If you’re currently using Skool and wondering whether you can move everything over to HighLevel, you’re not alone.
It’s a question I’ve been asked more and more over the past 12-18 months as HighLevel has evolved beyond just a CRM and marketing automation platform into a fully integrated business system.
And recently, this conversation has changed quite a bit.
A quick update before we dive in
HighLevel has released a significant upgrade to its Skool importer.
You can now:
- Import members, posts, and comments from Skool
- Import multiple Skool groups into a single HighLevel community
- Preserve the structure and chronological order of your content
- Consolidate multiple communities into one central hub
This is a big step forward.
Because one of the biggest challenges with moving from Skool to HighLevel used to be the migration itself. It was possible, but often messy, time-consuming, and required a fair bit of rebuilding.
That’s no longer really the case.
So… can HighLevel replace Skool?
Short answer. Yes, in most business scenarios it now can.
But there’s an important distinction to understand.
- Skool is built as a community-first platform
- HighLevel is built as a business platform with community built in
That difference still matters.
However, with the latest importer update, HighLevel has moved from being:
a workaround alternative to Skool
to something much closer to:
a genuine, viable replacement for most use cases
Why people start looking beyond Skool
In my experience working with clients, people don’t usually leave Skool because it’s bad.
Far from it.
They start looking elsewhere because of everything happening around the community.
For example:
- Lead capture
- Email and SMS follow-up
- Sales pipelines
- Automation
- Course delivery
- Upsells and retention
With Skool, you typically need multiple tools to handle this.
With HighLevel, it’s all under one roof.
And that’s where things start to get interesting.
What HighLevel does differently
HighLevel is not just a community platform.
It’s a full marketing and CRM system that includes:
- Funnels and websites
- Email, SMS, WhatsApp and automation
- Pipelines and opportunity tracking
- Memberships and courses
- AI tools and workflows
So instead of stitching together multiple tools, you can build everything in one place.
From a business point of view, that’s a big shift.
What the migration used to look like
Let’s be honest.
Before this latest update, migrating from Skool to HighLevel wasn’t always straightforward.
You often had to:
- Rebuild parts of your community manually
- Accept gaps in content transfer
- Lose post order or structure
- Reorganise everything after import
It worked, but it wasn’t always clean.
What’s changed with the new importer
This is where things have improved significantly.
Now, when you migrate:
- Your posts and comments retain their order
- Your structure is far more intact
- Multiple Skool groups can be combined into one HighLevel community
- Members are brought across in a much cleaner way
This removes a huge amount of friction.
And it makes the idea of switching far more realistic than it was even a few months ago.
How the migration process works (practically)
At a high level, the process looks like this:
1. Set up your HighLevel community
Create your community area inside HighLevel and define your structure. Think about how you want your groups organised before importing.
2. Use the Skool importer
HighLevel now provides a dedicated importer that allows you to bring across:
- Members
- Posts
- Comments
- Group structures
This is where the biggest improvements have been made.
3. Review and tidy
Even with improvements, you should still:
- Check formatting
- Review group organisation
- Clean up any edge cases
No migration is ever 100 percent perfect. But it’s now much closer than before.
4. Connect your wider system
This is where HighLevel really comes into its own.
Once your community is in place, you can connect it to:
- Automations
- Email and SMS campaigns
- Sales pipelines
- Workshop funnels
- Onboarding sequences
This is something Skool simply isn’t designed to do.
Where Skool is still stronger
It’s important to be balanced here.
Skool still has advantages.
1. Simplicity and user experience
Skool is incredibly clean and easy to use. The interface is built purely for community engagement.
2. Gamification and engagement
Leaderboards, points, and community interaction feel more natural in Skool.
3. Community-first design
Everything in Skool is built around keeping people engaged in the community.
HighLevel is improving, but it’s not quite at that level yet.
Where HighLevel wins
This is where the decision usually gets made.
1. Everything in one place
No more duct-taping tools together.
2. Automation and follow-up
You can build proper marketing systems around your community.
3. Monetisation
Upsells, events, programmes, and offers can all be integrated directly.
4. Data and tracking
You can see exactly what’s happening across your entire customer journey.
The real decision
So the real question is not:
“Which platform is better?”
It’s:
“What role does your community play in your business?”
If your business is community-first
Stick with Skool.
If your community supports a wider business
HighLevel is likely the better fit.
My honest take
Based on what I’m seeing right now.
This latest update removes one of the biggest barriers to switching.
Migration used to be the sticking point.
Now it’s not.
So if you are already using HighLevel, or considering it, it makes a lot of sense to consolidate everything into one system.
Not because Skool is lacking.
But because HighLevel gives you a much bigger play.
Final thoughts
HighLevel is evolving quickly.
Features are being added and improved all the time. The Skool importer upgrade is a good example of that.
If you read older content about migrating, be aware that things have moved on.
Quite a bit.
And in this case, in a very practical and useful way.
Written by Julian Mills – HighLevel consultant and marketing strategist.
About Julian Mills
