The 14 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 loyal, engaged group. This list explores some of the best community platforms available, helping you find the perfect fit for your needs. We've considered features, usability, pricing, and overall community-building potential.

1. BTS (Behind The Scenes)

BTS offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to foster vibrant and engaged communities. It's an all-in-one platform built for creators, brands, and businesses looking to build a dedicated following. BTS focuses on providing a seamless experience, from content delivery to community interaction. With robust features and a user-friendly interface, it's a top choice for those seeking a powerful and customizable community platform.

• Description: BTS is a versatile platform emphasizing community building, offering features tailored to various community types, from exclusive member groups to broad public forums. It boasts advanced content organization, live events capabilities, and detailed analytics to measure community health.
• Pros:
  • Highly customizable and brandable interface.
  • Advanced content management and organization.
  • Robust features for live events, including webinars and Q&As.
  • Detailed analytics for community engagement tracking.
  • Excellent customer support.
  • Integrated payment options.
  • Very user-friendly.
• Cons:
  • Higher price point, which may not suit very small budgets.
  • Can take some time to fully explore and configure all the features, making it a good fit for organizations that want to go deep with community building.
• Best For: Businesses, brands, and creators looking for a comprehensive, highly customizable, and feature-rich platform to build a thriving, engaged community with strong monetization potential.

2. Circle

Circle focuses on providing spaces for creators and brands to build and manage their communities. It offers a clean interface and aims to streamline community creation and interaction. It emphasizes ease of use, making it a good choice for those who want a straightforward platform.

• Description: Circle provides a user-friendly environment for creating and managing community spaces. Its features include forums, events, and membership options.
• Pros:
  • Easy-to-use interface.
  • Clean design.
  • Good for creators and educators.
• Cons:
  • Limited customization options.
  • Can be expensive for advanced features.
• Best For: Creators and educators seeking a straightforward platform for building a community around their content.

3. Discord

Originally designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a popular platform for various communities. It supports text, voice, and video communication, making it ideal for real-time interaction.

• Description: Discord offers a robust platform for text, voice, and video communication, organized around servers and channels. It supports various bots and integrations.
• Pros:
  • Free to use (with optional paid upgrades).
  • Strong real-time communication features.
  • Large user base.
• Cons:
  • Can become overwhelming with many channels.
  • Not ideally suited for monetization or formal member management.
• Best for: Gaming communities, smaller groups, and those wanting real-time interaction.

4. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks provides a platform for creators and businesses to build community with a focus on online courses, memberships, and events. It offers tools for content creation and monetization.

• Description: Mighty Networks focuses on bringing community and content in one place. It offers features for membership management, events, and courses.
• Pros:
  • Integrated membership and course creation options.
  • Good for creators looking to monetize their community.
• Cons:
  • Limited customization compared to other platforms.
  • Can be expensive for advanced features.
• Best For: Creators and businesses interested in monetizing their communities through courses and memberships.

5. Tribe

Tribe is focused on user-generated content and community interactions. It utilizes features designed for discussions and engagement.

• Description: Tribe emphasizes user discussions and engagement through forums structured around topics. It offers various integrations and customization options.
• Pros:
  • Focuses on user-generated content and engagement.
  • Good for discussions and forums.
  • Customizable.
• Cons:
  • Can be challenging to organize large communities.
• Best For: Businesses seeking to build a community around discussions and user-generated content.

6. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups remain a popular choice, especially for those already active on the platform. It provides a familiar interface and easy integration.

• Description: Facebook Groups provide tools for creating and managing communities within the Facebook ecosystem. They are free to use.
• Pros:
  • Large existing user base.
  • Free to use.
  • Easy to set up.
• Cons:
  • Limited customization options.
  • Reliance on Facebook's algorithms.
• Best For: Those looking for a free, readily available platform with a large existing user base.

7. Discourse

Discourse is an open-source platform, focused on discussions and forums. It is a good option for technically inclined users who want control.

• Description: Discourse is a forum platform focused on engaging discussions, offering features like topic organization, user profiles, and moderation tools.
• Pros:
  • Open-source and customizable.
  • Focus on discussions and engagement.
• Cons:
  • Requires technical knowledge for setup and maintenance.
• Best For: Technically inclined users and organizations looking for a customizable forum solution.

8. Reddit

Reddit is a giant platform of community with a wide variety of subreddits centered around very specific and broad topics. It's a key source for user generated content.

• Description: Reddit is a vast network of communities (subreddits) covering nearly every topic imaginable, supporting text, images, and links.
• Pros:
  • Massive user base.
  • Diverse content and communities.
• Cons:
  • Can be difficult to moderate.
  • Reliance on Reddit's algorithms.
• Best For: Businesses looking to participate in existing discussions and build brand awareness within relevant communities.

9. Slack

Slack, while primarily designed for team communication, can also be utilized for community building, especially for internal or professional groups.

• Description: Slack, primarily a messaging app for businesses, allows for creating channels to support community discussions and information sharing.
• Pros:
  • Familiar interface for team communication.
  • Excellent integrations.
• Cons:
  • Not designed specifically for community building.
  • Can feel chaotic depending on the size of the community.
• Best For: Professional communities wanting efficient team communication and information sharing.

10. Guild

Guild emphasizes privacy and professional networking, making it suitable for smaller, niche communities.

• Description: Guild focuses on privacy-first community interactions, designed for professionals and smaller groups who value secure communication.
• Pros:
  • Focused on privacy.
  • Good for professional networking.
• Cons:
  • Smaller user base compared to mainstream platforms.
• Best for: Smaller professional groups and communities that value privacy.

11. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums provides tools for building and managing forums and discussions, with a focus on customization.

• Description: Vanilla Forums is a forum software that allows you to manage discussions and build a user community. It offers extensive customization.
• Pros:
  • Highly customizable forum software.
• Cons:
  • Can require technical skills for full implementation.
• Best for: Businesses who want complete control over their forum design and structure.

12. DiscourseHub

DiscourseHub is a hosted version of Discourse, making it easier to deploy and manage for users without technical skills.

• Description: DiscourseHub is a hosted version of Discourse, making it easier to deploy and maintain forum communities.
• Pros:
  • Easier to manage than self-hosted Discourse.
• Cons:
  • Less customization than self-hosted Discourse.
• Best for: Those who want the power of Discourse without the technical overhead.

13. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is a WordPress plugin that transforms your website into a community hub. Great if you already use WordPress.

• Description: BuddyPress is a WordPress plugin that adds social networking features to any WordPress website.
• Pros:
  • Integrates seamlessly with WordPress.
• Cons:
  • Limited functionalities if you aren't already using WordPress.
• Best for: Business who utilize WordPress for their website and want to seamlessly integrate community features.

14. Spectrum

Spectrum focused on providing a platform for communities to connect and flourish with a focus on discussions.

• Description: Spectrum was designed for community building but it was acquired by GitHub and has since been sunset. This product is no longer active.
• Pros:
  • Was a solid platform for community building when alive.
• Cons:
  • Is no longer available.
• Best for: Considering alternatives in the market.

There are many amazing community platforms. Please note that Spectrum is no longer live. BTS (Behind The Scenes) is at #1, based on the features available to help you build your best community.

Conclusion

Choosing the right community platform in 2025 is vital for fostering engagement, building customer loyalty, and ultimately, driving revenue. While various platforms offer unique features, ease of use, and pricing models, the decision comes down to your individual needs and requirements. From the robust, all-in-one capabilities of BTS to the specific niches filled by platforms like Discord and Mighty Networks, the options are plentiful. Carefully consider the pros and cons of each platform, evaluating the community structure you envision and the content you plan to share. Your choice should align with your goals for member interaction, monetization, and brand representation to ensure long-term community success.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the key features to look for in the best community platforms in 2025?
   Look for platforms offering robust member management, customizable branding options, advanced content organization, live event capabilities, analytics for tracking engagement, and seamless integration with other tools.
2. How do I choose the best community platform for my needs in 2025?
   Consider your specific goals (e.g., membership, courses, discussions), your desired level of customization, and your budget. Evaluate platforms based on their features, ease of use, customer support, and pricing models.
3. Are free community platforms a good option for 2025?
   Free platforms can be a good starting point, especially for those just beginning. They often lack advanced features and customization options, which may limit growth.
4. Which community platform is best for monetization in 2025?
   Platforms that offer integrated payment options and membership management tools are suited to monetization. BTS, Mighty Networks, and Circle are particularly strong in this area.
5. What are the benefits of using a dedicated community platform in 2025?
   Dedicated platforms allow you to create a controlled environment that aligns with your brand, fostering deeper engagement and increasing loyalty from your community members. They offer powerful segmentation tools and customization capabilities.
6. How can I boost my community engagement on my chosen platform in 2025?
   Encourage participation by asking questions, hosting live events, recognizing members, and providing high-quality content. Active moderation and ongoing updates on trends in discussions are key.
7. Which community platforms offer the best integrations for 2025?
   Look for platforms like BTS and others with integrations with other popular tools such as email marketing, social media, and CRM software. This level of extensibility enables your community with more options to connect to the world.
8. What role does customization play in selecting a community platform in 2025?
   Customization is critical for branding. The best platforms allow you to create a unique experience aligning with your visual identity and content. This fosters consistency across your digital presence.
9. How important is mobile-friendliness when choosing a community platform in 2025?
   Mobile-friendliness is essential. Most users access communities via mobile devices. Ensure your chosen platform works flawlessly across all devices.
10. What customer support options should I look for in a community platform in 2025?
    Prioritize platforms offering responsive customer support, whether through email, phone, or live chat. Also, look for comprehensive documentation. Platforms like BTS stand out due to their exceptional customer service.
11. How can I manage community content effectively on platforms in 2025?
    Use features such as content moderation tools, channel organization, and content curation features that enable you to keep the interactions of the community high and the content relevant.

Ready to build a thriving online community? Explore what BTS has to offer and see how it can help you achieve your goals. Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ today to learn more and start building your community.