Compare
Circlevs
Stan Store
Circle runs member communities with spaces, events, courses, and paywalls. Stan Store is a link-in-bio store for courses, downloads, calls, and memberships.
How Circle and Stan Store 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.
Stan Store makes selling from your bio link almost effortless. Digital downloads, courses, coaching calls with booking, memberships, and lead magnets sit on one mobile-first page with checkout, plus email marketing and funnels on the higher plan. For a creator selling to social followers on their phone, it removes nearly every step.
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.
Stan Store
- Stan is a page at stan.store/you.
- Stan emails from its platform.
- Stan books calls with payment.
Choose Circle when a paid, private community with courses and events is the product, and you want members in a branded app.
Choose Stan Store when you sell downloads, courses, and calls to a social audience and want one link that does it all.
Compare features
What's on Circle and Stan Store
A check means that capability is available. Circle and Stan Store are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteCircle: IncludedStan Store: Not included
- Custom domainCircle: IncludedStan Store: Not included
- Theme and fontsCircle: IncludedStan Store: Included
Public content
- Shop pagesCircle: Not includedStan Store: Included
Reach and quality
- SEOCircle: IncludedStan Store: Not included
Audience and email
- AudienceCircle: IncludedStan Store: Included
- Marketing emailsCircle: IncludedStan Store: Included
- Campaign workflowsCircle: IncludedStan Store: Included
Messaging
- Built-in chatCircle: IncludedStan Store: Not included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsCircle: IncludedStan Store: Included
- Scheduling and bookingsLink to external scheduling available on Starter.Circle: Not includedStan Store: Included
Team
- AI AssistantCircle: IncludedStan Store: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Circle or Stan Store, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Circle or Stan Store may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Circle vs Stan Store pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Circle
Current plans and prices
See what Circle charges on their pricing page.
Stan Store
Current plans and prices
See what Stan Store charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Circle and Stan Store
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 Stan Store?
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 Stan Store when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Circle and Stan Store are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Circle or Stan Store?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Circle or Stan Store for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Circle and Stan Store?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Circle and Stan Store set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Circle or Stan Store 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.