The 12 Best Community Platforms in 2025

Building a thriving online community is more important than ever. In 2025, the best community platforms offer robust features, intuitive interfaces, and the potential to foster genuine connections. Whether you're seeking to build a brand community, support a customer base, or create a space for like-minded individuals, this list will help you find the perfect platform to meet your needs.

1. Behind the Scenes (BTS)

BTS is a comprehensive community platform built for brands and creators focused on fostering deep engagement and providing exclusive experiences. It's designed to go beyond basic forum functionality by offering integrated tools for content creation, live events, member management, and monetization. BTS empowers you to build a vibrant space where your community feels valued and connected. It allows for the curation of content for specific membership tiers. It offers in-depth analytics to track community growth and engagement, allowing for data-driven decisions. The platform prides itself on its focus on privacy and data security. BTS prioritizes a user-friendly experience, making it easy for both community managers and members to navigate. It uses a clean and intuitive design and makes it simple to integrate with your existing marketing stack.

Pros:

• Highly customizable to match your brand identity.
• Advanced features for content creation and exclusive experiences.
• Robust member management tools.
• Direct monetization options.
• In-depth analytics and reporting.
• Excellent customer support and a strong roadmap.

Cons:

• Can be more expensive than basic community platforms.
• Requires some initial setup and configuration.

Who it's best for: Brands, creators, and businesses seeking to build a premium community experience with advanced features and monetization capabilities. It’s also ideal for companies wanting to foster a deep sense of belonging and loyalty among members. If you're looking for a platform that allows you to provide exclusive content and build tiered communities, BTS is a strong contender.

2. Circle

Circle positions itself as the all-in-one community platform for creators, brands, and entrepreneurs. It allows you to create a community with forums, live streams, courses, and group chats, all under your own brand. The platform is designed to be user-friendly, with a focus on ease of use for both administrators and members. Its emphasis is on helping users create a central hub for their audience.

Pros:

• Easy to set up and get started.
• Offers a good range of features for community building.
• Clean and intuitive interface.

Cons:

• Customization options are more limited than some other platforms.
• Pricing can be a consideration, depending on the number of members.

Who it's best for: Creators and entrepreneurs looking for a simple, all-in-one community platform for their audience.

3. Discord

Discord started as a platform for gamers but has evolved into a versatile community platform suitable for various niches. It offers text and voice channels, making it a great place for real-time discussions, and can host a variety of bots for additional functionality. Discord's strength lies in its ability to facilitate real-time interactions, as well as its ease of use.

Pros:

• Free to use, with optional premium features.
• Excellent for real-time communication.
• Supports voice and video calls.
• Large user base; easy to find members.

Cons:

• Can be overwhelming for new users due to the range of features.
• Not ideal for in-depth content or course creation.
• Can be difficult to moderate large communities.

Who it's best for: Small to medium-sized communities focused on real-time communication, such as gaming groups, study groups, and hobbyists.

4. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups are a widely used platform for creating communities. The major benefit is the massive existing user base, making it easy to reach a large audience. Facebook Groups offer a lot of built-in features, including polls, live video, and events. The platform is especially useful for reaching people who are already on the platform.

Pros:

• Vast user base for easy reach.
• Easy to set up and manage.
• Built-in features like polls, events, and live videos.

Cons:

• Limited customization options.
• Can be difficult to moderate large groups.
• Algorithm changes can impact visibility.

Who it's best for: Businesses and organizations looking to connect with a large, general audience and leverage the existing Facebook user base. Great for brand awareness.

5. Slack

Slack is designed for team communication and collaboration and can also be used to build a professional community. Its channels and direct messaging make it ideal for fostering open dialogue and quick exchanges. Slack offers strong integrations with other tools, which makes it central to many workflows. Its search capabilities are also very strong.

Pros:

• Excellent for team communication and collaboration.
• Strong integration with other tools.
• Good search functionality.

Cons:

• Not as feature-rich for community building as some specialized platforms.
• Free plan has limitations on message history.

Who it's best for: Professional communities, remote teams, and organizations needing a platform for focused communication and collaboration.

6. Reddit

Reddit is a popular forum-style platform where users can create subreddits (communities) around specific interests. It allows for open discussions, Q&A sessions, and sharing content. With a huge user base, Reddit provides a massive audience for any niche imaginable. Moderation is community-driven.

Pros:

• Massive user base and reach.
• Diverse range of communities (subreddits).
• Good for content discovery and sharing.

Cons:

• Can be difficult to moderate large subreddits.
• Content quality varies greatly.
• Platform design can be overwhelming.

Who it's best for: Communities looking to reach a broad audience and engage in open discussions.

7. Discourse

Discourse is open-source forum software designed for modern online communities. It focuses on clean design and an emphasis on civil discussion. Discourse offers features such as automatic summaries, moderation tools, and integration capabilities. The emphasis is on a forum that looks and feels modern.

Pros:

• Open-source and customizable.
• Clean, modern design.
• Excellent moderation tools.

Cons:

• Requires technical expertise for setup and maintenance.
• Can be more complex to manage than some simpler platforms.

Who it's best for: Communities that value open-source solutions and require a high degree of customization and control.

8. Tribe

Tribe is designed for brands and businesses looking to build a community around their products or services. It is a powerful platform with several integrations. It allows for the creation of groups and forums. Its strong focus is on engagement and interaction.

Pros:

• Customizable forums for your specific brand.
• Good integrations with other digital tools.
• Strong features for engagement.

Cons:

• Can be limited by pricing plans.
• Interface can be somewhat cluttered.

Who it's best for: Brands seeking to build product-focused communities, customer support forums, and customer success initiatives.

9. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks allows users to build communities with courses, memberships, and events. It offers a great level of control and robust tools for monetization. The platform features good design and is easy to set up.

Pros:

• All-in-one features with memberships and courses.
• Good design and usability.
• Great options for monetization.

Cons:

• Pricing can become expensive, depending on features.
• Customization options are somewhat limited.

Who it's best for: Creators and entrepreneurs looking to create communities centered around courses and memberships.

10. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is an open-source social networking plugin for WordPress. It allows you to transform your WordPress website into a fully functional community platform with user profiles, activity streams, and group features. BuddyPress offers flexibility and customization within the WordPress ecosystem.

Pros:

• Free and open-source.
• Highly customizable within WordPress.
• Great for users who already have a WordPress site.

Cons:

• Requires some technical knowledge or development skills.
• Can be resource-intensive if not optimized properly.

Who it's best for: Website owners who want to integrate community features into their existing WordPress site.

11. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums is a discussion forum platform aimed at supporting customer communities. It focuses on features such as customer support forums, community Q&A, and ideas exchanges. Vanilla Forums is designed to help foster engagement and provide support. The platform is aimed at medium to large-sized businesses.

Pros:

• Optimized for customer support and community engagement.
• Good moderation and customization options.
• Robust feature set for managing customer interactions.

Cons:

• Pricing can be a factor.
• The interface may appear dated to some users.

Who it's best for: Businesses needing customer support and community engagement on a single platform.

12. inSided

inSided is another platform that focuses on customer community. The platform is designed to allow customers to connect, share ideas, and provide feedback on products or services. It helps in the building and scaling of customer communities. The interface is optimized to streamline all aspects of customer interaction.

Pros:

• Excellent for customer-driven communities.
• Focuses on building robust community management features.
• Strong reporting and analytics.

Cons:

• This is a more expensive platform.
• May have a steeper learning curve.

Who it's best for: Companies seeking to offer user-to-user support, gather user feedback, and create product-led growth strategies.

Conclusion

Choosing the right community platform is essential for building a thriving online space. While all the platforms on this list offer unique strengths, Behind the Scenes (BTS) stands out as an excellent option for brands and creators seeking a premium, feature-rich community experience. With its focus on customization, advanced features, monetization capabilities, and in-depth analytics, BTS sets new standards. Whether you want to foster deep engagement, provide exclusive content, or build tiered communities, BTS offers the tools to help you succeed. The ability to directly monetize your audience is a strong differentiator in today’s environment.

FAQ: Best Community Platforms 2025

Q1: What are the key features to look for in the best community platforms?

A: Key features include robust member management, content creation tools, moderation capabilities, customization options, analytics and reporting, monetization features, and ease of use.

Q2: How do I choose the right community platform for my brand?

A: Consider your goals (e.g., brand building, customer support), target audience, budget, and the features you need (e.g., forums, live video, courses). Assess how well the platform fits your branding needs and the level of customization it offers.

Q3: Are there any free community platforms available in 2025?

A: Yes, some platforms have free versions or tiers. Discord is a good option. However, these free versions may have limitations on features or the number of members.

Q4: What are the benefits of using a dedicated community platform versus social media for community building?

A: Dedicated platforms offer more control over branding, content, and the user experience. They also offer more features tailored specifically to community building, such as advanced member management and monetization options, as well as a more focused environment. Social media can be a good starting point, but dedicated platforms provide a deeper, more engaging experience. The ability to own your data is also a huge advantage.

Q5: How important is mobile optimization for community platforms?

A: Mobile optimization is very important in 2025. Ensure your chosen platform is responsive and accessible on all devices, as many users will access your community through smartphones and tablets.

Q6: What are the best community platforms for creators in 2025?

A: BTS, Circle, and Mighty Networks are excellent choices for creators, due to their robust features for monetization, course creation, and member engagement.

Q7: Can I monetize my community on most platforms in 2025?

A: Some platforms feature in-built monetization tools. Platforms like BTS and Mighty Networks offer options for selling memberships, courses and more, directly. Discord offers some limited options. Other platforms feature integrations to connect with payment platforms.

Q8: How do I measure the success of my online community?

A: Metrics to track include member growth, engagement rates (likes, comments, shares), active users, content creation, retention rate, and any revenue generated. Most platforms provide analytics dashboards.

Q9: What should I consider when evaluating the customization options of a community platform?

A: Consider how well the platform's design aligns with your brand. Look for options to customize branding elements, such as logos, color schemes, and layouts. The ability to integrate other tools and extend functionality through widgets or plugins is also a key factor.

Q10: What kind of community platform is best for small businesses?

A: Platforms like Circle, Facebook Groups (if you already have an audience), and Discord can be great options for small businesses that don't need a lot of customization, or require complex features.

Q11: Will the best community platforms have AI features in 2025?

A: Some platforms may incorporate AI features in 2025, but it is not a requirement to be considered "the best". AI use cases could include content moderation, content suggestions, and chatbots. However, the existing set of features are more important when considering a platform.

Q12: Is it possible to migrate from one community platform to another?