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CirclevsFourthwall

Circle runs member communities with spaces, events, courses, and paywalls. Fourthwall runs merch with print on demand, memberships, and a branded site for creators.

How Circle and Fourthwall compare

Circle is where serious community hosts go when the community is the business. Spaces for discussion and chat, courses and events in the same place, paid memberships with branded checkout, gamification, workflows, Circle AI, and on Circle Plus your own branded iOS and Android apps. It has grown into an all-in-one for membership businesses, and the Website Builder and Email Hub mean many hosts no longer need a second tool for the front door. If your members log in every week to talk to each other, Circle is built for exactly that.

Fourthwall is the merchandise table a creator always wanted. A branded site with a shop, print-on-demand products with production and shipping handled, digital products, memberships, and integrations with YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok, all with no monthly fee and payouts that make sense. If your audience wants a hoodie with your logo on it, Fourthwall does the rest.

Where they are different

Circle

  • Circle's pages are the front door to a members-only space.
  • Circle's Email Hub is an add-on priced per contact on top of the plan.
  • Circle's DMs live between members inside the community.
  • Circle has courses, live streams, paid tiers for users, and gamification.

Fourthwall

  • Fourthwall's site is a store.
  • Fourthwall emails supporters about drops.
  • Fourthwall has no inbox or bookings.

Choose Circle when a paid, private community with courses and events is the product, and you want members in a branded app.

Choose Fourthwall when merchandise and memberships for a video audience are the plan and you want fulfillment handled.

Compare features

What's on Circle and Fourthwall

A check means that capability is available. Circle and Fourthwall are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.

Site and brand

  • Workspace site
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included
  • Custom domain
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included
  • Theme and fonts
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included

Public content

  • Reader engagement
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Not included
  • Showcase pages
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included
  • Shop pages
    Circle: Not included
    Fourthwall: Included

Reach and quality

  • SEO
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included

Audience and email

  • Audience
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included
  • Marketing emails
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included
  • Campaign workflows
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Not included

Commerce

  • Shop payments
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included

Team

  • Admin users
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included
  • Per-admin permissions
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included
  • AI Assistant
    Circle: Included
    Fourthwall: Included

* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Circle or Fourthwall, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Circle or Fourthwall may add or remove features that are not shown here.

Circle vs Fourthwall pricing

Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.

  • Circle

    Current plans and prices

    See what Circle charges on their pricing page.

  • Fourthwall

    Current plans and prices

    See what Fourthwall charges on their pricing page.

Cardel: An alternative to
Circle and Fourthwall

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 Circle or Fourthwall?

    Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Circle or Fourthwall when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Circle and Fourthwall are marked.

  • Can I use Cardel with Circle or Fourthwall?

    Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Circle or Fourthwall for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.

  • How much does Cardel cost compared with Circle and Fourthwall?

    You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Circle and Fourthwall set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.

  • How do I switch from Circle or Fourthwall 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.