Do Free or Freemium Skool Groups Get Growth Boost?

As of Skool News #79 on 20 October 2026, free Skool groups cannot reach Growth Boost levels two to four because those levels require paying members, while freemium groups get no ad creatives and only "a little bit" of Growth Boost promotion, and the hosts said this could change.

This page answers that one question. For how the whole system works, read our Skool Growth Boost guide. We will update this if Skool changes the position, so check the date before relying on it.

Do free Skool groups get Growth Boost?

Free groups do not reach Growth Boost levels two, three or four, the hosts said on 20 October 2026, because each of those levels requires new paying members and a group with no paid plan has none to count.

The episode does not spell out what a free group does get. Level one, as described in Skool News #78, is a cover image in a carousel with no custom ads. The hosts' statement covers levels two to four, so we are not claiming more than that.

Do freemium Skool groups get Growth Boost?

Freemium groups get a limited version, as the hosts put it on 20 October 2026: "freemium groups won't get creatives and will get a little bit of promotion in Growth Boost, but not much", after testing that they say showed those groups "just don't work with ads".

So a paid plan inside a free group does not put you on the same footing as a paid group, at least for generated ads. The episode does not say whether a freemium group with paying members would see a level number on its Growth tab, so check yours.

The gates themselves, from Skool News #78 as read on 15 October and repeated in part in #79:

Why does Growth Boost leave out free and freemium groups?

The hosts' reason is economics: a free signup might convert months later or never, so spend on ads cannot be matched to revenue, and even a seven-day card-required free trial is, in their words, hard to model.

They add an internal finding, with no figures: people who start free rarely turn paid, while people who start paid often join more paid things. "Buyers buy" is the phrase, and they also say some free signups may not even be real people. Growth Boost is paid from revenue share, so a group that produces little near-term revenue gives the system little to work with. That last link is our reading, not their statement.

Does this replace what you read before about freemium?

Yes, for the question it covers: on 5 September 2026 we reported that Skool had published no eligibility rules on freemium and treated the topic as inference, and episode 79 is the first direct statement we have from the hosts.

The earlier write-up is in our Growth Boost reset post. It still stands as a record of what was known that day. It noted that free-to-join groups can show real revenue on the leaderboard, and that remains true. Revenue and Growth Boost treatment are different things.

What should a free or freemium owner do?

The hosts' advice has two parts: if freemium is already working well for your business, you probably do not need to change anything, but if you want ads and Growth Boost to do real work, a paid group is the better fit for now.

Before you switch, compare the setups in our Skool freemium model guide, and read Growth Boost results to see what paid groups report. A price change affects more than ads. Existing free members, your About page and your conversion rate all move, and how to price a Skool community covers that decision.

Frequently asked questions

Can a free Skool group get ads from Growth Boost?

According to the hosts on 20 October 2026, free groups do not reach levels two to four, which is where generated ad creatives begin.

Does a freemium Skool group qualify for Growth Boost?

Only in a limited way. The hosts said freemium groups won't get creatives and will get a little promotion, "but not much".

Will Skool change this for free groups?

Possibly. The hosts said "maybe it will at some point", with no date or commitment.

Do free trials count as a free group for Growth Boost?

No. A free trial takes a card and ends in seven days, and the hosts treat it as separate from free and freemium, though they say trials are also hard to model.

How many paying members do I need for Growth Boost level two?

One new paying customer in the previous 30 days, plus 100 About page visitors, according to Skool News #78 and #79.