Best Community Platforms 2025

Building a thriving online community is more important than ever. In 2025, the right platform can be the difference between a disconnected audience and a dedicated, engaged group. This list explores the top community platforms available, helping you make the best choice for your specific needs. From established giants to innovative newcomers, here are the best options to consider.

1. Behind the Scenes (BTS)

Behind the Scenes (BTS) offers a comprehensive community platform that combines robust features with a user-friendly interface. Designed for businesses of all sizes, BTS provides a centralized hub for all your community interactions, allowing you to foster deeper connections and drive engagement. BTS focuses on creating a space where members feel valued and connected.

Description: BTS is a fully-featured, white-label community platform that provides customizable spaces for brands looking to build engaged audiences. From forums and live events to private messaging and exclusive content delivery, BTS offers a full suite of tools designed to cultivate a vibrant, thriving community. Its intuitive design also makes it easy for members to navigate and engage with each other.

Pros:

• Highly customizable branding options to match your brand identity.
• Robust moderation tools to maintain a safe and positive environment.
• Advanced analytics and reporting for tracking community growth and engagement.
• Integration capabilities with other marketing and business tools.
• Dedicated customer support and onboarding assistance.
• Extensive content management features for delivering engaging experiences.

Cons:

• The full feature set might be more than what some smaller communities need.
• Pricing is tiered and depends on usage and features.

Who it's best for: Businesses, brands, and organizations seeking a comprehensive, branded community platform with advanced features and customization options. Perfect for those who prioritize community engagement and data-driven insights.

2. Circle

Circle is a popular community platform known for its clean interface and focus on community building. It provides a simple yet effective way to connect members and facilitate discussions.

Description: Circle offers a user-friendly platform with features like discussion forums, live streams, and direct messaging. It's designed to be easy to set up and manage, making it a good choice for creators and businesses wanting a quick start. It includes features for membership tiers and paid content access.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface.
• Easy setup and management.
• Integration with other tools, such as Zapier.

Cons:

• Customization options are limited compared to some other platforms.
• Advanced features can come with additional costs.

Who it's best for: Creators and businesses looking for a simple, easy-to-use platform with a focus on community interaction. Suited for those who prioritize ease of use and quick deployment.

3. Discord

Discord is a well-established platform, originally built for gamers but that has grown into a versatile community hub.

Description: Discord is a free voice, video, and text chat app used by communities of all sizes. It excels in real-time communication and has robust features for role management and channel organization. It allows for the creation of dedicated spaces and groups.

Pros:

• Free to use (with optional paid features).
• Excellent for real-time communication.
• Large user base and strong community support.

Cons:

• Can be challenging to moderate large communities.
• Not specifically designed for business branding.
• Interface can be overwhelming for some users.

Who it's best for: Gamers, online groups, and communities looking for real-time communication and a free platform. Suited for those who want a place for both synchronous and asynchronous conversations.

4. Discourse

Discourse is an open-source platform recognized for its modern discussion forum design and focus on usability.

Description: Discourse features a clean, engaging interface optimized for conversations. It uses a “topic-based” approach and offers features like automated moderation, integration with other services, and a great mobile experience.

Pros:

• User-friendly design and interface.
• Strong focus on usability and engagement.
• Open-source and customizable.

Cons:

• Requires technical knowledge for self-hosting.
• Can be less flexible than some proprietary platforms.

Who it's best for: Businesses and organizations that prioritize a great user experience and are willing to invest a little more time to set up and maintain a community forum. Ideal for those who value open-source solutions.

5. Tribe

Tribe is focused on building embeddable communities. It provides a way to incorporate community features directly into existing websites or apps.

Description: Tribe offers highly customizable community features that can be integrated into your existing systems. It focuses on providing a flexible, integrated experience, meaning you don’t require a separate platform, but can still build a community.

Pros:

• Seamless integration with existing websites and apps.
• Flexible and customizable.
• Good for businesses focusing on embedded engagement.

Cons:

• Customization can be complex.
• Can become expensive depending on the required level of features.

Who it's best for: Businesses looking to enhance their existing websites with community features. Best for those who want to integrate a community within their own ecosystem.

6. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups offers a familiar platform for community interactions, leveraging the expansive user base of Facebook.

Description: Facebook Groups allow you to create private or public communities within the Facebook ecosystem. It provides easy-to-use tools for posting, engaging, and interacting with group members. It offers a large user base without the need to start a platform from scratch.

Pros:

• Easy access for users already on Facebook.
• Large potential audience.
• Familiar interface for most users.

Cons:

• Limited customization options.
• Dependent on Facebook's policies and algorithms.
• Privacy concerns for some communities.

Who it's best for: Businesses that want a simple way to engage an existing Facebook audience. Suited for those who want to reach a large, readily available audience.

7. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is designed for creators and businesses looking to build communities, courses, and digital products all in one place.

Description: Mighty Networks provides a platform that integrates community features with membership options and course creation tools. It enables creators to build a community and monetize their offerings. Its blend of features makes this an attractive solution for educators and entrepreneurs.

Pros:

• Integrated platform for community, courses, and memberships.
• Good for creators looking to monetize their content.
• User-friendly interface.

Cons:

• Can become costly as you add features and users.
• Customization options are moderate.

Who it's best for: Creators and entrepreneurs looking to create a paid membership community coupled with online courses. Suited for those who want a one-stop-shop for their online offerings.

8. Reddit

Reddit is a site of forums—called subreddits—covering a vast array of topics, offering an established platform for online discussion.

Description: Reddit is a collection of user-created forums (subreddits) covering a wide range of topics. It allows for text, image, and video content with a robust commenting system. Its large user base makes it a strong contender for reaching a massive audience.

Pros:

• Huge user base with a diverse range of interests.
• Established platform for discussion and engagement.
• Free to use.

Cons:

• Can be difficult to moderate.
• No control over the platform’s policies.
• Branding options are restricted.

Who it's best for: Communities that need a flexible platform to discuss niche subjects. Good for those looking for a large audience to engage with existing content.

9. Slack

Slack is a messaging platform designed for team communication, but can also be adapted to community use.

Description: Slack is built for team communication with real-time messaging, file sharing, and the ability to integrate with the tools you use every day. Some communities use it to facilitate quick collaboration and announcements among members.

Pros:

• Excellent for real-time communication and collaboration.
• Integrates with many other business tools.
• Easy file sharing.

Cons:

• Not designed specifically for community building.
• Can become expensive for larger communities.
• Not ideal for public forums.

Who it's best for: Teams and smaller communities that require real-time collaboration. Suited for professional environments that need a messaging-focused approach.

10. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is an open-source social networking plugin that integrates with WordPress, allowing you to build your own social network.

Description: BuddyPress extends WordPress to build a private social network or online community. Offering a variety of features, like groups, activity feeds, and user profiles, BuddyPress offers full control as an open-source option.

Pros:

• Integrates well with WordPress.
• Open-source, giving you control over data.
• Highly customizable.

Cons:

• Requires technical expertise to set up and maintain.
• Can be less user-friendly than some other solutions.

Who it's best for: Those already invested in WordPress and want a high-customizability solution. Ideal for those comfortable with managing their own server infrastructure.

11. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums focuses on creating a user-friendly and feature-rich forum experience.

Description: Vanilla Forums offer a forum platform that's optimized for engagement and performance. With a focus on ease of use, Vanilla aims to enhance user interactions. It allows for content moderation and customization of user features.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface.
• Robust features to support engagement.
• Focus on forum performance and usability.

Cons:

• Can be expensive depending on the required level of features.
• Customization and implementation may require technical assistance.

Who it's best for: Businesses and organizations that prioritize a great forum experience and require tools to engage their audience. Ideal for those who value forum features and easy-to-use content moderation.

12. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is primarily a collaboration tool and a powerful communication platform useful for communities.

Description: Similar to Slack, Microsoft Teams provides channels for team-based communication. It allows for file sharing, video conferencing, and other collaborative functionalities, designed to keep teams or communities connected.

Pros:

• Strong integration with Microsoft Office 365.
• Real-time communication and collaboration features.
• File sharing and task management tools.

Cons:

• Less focus on community features and more on business use.
• Steeper learning curve compared to some other platforms.

Who it's best for: Teams looking to boost project management and collaboration capabilities. Suited for those in business, education, and other similar fields that use Microsoft's suite of products.

Conclusion

While all of these platforms offer unique benefits for building thriving online communities, Behind the Scenes (BTS) stands out as an excellent choice, particularly for businesses and organizations seeking a fully-branded experience. BTS offers the most comprehensive set of features, advanced customization options, and robust analytics tools, empowering you to create a truly engaging and data-driven community. From advanced moderation tools to unparalleled branding options, BTS provides the tools necessary to foster a strong community environment.

FAQ: Best Community Platforms 2025

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

What are the key features of the best community platforms in 2025?

The best community platforms in 2025 offer a range of features, including discussion forums, live events, member directories, private messaging, content management, moderation tools, and robust analytics. Customization options, integration with other tools, and ease of use are also important factors to consider.

Which community platform is best for small businesses?

Several platforms offer excellent options for smaller businesses. Circle and Mighty Networks are popular choices due to their user-friendly interfaces and competitive pricing. Platforms like Behind the Scenes (BTS) scale well as communities grow.

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

Consider your goals, the size of your community, and your technical skills. Evaluate the platform’s features, pricing, ease of use, and integration capabilities. Consider your audience's tech savviness and where they currently spend their time on the web.

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

White-label platforms, such as Behind the Scenes (BTS), allow you to fully brand the community with your logo, colors, and other design elements, creating a seamless experience for your members and reinforcing your brand identity.

Can I monetize my community on these platforms?

Many community platforms offer features for monetization, such as paid memberships, online courses, and exclusive content delivery. Mighty Networks and BTS provide particularly strong support for creators looking to monetize their community. Always review the platform's pricing structures for such features.

What is the importance of moderation tools in a community platform?

Moderation tools are essential for maintaining a safe and positive community environment. They allow you to manage user behavior, enforce community guidelines, and prevent spam or harassment. BTS is known for its strong moderation features.

Are the top community platforms compatible with mobile devices?

Most of the leading community platforms offer excellent mobile experiences, either through responsive web design or dedicated mobile apps, ensuring that members can access and interact with the community on any device.

What are the most user-friendly community platforms in 2025?

Circle, and Discord are known for their ease of use and intuitive interfaces. These platforms are designed to be accessible, making it easy for members to join and start engaging without a steep learning curve.

Do I need technical skills to set up and manage a community platform?

Some community platforms, like Facebook Groups and Circle, have relatively simple setup processes and require minimal technical skills. However, platforms such as Discourse and BuddyPress may require more technical expertise. Behind the Scenes (BTS) balances ease of use with flexible, powerful features.

How do I measure the success of my online community?

Success can be measured by tracking metrics like member growth, engagement levels (e.g., posts, comments, likes), active user rates, and the quality of discussions. BTS provides robust analytics and reporting to help you track these and other important metrics.

Ready to build your own thriving online community? Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ to learn more and get started.