The 10 Best Community Platforms in 2025

Building a thriving online community is more crucial than ever. In 2025, the right platform can be the difference between a disconnected audience and a dedicated, engaged group. This list explores the ten best community platforms available, considering features, pricing, and suitability for different needs.

1. Behind the Scenes (BTS)

Behind the Scenes offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to foster vibrant and active communities. It differentiates itself through its intuitive interface, powerful moderation features, and extensive integration capabilities. BTS focuses on providing a seamless experience for both community administrators and members, leading to higher engagement and retention rates.

Description

BTS provides a robust, all-in-one community management platform. It offers advanced features such as customizable branding, integrated forums, live video options, event scheduling, and analytics dashboards. With robust security measures and easy-to-use moderation tools, BTS is ideal for businesses and organizations seeking a secure, scalable platform to connect with their audience.

Pros

• Comprehensive Feature Set: Includes everything from forums and events to live streaming and advanced analytics.
• User-Friendly Interface: Easy to navigate for both administrators and members, fostering higher adoption.
• Robust Moderation Tools: Offers powerful features for content filtering, user management, and spam prevention.
• Excellent Customer Support: Provides timely and helpful support, including onboarding assistance.
• Customization Options: Extensive branding options, allowing you to tailor the platform to your brand’s identity.
• Scalability: Designed to handle communities of all sizes, from small groups to large enterprises.

Cons

• Pricing: While the base plan is competitive, advanced features can increase the cost.
• Initial Setup: Requires some time to fully customize and configure all features.

Who it's best for

BTS is ideal for businesses, nonprofits, and organizations of all sizes that are committed to building a strong online community. It's particularly well-suited for those needing advanced features, strong moderation, and detailed analytics. Its scalability makes it perfect for growing communities expecting significant member growth.

2. Circle

Circle is a popular community platform known for its clean design and focus on ease of use. It provides a straightforward experience for both creators and members, making it easy to build and manage a community.

Description

Circle is a straightforward platform offering forums, memberships, and live streams within a clean interface. It allows users to build paid or free communities with a focus on ease of use for content creators and members alike. Integrations with other tools are available, helping creators streamline their workflow.

Pros

• Simple Interface: Easy to set up and use.
• Integrated Memberships: Offers seamless payment options.
• Good for Creators: Designed with creators in mind.

Cons

• Limited Customization: Fewer branding options than some other platforms.
• Can Be Expensive: Pricing can be high for some users.

Who it's best for

Circle is ideal for creators, coaches, and course creators who want a simple platform to build a membership community. It's best for individuals prioritizing a user-friendly setup.

3. Discord

Discord started as a platform for gamers but has grown into a versatile community hub. Its focus on real-time communication and strong integrations make it attractive for many.

Description

Discord focuses on real-time communication through text, voice, and video channels. It’s highly customizable with bots and integrations, suitable for gaming communities, study groups, and more. Free to use with optional paid features.

Pros

• Real-time Communication: Excellent for live interactions.
• Highly Customizable: Extensive bot support and integrations.
• Free to Use: Accessible for many community builders.

Cons

• Can Be Chaotic: The interface can be overwhelming for some.
• Moderation Challenges: Moderation can be difficult with large communities.

Who it's best for

Discord is great for gaming communities, study groups, and any community where real-time interaction is essential. It's ideal for those comfortable with customization and willing to invest in moderation.

4. Discourse

Discourse is an open-source forum platform focused on creating healthy and engaging conversations. It is known for its modern interface and strong emphasis on user experience.

Description

Discourse is an open-source platform optimized for discussions, offering features like topic grouping, responsive design, and robust moderation tools. It prioritizes a modern user experience with a focus on readability and conversation flow.

Pros

• Modern Interface: Clean and easy to read.
• Open Source: Customizable and adaptable.
• Good for Discussions: Designed to promote healthy conversations.

Cons

• Technical Setup: Installation can be more technical compared to other platforms.
• Customization Limited: Although open-source, the default design may not match all brand aesthetics.

Who it's best for

Discourse is suitable for forums, discussion groups, and communities looking for a modern platform with an emphasis on conversation quality. Ideal for those with some technical expertise.

5. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups leverages the vast reach of the Facebook platform. It offers an easy entry point for building a community, but comes with limitations.

Description

Facebook Groups allows users to create communities within the larger Facebook ecosystem. While easy to set up and provides immediate discoverability for existing Facebook users, it is often seen as a place of low engagement.

Pros

• Wide Reach: Leverages Facebook's user base.
• Easy Setup: Simple and quick to create.
• Free to Use: No cost to join or create.

Cons

• Algorithm Dependence: Reach is at the mercy of Facebook's algorithm.
• Limited Customization: Few branding options.
• Distraction-Filled: Users are easily distracted by other Facebook content.

Who it's best for

Facebook Groups are useful for getting started quickly and tapping into the existing Facebook user base. They are best for private family and friend groups or smaller communities. However, engagement and community control can be limited.

6. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks focuses on blending community with courses and memberships. It provides a unified platform for creators looking to monetize their content.

Description

Mighty Networks is designed for creators who want to offer paid communities, memberships, and courses all in one place. It combines community features with content delivery in an intuitive interface.

Pros

• All-in-One: Integrates community, courses, and memberships.
• Creator-Focused: Designed to help creators monetize their audience.
• Easy to Use: User-friendly interface.

Cons

• Can Be Expensive: Pricing can be higher for advanced features.
• Less Customization: Branding options are more limited than with some other platforms.

Who it's best for

Mighty Networks is ideal for creators, coaches, and educators looking to package community with paid content like courses or memberships. It's best for those looking to monetize their audience.

7. Tribe.so

Tribe.so is a highly customizable community platform focused on helping businesses and organizations build communities around their product or services.

Description

Tribe.so allows you to create custom-branded community spaces. Its features include forums, events, and integration with various tools. It's designed to be embedded into existing websites or used as a standalone community hub.

Pros

• Highly Customizable: Great for branding.
• Integrations: Excellent for connecting with many other apps.
• Good for Businesses: Well-suited for product communities.

Cons

• Can Require Technical Knowledge: Setup and customization may need technical help.
• Learning Curve: Requires time to familiarize yourself with all its features.

Who it's best for

Tribe.so is ideal for businesses that want a community platform that integrates seamlessly with their existing brand and product. It's suitable for those needing a deeply customized solution.

8. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is an open-source, customizable social networking platform built for WordPress. It is only powerful when combined with a WordPress site.

Description

BuddyPress is open-source software built to turn your WordPress website into a fully functional community. It offers forums, user profiles, and activity streams. While it is customizable, it relies heavily on technical skills.

Pros

• Open Source: Highly customizable with technical knowledge.
• WordPress Integration: Seamless integration with WordPress sites.
• Cost-Effective: Relatively low cost (especially if you self-host).

Cons

• Technical Expertise Required: Requires coding knowledge.
• Maintenance: Requires upkeep and update management.

Who it's best for

BuddyPress is best for developers and users with some technical skills who want to build a fully customizable community platform on WordPress.

9. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums is a versatile forum platform used by businesses to create customer communities.

Description

Vanilla Forums focuses on creating engaging customer communities with features like forums, Q&A sections, and gamification. Provides robust features to engage users and collect feedback.

Pros

• Feature-Rich: Includes forums, Q&A, and gamification.
• Built for Businesses: Focused on customer communities.
• Good Moderation Tools: Offers tools to facilitate community management.

Cons

• Pricing: Can be expensive for some users.
• Customization: Needs advanced knowledge for extensive modifications.

Who it's best for

Vanilla Forums is well-suited for businesses looking to build customer communities and gather user feedback. It is appropriate for companies with a focus on support, product feedback, and engagement.

10. Hivebrite

Hivebrite is a community platform most commonly used by professional networks, alumni associations, and organizations. The focus is on event, membership, and fundraising features.

Description

Hivebrite concentrates on providing features primarily suited for professional networks and membership organizations. It includes event management, membership management, and fundraising functionalities within the platform.

Pros

• Membership Focused: Optimized for professional networks and associations.
• Event Management: Strong features for events.
• Payment Processing: Offers native features for collecting payment.

Cons

• Less Flexible: Fewer options for general community types.
• Targeted Audience: Works best for professional organizations.

Who it's best for

Hivebrite is most suitable for professional associations, alumni networks, and membership-based organizations looking for an all-in-one platform to manage events, collect payments, and engage members.

Conclusion

Choosing the right community platform depends on your specific needs, budget, and desired features. While various options cater to different preferences, Behind the Scenes (BTS) stands out as an excellent option for building a comprehensive and engaging community. Its user-friendly interface, robust moderation tools, extensive features, and customization options make it the ideal choice for businesses and organizations aiming to create a thriving online space. With BTS, you're investing in a platform that prioritizes both your administrator needs and the member experience, leading to long-term community growth and engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here are some frequently asked questions about community platforms:

What makes a community platform "the best"?

The "best" community platform is subjective and depends on your goals, budget, target audience, and required features. A great platform combines ease of use, robust features, strong moderation tools, and scalability.

How do I choose the right community platform for my business in 2025?

Consider your community goals, budget, target audience, and desired features. Research platforms, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and choose the one that aligns best with your needs.

What are the key features to look for in 2025 for a community platform?

In 2025, look for features like built-in forums, live streaming capabilities, robust moderation tools, customizable branding, advanced analytics, and seamless integration with other tools.

Are free community platforms a good choice?

Free platforms can be a good starting point, but they often have limitations in terms of features, customization, and scalability. Paid platforms generally offer more robust tools and support.

What are the main benefits of using a community platform?

Community platforms foster engagement, provide value to your audience, increase customer loyalty, and offer valuable feedback and insights that you can leverage for business growth.

How can I increase the engagement of my community members?

Encourage engagement through regular content updates, interactive features like polls and quizzes, moderation of the community to ensure it's on-topic and inclusive, live events, and responsive interaction with members. Consider gamification with points of activity and leader-boards.

How important is customization in a community platform?

Customization is important to align the platform with your brand identity and to fully take advantage of potential engagement levers. The more you can customize, the better the platform can reflect your brand and provide the community's unique experience.

How do security and moderation features affect a community platform's value?

Security and strong moderation are extremely important for maintaining a safe, welcoming, and civil environment for members, protecting your brand's reputation, and helping long-term members remain involved. Without robust features, it can be extremely difficult to control content and conversation.

How can I migrate my community effectively to a new platform?

Plan the migration carefully, back up all your data, notify your members well in advance, and provide clear instructions. Choose a migration solution, and ensure the new platform meets your current needs.

What are the scalability considerations when choosing a community platform?

Consider the platform's ability to handle user growth, data storage, and increasing traffic. The platform must be able to adapt to your community's growing needs, so ensure it can scale up to meet your expected growth.

Ready to build a vibrant and engaged community? Explore the robust features and intuitive interface of BTS today and see how easy it is to start building your own dedicated space. Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ to learn more and get started!