TL;DR: Skool as a platform is completely legit. It's a real product built by a real company (Sam Ovens and Alex Hormozi). But individual communities on Skool vary wildly in quality. Out of 208 approved reviews on KoolReviews covering 1,000+ communities, the platform average sits at 3.69 out of 5 stars. Some communities are genuinely excellent. Others are ghost towns. This guide breaks down the data so you can tell the difference before spending money.
The question everyone is asking
"Is Skool legit?"
I see this question on Reddit every week. In r/Entrepreneur, r/smallbusiness, r/digitalmarketing. And the answers are always the same mix of vague opinions and people promoting their own communities.
Nobody points to actual data. Nobody links to independent reviews.
That's why I built KoolReviews. I wanted a place where real members could share honest opinions about the Skool communities they've actually joined. No affiliates gaming the ratings. No creators moderating their own reviews.
So let me answer the question with numbers instead of vibes.
Skool the platform vs. Skool the communities
First, an important distinction that most people miss.
Skool the platform is a software product. It hosts online communities with courses, discussion boards, a calendar, and gamification features. It costs $99/month for creators to run a community. The platform itself is legitimate. It processes payments, hosts content, and does what it says it does.
Skool communities are the individual groups created by thousands of different people on the platform. This is where quality varies. A lot.
Think of it like Udemy or Teachable. The platform is fine. Whether a specific course on that platform is worth your time? That depends entirely on who made it.
What 208 real reviews tell us
At KoolReviews, I track 1,000 communities across 9 categories. As of today, 160 of those communities have at least one approved review, and I have 208 approved reviews total.
Here's the rating breakdown across every approved review:
- 5 stars: 66 reviews (31.7%)
- 4 stars: 65 reviews (31.3%)
- 3 stars: 34 reviews (16.3%)
- 2 stars: 32 reviews (15.4%)
- 1 star: 11 reviews (5.3%)
Platform average: 3.69 out of 5 stars.
That tells a clear story. About 63% of reviews are positive (4 or 5 stars). But a meaningful chunk, over 20%, rate their community at 2 stars or below.
Skool isn't a scam. But it also isn't some guaranteed path to success that the hype suggests.
The communities people actually love
Let me show you the communities with the strongest track records based on real review data.
The Founders Club (4.67 avg, 3 reviews)
Category: Money | Members: 61.8k | Price: Free
This is the highest-rated community on KoolReviews with 3 or more reviews. Two 5-star reviews and one 4-star.
"After trying communities that were glorified email lists, The Founders Club was refreshing. The AI and automation discussions go deep and people share real experiences. This is what a community should be." - Raj
"Been in The Founders Club for 6 months. What sets it apart is the culture around AI and automation. People answer questions thoughtfully instead of just promoting their own stuff." - Luis
Visit The Founders Club on Skool
Mobility & Injury Prevention (4.3 avg, 4 reviews)
Category: Health | Members: 175.4k | Price: Free
The top-reviewed Health community and one of the largest on all of Skool.
"I was skeptical about an online community for mobility work but this one delivers. The daily routines are short enough to actually stick with and the coaches know their stuff." - David
Visit Mobility & Injury Prevention on Skool
Digital Wealth Academy 3.0 (4.2 avg, 5 reviews)
Category: Money | Members: 134.8k | Price: Free
The most-reviewed community on KoolReviews. Five approved reviews, ranging from 3 to 5 stars.
"The modules on affiliate marketing and digital products are genuinely useful. I made my first $200 online following their step-by-step guides." - Jenny
For a deep dive, check out the full Digital Wealth Academy 3.0 review.
Visit Digital Wealth Academy 3.0 on Skool
The AI Advantage (4.0 avg, 3 reviews)
Category: Tech | Members: 74.1k | Price: Free
A solid Tech community tied to a well-known YouTube channel. Three reviews, all 4 stars or above.
Visit The AI Advantage on Skool
High Vibe Tribe (4.0 avg, 3 reviews)
Category: Spirituality | Members: 79.8k | Price: Free
The top-reviewed community in the Spirituality category, which is one of the harder categories to find quality in.
Visit High Vibe Tribe on Skool
The communities people warn about
Not everything on Skool is worth your time. Here are the patterns I see in negative reviews.
Ghost town communities
The most common complaint, by far. Creators set up a community, post a few times, and disappear.
"The admin of Amplify Views posted a few times early on and then disappeared. The YouTube growth content is stale. This feels like it exists to collect subscriptions." - Mackenzie, reviewing Amplify Views (2.0 avg)
"I signed up for Skoolers expecting real tech and software insights and it was nothing like the marketing promised. Zero engagement, outdated content, admin is nowhere to be found." - Blake, reviewing Skoolers (2.33 avg)
This isn't a Skool problem specifically. It's a "anyone can create a community" problem. But it's the number one thing to watch for.
Surface-level content
The second most common issue. Communities where the content sounds good on the landing page but doesn't go beyond what you'd find free on YouTube.
"The landing page for Business Builders Club made it look more polished than it is. The business and making money content is surface level stuff you can find free on YouTube. Posts go days without replies." - Jalen
Lowest-rated communities
For transparency, here are the communities with the lowest average ratings (2+ reviews):
| Community | Category | Avg Rating | Reviews | Members | |-----------|----------|------------|---------|---------| | Amplify Views | Money | 2.0 | 2 | 28.2k | | Skoolers | Tech | 2.33 | 3 | 191.5k | | Watch Lover | Hobbies | 2.5 | 2 | 2.7k | | 4D Copywriting Community | Money | 2.5 | 2 | 63.4k |
Notice that member count has almost nothing to do with quality. Skoolers has 191.5k members and a 2.33 average. The Founders Club has 61.8k and a 4.67. Don't let big numbers fool you.
Red flags to watch for before joining
After reading hundreds of reviews, here are the warning signs I look for:
1. No free tier and no proof of value.
696 of the 1,000 communities I track are free. If a community charges $49/month or more and has no free version, no trial, and no reviews, that's a red flag. It doesn't mean it's bad. It means you have no way to verify before paying.
2. Huge member counts with zero engagement.
A community with 100k+ members should have active discussions. If the last post in the community feed is from two months ago, those members aren't real members. They signed up and left.
3. The landing page is all hype, no specifics.
Good communities tell you exactly what you'll get. Bad ones use phrases like "unlock your potential" and "join the movement" without describing actual content.
4. The creator doesn't participate.
The strongest communities I've reviewed all have one thing in common: the creator or admin shows up consistently. When they don't, the community dies.
5. No reviews anywhere.
Not on KoolReviews, not on Reddit, not on YouTube. If nobody is talking about a community, that's worth noting. It might be new, or it might be forgettable.
How to verify a Skool community before joining
Here's my exact process:
Step 1: Check the reviews. Search for the community on KoolReviews. If it has approved reviews, read them. Pay attention to the trust levels (verified members carry more weight than observers).
Step 2: Look at the data. Check the member count, category, price, and how many reviews exist. A community with 5 reviews averaging 4.2 stars is a much stronger signal than one with 1 review at 5 stars.
Step 3: Check Reddit. Search the community name on Reddit. People are brutally honest there. If members are complaining, you'll find it.
Step 4: Join the free ones first. If the community has a free tier, join it. Lurk for a week. See if people are actually posting, asking questions, and getting answers.
Step 5: Ask in the community before paying. If there's a paid upgrade, ask current members what they get. Real communities are happy to answer. Sketchy ones get defensive.
The category breakdown
Not all categories are created equal. Here's how review coverage looks across Skool's 9 categories:
| Category | Communities | With Reviews | Avg Coverage | |----------|------------|-------------|-------------| | Money | 380 | 64 | 16.8% | | Tech | 106 | 29 | 27.4% | | Self-improvement | 190 | 25 | 13.2% | | Health | 92 | 12 | 13.0% | | Hobbies | 92 | 12 | 13.0% | | Spirituality | 60 | 9 | 15.0% | | Sports | 22 | 5 | 22.7% | | Relationships | 33 | 2 | 6.1% | | Music | 25 | 2 | 8.0% |
Money has the most communities by far (380), but also the most noise. Tech has the best review coverage at 27.4%, meaning you're more likely to find independent feedback before joining.
Relationships and Music are nearly blind spots. If you're looking at communities in those categories, you're mostly on your own right now.
So, is Skool legit?
Yes. With a caveat.
The platform is legit. The business model (creators pay $99/month to host, members join for free or a subscription) is straightforward. There's no hidden MLM structure. Your data isn't being sold.
But the experience you'll have depends entirely on which community you join. And right now, most communities don't have enough independent reviews for you to make an informed decision.
That's why I built KoolReviews. Not to sell you on Skool. Not to trash it. Just to give you real data so you can decide for yourself.
The communities at the top of this article have earned their ratings through verified reviews from real members. The ones at the bottom earned theirs, too.
Do your homework. Check the reviews. And if you've been a member of a Skool community, good or bad, leave a review so the next person can make a better decision.
Frequently asked questions
Is Skool a pyramid scheme or MLM?
No. Skool is a software platform. Creators pay $99/month to host a community. Members pay the creator (or join for free). Skool has an affiliate program where people can earn commissions for referring new creators to the platform, but that's standard SaaS referral marketing, not MLM.
Are Skool communities worth paying for?
Some are. The paid communities I've seen reviewed on KoolReviews range from genuinely valuable to completely empty. Check reviews before paying, and always try the free tier first if one exists.
Can I trust Skool reviews on KoolReviews?
Reviews on KoolReviews go through moderation and have trust levels. Verified members (who prove membership via their Skool profile) carry the most weight. Self-reported members and observers are labeled accordingly. I don't let community creators moderate their own reviews.
What's the average rating on Skool communities?
Across 208 approved reviews on KoolReviews, the platform average is 3.69 out of 5 stars. 63% of reviews are 4 stars or higher.
Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you join a Skool community through these links, KoolReviews may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This does not influence ratings or reviews, which are submitted independently by real users.