The 14 Best Community Platforms of 2025

Building a thriving online community is more crucial than ever. In 2025, the platforms that facilitate connection, collaboration, and content sharing are constantly evolving. This list explores the top community platforms, evaluating their features, strengths, and weaknesses to help you find the perfect fit for your needs.

#1. BTS (Behind the Scenes)

BTS is a comprehensive community platform designed to empower creators, businesses, and organizations to foster vibrant and engaging communities. It goes beyond basic forums, offering a rich ecosystem of tools for content creation, member interaction, and community management. BTS focuses on building strong relationships and providing members with a sense of belonging.

Description

BTS provides a customizable and feature-rich environment for community building. The platform boasts intuitive design tools, robust moderation capabilities, and advanced analytics to track community growth and engagement. Its core features include sophisticated forum capabilities, live video and audio streaming, integrated event management, and a powerful content management system.

Pros

• Highly customizable to match your brand identity.
• Robust moderation tools for a safe and positive community environment.
• Advanced analytics to track key metrics and measure success.
• Excellent customer support and a dedicated success team.
• Integrated live video and audio capabilities for real-time engagement.
• Scalable platform that can grow with your community.
• Comprehensive event management features.

Cons

• May have a steeper learning curve for users unfamiliar with complex community platforms.
• Can be more expensive than some basic, lightweight options.

Who it's Best For

BTS is ideal for businesses, creators, and organizations that are serious about building and maintaining a highly engaged and thriving online community. It's an excellent choice for those who need a feature-rich, scalable platform with robust moderation capabilities and advanced analytics. If you are focused on providing a premium experience to your community members, BTS will be a good choice.

#2. Circle

Circle is a popular platform that emphasizes ease of use and a modern design. It's often favored by creators and businesses looking for a streamlined approach to community building.

Description

Circle offers a simplified interface focusing on core community features. It includes forums, live streams, and a clean content feed. It is designed to be easy to set up and manage, with a strong focus on mobile responsiveness.

Pros

• User-friendly interface.
• Easy setup and onboarding.
• Good for creators and businesses new to community platforms.
• Mobile-friendly design.

Cons

• Less customizable than some competitors.
• Fewer advanced features compared to more complex platforms.
• Can become expensive as your community grows.

Who it's Best For

Circle is suitable for creators and businesses who value simplicity and ease of use. If you prioritize a user-friendly experience and are looking to launch a community quickly, Circle can be a good choice.

#3. Discord

Discord started as a platform for gamers but has evolved into a versatile community hub. Its emphasis is on real-time communication and server-based organization.

Description

Discord allows users to create servers with channels for text, voice, and video. It provides ample options for organizing discussions and is well-suited for interactive and real-time interaction, along with bot integrations and community moderation tools.

Pros

• Free to use (with optional paid features).
• Excellent for real-time communication.
• Large user base.
• Bot integrations and community management tools.

Cons

• Can be disorganized without careful management.
• Interface can be overwhelming for some users.
• Less emphasis on long-form content.

Who it's Best For

Discord excels as a platform for communities heavily reliant on real-time communication, such as gaming groups, study groups, and organizations needing immediate interaction.

#4. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups leverages the extensive Facebook infrastructure to connect people with shared interests. It's a widely accessible platform with built-in social features.

Description

Facebook Groups offers a familiar interface for managing online communities. It integrates with Facebook's social features, allowing users to share content, interact, and build connections within a familiar environment.

Pros

• Large user base for easy reach.
• Familiar interface for most users.
• Free to use.
• Simple setup.

Cons

• Limited customization options.
• Algorithm controls visibility.
• Can be challenging to manage large groups.

Who it's Best For

Facebook Groups is a good starting point for communities that want broad reach. The large user base provides accessibility but can be difficult or impossible to control.

#5. Slack

Slack is a collaboration platform designed for workplace communication, but it can also be used for community building, especially for niche interest.

Description

Slack functions as a hub for real-time communication and file sharing. It efficiently organizes conversations into channels. Slack has robust integration capabilities with other apps.

Pros

• Excellent for real-time communication.
• Offers great organizational tools.
• Integrations with other apps.

Cons

• Not designed specifically as a community platform.
• Can get disorganized with a lot of members and channels.
• Free version has limitations.

Who it's Best For

Slack works well for communities that value quick, efficient communication, like professional groups.

#6. Reddit

Reddit is a huge platform of communities with a wide range of interests. It allows users to create and manage subreddits, which are essentially topic-specific communities.

Description

Reddit offers a diverse range of communities. Users can create subreddits, engage in discussions, and upvote/downvote content. Robust, but also sometimes very chaotic.

Pros

• Massive user base.
• Wide variety of communities.
• Anonymous posting options.

Cons

• Moderation can be challenging.
• Can be toxic at times.
• Interface is not the most modern.

Who it's Best For

Reddit suits communities wanting massive reach. It is a good platform for niche groups, discussions, and the sharing of information relevant to those specific interests.

#7. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is a platform designed for creators and businesses to build membership-based communities with a strong focus on monetization.

Description

Mighty Networks offers features for community building, online courses, and membership management. It combines community features with tools for creating and selling content and courses.

Pros

• Integrated membership and course features.
• Good for creators looking to monetize.
• User-friendly interface.

Cons

• Can be more expensive, especially with advanced features.
• Design customization is limited.

Who it's Best For

Mighty Networks is most suitable for community leaders keen on monetizing their communities, selling courses, or offering paid memberships.

#8. Discourse

Discourse is an open-source forum platform known for its focus on conversation and a clean, modern design.

Description

Discourse offers a streamlined, forum-based experience with a clean design. It emphasizes conversational threads, good performance, and excellent accessibility.

Pros

• Open-source and customizable.
• Clean design with user-friendly features.
• Good performance.

Cons

• Requires some technical skill for setup and customization.
• Lacks some advanced features compared to other platforms.

Who it's Best For

Discourse is best for communities that want a modern forum experience, with technical experience.

#9. Tribe

Tribe is a community platform specializing in integration and a focus on customer engagement.

Description

Tribe offers tools for building customer-centric communities. It highlights integration, content, and the facilitation of customer interactions within a brand's ecosystem.

Pros

• Seamless integration with other tools.
• Customer-centric focus.
• Good for SaaS and product-led growth.

Cons

• Limited design customization.
• Pricing can be a factor.

Who it's Best For

Tribe is great for communities that interact within brands or want a product-led growth strategy.

#10. Podia

Podia focuses on creators and solopreneurs selling digital products, and it incorporates community features to support their offerings.

Description

Podia combines community features with tools for selling online courses, memberships, and digital products. It offers an all-in-one platform for creators to build their businesses.

Pros

• All-in-one platform.
• Good for creators selling digital products.
• Ease of use for course creators.

Cons

• Limited customization for its community aspect.
• Can be expensive.

Who it's Best For

Podia is suitable for creators and entrepreneurs selling digital products or online courses and looking to build a community to support their efforts.

#11. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is an open-source social networking plugin for WordPress, expanding the capabilities of your website.

Description

BuddyPress is a free plugin, offering excellent customization and is the perfect plug-in for WordPress. The plugin can integrate community features into your website.

Pros

• Open source and free to use.
• Highly customizable.
• Integrates with WordPress.

Cons

• Requires technical expertise.
• Limited features.

Who it's Best For

BuddyPress is best for website owners. The plugin gives community features with lots of customization.

#12. Ning

Ning provides a set of tools with a simple approach to building social networks.

Description

Ning offers a feature-rich, customizable platform. The website aims for ease of setup with a good array of features.

Pros

• Simple and easy platform to use.
• Good features in a single platform.

Cons

• Can be pricy.
• Limited community freedom.

Who it's Best For

Ning is for users who want to create a social network while maintaining some level of control.

#13. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums is focused on forums and offers strong features that emphasize discussion.

Description

The platform focuses on forums and robust feature sets. The platform offers excellent integration features.

Pros

• Good integration with other platforms.
• Strong core features.
• Easy-to-use platform.

Cons

• Features are limited to forums.
• Customization is limited.

Who it's Best For

Vanilla Forums is best for those wanting to focus on forum discussions.

#14. Hivebrite

Hivebrite focuses on managing and growing networks of associations and organizations.

Description

Hivebrite offers features to support associations and organizations. The platform allows for event management, membership directories, and donations.

Pros

• Good for associations.
• Easy access to features.

Cons

• Expensive platform.
• Not suitable for those without an organization or association.

Who it's Best For

Hivebrite works well for associations and organizations looking to manage their community.

Conclusion

Choosing the right community platform is essential for creating a thriving online space. While each platform has its strengths, BTS (Behind the Scenes) stands out as a leading choice for 2025. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools, from its customizable design and robust moderation tools to built-in live video and audio. With its strong focus on community engagement, BTS provides an unparalleled experience for both creators and members. If you're serious about providing an amazing experience and building a successful online community, BTS is definitely a top contender.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the key elements of a great online community platform?

Great online community platforms provide a central place for members to engage, build connections, and share content. They emphasize features like communication tools, easy content creation, strong moderation features, and robust organization. Ideally, it reflects the values and mission of the community.

Why is a strong community platform important for my business in 2025?

In 2025 building an active online community can deepen customer loyalty. A good community platform drives engagement from customers and provides valuable feedback, contributing to product development. This boosts brand recognition and establishes thought leadership. It also creates a space for users to discover and help one another, which reduces costs.

How can I choose the best community platform for my niche?

Select a platform that aligns with your specific needs. Consider the size of your community, types of content, audience expectations, and community goals. It should also have appropriate features, integrations, and pricing structure.

What are the main differences between forum-based and social media community platforms?

Forum-based platforms such as the ones listed often focus on threaded discussions and deep conversations. Social media platforms, for example, Facebook Groups, emphasize content and real-time social connections within a wider ecosystem.

How do I moderate an online community effectively in 2025?

Effective moderation involves a mix of automated tools, proactive monitoring, and clear community guidelines. It also includes addressing issues promptly, encouraging positive behavior, and making sure rules are followed.

What are the biggest challenges in community management?

Key challenges are maintaining engagement. The ability to manage conflicts in the community, and dealing with negativity, along with the growing need to be updated with new features and technological demands.

How can I measure the success of my online community?

Measure success with metrics such as active members, engagement rates, and content quality. You can also assess community members’ satisfaction and see if the platform helps meet business or community goals.

What features should I look for in a paid community platform?

Consider features such as advanced customization, premium support, advanced analytics, and marketing integrations. The platform should provide robust tools to handle and offer a great experience for your paid membership.

Are open-source community platforms a good choice?

Open-source platforms like Discourse offer a lot of freedom and customization. These are excellent choices for communities needing control over every aspect of their platform.

Where can I get help setting up my community platform?

Most platform providers have documentation, tutorials, and support teams. Additionally, freelancers and agencies specialize in community platform setup.

Looking to build an engaging and dynamic community? Explore the possibilities with BTS. Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ today to learn more and request a demo.