Skool vs Facebook Group: 8 Key Differences (#1 is Shocking)

When building an online community, you have many choices. 

Two of the top options are Skool and Facebook Groups. 

Both platforms help you connect with members, but they serve different purposes depending on your needs. 

Let’s break it down and see how Skool compares to Facebook Groups, and which one might be the better fit for your community.

What is Skool?

Skool (read review) is a platform designed specifically for people who want to combine community building with online learning. 

It’s built for course creators, educators, and those who want deeper engagement in a distraction-free environment.

Key Features of Skool:

• Courses and Community Together: Skool brings your courses and community into one space, making it easy for members to learn and interact in the same place.
• Gamification: Skool includes leaderboards and levels to add a fun, competitive twist that keeps members engaged and motivated.
• No Distractions: Since Skool isn’t connected to social media, members can focus on learning without interruptions from ads or unrelated content.
• Unlimited Courses and Members: For $99 a month, you can host as many courses as you want and invite unlimited members to join.
• Event Calendar: Skool has a built-in calendar feature where you can schedule events, live webinars, and keep members on track.
• Mobile Access: Members can join from anywhere using Skool’s app for iOS and Android. It’s Skool-branded though, so it doesn’t feature your custom logo or name.
• Easy Member Management: Quickly manage your community members, track their progress, and give different levels of access with just a few clicks.
• Search Functionality: The search feature helps users find specific posts, discussions, or course content, making navigation smooth and efficient.

What is a Facebook Group?

It’s free and easy to set up, but it lacks many of the community management tools that Skool offers.

Key Features of Facebook Groups

• Free to Use: There are no fees for creating a Facebook Group, making it an attractive option for beginners.
• Massive Audience: Facebook has billions of users, and most people are already familiar with how it works.
• Engagement Tools: You can like, comment, and post updates easily. However, it doesn’t offer gamification or advanced tracking.
• Distractions: Since Facebook is a social platform, your group members might be distracted by ads, other notifications, and unrelated content.

Skool vs Facebook Group: Head-to-Head Comparison

Let’s break down the key differences so you can see which platform is the better fit for your needs.

1. Ownership & Control: The Risk of Losing Your Facebook Group

When you’re building a community on Facebook, you don’t actually own it—Facebook does. 

This means if you accidentally break their rules, or if Facebook decides to change its policies, they can shut down your group with little to no warning. 

You could lose years of effort in an instant, and there’s nothing you can do about it. 

It’s a scary thought, especially when you’ve put so much work into growing your community.

At Skool, things are different. 

You have full control over your community. 

Your group isn’t at the mercy of a third-party platform’s changing policies. 

You can rest easy knowing that Skool won’t just take your community away without warning. 

The platform is built with community owners in mind, giving you the peace of mind that Facebook simply doesn’t offer.

Key Takeaways:

• Skool gives you ownership and full control over your community.
• Facebook can delete your group if you violate its terms, putting your hard work at risk.
• Skool’s focus on control and security helps you avoid the risk of losing your group.

2. Community Engagement 

When it comes to community engagement, I’ve tried both Skool and Facebook Groups, and here’s what I noticed.

Skool does a great job of keeping members involved. 

It uses gamification with leaderboards and levels, which makes it fun and encourages people to participate more. 

Plus, there are no distractions like ads, so conversations stay focused and easy to follow.

Facebook Groups, on the other hand, can feel messy. 

There’s a lot going on, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up. 

Important posts can get pushed down by other content, and the ads make it harder to stay focused on the group.

Key Takeaways:

• Skool makes it easy to stay engaged with fun, organized features, while Facebook Groups can feel too busy.
• Skool has no ads or extra content, while Facebook can have a lot of distractions.
• Important discussions are easy to find on Skool, while Facebook posts can get lost in the feed.

3. Learning & Course Hosting

Skool offers a built-in course hosting feature, which is super convenient.

You can keep all your lessons, discussions, and materials in one place as shown in the below screenshot:

• “Community” tab is like a Facebook Group
• “Classroom” where members can access the courses
• “Calendar” tab help students to check all upcoming events
• “Members” tab to check the members details.
• “Leaderboards” section is for gamification

Members can easily track their progress and jump back into lessons whenever they need to.

It keeps everything organized and focused on learning.

Facebook Groups, however, don’t have a course hosting feature.

You’d have to use external links or post lessons manually, which makes it harder to manage.

Things can get scattered, and it’s easy to lose track of important resources in the group’s feed.

Key Takeaways:

• Skool makes hosting courses simple and keeps everything in one place, while Facebook Groups don’t have a dedicated course hosting feature.
• Members on Skool can track their course progress, but on Facebook, content can get lost in the feed.
• Skool offers a more focused learning experience, while Facebook requires external tools for proper course management.

4. Distraction

When it comes to distractions, Skool and Facebook Groups offer completely different experiences. 

Skool keeps things simple. There are no ads, no unrelated content—it’s just your community and courses. 

This makes it easier for members to stay focused on the discussions and learning without getting pulled away.

Facebook Groups, though, are a different story. 

With ads popping up, notifications from other Facebook activities, and unrelated posts, it’s easy for members to lose focus. 

Important conversations can get lost quickly.

Key Takeaways:

• Skool offers a clean, distraction-free space, while Facebook is full of ads and outside noise.
• Skool keeps the focus on your community, while Facebook mixes group posts with everything else.
• With fewer distractions, Skool makes it easier for members to stay engaged.

5. Cost

With Skool, you pay $99 per month for everything—unlimited members, courses, and community features. 

There’s also a 2.9% transaction fee if you’re selling courses or memberships. But that’s it—no hidden fees or extras.

On the other hand, Facebook Groups is completely free. 

You don’t pay to create or manage a group. 

However, if you want to offer courses or tools to engage your community, you’ll probably need to use third-party platforms, which can add to your costs.

Key Takeaways:

• Skool costs $99/month but gives you everything in one place.
• Facebook Groups are free, but you may need to spend money on extra tools.
• Skool charges a 2.9% fee for transactions, while Facebook doesn’t charge for group management.

6. Monetization

Skool lets you easily charge for access to your community or courses. 

With Skool’s built-in payment system, you can set up a monthly subscription or one-time payment for members to join your group or enroll in courses. 

It also help you to track your earning as shown below.

Plus, with Skool’s gamification features, you can offer rewards, like unlocking new content when members reach certain levels, keeping them engaged and encouraging renewals.

Facebook Groups, on the other hand, doesn’t have built-in payment options.

To monetize, you’ll need to use external tools like Patreon or Gumroad, which means more setup and potentially higher transaction fees.

Key Takeaways:

• Skool has built-in payment options, making it easy to monetize your community or courses.
• Facebook Groups requires external tools to charge members, adding extra steps.
• Skool’s gamification can help keep members engaged, which can lead to more consistent income.

7. Integration & Automation

In terms of Integrations and Automation, I’ve found that Skool offers a lot more flexibility compared to Facebook Groups as shown below.

With Skool, you can integrate over 500 apps through Zapier. 

This lets you automate tasks and connect Skool with your favorite tools, like Google Sheets or a CRM. 

Facebook Groups don’t have any direct integrations, and provide a basic automation as shown below.

Skool also offers Webhooks, which allow for more advanced automations, like automatically inviting members or syncing your data with other platforms. 

Facebook Groups don’t have this feature, so you’d need third-party tools to set up similar automations.

One thing I love about Skool is the Auto DM feature for new members. 

As soon as someone joins your community, they get an automated welcome message, making them feel engaged right away.

With Facebook Groups, you’d need to rely on manual messages or separate tools for this kind of interaction.

Both platforms offer automatic membership approvals, but Skool allows you to customize the process a lot more with tools like membership questions and integration options through Zapier.

Key Takeaways:

• Skool’s Zapier integration offers automation and sync options that Facebook Groups lack.
• Skool has Webhooks for seamless custom automations, while Facebook Groups don’t have this feature.
• Skool’s Auto DM sends personalized messages to new members, which Facebook can’t do natively.

8. Gamification 

When it comes to gamification, I’ve noticed a big difference between Skool and Facebook Groups. 

Skool is built with engagement in mind, using leaderboards and levels to motivate community members to participate more as shown below.

The more you interact—whether it’s through posts, comments, or other activities—the higher you climb on the leaderboard. 

You can even set rewards for reaching certain levels, which adds an extra layer of excitement and keeps people coming back.

Same as I did for “Level 5” as shown below.

In contrast, Facebook Groups don’t have these built-in features. 

Sure, people can comment and like posts, but there’s no real way to track or reward engagement without manually setting something up yourself.

Key Takeaways:

• Skool uses leaderboards and levels to make engagement fun, Facebook doesn’t.
• Skool lets you reward active members with special perks, while Facebook lacks this feature.
• Skool’s gamification encourages community participation in a structured way; Facebook Groups rely on user initiative.

Conclusion: Facebook Group vs Skool — Which One Should You Choose?

After using both Skool and Facebook Groups, I’ve found that each has its strengths, depending on what you’re looking for.

If you want a focused platform with no distractions, Skool is a great option. 

It combines course hosting, community features, and gamification that keep your members engaged and motivated. 

Plus, it gives you more control over your community, and everything stays on-topic with no ads or unrelated content getting in the way.

On the flip side, Facebook Groups are ideal if you’re after something that’s free and familiar to a broad audience. 

But they can get a bit messy, with distractions like ads and other content that can easily pull your members’ attention away from what’s important.

In Short, If you’re looking to build an engaged community with courses, engagement tools, and control, Skool is worth the investment. 

But if you need a more casual space and just want to get started quickly, Facebook Groups might be a better fit for you.