Stan Store and Skool are two platforms that have gained huge attention in 2025. Creators, coaches, and online entrepreneurs are increasingly using these tools to build and monetize their digital businesses.
Both platforms are designed to help creators earn money and manage their audiences, but they work in very different ways. Stan Store is focused on simple digital product sales through social media, while Skool is centered around community building and online learning.
If you’re trying to figure out which one is best for you, this in-depth guide will break down the pros, cons, features, pricing, and key differences between Stan Store and Skool.
Brief Overview
Stan Store is a creator-first digital storefront. It is built for influencers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who want a mobile-friendly way to sell digital products, courses, subscriptions, and coaching sessions directly from their social media bio links. Its goal is simplicity and speed: get your offer live fast and start selling.
Skool is a community and learning platform. It combines the features of a private community (like a Facebook group or Discord), a course platform, and a gamified learning experience. Skool is built for creators and educators who want to build thriving communities around their content and charge memberships for access.
In short:
- Stan Store is best for quick digital product sales and social selling.
- Skool is best for building community-driven membership businesses.
Comparison Table
User Experience
Stan Store
Stan Store is designed for simplicity. You can sign up, add a product, connect payment methods, and be ready to sell within minutes. The platform is mobile-first, which makes it perfect for creators who monetize through Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.
Its storefront is sleek and optimized for social selling. If your main traffic comes from short-form content and you want an easy checkout system, Stan Store delivers exactly that.
Skool
Skool feels more like a community hub than a storefront. When you set it up, you’re essentially creating your own private space where members can join, participate in discussions, and take courses. It combines community + education + gamification.
The interface is modern and distraction-free, but it requires a little more planning to set up. You’ll need to structure your course modules, configure membership pricing, and think about how to engage your community.
Winner: Stan Store (for speed and simplicity).
Types of Products You Can Sell
Stan Store
On Stan Store, you can sell:
- Digital downloads (ebooks, templates, PDFs)
- Online courses
- Coaching calls (with calendar integration)
- Subscriptions and memberships
- Lead magnets (freebies for email capture)
It’s product-driven, which makes it ideal if you want to sell items directly without needing a community setup.
Skool
On Skool, the focus is different. You can sell:
- Memberships to private communities
- Access to online courses hosted inside the platform
- Coaching or group programs (through memberships)
Instead of selling individual products, you’re selling access to a group experience. Members log into Skool to connect with others, learn, and stay engaged with your ecosystem.
Winner: Tie (Stan Store for products, Skool for memberships).
Email Marketing & Automation
Stan Store
Stan Store offers basic email collection and simple automation. With the Pro plan, you can send broadcasts, run upsells, and use affiliate marketing. But if you want advanced email sequences, you’ll need to integrate with tools like ConvertKit or Mailchimp.
Skool
Skool does not have built-in email marketing in the same way. Instead, it focuses on community notifications, members get emails when new posts, lessons, or updates are added. For full-fledged email marketing, you’d also need a third-party tool.
Winner: Stan Store
Course Building & Delivery
Stan Store
Stan Store allows you to create basic courses. You can upload videos, text, and downloadable resources, and organize them into modules. The student experience is clean but simple, no quizzes, certificates, or advanced tracking.
Skool
This is where Skool shines. Its course feature is tightly integrated with the community. You can build structured courses with modules and lessons, and then tie learning to the community experience. Members can discuss lessons, ask questions, and stay engaged in a gamified environment with leaderboards and points.
If your main focus is teaching and building an interactive student community, Skool is far ahead of Stan Store.
Winner: Skool
Pricing
Stan Store Pricing
- Creator Plan: $29/month
- Creator Pro Plan: $99/month (affiliate tools, email marketing, advanced analytics)
Stan Store does not charge transaction fees.
Skool Pricing
- Flat rate: $99/month per community
- Unlimited members included in that price
- No transaction fees, but payment processing fees apply
Skool is simple: you pay one monthly fee to host your community and courses. It can be more expensive upfront compared to Stan Store’s basic plan, but if you scale with hundreds of members, the flat pricing becomes attractive.
Winner: Stan Store
Mobile Experience & Social Selling
Stan Store
Stan Store was designed for social selling. It doubles as your link-in-bio, looks great on mobile, and converts social traffic seamlessly. If you’re a TikToker, Instagram influencer, or YouTuber, this is a huge win.
Skool
Skool’s mobile experience is good, but it’s not optimized for quick sales. It’s built for long-form community engagement. Members log in to learn and connect rather than quickly purchase a product.
Winner: Stan Store
Community & Membership Features
This is the biggest difference between the two platforms.
- Stan Store: You can sell memberships, but it doesn’t have built-in community features. You’d need to integrate with an external tool like Discord, Slack, or Facebook groups to build actual interaction.
- Skool: Community is at the core. Members join a private hub where they can interact, post, comment, and learn together. The gamification system (leaderboards, points, badges) keeps people engaged and motivated.
If building a thriving online community is your business model, Skool is unmatched.
Winner: Skool
Affiliate Marketing
- Stan Store: Available on Creator Pro plan. Simple affiliate setup allows others to promote your products for commissions.
- Skool: No direct affiliate tools built in, but you can create manual systems for referrals.
Winner: Stan Store
Final Verdict: Which Platform Is Best in 2025?
Both Stan Store and Skool are excellent platforms, but they serve very different purposes.
Choose Stan Store if:
- You’re an influencer, coach, or entrepreneur who sells products via social media
- You want a sleek link-in-bio storefront
- You prefer pricing with no transaction fees
- You want to sell ebooks, courses, or coaching quickly without setup headaches
Best for: Creators who want fast monetization through digital product sales.
Choose Skool if:
- You want to build a thriving online community
- You plan to monetize through memberships and courses
- You value gamification, interaction, and student engagement
- You’re focused on long-term relationships with your audience
Best for: Educators, course creators, and community builders who want to scale memberships.
At the end of the day, Stan Store is better for product-driven creators, while Skool is better for community-driven creators.
- If your goal is to sell digital downloads, coaching calls, or quick courses, Stan Store wins.
- If your goal is to build an engaged learning community with recurring memberships, Skool wins.
Not sure yet? Try both. Stan Store offers a 14-day free trial, and Skool has a 14-day trial as well. Testing them with your audience is the best way to see which one fits your business in 2025.
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