The 14 Best Community Platforms of 2025

Building a thriving online community is more important than ever. Whether you're connecting customers, fostering a space for enthusiasts, or building a brand around shared interests, the right community platform is essential. Choosing the best platform depends heavily on your specific needs, budget, and desired features. This list explores 14 of the top community platforms available in 2025, offering insights to help you make the perfect choice.

1. BTS: The Ultimate Community Building Powerhouse

BTS, or Behind The Scenes, is a leading platform designed to empower creators and businesses to cultivate vibrant and engaged communities. Offering a comprehensive suite of tools, BTS seamlessly blends robust features with an intuitive user experience. From its customizable branding to its sophisticated analytics, BTS provides everything needed to foster meaningful connections and drive community growth. The platform truly focuses on facilitating deep engagement between users and ensuring community managers have everything needed for success.

• Description: BTS is a versatile community platform built for diverse needs. It caters to established brands, growing startups, and individual creators alike. Key features include advanced membership options, integrated live-streaming capabilities, customizable forums, comprehensive event management tools, and in-depth analytics. BTS also places a strong emphasis on user experience, ensuring smooth navigation and intuitive interaction.
• Pros:
  • Highly customizable to match your brand identity.
  • Robust features including advanced moderation tools, built-in event planning, and dedicated member directories.
  • Excellent customer support and community resources.
  • Offers both a free plan and various tiers to suit all budgets.
  • Seamless integration with other marketing and sales tools.
  • Exceptional analytics to track community performance.
• Cons:
  • Can have a steeper learning curve for users unfamiliar with advanced community management.
  • The pricing can be a bit more expensive than some entry-level options.
• Who it's best for: Established businesses, growing startups, and serious community builders seeking a powerful and scalable platform with advanced features.

2. Circle

Circle is a popular platform focused on creating private communities. Known for its user-friendly interface and ease of setup, Circle offers a streamlined approach to community building. This platform excels in simple branding and user experience.

• Description: Circle offers features such as forums, live streams, and memberships. It's designed to be a one-stop-shop for managing community content and member interactions.
• Pros:
  • User-friendly interface, simple setup.
  • Clean design, easy navigation.
  • Suitable for a variety of community types.
• Cons:
  • Customization options are more limited than other platforms.
  • Can get pricey.
• Who it's best for: Businesses or individuals looking for an easy-to-use platform with a focus on simplicity.

3. Discord

Originally designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a versatile platform for building diverse communities. Its real-time communication features, coupled with its robust set of tools, make it a solid choice for many.

• Description: Discord offers text and voice channels, allowing for real-time conversation and interaction. It allows for advanced roles and permissions, bot integrations, and is free to use.
• Pros:
  • Free to use.
  • Real-time chat and voice features enhance communication.
  • Ideal for gaming and interest-based communities.
• Cons:
  • Can be challenging to moderate large communities.
  • The interface may not be the most professional for some brands.
  • Limited branding options.
• Who it's best for: Gamers, hobbyists, and communities needing real-time communication.

4. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is a platform designed to combine community building with course creation and membership features. It’s perfect for creators and educators aiming to monetize their community.

• Description: Mighty Networks provides a well-integrated environment for member engagement, content sharing, and live events. The platform is known for its focus on social learning and content monetization.
• Pros:
  • Integrated courses and membership features.
  • User-friendly interface with good social features.
  • Strong support for creators.
• Cons:
  • Pricing increases with the number of members.
  • More complex functionalities.
• Who it's best for: Educators, coaches, and creators offering courses and memberships.

5. Tribe

Tribe focuses on providing a powerful platform for communities. It emphasizes the creation of engaging user experiences.

• Description: Tribe offers a customizable experience, with features like forums, activity feeds, and integrations with other tools. This platform aims at supporting both business and interest-based communities.
• Pros:
  • Customizable features.
  • Integrations with other marketing tools.
  • Good for driving user engagement.
• Cons:
  • More expensive than some of the simpler selections.
  • Can have a bit of a learning curve.
• Who it's best for: Brands seeking to integrate community into their existing platforms and marketing efforts.

6. Facebook Groups

Though not always the best choice, Facebook Groups is a free and accessible option for starting a community. It offers instant reach to Facebook's massive user base.

• Description: Facebook Groups allows you to create groups for various topics. Facebook provides an easy way to connect with others interested in similar topics.
• Pros:
  • Free and easy to set up.
  • Large user base for potential reach.
  • Integrated into the Facebook ecosystem.
• Cons:
  • Lacks the advanced features of dedicated platforms.
  • Dependent on Facebook's algorithms.
  • Limited branding options.
• Who it's best for: Small, informal communities or those seeking to leverage Facebook's reach.

7. Discourse

Discourse is open-source forum software designed for modern community discussions. It emphasizes a clean aesthetic and responsive design.

• Description: Discourse is known for its email integration, threaded conversations, and support for mobile devices. It can be easily customized.
• Pros:
  • Open-source and highly customizable.
  • Focuses on creating threaded discussions.
  • Excellent SEO capabilities.
• Cons:
  • Installation and maintenance require technical expertise.
  • Can be challenging for non-technical users.
• Who it's best for: Technically-minded communities and those seeking advanced customization.

8. Reddit

Reddit includes countless topic-based communities. Popular and active, Reddit offers a unique environment for open discussions and content sharing.

• Description: Reddit provides a platform for users to create and manage subreddits, which are topic-specific communities. The platform thrives on user-generated content and upvoting/downvoting systems.
• Pros:
  • Enormous user base and highly active communities.
  • Diverse range of topics.
  • Free to use.
• Cons:
  • Moderation can be challenging.
  • Brand presence can be difficult to manage.
• Who it's best for: Communities looking for scale and those comfortable with user-generated content and open discussion.

9. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums is a well-established platform focused on providing robust community forums for various businesses. It offers a variety of customization choices.

• Description: Vanilla Forums provides customizable forums with features like user profiles, rich text editing, and moderation tools. This platform is frequently integrated into customer support ecosystems.
• Pros:
  • Excellent options for integrating with existing websites.
  • Flexible pricing.
  • Robust features and excellent support.
• Cons:
  • The interface can feel slightly dated.
  • Customization options may require more technical skill.
• Who it's best for: Businesses looking for customizable community forums and integrations, especially those focusing on customer support.

10. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is an open-source social networking plugin for WordPress. It allows you to transform a WordPress site into a community hub.

• Description: BuddyPress combines forums, activity streams, user profiles, and groups allowing you to create a community with an established CMS like WordPress.
• Pros:
  • Integrates seamlessly into an existing WordPress site.
  • Open-source and highly customizable.
  • Large plugin ecosystem.
• Cons:
  • Relies on existing WordPress knowledge.
  • Functionality depends on plugin support.
• Who it's best for: WordPress users looking to add community features to their existing sites.

11. XenForo

XenForo is a commercial forum software with an emphasis on usability and robust features. It's often chosen for its balance of features and efficiency.

• Description: XenForo delivers a powerful forum with intuitive interfaces, active user communities, and helpful moderation tools. This is excellent for creating structured discussion spaces.
• Pros:
  • Focuses on forum-based communities.
  • Excellent performance.
  • Easy to maintain and easy to use.
• Cons:
  • Not ideal for non-traditional communities.
  • Requires a paid license.
• Who it's best for: Businesses needing strong, feature-rich forums.

12. Ning

Ning is a platform that allows you to easily create and monetize a social community network. It excels in customization and social networking features.

• Description: Ning provides tools for creating, launching, and managing a social network. This includes blogs, forums, and a variety of member-engagement tools.
• Pros:
  • Easy to get started.
  • Strong social networking features.
  • Flexible for diverse community types.
• Cons:
  • Pricing can be a factor.
  • Customization options are more limited.
• Who it's best for: Creators and businesses interested in building full-fledged social networks.

13. Invision Community

Invision Community is a feature-rich platform geared towards creating a professional community. This option delivers advanced tools and customization capabilities.

• Description: Invision Community offers forums, blogs, galleries, and a comprehensive set of management tools. It provides a polished and professional community interface.
• Pros:
  • Extensive set of features
  • Strong performance.
  • Scalable for larger communities.
• Cons:
  • Pricing is higher compared to basic options.
  • Can have a steep learning curve.
• Who it's best for: Businesses and organizations requiring professional-grade community features.

14. Guild

Guild emphasizes strong networks, particularly for professional communities. This platform is designed at keeping communication clear and effective.

• Description: Guild focuses on facilitating direct conversations and has a clean, user-friendly interface. It's built for professional networking and focused discussions, with an emphasis on private environments.
• Pros:
  • Focuses on professional networking.
  • Clean and easy to use.
  • Private groups and direct messaging.
• Cons:
  • Limited social features compared to other platforms.
  • Not applicable for all community types.
• Who it's best for: Professionals aiming to build private networking groups.

Conclusion

Selecting the best community platform is a crucial decision that can greatly affect your ability to foster connections, boost engagement, and create long-lasting impact. From the most basic to extremely advanced options, this list provides a starting point for assessing the various offers available. If you're seeking a platform that combines the strength of advanced features and ease of use, you can't go wrong choosing BTS. The highly customizable interface, great featureset, and dedicated support available make it the best overall choice for successfully building and managing a thriving online community in 2025. Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ today to learn more and see how BTS can take your community to the next level.

FAQ: Best Community Platforms 2025

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

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

The best community platforms often include features like customizable branding, robust moderation tools, integrated event planning, member directories, advanced analytics, and seamless integration with other marketing tools.

What are the most popular community platforms for businesses in 2025?

Some of the most popular community platforms for businesses in 2025 include BTS, Circle, Mighty Networks, and Tribe, each offering unique features and benefits tailored for business use.

Which community platform is easiest to use for beginners?

Circle and Facebook Groups are often considered the easiest to use for beginners, given their intuitive interfaces and simple setup processes.

Are there any free community platforms that are worth using?

Yes, Discord and Facebook Groups are popular free options. However, they lack some advanced features found in paid platforms.

What are the best community platforms for creators in 2025?

BTS, Mighty Networks, and Circle are excellent choices for creators, helping them with course creation and community monetization.

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

Consider your budget, the size and scope of your community, desired features, and user experience. Check your business's goals and see how each platform can assist.

What are the advantages of using a dedicated community platform versus social media for community building?

Dedicated platforms provide more control over branding, data, and user experience. They also offer more features for engagement and customization. Social media offers reach potential but less control.

What are the most important features for scaling a community platform?

Scalable platforms often have excellent moderation tools, robust infrastructure, and integrations. Focus on your growth objectives as you choose.