Choosing the correct community platforms is critical to your company’s success. The most significant community platforms can help you achieve your objectives, from online marketplaces to social networks and forums. I selected and reviewed the 7+ top community platforms in this article so you can choose the best one for you.
Online communities have become crucial in the development of a long-term online business.
Using community software, you can develop a community to connect and engage your audiences under your brand.
Because brand-led communities are so adaptable, you can use them to scale content marketing (via user-generated content), collect user feedback, provide peer-to-peer help, host a knowledge base, and allow members to form meaningful personal relationships.
7 Best Community Platforms of 2023
1. Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks, the most popular hosted community platform for artists, lets you create an online community on your website. Robust Networks has a lot to offer regarding community design and involvement. You may make “Quick Posts,” polls, quizzes, and full-fledged articles with it.
Using the platform’s event management tool, you may also establish a one-time or recurring event. While live streaming is not supported natively, there is a direct Zoom connection that works nicely.
Other significant community features supported by Mighty Networks include a tailored activity feed, member directory, sub-group creation, notification management, etc.
The platform is relatively simple to use from the end user’s perspective. Some users may have a little learning curve, but as they utilize the site, they will rapidly get the hang of it.
The fact that your members may access your community through Mighty Networks’ free iOS/Android mobile app elevates the end-user experience. You can also have a custom white-label app made for your company.
Mighty Networks now features an online course builder that allows you to create and deliver engaging courses inside your community and build an online community.
It also has monetization options, allowing you to charge for access to your community and courses.
Pros
- Powerful community features
- Native Zoom integration
- Ability to create online courses
- Free iOS and Android apps
- Inbuilt monetization tools
Cons
- No support for SSO integrations
- Charges a transaction fee
Pricing
Mighty Networks offers a free trial (+5% transaction fee) for pricing. The Community Plan ($28/month + 3% transaction charge) is the next subscription category that offers these services.
The Business Plan ($98/month + 2% transaction fee) is the most expensive tier. It includes a Zapier connection, premium analytics, and the ability to create online courses.
Mighty Networks is the best online community for creators in general. This is the best solution if you want to handle everything — community, courses, and subscriptions — in one spot.
This in-depth Mighty Networks Review is an excellent place to start if you want to learn more about the platform.
2. Circle
The circle is a branded community platform dedicated to community development. Unlike Mighty Networks, it does not have built-in revenue capabilities or the capacity to build online courses.
The platform handles all significant community design and involvement components, such as initiating discussions, organizing material, community moderating, member connections, private messaging, and more.
You may also build secret Spaces within your community to ensure that only certain people can access the talks in each one. Circle’s ability to embed a widget, a specific Space, or even the entire community on your main website is another helpful and incredible tool.
However, Circle’s sleek and modern style is its most appealing feature. Thanks to the platform’s simple user interface, users can easily access discussions and navigate your community.
It even includes an iOS app, making it simple for iPhone users to join your community. It does not, however, have an Android app yet. Finally, Circle integrates directly with WordPress and effective membership solutions such as Memberful and MemberSpace. Custom Single Sign On (SSO) connections are also supported, allowing your users to log in to Circle using their existing credentials.
Pros
- Clean, modern design
- Powerful community features
- Ability to embed widgets on external sites
- Native iOS app for users
- Supports SSO integrations
Cons
- Doesn’t have an Android app
- No inbuilt monetization tools
Pricing
Circle has a range of price choices, with the Basic plan costing just $39 a month for up to 1,000 active members.
The Professional ($79/month for up to 10,000 members) or Enterprise ($199/month for 100,000 members) plans are available if you have a larger community. While Circle is a newer choice on the market, it is already being employed by some of the industry’s biggest brands. For example, Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income Pro Community and the Teachable user community use Circle.
Overall, Circle is the most fantastic standalone community platform, and it’s an excellent choice if your primary goal is to create a loyal following. It will benefit many users, including course makers, membership site owners, online instructors, and SaaS product providers.
3. BuddyBoss
BuddyBoss is unique among the other solutions on this list because it is a WordPress-based community software rather than a hosted platform. It does require some technical knowledge, but if that isn’t an issue, you may utilize it to create the most feature-rich and customizable community platform for your company.
First, BuddyBoss has all of the main features of online community software, such as creating posts, social groups, a member directory, private/group chat and alerts, tailored activity feeds for users, etc.
You may establish events within your community or sub-groups and use the native Zoom integration to host live events. The first feature allows you to gamify your community and increase participation. BuddyBoss uses GamiPress, a free plugin that helps you reward members for their involvement in the community with points, rankings, awards, and badges.
BuddyBoss also works with LearnDash, the most popular WordPress LMS plugin, to let you develop and share an online course with your community. You can also use LearnDash, WooCommerce, or other popular membership plugins to sell access to your community and classes.
Finally, BuddyBoss allows you to create your own branded iOS and Android mobile apps. Your members may use the app to access your community and courses, and it includes features like push notifications and in-app purchases.
Pros
- Most flexible community builder
- Ability to gamify your community
- Integrates with LearnDash & LifterLMS
- Ability to get a white-label mobile app
Cons
- Not so easy to use and set up
- It can get pretty expensive
Pricing
costs $228 per year for a single-site license. If you require more than that, a 5-site permit costs $288 per year, and a 10-site permit costs $328 per year.
The only catch is that these subscriptions do not include access to the mobile app. That is a different service, with monthly prices starting at $219. The freedom to enhance functionality is the primary benefit of adopting a WordPress-based community plugin. Even if native support for some functionalities is insufficient, you can add what you need with another plugin or add-on.
BuddyBoss is a good choice for an online community software solution with many features and customization choices.
4. Tribe
The tribe is similar to Circle in that it is entirely focused on community-building elements and does not contain course design or commercialisation tools. The platform has been on the market for a while, and prominent firms, including Decathlon, ASUS, Pipedrive, and ConvertKit, have already adopted it.
Tribe allows you to customize everything from the logo and widgets to the colours and domain to create an entirely white-label experience. The tribe will enable you to publish articles, share photographs and videos, ask questions and give responses when it comes to content development. It also lets you categorize information and provides seamless discovery via a custom activity feed.
Tribe appeals to me since it has natural gamification features such as badges, points, virtual currency, and a leaderboard system to encourage community interaction. Another fantastic feature of Tribe is its library of apps and integrations, which may be used to enhance the functioning of your community. It offers an SSO app, for example, that permits interaction with other platforms like WordPress and allows users to log in using their existing credentials.
However, a few key elements are missing from the platform. The first is the lack of native live streaming functionality and the ability to integrate with live streaming solutions such as Zoom.
The tribe also lacks mobile app functionality, which is a problem. While mobile browsers will still allow your members to access your community, the experience will be less smooth.
Pros
- Customizable and extendable in terms of functionality
- Native gamification tools
- Single sign-on functionality
Cons
- No mobile apps functionality
- No inbuilt monetization tools
Pricing
Regarding pricing, Tribe offers a free plan that includes all of the core features and the possibility to use a custom domain.
Although the Free plan limits your community to 500 members, it is still quite liberal compared to other platforms. Beyond that, you’ll need to change your pricing package to either the $85/month Plus plan or the $249/month Premium Plan, including unlimited members.
Overall, Tribe is good online community software, and it’s the best choice for SaaS and software firms looking to create a fully customizable experience for their customers.
5. Disciple
A disciple is another popular platform that lets you establish a fully branded community you own and control entirely. A disciple makes it simple to start an online community, and all of the platform’s features operate straight out of the box.
Like the other great solutions on this list, Disciple lets you post and schedule various material forms, create sub-groups, govern your community, and track critical data. The inbuilt live stream option sets Disciple apart from the others on this list, allowing you to go live in your community without using Zoom or any third-party solution.
Members can access your community via the web by default, but you can acquire branded iOS/Android mobile applications even more conveniently. Your users get access to their personalized community feed, may start new conversations or join current ones, and can quickly find and interact with other members.
Finally, Disciple includes useful monetization options, such as building subscriptions and charging for access to the entire community or certain regions within it.
Pros
- Feature-rich community builder
- Native live streaming functionality
- Branded iOS and Android apps
- Inbuilt monetization tools
Cons
- Super expensive
- Charges a transaction fee
Pricing
When it comes to cost, Disciple offers two options. The Web package costs $55 per month, while the Mobile App plan is $389.
The critical difference between the subscriptions is that the higher tier includes two of the most crucial features: mobile apps and live streaming.
Furthermore, the Web plan limits your membership to 100 individuals, whereas the Mobile App subscription allows you to have 500 members. As a result, Disciple is the most expensive choice available.
In general, Disciple is the most upscale community platform available. It should work well for you if you’re a seasoned creative or a business owner willing to pay a higher price.
6. Hivebrite
Hivebrite is a specialist community management software designed from the ground up to assist companies in managing their alumni networks, volunteer portals, and other professional networks.
The platform has all the essential tools you’ll need, including publishing, updating, and managing content, holding events and selling tickets, sending email and push notifications, segmenting your network into smaller groups, and providing mobile access to members. You’ll also get the necessary monetisation capabilities, such as creating membership tiers, collecting subscription fees, and accepting donations.
Hivebrite also has a few distinct features that make it excellent for managing professional networks. The first is the ability to construct a job board where people can post job openings, and interested users may upload their resumes and be contacted.
Another helpful feature is the ability for users to display their ideas and projects and receive assistance from the community in finding investors, co-founders, and even potential workers.
Hivebrite is excellent for educational institutions or organizations trying to develop alumni networks, nonprofits aiming to build volunteer/donor networks, and, generally, any organization looking to build a professional network.
Pros
- Powerful community management tools
- Job board functionality
- Inbuilt monetization tools
- Branded mobile apps
Cons
- Suitable only for professional networks
- Expensive pricing plans
7. Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups are one of the most popular ways to create an online community, and they’re free. Engaging and promoting interaction becomes much easier with a huge audience of over 2.6 billion monthly active users.
You get several valuable community tools with Facebook Groups. You may use text, graphics, videos, and polls to make entertaining posts, plan “Events,” organize your content with “Topics” and “Units,” and so on.
It also includes Facebook Live integration, allowing you to make live feeds quickly. Plus, within your Facebook Group, you can build “Rooms” to have live video chats with up to 50 people. Your members can also use the web and mobile apps to access the group and interact with the content and other members. However, Facebook Groups have several disadvantages that can be deal-breaker in many situations.
The most significant disadvantage is that you and your members have little control over notifications. Because the Facebook algorithm determines who receives what reports, you cannot ensure that your members are informed about critical updates.
Another critical issue is that the ordinary Facebook user is bombarded with noise from polarized conversations, adverts, messages, and notifications from friends, among other things, making it a distraction factory.
You also can’t charge for access to your Facebook Group, nor can you interface with third-party checkout solutions like ThriveCart. Finally, remember that the community is not your property (or the audience). A random algorithm modification or update can instantly reduce your community’s engagement and reach.
However, Facebook Groups remain a popular online community tool, and its ideal use case is when you want to tap into Facebook’s massive user base.
Pros of Facebook Groups
- Great for member engagement
- Integrated FB Live functionality
- Native FB mobile apps
- Completely free to use
Cons of Facebook Groups
- Lack of ownership and control
- Privacy and distraction concerns
- No way to charge for access
Conclusion
As a community-building platform focused on growing and nurturing impactful communities, we understand the importance of choosing the best community platform for your community’s needs.
Now that we’ve explored, what we consider to be, five of the best community platforms available on the market, we encourage you to try out the community platforms that offer free trials. Doing so will allow you to evaluate their interfaces, community growth potential, and the key features they offer to see if they match your community management needs.
Each community-building platform provides a different value depending on the type of community and its goals and purpose; therefore, choosing the right venue can significantly impact your members’ experience and the management of the community itself. So think long-term and take some time to explore your options before you commit.
