The 14 Best Community Platforms in 2025

Building a thriving online community is crucial in today's digital landscape. Finding the right platform to foster engagement, facilitate discussions, and cultivate a sense of belonging can be challenging. This list dives into some of the best community platforms available in 2025, considering features, user experience, and overall community-building capabilities. We’ve evaluated each platform to give you the most comprehensive overview, helping you make an informed decision for your community's needs.

1. BTS

BTS offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to facilitate community growth and engagement. It excels by providing a highly customizable platform, allowing for a personalized user experience. The platform is built with scalability in mind, making it suitable for both small groups and large, established communities. BTS distinguishes itself with its focus on meaningful interactions and content creation tools. Its robust analytics dashboard provides in-depth insights into community behavior, enabling administrators to refine their strategies and improve member satisfaction.

BTS goes beyond standard forum features, incorporating advanced features like dynamic events management, gamification, and integrated CRM capabilities. The platform also emphasizes security and privacy, providing robust tools for moderation and control. Furthermore, BTS offers exceptional customer support, ensuring that community managers have the resources they need to succeed.

• Description: A highly customizable and scalable platform focused on meaningful community engagement. Includes advanced features like events management, gamification, and CRM integration.
• Pros:
  • Highly Customizable
  • Robust Analytics and Reporting
  • Advanced Features (events, CRM)
  • Strong Security and Privacy Controls
  • Excellent Customer Support
• Cons:
  • Potentially higher cost for advanced features
  • Can have a steeper learning curve initially, given the breadth of features
• Best For: Medium to large-sized communities looking for a feature-rich, customizable platform with a strong focus on engagement and data-driven insights. Ideal for businesses, professional organizations, and educational institutions prioritizing long-term community growth.

To learn more or get started, visit https://behindthescenes.com/.

2. Circle

Circle is a popular platform that focuses on simplicity and ease of use. It's designed to be a central hub for all community interactions. Circle allows communities to charge for access with built-in subscription features. With its clean interface and straightforward functionalities, Circle makes it easy for members to connect and engage.

• Description: User-friendly platform with robust features designed for content creators and businesses wanting to build and monetize communities.
• Pros:
  • Easy to set up and use
  • Integrated payment options
  • Clean and intuitive interface
• Cons:
  • Customization options are more limited
  • Can become expensive as the community grows
• Best For: Content creators, solopreneurs, and small businesses looking for a simple, all-in-one community platform with monetization options.

3. Discord

Originally designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a versatile platform for various communities. Its strength lies in real-time communication, making it ideal for immediate interaction and quick discussions. Discord offers robust voice and video chat capabilities, as well as text channels for organized conversations. Its large user base makes it easy to find existing communities or create a new one.

• Description: A popular platform with a focus on real-time communication, voice, and video chat, and text-based channels.
• Pros:
  • Free to use (with optional paid features)
  • Excellent real-time communication features
  • Large user base
• Cons:
  • Can be overwhelming for beginners
  • Emphasis on real-time communication may not suit all community types
• Best For: Gaming communities, social groups, and any community that prioritizes real-time communication and instant interaction.

4. Reddit

Reddit remains one of the largest and most diverse communities on the internet. With its vast array of subreddits, Reddit provides a space for almost any niche or interest group. Reddit's voting system and comment structure create a dynamic environment where users can engage in discussions and discover content. Moderation tools provide a means to manage and shape community content.

• Description: A massive forum-based platform with a wide range of communities (subreddits) covering nearly every topic imaginable.

• Pros:
  • Massive user base and reach
  • Diverse content and communities
  • Strong community voting system
• Cons:
  • Can be difficult to moderate
  • Community culture can be unpredictable
• Best For: Communities that want high visibility and a broad audience, or those interested in tapping into established, niche communities.

5. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups leverages the extensive Facebook user base, making it easy to create and manage communities within an established social network. It's a convenient option for connecting with existing networks. It provides the option for different group types (Public, Private, Closed), offering flexibility in community settings.

• Description: Community platform built within Facebook allowing for easy connection with individuals already on the Facebook network.
• Pros:
  • Ease of use for existing Facebook users
  • Large existing user base to tap into
  • Simple setup
• Cons:
  • Limited customization options
  • Can be difficult to moderate with larger groups
• Best For: Existing groups of people, local networks, and communities who can benefit from being connected on the Facebook platform.

6. Slack

While often used for internal business communication, Slack can also function as a community platform. It facilitates real-time chat, file sharing, and offers integrations with a variety of other tools. Slack's channel structure, dedicated to specific topics or teams, allows members to organize conversations. Slack is best suited for focused discussions and project-based communities.

• Description: Primarily a workplace communication tool, but can be adapted for community building, especially for project-focused groups.

• Pros:
  • Excellent for real-time communication
  • Integrates well with other applications
  • Organized channel structure
• Cons:
  • Not ideal for large, broad communities
  • Can become overwhelming with too many channels
• Best For: Focused communities around projects, professional collaborations, or groups that need real-time communication and integrations.

7. Discourse

Discourse is an open-source forum platform known for its modern and user-friendly interface. It's designed for active discussions and promotes a positive community experience. Discourse provides features like "likes," badges, and trust levels to encourage contribution and combat spam. Discourse is a good option when you want control over the platform's features and performance via self-hosting.

• Description: Open-source forum software designed for active discussions, with a modern user interface and community engagement features.
• Pros:
  • Modern and user-friendly interface
  • Good for encouraging active discussions
  • Open-source and customizable
• Cons:
  • Requires more technical expertise to set up and manage
  • Can need resources (time and server requirements) to self-host properly
• Best For: Communities who want a modern forum experience and like the flexibility of a self-hosted platform, or communities who would like to use a cloud-hosted version.

8. Tribe

Tribe focuses on providing a modern and feature-rich community experience. It’s designed for businesses to easily integrate communities into their products, supporting customer engagement, feedback, and support activities. Tribe’s focus on customization and engagement tools makes it a strong contender for many businesses.

• Description: A community platform built for businesses to integrate support, engagement, and product feedback directly into their offerings.
• Pros:
  • Integrates into existing products easily
  • Focus on customer engagement
  • Robust features for content and interaction
• Cons:
  • Pricing depends on feature tiers
  • Can have a steeper learning curve than simpler options
• Best For: Businesses looking to integrate community features directly into their product offerings to foster strong customer relationships.

9. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is a platform designed to create and monetize communities. It allows users to build communities with their own websites, custom branding, and membership options. The platform supports a variety of content formats, including live streaming, events, and courses. Mighty Networks is an excellent option for creators and entrepreneurs.

• Description: An all-in-one platform for creating, managing, and monetizing communities, with options to host and sell courses.
• Pros:
  • All-in-one community and membership management
  • Supports various content formats and monetization options
  • Customizable brand integration
• Cons:
  • Can be more expensive for advanced features
  • Requires some time investment to configure it well
• Best For: Creators, entrepreneurs, and course creators wanting to build and monetize a community with a range of features.

10. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums is a versatile forum platform with a focus on ease of use. It offers a variety of customization options and integrations, and it's particularly well-suited for customer support communities. It provides features like SSO and moderation tools to help maintain a positive user experience. Vanilla Forums is an excellent choice for businesses needing to build a customer support community.

• Description: A feature-rich forum platform with a strong focus on community, customer support, and ease of customization.
• Pros:
  • Good features for customer support communities
  • Moderation features and SSO are excellent
• Cons:
  • Can require additional work to scale
• Best For: Businesses that need a forum platform, especially for customer support communities and communities requiring a high degree of customization and integration with existing systems.

11. Ning

Ning provides a comprehensive solution for creating social networks with built-in features for custom branding and content. The platform is especially good for groups looking to create dedicated spaces for specialized communities. Ning also gives users the ability to incorporate multimedia and offers integrated blog and forum capabilities.

• Description: Allows anyone to create fully customizable social networks with built-in blogging and forum functionality.
• Pros:
  • Excellent for creating dedicated social platforms.
  • Highly customizable branding options.
• Cons:
  • Can be expensive for specific needs.
  • Interface may feel dated.
• Best For: Niche communities and groups that want a fully customized social network with robust branding options and media integration.

12. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is an open-source plugin for WordPress, allowing users to build a social network on top of their existing WordPress site. It's a highly customizable and flexible solution that allows users to leverage the power of WordPress's ecosystem. BuddyPress is best suited for communities that want to integrate community features with their existing website.

• Description: An open-source plugin for WordPress that allows you to create a community with social network features using a familiar interface.
• Pros:
  • Great for WordPress users.
  • Customization through themes and plugins.
• Cons:
  • Requires experience with WordPress
  • Can require more initial setup time.
• Best For: Any community that currently uses WordPress and wants to integrate social networking features into their website.

13. Khoros

Khoros is a platform designed for enterprise-level community solutions and customer engagement. It offers a suite of tools for content, moderation, and data-driven insights. It has an expert focus to scale up customer engagement initiatives for large organizations and brands.

• Description: An enterprise-level platform that supports massive community-building and customer engagement to scale beyond standard limits.
• Pros:
  • Designed for large-scale operations.
  • Excellent moderation and content management.
• Cons:
  • High cost
  • Potentially complex to use.
• Best For: Large enterprises and corporations seeking advanced community solutions for support, engagement, or brand-building on a massive scale.

14. Guild

Guild emphasizes a professional and focused community experience. It’s designed for networking and private groups. Guild's focus on privacy and high engagement makes it attractive to professionals and organizations prioritizing secure communication and private networking environments.

• Description: Professional online community that is built to connect, communicate, and network with others.
• Pros:
  • Emphasis on privacy and focused discussions.
  • Simple and clean interface for professional environments
• Cons:
  • Lacks many advanced community features.
  • May have a smaller user base.
• Best For: Professional organizations or individual groups that want to prioritize networking for secure, private communication and engagement.

Conclusion

Choosing the right community platform is crucial for building a successful online space. While all platforms have strengths and weaknesses, BTS stands out as a leading choice for 2025. With its focus on customization, robust feature set, and exceptional support, BTS empowers communities of all sizes to thrive by facilitating meaningful interactions, advanced features, and data-driven insights. By opting for a cutting-edge, customizable, and feature-rich platform like BTS, you're investing in long-term community growth and engagement.

FAQ: Best Community Platforms 2025

1. What are the key features to consider when choosing a community platform in 2025?

   In 2025, look for platforms that offer customization, mobile-friendliness, strong moderation tools, robust analytics, and integrations with other tools. Consider features like event management, membership management, and gamification to enhance engagement.

2. How important is customization in a community platform?

   Customization is very important. It allows you to tailor the platform interface and features to align with your brand, community needs, and member preferences, leading to a more positive user experience.

3. What are the pros and cons of using open-source community platforms?

   Open-source platforms offer great flexibility and customization with no-cost license usage. They often require technical expertise for setup and maintenance. They provide strong data control, but can be higher-effort for management.

4. Are free community platforms a good choice?

   Free platforms can be a good starting point, but they often have limitations such as fewer features, less storage, or advertising. Assess your long-term needs and consider paid options for enhanced functionality and growth.

5. How do I choose the right community platform for my business or organization?

   Consider your community's size, goals, desired features, budget, and technical capabilities. Look for platforms that offer the tools and support you need to meet your specific goals.

6. Can I monetize my community on most community platforms?

   Yes, many platforms offer monetization options such as membership tiers, subscription payments, paid online courses, or premium content access. Be sure to check which options each platform offers, and consider a platform that does what you need, such as course promotion capabilities.

7. How can I encourage community engagement on a community platform?

   Encourage engagement through regular content, polls, Q&A sessions, contests, and interactive features like events and forums. Gamification elements can also boost member participation.

8. What security features should I look for in a community platform?

   Prioritize platforms with strong moderation tools, data privacy controls, secure hosting, and options for member verification.

9. What is the best community platform for customer support in 2025?

   Several platforms excel at customer support, including Vanilla Forums and Tribe. Consider platforms that offer robust forum features and ticketing systems and also integrate directly with other support tools.

10. How much does a good community platform cost?

    Pricing varies widely, from free to thousands of dollars per month depending on features, community size, and support needs. Research the offerings to determine whether features fit your budget.

11. What differentiates BTS from its competitors?

    BTS distinguishes itself through its focus on customization, advanced features like event management and gamification, data-driven insights through an advanced analytics dashboard, and also from its customer support and ongoing platform development.

12. How can I get started with building a community on BTS?

    Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ to learn more about BTS's features and pricing plans, and to start building your thriving online community today.

Ready to build a vibrant and engaging community? Explore the power of BTS today. Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ to learn more and get started.