# Circle vs Ning

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Circle

| Attribute | Circle | Ning |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 69 (53% (medium)) | 57.2 (26% (low)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"All-in-one community platform for building and managing branded spaces with member engagement, live events, courses, and integrated payment processing It is indexed under Community Platforms.","source":"https://circle.so","question":"What is Circle?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Circle is a paid product; published pricing starts at $89 per month. It is sold across 3 plans (Professional, Business and Circle Plus). There is no free tier. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://circle.so/pricing","question":"How much does Circle cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Circle supports the web, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://circle.so","question":"What platforms does Circle support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Circle, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://circle.so/pricing","question":"Can Circle be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 6 integrations for Circle, including Zapier, Make, Memberstack, MemberSpace, Memberful and Integrately. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://circle.so/pricing","question":"What does Circle integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and GDPR for Circle. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Circle not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://circle.so","question":"What security certifications does Circle have?","confidence":0.48},{"answer":"Circle is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://circle.so","question":"Where is Circle available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"Ning is a platform for creating branded online communities with drag-and-drop design, member management, discussion forums, events, and monetization features. It serves educators, nonprofits, enthusiasts, and businesses seeking to build engaged communities around shared interests. It is indexed under Community Platforms.","source":"https://www.ning.com/de/pricing/","question":"What is Ning?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Ning is a paid product; published pricing starts at $12.50 per month. It is sold across 4 plans (Starter, Basic, Performance and Ultimate). There is no free tier. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.ning.com/de/pricing/","question":"How much does Ning cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Ning. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.ning.com/de/pricing/","question":"What platforms does Ning support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Ning, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.ning.com/de/pricing/","question":"Can Ning be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 7 integrations for Ning, including Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo, MailChimp and Twitter. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.ning.com/de/pricing/","question":"What does Ning integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Ning is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://www.ning.com/de/pricing/","question":"Where is Ning available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | All-in-one community platform for building and managing branded spaces with member engagement, live events, courses, and integrated payment processing | Ning is a platform for creating branded online communities with drag-and-drop design, member management, discussion forums, events, and monetization features. It serves educators, nonprofits, enthusiasts, and businesses seeking to build engaged communities around shared interests. |
| features.capabilities | `{"pricing_model":"monthly_subscription_tiered","deployment_model":"creator_cloud_saas","native_live_video_streaming":true,"custom_css_and_html_theme_editing":true,"mobile_app_ios_android_deployment":true,"event_calendar_and_rsvp_management":true,"salesforce_hubspot_crm_contact_sync":false,"gamification_badges_and_leaderboards":true,"custom_domain_cname_and_white_labeling":true,"native_paywalls_and_paid_subscriptions":true,"white_label_custom_domain_and_branding":true,"native_video_hosting_bandwidth_included":true,"member_directory_and_direct_messaging_dm":true,"email_marketing_and_funnel_builder_native":true,"native_community_forum_and_discussion_boards":true,"affiliate_marketing_program_for_student_referrals":true}` | - |
| integrations.count | 11 | 7 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Zapier"},{"name":"Make"},{"name":"Memberstack"},{"name":"MemberSpace"},{"name":"Memberful"},{"name":"Integrately"},{"name":"Auth0","native":false,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Facebook","native":false,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Twitter","native":false,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"WordPress","native":false,"category":"cms","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Outseta","native":false,"category":"crm","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Bubble","native":false,"category":"integration","direction":"inbound"}]` | `[{"name":"Google"},{"name":"Facebook"},{"name":"LinkedIn"},{"name":"YouTube"},{"name":"Vimeo"},{"name":"MailChimp"},{"name":"Twitter"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Pro","features":["Private spaces","Bulk import/export","In-app notifications","Member profiles & directory","Basic moderation","Direct messaging","Group chat","Weekly email digest","Events","GDPR compliant","iOS and Android App","Desktop app","Chat spaces","Scheduled posts","Advanced reporting","Custom CSS/Javascript Snippets","Zapier integration","Embed widgets","White-labeled community","Color themes","Affiliate/conversion tracking code","Sender email customization","Integrately integration","API access","Headless Member API","Admin API","Analytics filtering"],"commitment":"monthly","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"Unlimited","storage":"500GB","automations":"20","headless_api_mau":"100","ai_credits_monthly":"2500","live_stream_attendees":"100","live_room_participants":"15","admin_api_requests_monthly":"30000","scheduled_workflows_per_month":"20"}},{"free":false,"name":"Business","commitment":"monthly","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"Unlimited","storage":"1TB","headless_api_mau":"500","ai_credits_monthly":"5000","live_stream_attendees":"200"}},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","commitment":"monthly","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"members":"Unlimited","ai_credits_monthly":"None","live_stream_attendees":"500"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Extra Circle AI credits","components":[{"per":{"qty":1000,"unit":"credits"},"kind":"per_unit","amount":10,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extra admins","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"admin","amount":10,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extra moderators","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"per 10 moderators","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extra spaces","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"per 10 spaces","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Brand email notifications","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":40,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Customizable profile fields","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":49,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Live attendees","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"per 100 attendees","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Hours","components":[{"kind":"fixed","unit":"per 10 hours","amount":50,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Subscription plans for Pro, Business, and Plus tiers with monthly billing. Free 14-day trial; 30-day money-back guarantee. Email Hub priced per contacts (first 30 days free, charges on top of community plan).","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://circle.so/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-10-06T10:09:46.920Z","freeTrialDays":14,"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$12.50/month, billed annually","features":["Drag & Drop Builder","Photo & Video","Events & Posts","Activity Feed","Multiple Blogs & Forums","Custom Groups & Member Onboarding","Analytics & GA Tools","Referral Program","Broadcast Messages","Social Network Integration","Social Sharing","Social Login","SEO Tools","Community & Forum Support (24hr response)"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":12.5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Entry-level plan for testing platform features","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"up to 1000","storage":"10 GB","rss_feeds":"1"}},{"free":false,"name":"Basic","summary":"$27.95/month, billed annually","features":["Drag & Drop Builder","Photo & Video","Events & Posts","Activity Feed","Multiple Blogs & Forums","Custom Groups & Member Onboarding","Analytics & GA Tools","Referral Program","Broadcast Messages","Social Network Integration","Social Sharing","Social Login","SEO Tools","Custom Domain Mapping","Email Support (12hr response)"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":27.95,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For small communities, classrooms, nonprofits, and family groups","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"up to 1000","storage":"10 GB"}},{"free":false,"name":"Performance","summary":"$54.95/month, billed annually","features":["Drag & Drop Builder","Photo & Video","Events & Posts","Activity Feed","Multiple Blogs & Forums","Custom Groups & Member Onboarding","Analytics & GA Tools","Referral Program","Broadcast Messages","Social Network Integration","Social Sharing","Social Login","SEO Tools","Custom Domain Mapping","Custom HTML Design","API Access","E-commerce Platform","MailChimp Email Automation","Live Chat Support"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":54.95,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Design flexibility and customization for larger communities","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"up to 10000","storage":"50 GB","rss_feeds":"15"}},{"free":false,"name":"Ultimate","summary":"$107.95/month, billed annually","features":["Drag & Drop Builder","Photo & Video","Events & Posts","Activity Feed","Multiple Blogs & Forums","Custom Groups & Member Onboarding","Analytics & GA Tools","Referral Program","Broadcast Messages","Social Network Integration","Social Sharing","Social Login","SEO Tools","Custom Domain Mapping","Custom HTML Design","API Access","E-commerce Platform","MailChimp Email Automation","Personal Manager","24/7 Phone Support"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":107.95,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Premium tier with maximum features, bandwidth, and dedicated support","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"up to 100000","storage":"100 GB","rss_feeds":"25"}}],"summary":"From $12.50/month (annual billing). Free 14-day trial on all plans.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.ning.com/de/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T12:51:17.410Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":12.5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":89,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |

## Capabilities (Community Platforms)

| Capability | Circle | Ning |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Gamification badges and leaderboards | ✓ | - |
| Native live video streaming | ✓ | - |
| Native paywalls and paid subscriptions | ✓ | - |
| Event calendar and rsvp management | ✓ | - |
| Member directory and direct messaging dm | ✓ | - |
| Custom domain cname and white labeling | ✓ | - |
| Custom css and html theme editing | ✓ | - |
| Salesforce hubspot CRM contact sync | ✗ | - |
| Mobile app ios android deployment | ✓ | - |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| ISO 27001 | - | - |
| Pricing model | Monthly subscription tiered | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:15:10.866Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*