this will be next level duno :-D
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CommentFrom duno
Comparison
A free Skool alternative for communities that don't sell courses
Skool combines a community, courses and a points system, and the community owner pays a monthly fee. If you don't sell courses and just want a well-run community, a duno network is free.
Written November 2026. Products change — check each one's own site for current details.
What Skool is
Skool is a platform for communities with a discussion feed, courses, a calendar and a points-and-levels system. Owners pay a subscription and can charge members for access.
What duno does differently
Free for the owner
No subscription. Approval, roles, invite links and moderation are included.
Can be found
Public networks appear in duno's directory and can be indexed by search engines.
Levels and badges too
duno members earn XP, levels and badges for taking part across the site.
More than a classroom
Profiles with experience and skills, jobs, Q&A, groups with chat and events come with the same account.
Skool and duno side by side
| Feature | Skool | duno |
|---|---|---|
| Cost for the owner | Paid subscription | Free |
| Courses | Yes | No |
| Paid memberships | Yes | No |
| Discussion feed | Yes | Yes, with polls, photos and video |
| Points and levels | Yes | XP, levels and badges |
| Approval and moderators | Yes | Yes |
A general description, not a full feature list. "Generally" means it depends on settings, plans or tools you add.
When Skool is the better choice
- You sell courses or paid access.
- You want lessons and the community in one place.
When duno fits better
- Your community is free to join and doesn't need courses.
- You don't want a monthly bill.
- You want the community to be discoverable.
Trying duno alongside Skool
- Create the networkPick a name and address at duno.com/net/your-name, choose public, private or hidden, and write your rules and a welcome message.
- Share the invite linkPost an invite link where your members already are. You can limit how many times it works and when it expires.
- Run both for a whilePin the important posts on duno and see where your members prefer to talk. Nothing stops you from using both.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Skool?
Yes, for communities that don't need courses or paid access: a duno network is free, with approval-based joining, moderators and a post feed.
Can I host courses on duno?
No. You can post lessons, videos and polls in the network feed, but there is no course builder.
Is duno free?
Yes. Creating an account, creating networks, inviting members, posting jobs and asking questions are free. There are no paid plans and no ads in the feed.
Who runs a network on duno?
The person who creates it. Owners appoint admins and moderators, approve or decline join requests, remove or ban members and can transfer ownership. duno's own moderators only step in for content that breaks duno's terms.
Is this comparison neutral?
We wrote it as fairly as we could and list the cases where the other product is the better choice. Products change often, so check each one's own site for current features.