Skool vs Whop: Where Should You Sell Access?

Skool vs Whop is a choice between a ready-made community and a payments platform you build on. Skool gives every group the same layout: a feed, a Classroom for courses, a Calendar and a leaderboard, with payments and sales tax handled for you. Whop is a place to sell almost any kind of digital access, with a checkout, payouts, a marketplace called Discover, and apps such as Chat, Courses and Forums that you add to your "whop". Below we compare fees, tax, payouts, discovery and community tools. Every fact comes from each company's own pages, checked on 29 September 2026.

We run our own Skool community, so we know Skool from the owner's side. We have not sold on Whop, so every Whop fact below comes from Whop's own pricing page, help docs, seller terms and changelog, not from our own use.

Skool vs Whop at a glance

What Whop actually is

Whop is built around payments. Whop's fees page opens with "Whop aims to be the cheapest, most resilient place to accept pure payments." Its help docs cover paid groups, courses, coaching, software, events and more. Whop calls apps "the building blocks for your business", and you add them to your whop to shape it.

For a paid community, Whop's paid groups guide says "Paid groups often have a group chat, an announcements board, and a monthly membership fee." It walks you through adding the Forums app for announcements, the Chat app for talk, the Courses and Content apps for learning material, and the Events app for live sessions. Whop can also give paying members access to a Discord server.

Skool is narrower. It is one community product, and every group looks the same. That is less flexible, but there is much less to set up.

Fees: what each one takes

Skool

Skool's pricing page lists Hobby at $9 a month and Pro at $99 a month. Skool's payments FAQ gives the full rates: Hobby is "10% + 30c /transaction for all transactions", and Pro is "2.9% + 30c /transaction for transactions up to $899 USD" and "3.9% + 30c /transaction for transactions above $900 USD". That includes card processing. Skool's FAQ also says its rate is cheaper than Stripe's "because Stripe charges an additional 1.5% for international cards", and it lists no extra charge of its own for them.

On the pricing page, Hobby's card marks Custom URL and Affiliates as not included, and Pro's card includes them. Skool's help centre reserves more for Pro, including plugins such as Zapier, AutoDM and the cancellation video, and transferring group ownership. Both plans start with a 14-day free trial. Our Skool pricing guide has the details.

Whop

Whop's pricing page says "Pay-as-you-go. No setup fees, no monthly costs." The base fee is "2.7% + $0.30 per successful transaction for domestic cards", plus 1.5% for international cards and 1% if currency conversion applies. Other ways to pay cost different amounts: US bank debit (ACH) is 1.5% with a $5 cap, and payment plans through Whop's financing partners are 15% per sale.

Then come the extras. Whop lists three "revenue optimization" fees that "stack on top of the base processing fee": 0.8% for payment orchestration, 0.5% for billing (invoices, retries and lifecycle handling), and 2% for tax handling "when enabled and tax is collected". Whop's own sum for "Everything enabled, tax collected" is 6% + $0.30. It also lists flat fees of $0.03 for 3D Secure and $0.07 for Radar fraud checks per transaction, $15 per dispute, $29 per early dispute alert, and 1.25% when a sale pays out an affiliate.

Whop's 2.7% + 30c is the starting rate. Tax handling, international cards and payouts all add to it.

A worked example

Say you charge $50 a month for your community. We worked out the monthly cost from each company's listed rates. This assumes US cards, monthly billing, sales through your own checkout link (not Discover or affiliates), no refunds, and no Skool Growth Boost members. Whop's figures leave out its per-transaction fraud fees and payout fees. The "tax collected" row assumes Whop collects tax on every sale.

On the base rate alone, Whop costs less than both Skool plans at any size. That changes once you want the platform to deal with sales tax, which Skool includes. With Whop's 2% tax fee on every sale, Whop costs 4.7% + 30c against Skool Pro's 2.9% + 30c plus $99, and Skool Pro becomes cheaper once you sell more than $5,500 a month. International cards push Whop's cost up further, by 1.5% on each of those sales.

If a community with tax handled for you sounds right, you can try Skool free for 14 days (affiliate link).

Sales tax and chargebacks: who carries the risk

Skool takes it on. Skool's payments FAQ says "Skool is a 'merchant of record'" and is "responsible for all sales tax collection, filing, and payments". For EU members, "We add the VAT rate on top of the price." You cannot use your own Stripe account. When a member's card fails, Skool retries the charge, marks the member "Declined", and asks them to update their card.

Whop takes on less. Whop's seller terms say "Whop acts as merchant of record for the purpose of card network rules and payment settlement only". For everything else, including "value-added tax, sales tax, consumer protection", you are the supplier. The terms also say "You are solely responsible for all chargebacks, payment disputes, returns, and refunds related to your Products."

On tax, Whop's tax guide splits sales in two. When a buyer finds you on Discover, Whop handles the tax in places where it is registered. For sales through your own checkout links, you pick one of three options:

1. Whop collects tax, I remit. Whop adds the tax at checkout and puts it in your payout. You register, pay it to the tax office and file returns. Costs 2%.
2. Whop collects and remits tax. Whop does the whole job, but only for US states, the EU and the UK. Costs 2%.
3. I'll handle tax myself. No Whop fee, and all of the work is yours.

Whop adds that a managed option "doesn't, by itself, remove your own tax obligations."

Reserves

Whop's seller terms let it hold back your money. Whop "may place reserves on your account (up to 100% of funds)", and can hold funds "for no longer than 180 days". Whop's reserves guide says reserves are likely when your account is new, when disputes or refunds run high, or when you deliver long after the customer pays. It also says reserved funds "are still your money" and are released automatically.

Payouts

Skool pays out weekly. "The available balance is paid out every Wednesday directly to your bank account." A US bank usually gets it in 1 to 3 business days, and other countries in 3 to 5. The first payout can take up to 14 days. Payouts arrive in your local currency.

Whop pays out on your schedule, for a fee. Whop's payouts guide says you choose an instant, daily or weekly schedule, "depending on your account", and can withdraw once you meet a $10 minimum, where it applies. After a customer pays, "it can take a couple of days for the money to reach your account". Whop lists next-day bank transfer in the US at $2.50, instant bank deposit at 4% + $1, crypto at 5% + $1 and a wire at $23. Local bank fees vary by country. Whop says it pays out to over 200 countries.

Community tools: built in or built by you

Skool is built in. Every group has one feed for posts, a Classroom for courses, a Calendar for events and a leaderboard. On Skool, each like on a post or comment is a point, members climb nine levels, and you can lock a course until a member reaches a level. Members can message each other in Skool Chat, and you can go live in the browser or the Skool app without other tools. Courses support video lessons, files, transcripts and drip timing.

Whop is built by you. Whop's community apps page lists Chat for "Real-time group discussions", Courses for "Multi-lesson learning with videos, quizzes, and progress tracking", Forums for "Threaded conversations", and Events to "Host live or in-person events and optionally charge per ticket". There are also Content pages, Files, and Calendar Bookings for paid or free one-to-one calls. You can add Chat and Forums more than once to split topics. Whop has a built-in livestream, and its guide says streams "are automatically saved for anyone who missed them."

Two differences stand out. Whop's Courses app lists quizzes and progress tracking, which Skool's Classroom article does not mention. Skool has points, levels and a leaderboard built into every group, which Whop's community apps page does not list.

Selling tools

Whop has more ways to sell. You get checkout links you can use anywhere, free trials on recurring products, promo codes, payment plans, and three upsell spots added in May 2025: an order bump before checkout, an offer on the thank-you page, and locked apps inside your whop. There is a cap to know about: "When you first join Whop, Whop caps checkout links at $2,500". Above that, you apply, and Whop says it reviews applications within 24 hours.

Skool keeps selling simple. Your group's About page is, in Skool's words, "essentially a landing/checkout page for your group". You can run a free group, a monthly or yearly subscription with an optional 7-day free trial, a free plan with a paid upgrade, several paid tiers, or a one-time price. You can also sell a single course inside the group. Skool's limit is "up to $100,000 USD per charge".

Discovery: Skool Discovery vs Whop Discover

Both have a marketplace where new buyers can find you. They charge for it in different ways.

Skool shows groups in Discovery once they pass a minimum number of members, posts and activity. With Growth Boost on, Skool ranks you higher and runs its own ads. Skool's Discovery FAQ says "You pay the 30% commission only when Skool gets you a member", and that cut applies to every renewal while the member stays. Growth Boost is on by default. You can switch it off in Settings, then Discovery.

Whop dropped its marketplace fee. Whop's changelog from 12 May 2025 says "Up until now, we've charged a 30% fee when someone found your Whop through our Discover marketplace. Now? It's 0%." Listing is instant. But Whop also has a network of affiliates. Whop's affiliate guide says that once you list your product, "any affiliate in Whop's network can promote it for a default 30% commission without extra setup." You can change that rate. A buyer sent by an affiliate costs you the affiliate's cut, plus Whop's 1.25% affiliate fee.

Apps and iPhone purchases

Skool has its own app, and Whop has apps for iOS and Android. Whop's help docs cover one cost to watch. Apple processes one-time purchases under $700 made in the Whop iOS app and "charges a 30% fee". To cover it, Whop raises the iOS price of those products by 42.86%, so a $100 product shows as $142.86 in the app. Subscriptions and one-time purchases of $700 or more go through Whop's own checkout instead. Money from Apple purchases can take up to 75 days to reach your Whop balance. Skool's payments FAQ does not mention in-app purchases.

Pick Skool if, pick Whop if

Pick Skool if

• You want a community that works on day one, with a feed, courses, a calendar and a leaderboard already in place.
• You want sales tax, VAT and chargebacks handled by the platform.
• You sell more than $5,500 a month and would otherwise pay Whop's 2% for tax.
• You want weekly payouts with no payout fee listed.
• You want points and levels to keep members active.

Pick Whop if

• You want no monthly bill and the lowest base card rate, and you or your accountant already handle sales tax.
• You sell more than a community: software, coaching calls, events or files.
• You want payment plans, order bumps and upsells.
• Your members already live in Discord.
• You want quizzes and progress tracking in your courses.

If Whop is not quite right either, see how Skool compares with Patreon and Discord.

For most people weighing Skool vs Whop for a paid community, the question is how much you want to build and how much risk you want to carry. If you want the community ready and the tax handled, start a Skool community here (affiliate link) on the 14-day free trial.

FAQ

Is Whop cheaper than Skool?

On the base rate, yes. Whop has no monthly fee and charges 2.7% + 30c per US card sale, against Skool's $9 or $99 a month plus its fee. But Whop charges 2% more when it handles sales tax. With that on every sale, Skool Pro is cheaper once you sell more than $5,500 a month.

Does Whop charge a monthly fee?

No. Whop's pricing page says "No setup fees, no monthly costs." You pay per sale instead: 2.7% + 30c for a domestic card, plus 1.5% for international cards, 1% for currency conversion, and optional fees for tax handling, billing and orchestration. Payouts to your bank also carry a fee, such as $2.50 for next-day transfer in the US.

Does Whop handle sales tax like Skool?

Only partly. Whop handles tax on Discover sales in places where it is registered. On your own checkout links you choose: handle tax yourself for free, or pay 2% for Whop to collect it, and in the US, EU and UK also remit it. Skool says it is responsible for all sales tax collection, filing and payments.

Can you run a community with courses on Whop?

Yes. You add apps to your whop: Chat, Forums, Courses, Events, Content and Files. Whop's Courses app lists videos, quizzes and progress tracking. What you do not get is Skool's fixed layout, with a feed, Classroom, Calendar and leaderboard ready in every group, or Skool's points and levels.

What does Whop's Discover marketplace cost?

Whop removed its 30% marketplace fee on 12 May 2025, so a buyer who finds you on Discover costs no marketplace fee. Whop's network affiliates can promote your product for a default 30% commission, which you can change. Skool's Growth Boost takes 30% of each payment from members Skool finds you, unless you switch it off.

Who pays for chargebacks on Whop?

You do. Whop's seller terms say you are "solely responsible for all chargebacks, payment disputes, returns, and refunds", and Whop lists a $15 fee per dispute. Whop can also hold part or all of your balance in reserve for up to 180 days. On Skool, Skool is the merchant of record for your members' payments.

We may earn a commission if you start a Skool community through a link on this page. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not change what we write.