Online community platforms bring people together. Building strong, engaged communities has become essential for businesses, creators, and organizations.
66% of brands report that online communities have helped them boost customer retention. Another 68% say these communities have helped generate new leads.
The best online community platforms enable people to connect, share ideas, and nurture a strong, engaged community.
In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 best online community platforms designed to maximize engagement and support growth. We’ll discuss the key features of a great community platform, offer tips on what to consider when choosing one, and highlight some of the best options currently available.
Keep reading to find the best community platform for your needs.
What are online community platforms?
Online community platforms are digital spaces where people can connect, share ideas, and work together around a common interest or goal. Unlike general social media, these areas are designed to help people build closer relationships and have more meaningful conversations.
The best community platforms offer much more than just a place to chat. Many come with features like forums, live video streaming, event hosting, and even tools to create courses.
Others allow you to customize how your community looks so it matches your brand and feels unique.
These platforms are powerful tools for businesses, creators, and organizations to foster connection and engagement. They help you bring your audience together in one place, encourage collaboration, and keep people interested in what you’re offering.
Why are online communities essential?
Online communities provide a sense of belonging and the chance to engage with people who share similar interests. If you run a business, online communities create invaluable opportunities to strengthen relationships, gain insights, and build loyalty.
Engagement is a key benefit. A thriving online community keeps members coming back for more. Think of active discussions, shared resources, or collaborative projects. You can use this engagement to promote your products, gather feedback, or even co-create solutions with your customers.
Additionally, online communities amplify reach. A thriving community can organically grow through word-of-mouth, turning members into advocates.
They’re also great for knowledge sharing, whether it’s through answering questions, offering tips, or sharing expertise.
Simply put, an active community is a win-win for everyone involved. That’s why they’ve become essential for modern engagement and growth strategies.
Types of online community platforms
Not all online communities are the same. Different platforms serve different purposes, and choosing the right one depends on your goals.
Here are the main types of online community platforms to consider:
1. Social media communities
Social media communities are some of the easiest to set up and manage. Social platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram provide built-in tools to help you create spaces for people to connect and engage.
Because these platforms already have massive user bases, they’re ideal if you own a business or are a creator looking for a quick and broad reach.
Once you have a community, you can start conversations, share updates, and even host live events to keep the members engaged.
For example, Facebook Groups allow you to set up private or public spaces where people can post, comment, and interact freely.
Meanwhile, LinkedIn Groups gather more professional audiences, making them an ideal option for networking or sharing industry insights.
However, it’s worth noting that while social media platforms are accessible, you don’t own the data or have full control over your group. They work best as a starting point or an additional layer of engagement for your audience.
2. Forum-based communities
Forum-based communities are ideal for deep discussions and organized conversations. Platforms like Reddit and Quora allow members to explore specific topics, share detailed posts, and have meaningful interactions.
These communities are typically structured with threads and categories, making it easy to keep discussions focused and find information quickly.
What makes forums unique is their emphasis on long-form engagement. Unlike the quick pace of social media, forums are designed for thoughtful contributions and ongoing conversations.
For instance, Reddit uses subreddits to organize discussions around niche interests. Users can create a space for in-depth knowledge sharing.
Forum-based communities are especially effective for solving problems, sharing expertise, and diving into niche topics. If you’re looking to build a space where members can exchange insights and ask complex questions, these types of platforms are an excellent choice.
3. Professional networks
Professional networks are built to connect peers within a specific industry or profession. These platforms focus on helping members learn, share expertise, and build connections with like-minded professionals. This makes them ideal for collaboration and growth.
For example, platforms like Stack Overflow are designed for computer programmers to solve problems, ask questions, and showcase their skills.
For creatives, Behance offers a space to display portfolios, get feedback, and connect with potential clients or collaborators.
Professional communities are more than just about networking as they foster deeper engagement and help members grow in their fields. If you want to build your reputation, learn from others, or connect with experts in your industry, professional networks are the way to go.
4. Niche communities
Niche communities are tailored spaces designed for people with specific interests, professions, or hobbies. They focus on a single topic or industry, making them highly relevant and deeply engaging for their members.
The biggest advantage of niche communities is the shared focus among participants. Everyone is there for the same reason—to exchange ideas, share resources, or solve problems. The mutual purpose creates a strong sense of connection and goal.
For example, platforms like Dribbble are spaces where designers showcase their work and connect with peers, while Goodreads is a community for book lovers to share reviews, recommend reads, and discuss literature.
Niche community platforms are especially effective for fostering expertise and building trust within a specific audience. Niche communities are an excellent way to create meaningful engagement if your goal is to attract passionate members who care about a particular subject.
5. Membership communities
Membership communities are exclusive spaces where access is typically granted through a subscription or one-time fee. Members often gain access to premium content, courses, or resources not available elsewhere.
Membership communities focus on value. Members join because they see the benefit of being part of an exclusive group. This may be for learning new skills, accessing insider information, or simply connecting with others who share their interests.
For example, Rewriting the Code is a membership community that supports and empowers college, graduate, and early-career women in tech. Members gain access to intersectional communities, mentorship, industry experience, and educational resources to become the next generation of engineers and tech leaders.
Having said that, membership-based communities work particularly well for creators or businesses looking to monetize their expertise. You’ll want to create membership communities if you want to make money while offering something extra to your audience and building a strong sense of belonging.
6. Customer support and feedback communities
Customer support and feedback communities are here to help customers solve problems, share experiences, and provide input on products or services. If you’re running a business, you can create a space where users ask questions, troubleshoot issues, and exchange helpful advice.
These communities are incredibly effective for improving customer satisfaction and reducing support costs. You basically empower users to find answers from peers or access resources independently. As a result–there are fewer support tickets to handle.
At the same time, these platforms provide valuable insights into customer needs and challenges, which can guide product improvements.
A great example is Adobe’s Support Community on platform X (formerly Twitter), where users can ask questions, share best practices, and troubleshoot with help from other users and Adobe experts.
This setup enhances customer service and builds loyalty by showing customers their input is valued.
A well-run customer community fosters loyalty by showing customers that their voices matter. This type of community is an excellent choice if your primary goal is to enhance customer service while building a deeper relationship with your audience. Your customers get solutions, and you gain valuable feedback.
7. Learning and educational communities
Learning and educational communities are spaces designed for people to share knowledge, teach, and learn new skills. They’re popular among educators, businesses, and organizations that want to create interactive spaces for structured learning and collaboration.
These communities often include tools like course hosting, quizzes, live sessions, and discussion boards to keep learners engaged.
For example, Coursera, a platform used by universities and institutions, provides an online space where students can access courses, earn certificates, and join discussions with peers.
Communities like these help learners stay connected while gaining valuable skills.
Educational communities work well for coaches, subject-matter experts, or companies offering training programs. Build a learning community if you want to create a space where people can learn, share ideas, and grow together.
8. Event-based communities
Event-based communities revolve around gatherings. Today’s events can include online or virtual events as well as traditional in-person meetups. These communities work well for networking, learning, or simply bringing people together around a shared experience.
Many event planning platforms provide tools to organize events and keep attendees engaged before, during, and after the event itself. But there are other options, too. Any community platform that enables connection through shared moments will work perfectly fine here.
Members of event-based communities join to participate in workshops, webinars, conferences, or casual meetups. For instance, if you’re an organizer, Meetup has tools for creating local groups and events.
Another tool called Eventbrite offers ticketing and promotion features to streamline event management.
Event-based communities are great for fostering engagement that extends beyond the gathering. Follow-up discussions, shared resources, and ongoing collaboration turn one-time attendees into active community members.
So, if you aim to connect people through meaningful experiences and keep them engaged long-term, an event-based community is a great choice.
10 online community platforms for maximum engagement and growth
So now, let’s dig into the fun part. Here’s a closer look at the top 10 best online community platforms to help you drive user engagement and business growth.
1. GetResponse
GetResponse is a comprehensive marketing platform that can also help you build and nurture your online community.
Beyond its robust email marketing capabilities, our platform offers tools for webinars, marketing automation, e-commerce, and community engagement. Its intuitive interface ensures that users of all skill levels can easily create campaigns, automate workflows, and foster active communities.
A standout feature is its AI-driven website builder, which includes templates specifically designed for online communities. You can create visually appealing and functional websites tailored to your community’s needs with just a few clicks.
The best part about hosting a community on your own website is you maintain complete independence. This ensures full control over your community’s growth and direction. This is better than hosting your community on a third-party platform whose regulations can change at any moment.
In addition, GetResponse offers features like live chat, surveys, and polls to enhance member interaction and engagement. The analytics tools provide insights into member behavior, helping you tailor your strategies to better serve your community.
Key features
- Website builder for online communities: Use pre-designed templates to quickly build a professional online community website. Add sections for events, forums, or resources, and customize the layout to match your brand.
- Marketing automation: Automate workflows to nurture leads and keep your community engaged with minimal manual effort.
- Webinars: Host live or on-demand webinars to interact with your audience, share knowledge, and showcase your offerings.
- Landing pages: Create stunning, responsive landing pages without coding to generate leads and conversions.
- Conversion funnels: Set up end-to-end sales funnels to guide prospects through the customer journey seamlessly.
- E-commerce tools: Integrate with major e-commerce platforms to promote products, track sales, and run targeted campaigns.
Pricing
To access GetResponse’s community-building features, you’ll need to sign up for the creator’s plan. This plan costs $41.06 per month with the early-bird pricing promotion.
Besides building an engaged community, the package lets you monetize your knowledge through online courses and premium newsletters. It also gives you unlimited access to our marketing tools, including website builders, autoresponders, and marketing automation.
2. Mighty Networks
Mighty Networks is a comprehensive platform designed to help community builders create and nurture their own branded online communities. It seamlessly integrates community engagement, online courses, and membership subscriptions.
Mighty Networks offers the tools to create a vibrant, interactive space under your unique brand.
The platform’s user-friendly interface allows for easy customization, helping you tailor the community experience to your specific audience. However, the extensive feature set means the platform has a bit of a learning curve.
Key features
- Community building: Create dedicated spaces for discussions, events, and content sharing to foster engagement among members.
- Online courses: Develop and host courses with multimedia content, quizzes, and community interaction to enhance learning experiences.
- Membership subscriptions: Offer paid memberships with exclusive content and benefits.
- Customization: Personalize your community’s appearance and structure to align with your brand identity.
- Mobile access: Members can engage with your community through branded mobile apps available on iOS and Android.
- Analytics: Access insights into member activity and engagement to inform your community management strategies.
Pricing
The Community plan is priced at $41 per month when billed annually and includes essential community-building features.
The Courses plan, available for $99 per month with annual billing, adds the ability to create and host online courses.
For $179 per month, the Business plan offers advanced customization options and detailed analytics.
The Path-to-Pro plan, at $360 per month (billed annually), provides additional branding opportunities and dedicated support.
Each plan includes a 14-day free trial, allowing you to explore the features before committing. You can take a quiz to determine which plan best fits your needs.
3. Circle
Circle is an all-in-one community platform designed to help creators and brands build engaging online spaces. It brings together discussions, live streams, events, and memberships under your own brand, offering a seamless experience for both administrators and members.
The platform’s intuitive interface allows for easy customization, enabling you to tailor the community experience to your specific audience.
Key features
- Discussions: Create organized spaces for members to engage in conversations, share ideas, and collaborate.
- Live streams and events: Host live sessions and events to interact with your community in real time.
- Memberships: Offer paid memberships with exclusive content and benefits, providing a revenue stream for your community.
- Courses: Develop and host courses with multimedia content, quizzes, and community interaction to enhance learning experiences.
- Customization: Personalize your community’s appearance and structure to align with your brand identity.
- Analytics: Access insights into member activity and engagement to inform your community management strategies.
Pricing
Circle offers several pricing plans to accommodate different needs:
Their basic plan starts at $49 per month, and it includes essential community-building features.
The Professional plan, priced at $99 per month, adds advanced features like courses and live streams.
The Business plan, for $219 per month, offers workflows, custom profile fields, and APIs.
The most advanced Enterprise plan is available at $399 per month and includes custom single sign-on (SSO), priority support, and advanced analytics.
All tiers come with a 14-day free trial. Circle also offers a Premium Member Experience with custom pricing for those seeking their own branded community app.
4. Slack
Slack is a widely used communication platform. It facilitates real-time messaging, file sharing, and collaboration within teams and communities.
Originally designed for workplace communication, Slack has evolved into a versatile tool suitable for various types of online communities. This includes professional networks, interest groups, and customer support forums.
Slack’s intuitive interface and extensive integration capabilities make it popular for fostering engagement and collaboration. Its channel-based structure allows for organized discussions on specific topics, allowing members to participate in conversations relevant to their interests.
The platform supports both public and private channels, providing flexibility in managing community interactions. Additionally, Slack offers direct messaging for one-on-one communication and group chats for smaller discussions.
Key features
- Channel-based communication: Organize discussions into channels based on topics, projects, or teams. This helps members join conversations that interest them.
- Direct messaging: Facilitate private conversations between members for more personalized interactions.
- File sharing: Share documents, images, and other files directly within conversations to streamline collaboration.
- Integrations: Connect with a wide range of third-party apps and services, such as Google Drive, Trello, and Zoom, to enhance productivity and streamline workflows.
- Search functionality: Easily locate past messages, files, and channels with Slack’s powerful search capabilities.
- Notifications: Customize notification settings to stay informed about important conversations without being overwhelmed.
Pricing
The Free plan provides access to the most recent 90 days of message history, up to 10 app integrations, and 1:1 voice and video calls.
The Pro plan, at $7.25 per user per month (billed yearly), includes unlimited message history, unlimited app integrations, and group voice and video calls.
The Business+ plan, priced at $12.50 per user per month when billed yearly, adds advanced features like SAML-based single sign-on (SSO), user provisioning and de-provisioning, and 24/7 support with a four-hour response time.
Finally, it has the Enterprise Grid plan designed for large organizations. This plan offers enterprise-grade security and compliance features, unlimited workspaces, and dedicated support. Pricing is available upon request.
5. Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups are considered one of the best free online community platforms out there. They are a widely used feature within the Facebook platform. This functionality enables users to create communities centered around shared interests, goals, or affiliations.
You can set your Facebook group to be public, closed, or secret, depending on your preference levels of privacy and accessibility. With a vast global user base, they provide a great way to build and engage with communities.
The platform’s integration with Facebook’s ecosystem allows for seamless sharing of content, events, and updates. This encourages active participation among members.
While Facebook Groups are free to use, the platform’s algorithm changes and advertising policies can impact the visibility and reach of group content. This is a recurring issue with all third-party community-building platforms. Consider this as a community manager before you start building your own community on these platforms.
Key features
- Discussion threads: Facilitate organized conversations on various topics.
- Events: Create and manage events within the group to coordinate activities, meetings, or webinars.
- Polls: Collect opinions or make decisions collectively by creating polls for group members.
- File sharing: Upload and share documents, images, and other files directly within the group.
- Announcements: Highlight important posts by marking them as announcements to ensure visibility.
- Moderation tools: Utilize features like post-approval, member screening, and content moderation to maintain a positive group environment.
Pricing
Facebook Groups are free to create and use. But, to enhance group visibility or promote specific content, administrators may choose to invest in Facebook’s advertising services, which are priced based on factors like target audience, ad placement, and campaign duration.
6. Reddit
Reddit is a vast online platform that hosts a multitude of communities, known as subreddits, each dedicated to specific topics or interests. Founded in 2005, it has grown into a hub where users can share content, engage in discussions, and vote on posts and comments.
This voting system determines the visibility of content to promote high-quality contributions. Reddit’s structure allows for both broad and niche communities.
Key features
- Subreddits: Dedicated communities focused on specific topics. This helps users find and engage with content that matches their interests.
- Upvote and downvote system: A voting mechanism that enables users to promote valuable content and demote less relevant posts.
- AMA (Ask me anything): A popular format where individuals, including celebrities and experts, answer questions from the community. The feature promotes direct interactions.
- Moderation tools: Features that allow subreddit moderators to manage content, enforce rules, and maintain community standards.
Pricing Structure
Reddit is free to use. All members can browse, post, and engage with content without any cost. For an enhanced experience, Reddit offers a premium subscription at $5.99 per month, with benefits such as an ad-free interface and access to exclusive communities.
Additionally, Reddit provides advertising options for businesses and individuals looking to promote content or products. Costs vary depending on the campaign’s scope and target audience.
7. Kajabi
Kajabi is an all-in-one platform tailored for entrepreneurs, educators, and creators aiming to build, market, and sell online courses and digital products. Beyond course creation, Kajabi offers robust community-building features, allowing niche experts to create engaged online communities.
Its comprehensive tools make it easy to deliver content, manage memberships, and scale your business. This all-in-one approach makes it a popular choice for those seeking a unified solution.
Key features
- Course creation: Design and deliver your own online course with multimedia content, assessments, and drip schedules to enhance the learning experience.
- Community building: Establish dedicated community spaces where members can interact, share insights, and support each other.
- Website builder: Create fully customizable websites with themes and templates that reflect your brand identity without the need for coding skills.
- Email marketing: Develop and automate email campaigns to nurture leads, engage with your audience, and promote your offerings effectively.
- Sales funnels: Construct marketing pipelines to guide prospects through the customer journey, from awareness to conversion.
- Analytics: Access detailed insights into user behavior, sales performance, and engagement metrics to inform strategic decisions.
Pricing
The Basic plan costs $119 per month, giving users access to three products, three pipelines, unlimited landing pages, and up to 10,000 contacts.
The Growth plan goes for $159 per month when billed annually. It offers 15 products, 15 pipelines, and up to 25,000 contacts, along with advanced automation and the ability to remove Kajabi branding.
The Pro plan costs $ $319 per month. It provides 100 products, 100 pipelines, up to 100,000 contacts, and additional features like a code editor and priority support.
Each plan comes with a 14-day free trial.
8. Bettermode (formerly Tribe)
Bettermode is a customizable community platform designed to help businesses and creators build branded online communities. It offers a range of features that facilitate engagement, content sharing, and interaction among members.
Bettermode’s flexibility allows it to integrate seamlessly into existing websites or function as a standalone community hub. This adaptability makes it suitable for companies aiming to enhance customer engagement, provide support, or promote user-generated content.
Key features
- Customizable design: Tailor the community’s appearance to align with your brand identity and ensure a consistent user experience.
- Activity feed: Keep members informed and engaged with a dynamic feed showcasing the latest posts, comments, and interactions.
- Gamification: Incorporate elements like badges, points, and leaderboards to motivate participation and reward active members.
- Moderation tools: Administrators can use moderation features to manage content, enforce community guidelines, and maintain a positive environment.
- Integrations: Connect with various third-party applications and services to enhance functionality and streamline workflows.
- Analytics: Access insights into member activity and engagement to inform your community management strategies.
Pricing
Bettermode offers a free plan for up to ten members and five spaces.
The Lite plan, priced at $19/month, offers unlimited members and up to ten spaces. It’s ideal for growing communities.
The Pro plan costs $49 per month. It adds advanced features such as increased storage and support for two translation locales.
The Business plan is available for brands, businesses, or emerging enterprises at $99 per month. This plan provides expanded member, storage, space limits, and priority support to ensure a seamless experience.
9. Discord
Discord is a versatile communication platform that has evolved from its gaming roots into a hub for various online communities. It offers voice, video, and text communication channels, making it ideal for building engagement within diverse groups.
Discord is efficient for building a community around gaming, education, hobbies, and professional interests.
Key features
- Servers and channels: Organize your community into servers, each containing multiple channels dedicated to specific topics or activities.
- Voice and video chat: Facilitate real-time communication through high-quality voice and video calls. It supports both one-on-one and group interactions.
- Screen sharing: Share your screen during calls to facilitate collaborative activities like presentations, tutorials, or gaming sessions.
- Bots and iIntegrations: Enhance functionality with bots that can manage tasks, provide information, or entertain members.
- Custom emojis and reactions: Personalize your community with custom emojis and reactions to express unique sentiments and foster a sense of belonging.
- Moderation tools: Use features like role assignments, permission settings, and content filters to maintain a safe and organized community environment.
Pricing
Discord offers a free version with a comprehensive set of features suitable for most users. But you’ll need to pay if you want advanced capabilities.
Discord Nitro Basic is priced at $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. This plan includes perks like custom emojis anywhere, unlimited super reactions, and a Nitro badge on your profile.
Discord Nitro costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. It offers additional benefits such as higher-quality video streaming, increased file upload limits, two server boosts, and more customization options.
10. Vanilla Forums
Vanilla Forums is cloud-based (SaaS) community forum software. It’s a versatile community management platform designed to help businesses and organizations create engaging online communities.
It offers both open-source and cloud-based solutions. That means users can choose between self-hosting or using a managed service.
Vanilla Forums supports a wide range of community needs, from customer support to product feedback and user engagement.
Key features
- Customizable themes: Tailor the appearance of your community to align with your brand identity.
- Gamification: Incorporate elements like badges, points, and leaderboards to motivate participation and reward active members.
- Moderation tools: Allows administrators to manage content and enforce community guidelines.
- Single Sign-On (SSO): Enable seamless user authentication by integrating with existing systems to provide a unified login experience.
- Analytics: Access insights into member activity and engagement to inform your community management strategies.
- Integrations: Connect with various third-party applications and services to enhance functionality and streamline workflows.
Pricing
Vanilla Forums has both a free and paid plan. The paid plan costs around $689/month, according to Finance Online. You’ll need to book a demo and speak to a sales rep for the specific pricing.
How to select the right online community platform for your needs
Choosing the right online community platform doesn’t have to be daunting. Here are key factors to find the perfect fit for your needs:
- Purpose and goals: Define what you want your community to achieve. Are you aiming to foster customer support, create a professional network, share educational content, or drive sales? Clear goals will help you identify the right features and tools.
- Ease of use: A platform should be intuitive for both admins and members. Complicated setups or navigation can deter engagement. Look for platforms with smooth onboarding and a user-friendly interface.
- Customization: If you’re a brand, your community should reflect it. Choose a platform that lets you customize the design, layout, and features. This can be logos, color schemes, and member experiences.
- Engagement features: Live chats, polls, gamification, and direct messaging can keep your members active and interested. These tools encourage meaningful interaction and build stronger connections.
- Moderation and control: A safe and respectful environment is critical. Platforms with tools for managing user permissions, spam filters, and reporting systems help you maintain a positive atmosphere.
- Scalability: Your platform should grow with your community. Make sure it can handle more users, advanced features, and higher activity levels as your needs expand.
- Integration capabilities: Choose a platform that works well with your existing tools, like CRMs, email software, or social media platforms. Seamless integration saves time and boosts efficiency.
- Security and privacy: Protect your members’ data with a platform that offers robust security features, secure communication, and compliance with privacy laws like GDPR in the EU or CCPA in the US.
For a learning community, focus on ease of use and engagement features. Members should be able to access courses, quizzes, and discussion boards with ease. Tools like live sessions and community forums are also important to keep learners motivated and active.
In customer support communities, moderation and control are crucial. You’ll need tools to maintain a safe, respectful space while allowing users to share advice and solve problems together. Integration with your customer support system can also help streamline operations, making it easier to manage resources.
Security and privacy are top priorities for membership communities with exclusive content. Members who pay for premium access expect their data to be protected. It also helps to know that the content they’re paying for isn’t being accessed for free by others. Additionally, engagement features like polls and gamification elements can make the community more interactive and rewarding for members.
In closing
Engagement, growth, and trust are just a few advantages of building and managing an online community. Choosing the right platform plays a crucial role in this journey, as it sets the foundation for how your members connect and share content.
In this article, we explored ten versatile solutions, each offering unique features to support different goals, budgets, and types of communities.
As you decide, think about your objectives, the level of customization you need, and how scalable the platform is for future growth. Experimenting with free trials or starting with basic plans is a great way to ensure the platform aligns with your vision before committing.
Ultimately, the best online community platform makes it easier to create meaningful connections, encourage engagement, and grow your community.