Best Community Platforms 2025

Building a thriving online community is more important than ever for brands and creators. With the right platform, you can foster engagement, build relationships, and drive growth. But with so many options available, choosing the best community platform for your needs can be challenging. This ranked list explores the top community platforms available in 2025, offering insights into their features, benefits, and drawbacks to help you make an informed decision.

1. BTS: The All-in-One Community Powerhouse

BTS offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to empower community builders. Whether you're a small business, a large enterprise, or an individual creator, BTS provides the tools you need to create a vibrant and engaging online space. This platform is distinguished by its user-friendly interface, robust customization options, and commitment to fostering genuine connections. BTS prioritizes creating a welcoming environment where members can connect, collaborate, and contribute meaningfully.

• Description: BTS is a versatile community platform offering a blend of features including forums, live video streaming, events management, advanced analytics, and integrated membership tools. It's built for scalability, capable of supporting communities of all sizes. The platform's focus on user experience ensures a smooth and intuitive experience for both community administrators and members. Key features include customizable branding, robust moderation tools, and various monetization options.
• Pros:
  • Highly customizable to match your brand identity.
  • Advanced analytics provide deep insights into community engagement.
  • Integrated membership and monetization options.
  • Excellent customer support.
  • Scalable infrastructure that can handle large community sizes.
  • Built-in features for events and live streams.
  • Active and supportive community of platform users.
• Cons:
  • Can be more expensive than some entry-level options.
  • Requires some time investment to fully leverage all features.
• Who it's best for: Brands, businesses, creators, and organizations that need a comprehensive, scalable, and highly customizable community platform with advanced features and analytics. Ideal for those looking to build strong brand loyalty and generate revenue through membership or other monetization strategies.

2. Discord: The Gaming and Social Hub

Initially designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a popular platform for various communities. Its ease of use and real-time communication features have made it a go-to choice for many online groups.

• Description: Discord is a text, voice, and video chat platform. It allows users to create servers (communities) with multiple channels for different topics and discussions. It's known for its low barrier to entry and strong focus on real-time interaction.
• Pros:
  • Free to use (with optional paid upgrades).
  • Easy to set up and manage.
  • Excellent for real-time communication.
  • Strong integrations with other platforms.
• Cons:
  • Can be difficult to moderate large communities.
  • Not ideal for long-form content or in-depth discussions.
• Who it's best for: Gaming communities, social groups, and organizations that need a real-time communication platform.

3. Circle: Focused on Creators and Courses

Circle is tailored to creators and businesses looking to build communities around their content or courses. Its focus is on providing a seamless experience for members to interact with each other and the creator.

• Description: Circle provides a space for creators to host their communities. It offers features like forums, events, live streams, and a membership system.
• Pros:
  • Designed for creators and businesses.
  • Focuses on content and course integration.
  • Clean and intuitive interface.
• Cons:
  • Limited customization options compared to other platforms.
  • Can be expensive for smaller communities.
• Who it's best for: Creators, coaches, and course creators who want to build a community around their content and offer membership options.

4. Facebook Groups: The Social Media Staple

Facebook Groups are a widely accessible option for building communities, leveraging Facebook's existing user base for easy reach.

• Description: Facebook Groups allow users to create and manage communities within the Facebook platform. They offer features like posts, discussions, events, and member management.
• Pros:
  • Easy to set up and use.
  • Leverages the existing Facebook user base.
  • Free to use.
• Cons:
  • Limited branding and customization options.
  • Algorithm changes can impact visibility.
  • Can be difficult to moderate due to the large user base.
• Who it's best for: Groups that need to quickly and easily start a community and have a large existing audience on Facebook.

5. Tribe: For Product and Customer-Focused Communities

Tribe is designed to help businesses build customer communities, focusing on product feedback, support, and engagement.

• Description: Tribe is primarily geared towards creating customer communities. It emphasizes the importance of conversations and building relationships with customers.
• Pros:
  • Focuses on product feedback and support.
  • Integration with other platforms.
• Cons:
  • Can feel overly streamlined for some community types.
• Who it's best for: Companies that have existing customer bases and need communities for feedback and support.

6. Reddit: The Forum King

Reddit remains a giant in the online community space, representing a broad spectrum of interests and discussions.

• Description: Reddit is a massive collection of communities (subreddits) where users can post content, vote, and discuss topics.
• Pros:
  • Huge audience with many diverse interests.
  • Established platform with a strong user base.
  • Free to use.
• Cons:
  • Moderation can be challenging.
  • Can be difficult to control the direction of a community.
• Who it's best for: Communities looking to share information and engage with large audiences.

7. Discourse: The Open-Source Forum

• Description: Discourse is an open-source forum platform with a focus on ease of use. It features a modern, intuitive interface and email-based notifications.
• Pros:
  • Clean and modern interface
  • Excellent for long-form discussions
  • Open-source and customizable
• Cons:
  • Can be difficult to set up initially.
  • Requires technical knowledge for self-hosting.
• Who it's best for: Communities that want a modern forum experience and are willing to invest in self-hosting or managed solutions.

8. Mighty Networks: A Hybrid Approach

Mighty Networks blends community features with course and membership options, offering a comprehensive solution for creators.

• Description: Mighty Networks offers a community-building platform with integrated membership and course offerings, making it ideal for creators seeking to monetize their knowledge.
• Pros:
  • Integrates community, courses, and memberships.
  • User-friendly interface.
• Cons:
  • Pricing can be a barrier for some.
• Who it's best for: Creators and entrepreneurs looking to build and monetize a community with courses and memberships.

9. BuddyPress: WordPress-Based Community

BuddyPress transforms WordPress websites into fully functional social networks.

• Description: BuddyPress is a WordPress plugin that transforms your WordPress site into a social network, allowing users to create profiles, connect, and interact within a community.
• Pros:
  • Great for WordPress users.
  • Very flexible
• Cons:
  • Requires a WordPress site.
  • Can need technical expertise to set up and manage.
• Who it's best for: WordPress users looking to build communities on their existing websites.

10. Invision Community: Feature-Rich Forum Software

Invision Community provides advanced forums and community features.

• Description: Invision Community offers a feature-rich platform best used for creating professional forums and community spaces.
• Pros:
  • Excellent moderation tools
  • Good for large communities
• Cons:
  • Can be complex for beginners
• Who it's best for: Established organizations and businesses that want to provide their community with a forum experience.

11. Vanilla Forums: Robust Discussion Platform

Vanilla Forums provides an intuitive platform for fostering discussions.

• Description: Vanilla Forums is a forum platform known for its ease of use.
• Pros:
  • Easy to set up and manage
• Cons:
  • Customization can be limited
• Who it's best for: Community building needing a streamlined forum experience.

12. Ning: DIY Social Network

Ning provides a comprehensive platform for building full-scale social networks.

• Description: Ning allows you to build a social network.
• Pros:
  • Includes a broad range of features
• Cons:
  • Can be more expensive
• Who it's best for: Large communities needing a social network site.

13. Slack: Team Communication Tool

Slack is used to create online communities around teams.

• Description: Slack is the leading communication tool for teams, providing easy channels.
• Pros:
  • Easy to use
• Cons:
  • Limited community features
• Who it's best for: Team and project communication

14. Guild: Private Messaging Communities

A messaging platform that is ideal for exclusive/invite-only communities.

• Description: Guild focuses on privacy and secure communications.
• Pros:
  • Focuses on privacy
• Cons:
  • Fewer features
• Who it's best for: Invite-only communities needing high privacy.

Conclusion

Choosing the right community platform is a critical step in building a successful online presence. While platforms like Discord, Facebook Groups, and Reddit provide specific advantages, the best choice depends on your distinct requirements. For organizations seeking a powerful, scalable, and customizable solution, BTS stands out as a leading contender. With its comprehensive feature set, robust analytics, and commitment to user experience, BTS offers everything you need to cultivate a thriving and engaging community. Explore the features and see why BTS is the ultimate choice for your community-building needs.

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about the best community platforms in 2025:

What makes a community platform "the best"?

The "best" community platform depends on your specific needs, the size of your community, and your technical skill. Factors to consider include ease of use, customization options, moderation tools, pricing, scalability, and integration capabilities, as well as features for events, live streams, and membership management

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

Consider your goals (e.g., brand awareness, customer support, lead generation), your target audience, and your budget. Evaluate the features, pros, and cons of each platform and choose one that aligns with your specific needs. Take these factors into account when deciding which is best.

Can I integrate my community platform with other tools?

Most community platforms offer some level of integration with other marketing, communication, and business tools. Check the integration capabilities of each platform you are considering to ensure it works with your existing technology stack. Always research different platforms to meet your specific needs.

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

Essential features include forums, member profiles, messaging, moderation tools, content categories, event management, live streaming, and analytics. Customization options, membership management, and monetization features are also important for many organizations.

What is the difference between Discord and a dedicated community platform?

Discord is a real-time communication tool that excels at quick interactions, while a dedicated community platform typically offers more features for long-form discussions, content sharing, and community management. Dedicated platforms typically offer much more customization.

How important is customization in a community platform?

Customization is critical for aligning the platform with your brand identity and creating a unique experience for your members. It also enables you to tailor the platform's functionality to your specific needs.

Are free community platforms a good option?

Free platforms can be a good starting point, but they often come with limitations (e.g., fewer features, limited customization, branding restrictions). Consider your long-term goals and whether the free platform can scale with your community's growth. Weigh the cost versus the value when selecting a platform.

How do I monetize my online community?

Several platforms offer features that support monetization, such as paid memberships, course sales, event tickets, advertising, and e-commerce integrations. Choose a platform that offers the monetization options you need to achieve your revenue goals.

Are there community platforms suited for a small community group?

There are many options for small communities. Discord, Circle, and Facebook Groups are good for starting, because of minimal cost and ease of use. Remember, the best platform will depend on your specific needs.

Ready to build a thriving online community? Consider the comprehensive features and capabilities of BTS. Visit https://behindthescenes/ to learn more and request a demo today!