Side by side
Circle vs Talkyard
Both stand on customer community software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free trial AndroidAPIiPhone+3
Circle combines community management with courses, events, and related business tools, with web, mobile, and desktop access. It requires a paid plan after the 14-day trial, and live-stream attendee limits depend on the plan.
Visit Circle
Free trial APISelf-hostedWeb
Talkyard combines team discussions, Q&A, idea management, and blog commenting. It is more focused on structured collaboration than on full-featured chat.
Visit TalkyardThe facts
| Circle | Talkyard | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | A free trial | A free trial |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Android, API, iPhone, Mac, Web, Windows | API, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Professional: $89 a month | Standard: €4 a month |
| Plans published | 4 | 3 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | circle.so | talkyard.io |
| On customer community software | #10 of 36 | #14 of 36 |
Circle: what it does well
- Community tools include discussions, chat, and member directories.
- Courses support sections, lessons, and quizzes.
- Events include live rooms and session recordings.
- Desktop apps are available on all plans.
What to know first
- There is no free plan.
- Professional costs $89 a month with annual billing.
- Live-stream attendee limits vary by plan.
Talkyard: what it does well
- Q&A surfaces repeated answers
- Idea sorting by Like votes
- Threaded discussion navigation
- Custom groups, permissions, and task assignment
- Daily off-site backups on hosted plans
What to know first
- No free plan
- Chat is described as fairly basic
- Business plan requires €300 monthly minimum
- Write API requires contacting Talkyard
Alternatives to Circle Alternatives to Talkyard The whole list