For experts
Circle Alternatives for Paid Live Sessions and Workshops
By Masterclass.tv 8 min read
Short answer. For single paid live sessions, Masterclass.tv is a Circle alternative with individual tickets, a room for up to 1,000 people on Pro and replay sales. Circle is the stronger fit when people pay for an ongoing community, courses and member apps. Keep Circle for that membership and sell public workshops separately, or move the live business if the session itself is what customers buy.
The search for Circle alternatives often starts with a different kind of buyer. Your members want conversations between sessions. Someone outside the community wants a specific workshop, a clear price and access to the recording. Before moving anything, decide whether you are selling membership, attendance or both. That choice matters more than the longest feature list.
Can you host live events on Circle?
Yes. Circle includes live events, live streams and live rooms on every plan, alongside community, courses and payments. Professional includes 100 stream attendees, 15 room participants and 10 live hours per month. It works for member sessions, but a paid public workshop needs careful checks of capacity and buyer access.
Unlimited members does not mean unlimited live attendance. A community can fit the membership allowance while its next workshop exceeds the room limit. Also check how someone outside your membership pays, joins and receives the replay. Test that journey before advertising a standalone ticket.
How many people can join a Circle live stream?
Circle live streams allow 100 attendees on Professional, 200 on Business and 500 on Scale, with flexible capacity on Circle Plus. Interactive live rooms have separate caps of 15, 20 and 50 participants, respectively. Choose the format before comparing audience sizes, because a stream allowance is not a room allowance.
The monthly live allowance is 10 hours on Professional, 15 on Business and 20 on Scale, with flexible hours on Circle Plus. Map your teaching calendar against that allowance. Recurring member calls and public workshops both need space in your plan, and a larger audience cap alone does not solve a busy calendar.
How much does Circle cost per month?
Circle costs 89 USD per month for Professional, 199 USD for Business and 419 USD for Scale when billed annually. Circle Plus has custom pricing. All plans include unlimited members, community, courses, live events, payments, a custom domain and apps. The free trial lasts 14 days and requires no card.
These are USD prices from Circle's pricing page checked October 21, 2026. Automated transcriptions start on Business. If a transcript is part of what you promise attendees, include that requirement when choosing a plan. An annual billing rate also needs to fit your budget beyond the month when a workshop sells well.
Does Circle take a percentage of sales?
Yes. Circle charges transaction fees of 2 percent on Professional, 1 percent on Business, 1 percent on Scale and 0.5 percent on Circle Plus. Those fees sit alongside the subscription price. Compare the plan cost and sales percentage together, using the revenue you expect from memberships and separately paid sessions.
Be honest with the math here. Masterclass.tv keeps 25 percent of each ticket, which is far more than Circle's 2 percent, so Circle costs less per sale when you already bring every buyer. The case for switching rests on the 1,000 person room, replay sales and a public schedule that can bring buyers you did not have. Use the Masterclass.tv pricing and plan details to compare your expected calendar.
Circle alternatives for paid live sessions compared
| Feature | Circle | Mighty Networks | Podia | Kajabi | Masterclass.tv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Professional 89 USD per month, billed annually | Launch 79 USD per month | Mover 42 USD per month, billed yearly | Basic 179 USD monthly or 143 USD per month billed yearly | Pro 99 USD monthly or 49 USD per month billed yearly |
| Platform fee | 2 / 1 / 1 / 0.5 percent by plan | 2 / 1 / 0.5 percent by plan | Mover 5 percent, Shaker no Podia fees | No platform fee with Kajabi Payments, processing from 2.9 percent plus 30 cents | 25 percent per ticket, expert keeps 75 percent |
| Live audience cap | Streams 100 / 200 / 500, rooms 15 / 20 / 50, Plus flexible | 100 / 200 / 1,000 viewers per stream | Depends on Zoom, Google Meet or YouTube Live setup | Up to 200 people | Up to 1,000 on Pro |
| Live hours per month | 10 / 15 / 20, Plus flexible | 20 / 30 / 40 | Set by the video tool you connect | Not listed on the pricing page | No monthly hour cap on the pricing page |
| Single paid session for non members | Sold through paid access to the community or a space | A Space with the Single Event feature, or an outside ticketing link | Events with ticket checkout | Live sits inside a Course or Coaching product | Individual class tickets |
| Replay sales | Recording stays inside the community | Recording stays inside the space | Replay hosting, can become a paid product | Packaged as a new product | Replay keeps selling on the class page |
| Discovery | Your own traffic | Your own traffic | Your own traffic | Your own traffic | Public class schedule |
Plan sequences follow ascending tiers. Circle figures come from circle.so/pricing, and Mighty Networks and Podia figures from their pricing pages in October 2026. Podia prices use yearly billing. Kajabi figures come from kajabi.com/pricing and its help center. Check each vendor page before you commit, because plans change.
What is the best alternative to Circle for paid live classes?
Masterclass.tv is the best fit here when the product is an individual paid live class with a ticket and a sellable replay. Pro includes a room for up to 1,000 people, upvoted Q&A and certificates. Circle remains a strong choice when ongoing community membership is the main reason people pay.
Masterclass.tv for standalone workshops
Pro costs 49 USD per month billed yearly or 99 USD monthly. Each class has a ticket, live room and replay sales, and the public schedule gives people a place to find upcoming teaching. Upvoted Q&A helps you prioritize attendee questions. Certificates give learners proof of attendance. See how to sell individual live classes online for the teaching and sales flow.
Mighty Networks for a community that streams
Mighty Networks lists Launch at 79 USD per month, Scale at 179 and Growth at 354. Their fees are 2, 1 and 0.5 percent, with 100, 200 and 1,000 viewers per stream and 20, 30 and 40 monthly streaming hours. Compare those allowances with your calendar on our Mighty Networks alternative for paid live classes page.
Podia for ticket checkout with an external live service
Podia offers events with ticket checkout, live delivery through Zoom, Google Meet or YouTube Live integration, and replay hosting. Yearly billed plans cost 42 USD per month for Mover, 84 for Shaker and 150 for Earthquaker. Mover adds a 5 percent transaction fee, while Shaker has no Podia fees. Read our Podia alternative for paid live classes comparison.
Kajabi for creators comparing another live option
Kajabi Basic costs 179 USD per month or 143 USD per month billed yearly, and live video supports up to 200 people. Compare that capacity and base price with your expected attendance before choosing. Our Kajabi alternative for live classes page explains the Masterclass.tv offer. Skool also belongs on a community shortlist if that is your primary need.
Keep both Circle and Masterclass.tv
Keep Circle when members value the conversations, courses and apps between events. Sell your public live class on Masterclass.tv, then share its event link inside the community and with your wider audience. Explain clearly whether the class requires a separate ticket so existing members know what their subscription includes.
After the live session, you can send a short post class survey to collect feedback from attendees about the pace, questions and replay. Use those responses to plan the next workshop and the follow up discussion in Circle. Keep ticket access and membership promises clear across both platforms.
How to move paid live sessions off Circle
- Review what members already bought. Keep promised membership sessions available and identify workshops you can sell separately.
- Build the class offer. Set the topic, outcome, date and ticket price, and explain what replay access includes.
- Test the buyer journey. Check the event page and access instructions from the perspective of someone outside Circle.
- Share the class link. Tell members and your wider audience where to buy, attend and find the replay.
- Review the result. Compare ticket income, platform costs and attendee feedback before moving more of your calendar.
Who should stay on Circle
Stay when the community is the product and live sessions support it. Circle's courses, member apps, unlimited members and payments belong together for that business. Move the paid sessions when individual tickets, audience capacity and replay sales become the priority. Our Masterclass.tv overview for experts shows what that approach includes.
If you are also comparing course platforms, read our Thinkific alternatives for live classes and workshops. For a broader shortlist organized around what you teach and sell, use the guide to the best platforms to sell live classes.
