Circle vs Maven
Side-by-side comparison on fees, payouts, monetization, and audience ownership.
Platform fee
$89/mo + 2% · monthly subscription plus transaction fee
10% · of course revenue
Payout speed
weekly
weekly
Minimum payout
Stripe default
$0 (Stripe payout schedule)
Countries
Wherever Stripe operates
Global where Stripe is supported
Email list export
Full access
Limited (course and cohort comms)
Custom domain
Yes (custom domain supported)
No (hosted on maven.com)
Community features
Full-featured: spaces, chat, DMs, live rooms, events
Built-in cohort discussion and Slack integrations
Best for
Coaches, creators, and brands running paid communities plus courses under one roof
Experts running premium live cohort courses rather than self-paced content
Circle vs Maven: which one wins?
Circle charges $89/mo + 2% (monthly subscription plus transaction fee) versus Maven at 10% (of course revenue).
On payout speed, Circle pays weekly while Maven pays weekly. No difference here.
For audience ownership, Circle offers full access email export and Maven offers limited (course and cohort comms). Email portability matters most for creators planning to migrate later or build a list independent of any single platform.
Best for: Circle suits coaches, creators, and brands running paid communities plus courses under one roof. Maven fits experts running premium live cohort courses rather than self-paced content.