Circle Alternatives
If you're on the hunt for an online community-building platform, there's no doubt you've come across Circle.so. As one of the most popular platforms in this space, Circle has built a name for itself. However, it’s not the only contender, and today, I want to talk about an emerging and powerful alternative that might just steal the spotlight: Odd Circles.
Let’s delve into an in-depth comparison between Circle.so and Odd Circles. I’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each platform, and by the end, you’ll see why Odd Circles may just be the better choice for your community-building needs.
Table of Contents
What Is ?
Circle.so is a platform specifically designed for creators and businesses to build engaging, interactive communities. It allows users to create private groups, forums, and courses within a membership framework. Whether you’re a content creator, business coach, or running a mastermind, Circle provides an all-in-one solution for community management.
Its features include:
Circle has gained popularity with its clean user interface and the ability to engage with communities in a structured way.
Introducing Odd Circles
Odd Circles is a newer platform, but don't let that fool you. What it lacks in years, it makes up for in innovation and a unique, personalised approach to building communities. Unlike many platforms, Odd Circles understands that every community is different and offers far more flexibility in customisation and a deeper connection between the community and its founders.
Key highlights of Odd Circles:
Now, let’s break down the two platforms and see how they stack up.
Features Showdown: vs Odd Circles
1. Customisation and Branding
Circle.so: Circle provides a neat, professional interface. However, customisation is somewhat limited, particularly in the free and basic pricing plans. Your ability to modify the look and feel of your community is restricted, making it hard to build a fully unique experience. You can change basic colours and logos but not much beyond that.
Odd Circles: This is where Odd Circles truly shines. You’re not just limited to small tweaks in colour and logos. Odd Circles allows you to completely overhaul the user experience, offering deeper customisation options for your community. Whether it's layout, colour schemes, fonts, or how you structure your community tiers, Odd Circles lets you create something uniquely yours.
Verdict: Odd Circles wins here for giving founders more flexibility and control over branding and customisation.
2. Membership and Monetisation
Circle.so: Circle offers integrated payment gateways, making it easy to monetise your community through subscriptions, one-time fees, or gated content. However, the flexibility to create multiple membership tiers is limited unless you're on a higher plan. This may hinder creators looking for more nuanced pricing options.
Odd Circles: Odd Circles gives you full control over your monetisation strategy. Want to create a pay-as-you-go model or a one-time payment for certain levels of access? You can! You can even set up time-limited offers or discounts for early members. This is great for businesses or creators who want to experiment with different pricing structures.
Verdict: Odd Circles edges out Circle for its versatility in how you can monetise your community.
3. Community Engagement Tools
Circle.so: Circle’s strength lies in its well-designed community engagement tools. From forums to private messaging, it offers solid tools to facilitate interaction among members. It also supports video uploads and live streaming, although these features require extra payments or add-ons.
Odd Circles: Odd Circles offers similar engagement tools but with an added twist: it provides deeper analytics on member behaviour and engagement. Knowing who your power users are and which areas need more attention gives you actionable insights into improving engagement. Plus, live video streaming and interactive polls are built into even the lower-tier plans.
Verdict: Odd Circles takes the lead here with better insights and more engagement tools right out of the box.
4. Onboarding and User Experience
Circle.so: The onboarding process for Circle is fairly straightforward, but it can feel impersonal. You get a few templated emails and access to a general help centre, but beyond that, you’re left to your own devices.
Odd Circles: Odd Circles has a much more hands-on approach. Not only do you get detailed onboarding guides, but you’re also assigned a dedicated success manager to help get your community off the ground. Their support team is available to jump on calls with you, offering a more personal touch than the generic support you might find elsewhere.
Verdict: Odd Circles wins again for the personal, human approach to onboarding and support.
Pricing Comparison
Circle.so offers different plans, ranging from their Basic Plan to more expensive Pro and Enterprise options. However, as you scale your community, costs can quickly skyrocket, especially as some features are locked behind the more expensive tiers.
While Circle's plans are straightforward, the costs can add up quickly, especially if you want access to premium features like integrations or advanced analytics.
Odd Circles offers a more flexible pricing structure. One of its most attractive features is that it grows with your community. Rather than locking you into a high fee upfront, Odd Circles offers pay-as-you-go options, meaning you only pay for what you use.
For creators just starting out or for those managing smaller, more intimate communities, Odd Circles' pricing model offers a lot more flexibility and cost control than Circle.so.
Ease of Use: Setup, Interface & User Experience
Both platforms pride themselves on being user-friendly, but Odd Circles has the edge when it comes to overall simplicity and ease of setup. The interface feels more intuitive, particularly for those who may not be as tech-savvy.
Circle.so's UI is functional but can feel a bit rigid, with a more traditional layout that may require a steeper learning curve for some users.
Community Management Features
When it comes to managing the day-to-day operations of your community, both Circle.so and Odd Circles offer strong tools for moderating, tagging, and engaging with members.
However, Odd Circles again takes the lead by offering more automation tools to help with community management. This includes auto-tagging members based on engagement levels, scheduled content drops, and more detailed tracking of community health over time.
Integrations and Third-Party Apps
Integrations can be a dealbreaker for many users, and both platforms recognise this. Circle.so offers integrations with tools like Zapier, Slack, and Zoom, which cover most basic needs.
Odd Circles, however, takes integrations up a notch, providing seamless connections with a wide range of tools like Google Analytics, Slack, Zoom, and even social media platforms, allowing you to automate social posts and track community growth across channels more effectively.
Security and Privacy
Security is a concern for any platform, and both Circle.so and Odd Circles take user privacy seriously. Circle.so does a good job of protecting user data, but Odd Circles goes a step further by implementing GDPR-compliant security protocols, offering two-factor authentication, and ensuring that all data is encrypted.
Odd Circles also promises that community data is not sold or shared with third parties, providing a higher level of trust for founders and members alike.
Support & Resources
One area where Circle.so often falls short is in customer support. While they offer email support and have a knowledge base, getting quick, personalised assistance can be a challenge.
Odd Circles, on the other hand, provides 24/7 support via chat, email, and even phone for higher-tier users. Plus, you get access to a community of other Odd Circles users, allowing you to share tips and strategies with fellow community builders.
Odd Circles: The Human Touch
Beyond the technical aspects, what truly sets Odd Circles apart from its competitors is its emphasis on human connections. You’re not just signing up for a tool; you’re joining a network of like-minded individuals and businesses who are all passionate about building meaningful communities.