The Showdown
Circle.sovsforem
Why pay monthly fees for Circle.so when you can self-host forem for free? Let's look at the facts.
VS
Circle.so
The Expensive Option
- Closed Source (Black box)
- Expensive monthly fees per user
- Data stored on their servers
WINNER
forem
The Freedom Choice
- 100% Open Source Code
- Free forever (Self-hosted)
- You own your data completely
Interactive Calculator
Calculate Your "SaaS Tax"
SaaS pricing is designed to scale with your success.
See how much wealth transfers from your bank account to Circle.so's shareholders.
10 people
150100200+
$
*Estimated standard pricing for Circle.so. Adjust if needed.
Estimated Annual Waste
$1,440
Monthly Burn Rate$120
5-Year Projection$7,200
Cost with Self-Hosted$0
Calculations based on 10 users at $12/mo.
Detailed Breakdown
0
Data stored on proprietary servers
Full control over user data and hosting
1
Limited to provided UI settings
Deep code-level modifications allowed
2
Often takes a percentage of revenue
Zero platform transaction fees