Training businesses have different needs than hobby communities. You need structured programs, completion tracking, B2B selling capabilities, and automation that scales operations without scaling headcount.

Mighty Networks built its reputation on network-based communities with courses layered on top. For membership communities and creator-led networks, it works well. But training businesses running bootcamps, academies, customer education programs, or B2B training often find themselves needing more LMS depth, better reporting, and AI that goes beyond community setup.

This guide evaluates five Mighty Networks alternatives specifically through the lens of what training businesses need: learning design, AI automation, B2B readiness, community features, and total cost of ownership.

When to switch from Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks does several things well. Its network-based community model creates genuine member-to-member connections. Built-in monetization handles memberships, courses, and bundles without external payment tools. Customization options let you brand the experience to match your organization.

The friction appears when training operations scale—and that friction reveals what to evaluate when choosing an alternative.

Learning architecture favors community over curriculum. Mighty Networks positions itself as a community platform with course features, not a specialized training LMS. Independent comparisons consistently note this distinction. When evaluating alternatives, ask: Does the platform support both cohort-based and self-paced programs? Can you create assessments, assignments, and certifications? How robust is progress tracking and reporting?

Advanced features require higher-tier plans. Pricing ranges from approximately $49 per month for basic community features to $360 or more for full course functionality and branded apps. Organizations quickly move into premium tiers designed for large communities rather than training operations. When comparing platforms, define what B2B and commercial capabilities you need: Does it handle seat sales, bulk enrollments, and multiple client organizations? What payment and subscription options exist?

AI assists with setup rather than operations. Mighty's AI Co-Host helps configure communities and suggests content. Training businesses increasingly need AI that generates curriculum, supports learners with contextual answers, and automates operational workflows throughout the learning journey. Evaluate how each platform approaches AI and automation: Can AI help generate courses and curriculum? Does it provide learner support through contextual Q&A? Are operational workflows automated?

Community exists separately from learning. Consider how community and engagement integrate with your curriculum: Do discussion features, events, and social learning elements reinforce learning outcomes or distract from them?

Scalability needs clarity upfront. Ask what white-labeling options exist and whether the platform integrates with your existing tools through APIs, SSO, or native connections.

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1. Disco: Best for modern, AI-powered training businesses

Disco is an AI-native learning platform built specifically for training businesses and academies. It combines a robust LMS, integrated community features, and AI automation in one system.

Where Disco excels

Learning-first architecture with social elements. Disco's curriculum builder supports self-paced and cohort-based programs with modules, lessons, quizzes, assignments, prerequisites, and certificates. Community features like groups, discussions, and live events are embedded alongside curriculum rather than existing as separate spaces. This design keeps social learning focused on outcomes.

AI that operates across the learning lifecycle. Disco's AI generates complete program outlines in minutes, including learning objectives, module structures, and suggested content. AI tools draft lessons, create quizzes, and generate image assets. The platform's contextual AI assistant answers learner questions around the clock based on your actual content, reducing support burden while improving learner experience. AI-powered nudges and engagement insights reduce manual community management.

Commercial capabilities for training operations. Sell memberships, subscriptions, and individual products through integrated Stripe checkout. Support multiple programs and client organizations under one roof. Stripe Tax integration, discounts, and recurring billing handle the operational complexity of running a training business.

Pricing

Disco's Organization plan starts at approximately $399 per month billed annually. Enterprise pricing is available for larger implementations. This positions Disco for serious training operations rather than hobby projects or small side communities.

Limitations

The price point reflects the platform's focus on professional training businesses. Organizations looking for basic community features at lower cost may find Disco more robust than they need. Initial configuration for complex programs requires some setup time, though daily use is reported as smooth once established.

Who should choose Disco

Training businesses, bootcamps, accelerators, customer education teams, and academies that want a single AI-powered platform to design programs, run cohorts and communities, and automate operations will find Disco purpose-built for their needs.

2. Thinkific: Best for B2B training and bulk seat sales

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Thinkific is a learning commerce platform with strong B2B selling features. It serves organizations that sell training in bulk to other businesses and need stable, enterprise-ready LMS capabilities.

Where Thinkific excels

Mature course authoring. All paid plans include unlimited courses with robust authoring tools: quizzes, assignments, completion certificates, and private or hidden course options. Communities integrate with courses for cohort-style experiences.

Purpose-built B2B selling. Thinkific promotes its fully-integrated B2B solution featuring group orders, bulk enrollments, and seat management where client admins control their own users. This makes it particularly suited for training companies selling to teams, franchises, or enterprise clients.

AI-assisted content creation. AI-powered tools in the builder help speed up course creation and design, though the AI layer focuses more on authoring than learner support or operational automation.

Pricing

Thinkific offers several tiers: Basic at approximately $49 per month, Start at $99 per month, and Grow at $199 per month. Enterprise plans start around $499 per month. All paid plans include unlimited courses with zero transaction fees and unlimited students.

Limitations

Thinkific's AI tools assist with content creation but lack the depth of AI-native platforms. The community layer exists but feels secondary to the LMS. Organizations prioritizing social learning or cohort-based peer interaction may find the community features less developed than dedicated social learning platforms.

Who should choose Thinkific

Established training companies and academies that prioritize structured LMS features and B2B selling over deep community or AI-first experiences.

3. LearnWorlds: Best for corporate training and compliance programs

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LearnWorlds is an AI-enabled LMS built for training providers and corporate learning teams who need robust compliance capabilities, certifications, and role-based learning paths.

Where LearnWorlds excels

Enterprise-grade employee training. Strong support for onboarding, compliance training, and role-based learning paths. Certification management includes automated issuance, renewal cycle tracking, and audit-friendly logs. SCORM and HTML5 support enables bulk content import for organizations migrating from legacy systems.

AI-powered course creation and personalization. AI tools assist with course creation, interactive video, quizzes, and personalized content to boost completion rates. Gamification and mobile-ready experiences enhance learner engagement.

White-label academy capabilities. Create branded academies under your own domain. The platform supports internal employee programs, external training companies, and public-facing academies.

Pricing

LearnWorlds offers multiple tiers for training companies and enterprises, generally comparable to or above Thinkific for similar scale. Exact pricing varies based on features and user volume.

Limitations

Community and social features are present but not central to the platform's design. LearnWorlds delivers "LMS with engagement tools" rather than a social-first learning environment. For cohort-based, peer-driven programs, platforms with stronger social learning architecture may feel more natural.

Who should choose LearnWorlds

Training companies and corporate L&D teams that prioritize compliance, structured employee training, and AI-assisted course creation over community-led learning.

4. Kajabi: Best for marketing-heavy, creator-led training businesses

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Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for building, marketing, and selling courses, memberships, and communities. It suits training businesses where marketing and sales are as important as curriculum delivery.

Where Kajabi excels

Integrated marketing stack. Built-in email marketing, pipelines, funnels, landing pages, and analytics reduce the need for external marketing tools. Strong ecosystem of tutorials and community around launch models and evergreen funnels.

Courses and community combined with commerce. Courses, memberships, and community features live under one roof with integrated checkout and upsell options. Bundle products and create tiered access without external tools.

AI for content and marketing. Kajabi AI supports content creation and marketing copy generation, speeding up go-to-market timelines even if not focused on learning operations specifically.

Pricing

Kajabi offers several tiers: Kickstarter at approximately $69 to $89 per month, Basic at $149 to $179 per month, Growth at $199 to $249 per month, and Pro at $399 to $499 per month with unlimited products.

Limitations

Community tools work for simple membership communities but lack depth for rich, cohort-based social learning. LMS features for assessments, cohort reporting, and complex learning paths are less developed than dedicated LMS platforms. AI focuses on marketing and copy rather than learning operations.

Who should choose Kajabi

Solo creators and small training businesses that want powerful marketing and sales tools plus adequate courses and community in one subscription.

5. Circle: Best if community remains your core product

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Circle is a modern community platform with events and course hosting that often replaces Mighty Networks when you want community-first design with better UX and flexible monetization.

Where Circle excels

Clean community UX and structure. Forums, multi-type spaces for events, chat, content, and courses. Member directories, direct messages, and group chats. Praised by community consultants as smoother to build with than Mighty Networks for many use cases.

Courses and monetization options. Support for cohort or asynchronous courses as spaces with lessons alongside community discussions. Sell memberships, courses, events, and bundles with Stripe integration.

AI and workflow automation. Community AI features for post assistance and analytics on higher tiers. Native workflow builder handles automations like onboarding steps and role-based actions.

Pricing

Circle's pricing runs approximately $89 per month for Professional, $219 to $239 per month for Business, and $360 per month for Enterprise (billed annually). Entry tiers include transaction fees around 4%, decreasing on higher tiers.

Limitations

Circle is community-first. Its course builder and LMS depth are lighter compared to dedicated learning platforms. The platform lacks AI-rich training operations like program generation, AI tutoring, and deep learning analytics. B2B training features and compliance capabilities are not the primary design focus.

Who should choose Circle

Organizations where community engagement is the primary product and structured courses serve as a supporting feature rather than the core offering.

How to choose the right alternative

Choose Disco if you run a training business, academy, or customer education program and want AI-native capabilities that reduce operational work while delivering cohort-based, social learning experiences. Disco is the only platform on this list that combines AI course creation, AI learner support, deep community features, and training-business monetization in one system.

Choose Thinkific if B2B seat sales and bulk enrollments drive your business model and you need proven enterprise LMS capabilities without prioritizing AI automation or social learning depth.

Choose LearnWorlds if compliance training, certifications, and structured employee development are your primary use cases and you need audit-ready tracking and reporting.

Choose Kajabi if marketing funnels and sales automation matter as much as curriculum and you want everything under one subscription without external marketing tools.

Choose Circle if community engagement is your product and courses exist to support that community rather than serve as the primary value proposition.

Comparison summary

Moving forward

Mighty Networks built a strong foundation for community-based memberships, but in 2026 more modern platforms like Disco are a natural alternative. For training businesses with serious learning operations, the market has evolved toward platforms that combine AI automation, structured curriculum, and social learning in ways that reduce operational burden while improving learner outcomes.

Disco represents what that evolution looks like: a platform where AI helps design programs, supports learners, and automates workflows, while community features reinforce learning rather than distract from it.

Ready to see how an AI-native learning platform works in practice? Start a free trial with Disco or book a demo to explore how the platform handles your specific training business needs.

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