
✅ Easy for non-tech-savvy users ❌ Limited integrations
✅ Affordable pricing plan ❌ No advanced marketing features
✅ YouTube and Vimeo integrations  
✅ Live classes & engagement features  

Mighty Networks lets creators livestream classes for a more immersive learning experience.

Mighty Networks’ standout feature is its community live streaming feature with Q&A, video, poll, & direct messaging to make the sessions more engaging. You can also record the live sessions and add them to your courses.

On the other hand, Skool doesn’t offer a native live session feature, it only allows live session hosting by integrating third-party platforms like Zoom.

Skool doesn’t offer any live interaction options like Mighty Networks.

Mighty Networks enhances communication and interaction within your community through live events, forums, groups, and more. You can also integrate your online course with social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram to create a familiar space for your community members to connect, interact, and share their learning experiences.

Skool also offers a community-building feature like Mighty Networks. You can engage with your students by creating a community page. It is a great place to share information and course updates, and allow students to ask questions. However, it doesn’t offer a live feature like Mighty Networks.

Skool and Mighty Networks both have similar course-building features, but Skool offers more gamification features.

Mighty Networks’ course builder offers similar features as Skool. However, it doesn’t offer any gamification features like Skool.

Skool incentivizes good behavior by rewarding students with gems, likes, etc. It also lets you list top contributors in a leaderboard and present them with gifts like Amazon Gift Cards or exclusive one-on-one sessions.

Skool offers a single plan with a free trial. Mighty Networks has tiered premium plans.

Skool has one plan that costs $99/month, which unlocks all its features. You can create unlimited courses and students. But before committing, you can test all its features with its full-access 14-day free trial.

Use Skool if:

  • You want an easy-to-use platform designed for non-technical users.
  • You want to gamify your content to make it engaging.
  • You appreciate responsive customer service.

3. Podia — Best for Newbies and Testing New Content Ideas

Ease of Use Features Customization Value for Money
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Podia was created by Spencer Fry in 2014 as a user-friendly platform for entrepreneurs to sell courses and other digital products.

Its stand-out features include:

  • course builder,
  • e-commerce features,
  • communities & webinars,
  • membership and product discounts.

Podia is best for small businesses and teams looking for an easy-to-use platform with advanced features like courses, subscriptions, and forums.

Podia Pros Podia Cons
✅ Comprehensive tool to sell courses and memberships ❌ Doesn’t offer course certificates
✅ Simple course builder with tons of templates ❌ Basic community features
✅ Zero transaction fees  
✅ 1000+ integrations  

Podia offers better course creation features.

Podia lets you create more engaging content with PDFs, videos, images, etc. Additionally, you can sell more courses using different techniques like upsells, bundles, and affiliate marketing.

Mighty Networks also lets content creators offer memberships and courses. However, there is no option for digital products like ebooks and other downloads.

Podia offers more payment options to students.

With Podia, you can offer courses as a one-time purchase, membership, or subscription. Additionally, you can also offer a free trial for students to test out the course.

Mighty Networks also offers the option to deliver courses through a subscription or one-time purchase but doesn’t offer free trials.

Mighty Networks has an edge over Podia in community building thanks to its live-streaming feature.

Podia supports courses, groups, and forums where students can engage with each other via comments and posts. But it doesn’t have a native live events feature, which is why I feel Mighty Networks takes the cake here with its in-built live streaming feature.

Podia offers affordable plans which also include a free version.

Mighty Networks’ paid plans are more cost-effective than Podia’s.

However, Podia’s paid plans don’t charge a fee while Mighty Networks charges fees that can range from 2% to 5%. This can significantly impact your profits, giving Podia a competitive advantage. Moreover, money from your sales will be sent to your account immediately.

Podia also offers a free plan with some decent features, but you will be charged an 8% fee.

Use Podia If:

  • You want to sell various digital products like courses, webinars, and ebooks.
  • You are looking for a free version to test the features.
  • You want instant payouts from sales.

4. Thinkific — Best for Intuitive Course Building and Assessment

Ease of Use Features Customization Value for Money
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thinkific was started by Matt Smith, Matt Payne, and Greg Smith to deliver LSAT courses online but soon they expanded their mission to support millions of other course creators.

Its primary features include:

  • user-friendly course builder,
  • drag-and-drop landing page editor,
  • comprehensive marketing tools,
  • flexible payments,
  • Thinkific App Store.

Thinkfic is a perfect fit for educators or coaches offering interactive courses with certifications.

Thinkific Pros Thinkific Cons
✅ Drag-and-drop course builder ❌ No native CRM
✅ Customizable course delivery ❌ Limited customer support for entry plans
✅ Built-in payment gateway  
✅ 90+ integrations  

Thinkific’s course building feature is superior to Mighty Networks.

Thinkific’s course-building feature gives you the freedom to create customized, branded courses and add media, certification, and quizzes to them. Thinkific also offers an extensive template library.

Thinkific offers multiple payment options.

Besides the typical membership subscriptions and one-time purchases, Thinkfic also lets you deliver your content in bundles. Moreover, coaches can host live sessions by integrating platforms like Zoom, and accept payments via Thinkific Payments — its integrated payment gateway.

Building a community is easier on Thinkific than Mighty Networks but it doesn’t offer as much flexibility.

Mighty Networks has features and tools to create forums, live events, and groups to boost community engagement. On the contrary, Communities in Thinkific are geared more towards promoting your events and courses instead of fostering engagement. You can share updates on your latests events and courses but offers only basic community-building features like publishing posts and comments.

Mighty Networks’ pricing plans are more pocket-friendly, but Thinkific offers a free plan.

Thinkific has a free version of its tool while Mighty Networks only offers a 14-day free trial. Thinkific’s paid plans start at $36/month with decent features like unlimited courses and students. Upgrading to premium plans gives access to more advanced features like API access and Thinkific mobile.

Use Thinkific if:

  • You want control and flexibility in course creation.
  • You want a flexible pricing plan.
  • You don’t mind integrating third-party tools for hosting live sessions.

5. Teachery — Best Budget Alternative for Start-Ups & Beginners

Ease of Use Features Customization Value for Money
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Jason Zook started Teachery in 2014 with the aim of removing the technical hurdles of online course creation.

Its primary features include:

  • unlimited courses,
  • customizable login, payment, and landing pages,
  • payment integrations including Stripe.

Creators seeking simplicity and customization will find immense value in Teachery’s ability to tailor your online courses to match your existing brand and website.

Teachery Pros Teachery Cons
✅ Intuitive builder full of templates ❌ Limited marketing tools
✅ Unlimited courses and students ❌ Limited integrations
✅ Custom domain and branding ❌ Lacks assessments and rewards

Teachery offers a more intuitive course builder.

One of the better features of Teachery is that it allows you to create online courses with a simple and intuitive course builder. You can start with a template and customize your course layout with text, images, videos, audio files, or any other file type.

Mighty Networks also has a simpler course creation feature with the option to add text, images, videos, or audio files to your courses. You can use templates and media libraries, but they are fewer than Teachery’s.

Both tools offer multiple course monetization options, but Teachery lets you offer free trials.

Both solutions let you deliver your courses as one-time purchases, subscriptions, payment plans, or memberships. But Teachery takes it a step further by offering free trials and course previews.

Mighty Networks’ community-building features are better.

Teachery doesn’t have the built-in community-building feature available in Mighty Networks. You can only communicate with your students via chat and email, unlike Mighty Networks which lets you integrate your courses with social networks. You can create a community on Teachery by integrating with Facebook Groups and Slack.

Teachery offers a simple pricing structure. Mighty Networks has more advanced features.

Teachery and Mighty Networks have different pricing plans and structures for their tools.

Teachery has two pricing plans: Monthly ($49/month) and Yearly ($470/year). Both include unlimited courses, students, landing pages, and more. Plus, it doesn’t charge any transaction fees or commissions.

Mighty Networks has four pricing plans, including a 14-day free trial. The paid plans allow you to create as many courses as you like with unlimited members.

Use Teachery if:

  • You want to offer a free trial for your courses.
  • You want access to unlimited students, courses, and more.
  • You want a flat monthly or annual subscription.

Final Verdict

There is no one-size-fits-all community-building platform. This guide on Mighty Networks alternatives shows that each tool offers something unique. Your choice completely depends on your personal preferences and business goals.

But, based on our testing, we recommend:

  • Kajabi for large teams and experts that need an all-in-one tool for content creation and marketing.
  • Podia for startups and individuals looking for an affordable tool with advanced features.
  • Thinkific for beginners with no tech skills looking for an intuitive tool to create online courses.

Note: We’ve tried and compared some other online community platforms! To get the full scoop, check our Mighty Networks vs Tribe and Kajabi vs Circle articles.

Author:

Mihael Cacic
Miha is a writer and an expert in comparative content. After graduating from Physics, Mihael left his job as a software engineer developing SaaS products and began writing about them instead. He gets a kick from writing in-depth, objective, and though through software reviews, knowing his readers will find the best software for their needs.
Author:
Mihael Cacic
Miha is a writer and an expert in comparative content. After graduating from Physics, Mihael left his job as a software engineer developing SaaS products and began writing about them instead. He gets a kick from writing in-depth, objective, and though through software reviews, knowing his readers will find the best software for their needs.