How Beacons and Skool compare
Beacons is more than a link page. A link-in-bio, digital product store, email marketing, media kit, brand-deal invoicing, and AI tools give a creator a mini back office without leaving the app. For someone monetizing social attention with sponsors and downloads, it is a clever, generous bundle.
Skool does one thing with unusual discipline: a paid community with a feed, a classroom, a calendar, and gamification that keeps members coming back. The pricing is plain, the app is quick, and Discovery can send you members you did not have to find yourself. If your work is a group people join and show up to every week, Skool is shaped for that.
Where they are different
Choose Beacons when you are monetizing a social audience with sponsors, downloads, and a bio link.
Choose Skool when the membership is the product, and a feed, courses, and leaderboards are how you deliver it.
Compare features
What's on Beacons and Skool
A check means that capability is available. Beacons and Skool are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteBeacons: IncludedSkool: Not included
- Custom domainBeacons: IncludedSkool: Not included
- Theme and fontsBeacons: IncludedSkool: Not included
- Brand kitBeacons: IncludedSkool: Not included
Public content
- Reader engagementBeacons: Not includedSkool: Included
- Shop pagesBeacons: IncludedSkool: Not included
Audience and email
- AudienceBeacons: IncludedSkool: Not included
- Marketing emailsBeacons: IncludedSkool: Included
Team
- Admin usersBeacons: IncludedSkool: Included
- Per-admin permissionsBeacons: Not includedSkool: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Beacons or Skool, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Beacons or Skool may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Beacons vs Skool pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Beacons
Current plans and prices
See what Beacons charges on their pricing page.
Skool
Current plans and prices
See what Skool charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Beacons and Skool
You don't pay until you publish.
Cardel provides a home for your craft. Share and sell your work, grow your audience, and bring your community together on a site of your own.
Common questions
Is Cardel an alternative to Beacons or Skool?
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Beacons or Skool when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Beacons and Skool are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Beacons or Skool?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Beacons or Skool for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Beacons and Skool?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Beacons and Skool set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Beacons or Skool to Cardel?
Start with Build Your Site, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.