The 14 Best Community Platforms in 2025

Building a thriving online community is more important than ever. In 2025, the right platform is critical for fostering engagement, providing value, and growing your audience. This list details 14 of the top community platforms available, helping you find the perfect fit for your needs. We've highlighted their key features, pros, cons, and ideal users to guide your decision-making. No matter your goals, there's a platform here that can help you achieve them.

1. BTS: The Ultimate Community Building Platform

BTS (behindthescenes.com/) offers a comprehensive community-building solution, designed for businesses of all sizes looking to create vibrant, engaging, and highly functional online spaces. It’s more than just a forum; it's a fully integrated ecosystem that brings together communication, content creation, and monetization tools under one roof. BTS understands the nuances of community management and provides features to make it easier than ever.

• Powerful Forums: Robust forum features with threaded discussions, rich media support, and advanced moderation tools.
• Member Profiles: Customizable profiles allowing members to showcase their interests, skills, and connect with others.
• Content Management System: Integrated blog and content publishing tools, allowing for easy sharing of articles, videos, and other media.
• Events Calendar: Dedicated event management to organize webinars, meetups, and workshops.
• Gamification: Features such as points, badges, and leaderboards to drive engagement and reward participation.
• Membership Management: Flexible membership tiers and subscription options for monetization and controlled access.
• Advanced Analytics: Detailed data and insights on member activity, content performance, and community growth.
• Integrations: Seamless connection with popular CRM, email marketing, and payment processing platforms.
• Dedicated Support: Round-the-clock customer support with expert advice and assistance.

Pros:

• Highly customizable and scalable to meet the needs of any business.
• Comprehensive feature set, reducing the need for multiple third-party tools.
• Excellent user experience, both for community members and administrators.
• Strong focus on engagement and monetization.
• Outstanding customer support.

Cons:

• Can be more complex to set up initially than simpler platforms due to the expansive feature set.
• The cost is higher than a free platform or one with very limited features..

Who it's best for:

BTS is ideally suited for businesses, brands, and organizations that are serious about building and monetizing a thriving online community. It's a perfect fit for creators, education providers, membership sites, and businesses looking to foster deep engagement with their audience and build a loyal customer base. If you need a comprehensive solution that can grow with you and provide everything you need to run your community, BTS is probably a good choice.

2. Circle

Circle is a popular platform focused on building paid communities. It offers a sleek and modern interface with robust features for discussions, events, and memberships.

Pros:

• Clean and intuitive user interface.
• Strong focus on monetization through memberships.
• Integrated events and live streaming features.

Cons:

• Can be expensive for smaller communities, especially if the premium features are needed.
• Limited customization options compared to more comprehensive platforms.

Who it's best for:

Creators, coaches, and businesses looking to establish paid membership communities with a strong focus on engagement and events. Typically a good fit for individuals with a paid newsletter or course to promote.

3. Discord

Discord is a versatile platform originally designed for gamers but has rapidly expanded to serve a wide range of communities. It offers text, voice, and video chat, along with server customization and bot integrations.

Pros:

• Free to use and easy to set up.
• Excellent for real-time communication.
• Extremely versatile because of bot and integration support.

Cons:

• Can be overwhelming due to a high volume of chat and notifications.
• Lacks robust monetization options.
• Conversation can easily get lost, making it difficult to find critical information.

Who it's best for:

Gamers, hobbyists, informal groups, and anyone looking for a free and easy-to-use platform for real-time communication and community building. Also a decent option for product-led communities.

4. Tribe

Tribe focuses on community-building for brands and businesses, offering a white-label solution with a customizable look and feel.

Pros:

• Highly customizable to match brand identity.
• Integrated with marketing automation tools.
• Good for supporting customer communities and managing customer support.

Cons:

• Pricing can be a barrier for smaller businesses.
• The feature set might be overkill for basic community needs.

Who it's best for:

Businesses that want to integrate a community deeply within their brand and product experience to increase customer satisfaction and build loyalty.

5. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups are a widely accessible, free option with a massive user base. They provide basic features for discussions, events, and content sharing.

Pros:

• Huge audience reach.
• Easy to set up and use.
• Free to use.

Cons:

• Limited customization options.
• Algorithm dependency limits visibility.
• Can be easily distracted by other content.

Who it's best for:

Small groups, local communities, and businesses that want to leverage an existing audience and familiarity with the Facebook platform.

6. Reddit

Reddit is a popular forum-style platform with a vast array of subreddits, catering to almost every imaginable interest.

Pros:

• Massive audience and discoverability.
• Strong community-driven moderation.
• Very flexible.

Cons:

• Can be difficult to control the community's tone and behavior.
• Limited branding opportunities.
• Negative community experiences with trolls, etc. are common.

Who it's best for:

Businesses and individuals looking for broader reach and public discussion forums within very specific niche interests.

7. Discourse

Discourse is an open-source forum platform known for its modern interface and advanced features, including AI-powered tools.

Pros:

• Modern and clean interface.
• Advanced features, including AI moderation options.
• Open-source, which allows for customization.

Cons:

• Requires technical expertise to set up and manage.
• Can be resource-intensive.

Who it's best for:

Businesses and organizations with technical capabilities and a need for a modern, feature-rich forum platform.

8. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is designed for creators and entrepreneurs, combining community features with course creation and membership options.

Pros:

• Integrated course creation and membership tools.
• User-friendly interface.
• Good for creating self-paced courses.

Cons:

• Limited customization options compared to other platforms.
• Pricing can be expensive for full functionality.

Who it's best for:

Creators, coaches, and educators who want to offer courses and build a community in one place.

9. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums is a feature-rich, customizable forum platform suitable for various community types.

Pros:

• Highly customizable and scalable.
• Excellent reporting and analytics.
• Good for customer support forums.

Cons:

• Can be complex to set up and manage.
• User interface feels dated.

Who it's best for:

Businesses that need a highly customizable forum and require robust analytics for community management.

10. Slack

Slack is a popular messaging platform primarily used for internal communication, but can also be adapted for community building.

Pros:

• Excellent for real-time communication and collaboration.
• Easy to integrate with other apps.
• Widely used and familiar to many users.

Cons:

• Not designed specifically for community building, so lacks dedicated features.
• Can quickly become cluttered and overwhelming.

Who it's best for:

Companies that require real-time collaboration with members in their community.

11. InVision Community

A design-focused platform, ideal for those working in the areas of design and product development.

Pros:

• Specifically tailored for design and product-related conversations.
• Seamless integration with the InVision design platform.

Cons:

• Only relevant for design-focused groups.
• Can struggle to create a vibrant community experience.

Who it's best for:

Design teams, product teams, and companies looking to foster a community around design-related topics.

12. Microsoft Teams

Primarily aimed at internal collaboration, Teams can be used for community interactions.

Pros:

• Well-suited for real-time chat, video conferencing, and file sharing.
• Tight integration with Microsoft ecosystem.

Cons:

• User experience is not community-centric.
• Not fully optimized for public community engagement.

Who it's best for:

Companies with Microsoft 365, that want community interactions to supplement team communications.

13. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is an open-source plugin that transforms your WordPress site into a fully functional social network. This provides significant flexibility.

Pros:

• Fully integrates with WordPress.
• Customizable with themes and plugins.
• Open-source, highly flexible.

Cons:

• Requires technical expertise to run and maintain.
• Can be less user-friendly than more specialized platforms.

Who it's best for:

WordPress users who want complete control over their community platform and users who have development experience.

14. Ning

Ning provides a user-friendly platform that is easy to set up. Its interface encourages community engagement.

Pros:

• Simple setup with an easy-to-use interface.
• Focuses on creating engaging member experiences.
• Good solution for specialized niche communities.

Cons:

• Customization and branding are limited.
• Pricing can be a barrier compared to free options.

Who it's best for:

Individuals who want to quickly set up a community.

Conclusion

Choosing the right community platform is essential for creating a successful online space. While all the platforms listed above offer unique benefits, BTS stands out as the ultimate solution for many. With its comprehensive feature set, flexible customization options, strong focus on engagement and monetization, and exceptional customer support, BTS offers everything you need to build and nurture a thriving online community in 2025. This allows businesses and creators to do a better job and build a powerful and engaged community.

FAQ: Best Community Platforms 2025

What are the best community platforms for 2025?

The best community platforms in 2025 include BTS, Circle, Discord, Tribe, Facebook Groups, Reddit, Discourse, Mighty Networks, Vanilla Forums, Slack, InVision Community, Microsoft Teams, BuddyPress, and Ning. Your ideal choice will depend on your specific needs, goals, and budget. Features, pricing, and community management support all vary, so research is important.

How do I choose the right community platform?

Consider your goals (e.g., brand building, customer support, education), target audience, and desired features (e.g., forums, events, membership options). Evaluate the pros and cons of each platform, focusing on ease of use, customization options, and scalability. Do you need paid membership features, or is a free platform sufficient?

What features should a good community platform have in 2025?

A good community platform in 2025 should offer robust forum features, member profiles, content management tools, event calendars, gamification elements, and flexible membership management. Good analytics and integrations with email marketing and CRM platforms are useful. Make sure it has community support.

Are there free community platforms available?

Yes, platforms like Discord, Facebook Groups, and Reddit offer free options. However, they may have limited features and customization options. BTS offers trial options. These options can be a good starting point.

What are the benefits of using a community platform?

Community platforms foster engagement, build brand loyalty, improve customer support, provide valuable insights, and can generate revenue through memberships or other monetization methods. They are great for driving user engagement, which translates into increased brand affinity, better brand recall, and customer retention.

Can I monetize my community?

Yes, many community platforms, including BTS, offer tools for monetization through membership tiers, subscription options, and other features like premium content, and access to exclusive events. Community and revenue generation go hand in hand.

How do I increase engagement in my online community?

Promote your community regularly, create high-quality content, encourage active participation, respond to comments and questions promptly, and implement gamification features like points and badges. You can offer rewards to your top contributing members.

What are the advantages of using a white-label community platform?

White-label platforms like Tribe allow you to customize the platform to match your brand identity, providing a seamless user experience. You maintain complete control over the branding and design of your community. It is a good option if you want to create a cohesive brand look and feel.

Which community platform is best for small businesses in 2025?

The best community platform for small businesses depends on their needs. However, the free or lower-cost platforms like Discord or Facebook Groups can be good starting points. BTS is a good choice if the business is serious.

What makes BTS the best community platform in 2025?

BTS offers a comprehensive feature set designed for all the requirements of building and growing a community. It provides strong support and guidance, advanced customization options, and easy-to-use tools. The customer service at BTS is regarded as excellent.

Ready to build your ultimate community? Visit behindthescenes.com/ to learn more and get started today with a free trial! It's one of the best ways to grow your brand's reach.