14 Best Online Community Platforms

Looking to build an online community around your brand, course, or content?

Whether you're a creator, educator, or brand marketer, the right community platform can help you engage your audience, increase retention, and grow your revenue.

But with so many online community platforms out there, how do you know which one is right for your business and community goals?

In this guide, we’ll show you how to choose the best online community platform based on your use case—whether you're hosting webinars, selling courses, or running paid memberships.

We’ll also review the top platforms worth considering in 2025.

Our top 5 picks for online community platforms

• HeySummit – Best for event-led communities and virtual summits

• Mighty Networks – Best for all-in-one course + community creators

• Kajabi – Best for coaches and educators selling digital programs

• Substack – Best for newsletter-first communities

• Slack – Best for real-time, topic-based discussions

Here’s how we chose these platforms.

Research Methodology: How We Chose The Best Online Community Platforms

Our selection process focused on features that matter most to creators, educators, and brands building online communities in 2025. Each platform was reviewed for real-world usability, flexibility, and long-term value.

Here’s what we considered:

• User Experience
  
  Is the platform easy to set up and navigate for both hosts and members?
  
  

• Features & Flexibility
  
  Does it support live events, discussion threads, private groups, content hubs, and monetization?
  
  

• Integrations
  
  Can it connect with essential tools like Zoom, Stripe, Mailchimp, Zapier, or your CRM?
  
  

• Privacy & Ownership
  
  Do you own your member data?
  
  

• Pricing & Accessibility
  
  We considered free plans and affordable tiers, especially for solo creators or small teams just getting started.
  
  

By focusing on these criteria, we curated a list that helps you find a platform that’s practical for your specific needs.

What’s an online community, and why is building a community still important in 2025?

An online community is a group of people connected by a shared interest, goal, or identity and brought together through digital platforms.

Let’s be clear: community isn’t just replying to Instagram comments or answering DMs—that’s customer support.

True community happens when people talk about you without being asked, share your content, and stay loyal despite competitors. They ask questions, give feedback, and build relationships with each other, not just with your brand.

All of these sound good, so why don’t more brands and creators build one?

Because it’s hard. It takes time, intention, and consistency, which is why many remain sceptical, as this Reddit user points out:

But when done right, a community can strengthen brand loyalty, deepen customer relationships, and drive real business growth.

To understand the long-term value, we spoke to Sarah Spencer (founder of SongFancy) and Mike Gelb (founder of The ConsumerVC).

Here’s why they say an online community is for brands is important:

• Real engagement starts with shared purpose

• Community makes your work more sustainable

• Small, focused communities can punch above their weight

• Your community is your best feedback loop

Real engagement starts with shared purpose

Both Sarah Spencer (SongFancy) and Mike Gelb (The ConsumerVC) agree: true engagement happens when people feel like they belong not just to a platform, but to a mission.

For instance, Sarah’s “5 in 5 Song Challenge” gave members a reason to show up, support each other, and grow together in their songwriting journey. It wasn’t just content. It was a shared creative goal.

Community makes your work more sustainable

For creators and educators, constantly posting can lead to burnout. But when you’re supported by people who want the same goal as you, showing up (for them) becomes easier.

Sarah built a community that supported her, not just the other way around:

“It had to be fulfilling for them but also for me, so I don’t just burn out doing Facebook posts every day.”

Instead of always creating alone, she created with her audience, and in the process, made her work more meaningful and scalable.

Small, focused communities can punch above their weight

You don’t need a massive audience to build a thriving community. Mike’s niche community of founders and investors grew through focused value and member connection.

“It’s about providing the most value you can for your community in multiple ways.”

Even 100 highly engaged members can drive real momentum, especially in niche ecosystems where trust and connection matter most.

Your community is your best feedback loop

Sarah uses her community to shape her products and content in real time:

“I can put something out there, see the response, ask direct questions like: What do you guys need?”

It’s faster than surveys and more accurate than guesswork—because it’s based on real, ongoing conversations.

What are online community platforms?

An online community platform is a tool that helps you bring people together around a shared goal, topic, or interest.

They help you host conversations, share resources, run events, and build lasting relationships with your audience—all in one place.

How to choose the right online community platform

Not every community platform is built the same and the best choice depends on your goals, audience, and available resources.

To find the right fit, ask yourself a few key questions. These will help you evaluate each platform based on what matters most:

• User experience

• Features and functionality

• Security and privacy

• Support and resources

• Cost

We’ll break down each of these next so you can make an informed decision.

User experience

A great user experience keeps your community active and engaged. When evaluating platforms, consider:

• Customisation – Can you easily tailor the layout, branding, and navigation to match your community’s purpose and vibe? Look for platforms that let you control the look and feel of your community, including logos, colours, custom domains, and even member roles.

• Ease of Use – How simple is it to get started? Can you set things up without needing a third-party consultant? What’s the signup flow like for your members? Do they need to create an account, pay, or download an app?

If joining or participating feels like work, your members won’t stick around.

Features and functionality

You need features that help you engage, educate, and grow your community. Look closely at:

• Communication Tools – Can members chat in real time, post updates, or join live discussions?

• Content Management – Can you organise content into clear topics, threads, or learning paths? A cluttered platform makes it hard for members to stay engaged or find value, especially if you're offering educational content.

• Integrations – Can the platform connect to your event streaming tool, email tool, or CRM? How easy is it to connect the platform to other tools you regularly use?

Choose features that match how you plan to deliver value.

Security and privacy

When people join your community, they’re trusting you with their data. So you must choose a platform that takes that seriously.

• Data Protection – What steps does the platform take to secure member data? Look for features like encryption, GDPR compliance, and secure authentication. Your members shouldn't have to worry about their personal information being exposed.

• Privacy Controls – Can members manage their visibility and interactions? For example, can they choose who contacts them, whether their profile is public or private, and whether to receive DMs or invites?

These security measures build trust. And trust is the foundation of any successful community

Support and resources

Yes, ease of use is paramount. But you’ll also rest easy knowing that your platform has strong support in place. Look at:

• Customer Support – If something breaks or a member needs help, how quickly can they get support? Is there live chat, email, or a help center? If you’re not managing everything hands-on, make sure the platform has reliable, responsive support.

• Learning Materials – Does the platform offer clear tutorials, onboarding guides, or a searchable help library? And more importantly, can you easily share resources with your members, like videos, documents, or how-tos?

Cost

You also have to think about how much the platform will cost you. Set a clear budget before you choose a platform. Free tools can be tempting, but many come with limits on members, features, or branding. Make sure you understand what’s included in each pricing tier and what you'll need as your community grows.

What type of online community platform do you need?

Before choosing a platform, you need to define the kind of community you’re building.

Are you focused on discussion, education, or events? This will affect what type of platform works best for you. Here’s a breakdown of common community types and the platforms that fit them:

• Forum-Based Communities
  
  Best for ongoing discussions, Q&A, and knowledge sharing. These platforms are ideal if your community is topic-driven and thrives on peer interaction.
  
  Example:
  
  Superpath runs a Slack-based community where content marketers share insights and ask for help.
  
  

• Event-Focused Communities
  
  Designed for virtual summits, webinars, and live meet-ups. Great for brands and creators who want to grow engagement through live interaction.
  
  Example:
  
  Alt Marketing School uses HeySummit to host virtual events that support its mission to make marketing education accessible worldwide.
  
  

• Knowledge-Sharing or Course Communities
  
  Built around structured lessons, resources, and progress tracking. Perfect for educators and cohort-based creators.
  
  Example:
  
  Chris Palmer, a pilot, uses Kajabi to run a course helping students pass their FAA written exams.
  
  

If none of these models fit, you might choose to:

• Build a Custom Community Website
  
  This gives you full control over the design, features, and data, but requires more effort to build and maintain.
  
  

• Use Social Media as a Community Hub
  
  While this can be quick to set up and easy for members to join, it comes with major limitations. You don’t own the data, algorithms control your visibility, and your group could disappear overnight if the platform changes its rules.

Best online community platform

Let’s look at the best online community tools that you can use.

Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is an all-in-one platform that lets creators, educators, and brands build online communities with courses, events, and memberships. 

It combines features like forums, live events, and content hosting, plus monetization tools. Members can access the community via the web or a mobile app.

Pros

• All-in-One: Combines community, courses, events, and payments in one platform.

• Scalable: Unlimited members and spaces on all plans.

• Mobile Access: Free iOS/Android app for members.

• Customisation: Branded URLs, logos, and themes (white-labeling available on Pro).

• Monetisation: Supports paid memberships, courses, and events.

• Engagement Tools: Posts, polls, DMs, events, and chat.

Cons

• Courses not on base plan – Only available from $119/mo+.

• Limited integrations – Zapier and analytics tools are unlocked only on higher plans.

• Some UX learning curve – Hosts may need time to set up and onboard members.

• White-label mobile app – Only available via the expensive Mighty Pro plan.

Key Features

• Course builder with quizzes and drip content (Courses Plan+)

• Member profiles, groups, and private messaging

• Event scheduling with Zoom/live stream integration

• Analytics dashboard

• Payment processing via Stripe (with 1–3% fee based on plan)

• Mobile app access for all users

Pricing (Monthly)

• Community Plan – $49: Basic features, no courses

• Courses Plan – $119: Adds course creation, basic automations

• Business Plan – $219: Adds integrations, advanced analytics

• Growth Plan – $449: Advanced automations, priority support

• Mighty Pro – Custom pricing: Full white-label app

Best for: Creators selling courses or memberships, educators running cohorts, or brands building owned, branded communities.

HeySummit

HeySummit is an all-in-one platform for hosting any type of event, including virtual summits, webinars, and workshops. 

It’s built for creators, educators, and brands that want to deliver live or on-demand sessions without complex tech setups. The platform handles event landing pages, registration, ticketing, email reminders, speaker management, and analytics.

Use Cases

• Virtual Summits – Run multi-day, multi-speaker virtual or in-person events with agendas, bios, and ticketing.

• Webinars & Workshops – Host one-off or recurring sessions with automated reminders.

• Lead Generation – Capture emails and build a list via free/low-cost educational events.

• Evergreen Content – Turn past sessions into a replay library or on-demand product.

• Community Building – Use events to engage audiences regularly and grow a loyal base.

Pros

• Simple Setup – Easy-to-use dashboard with templates and drag-and-drop scheduling.

• All-in-One – Includes landing page, registration, ticketing, emails, speaker tools, and analytics.

• Native Video Streaming: No need to pay for external tools like Zoom or Vimeo for streaming

• Monetization – Sell tickets, offer discounts, or accept donations

• Marketing Integrations – Connects with MailChimp, ConvertKit, HubSpot, and CRMs.

• Flexible Delivery – Supports live, pre-recorded, and on-demand content.

• Affiliate Tracking – Built-in referral tools for speakers or partners to promote events.

• Community Engagement — Create multiple Slack-style channels to engage community members and keep conversations alive even after events have ended.

Cons

• Some Features Gated – White-labeling, advanced analytics, and large attendee capacity require upgrades.

Key Features

• Registration & Ticketing – Free/paid ticket tiers, coupons, donations.

• Speaker Management – Dedicated speaker dashboard for bios, uploads, and scheduling. Also, find experts to talk at your events with our built-in speaker network.

• Video Streaming Options – You can use HeyStream (our native video streaming platform) or use any of our integrations with 30+ platforms (Zoom, YouTube Live, Vimeo, etc.).

• Analytics and Reporting Tools – Tracks registrations, revenue, attendance, and session views.

• Email Automation – Built-in reminders, post-event emails, and marketing sync.

• On-Demand Access – Repurpose sessions into evergreen content or paid replays.

• Affiliate Program – Assign custom links and track referrals and commissions.

• Multilingual Support – Localised times/zones and UI for global audiences.

Pricing (Monthly)

• Starter – $19/month
  
  Up to 250 attendees, 1 active event, core features. HeySummit branding shown. ~4% transaction fee.
  
  

• Growth – $39/month
  
  Up to 1000 attendees, multiple events, custom domain, better branding, and lower (~2%) fees.
  
  

• Success – $79/month
  
  Up to 1000 attendees, white-label branding, advanced analytics, integrations, priority support, ~1% fee.
  
  

• Enterprise – Custom pricing
  
  Unlimited events/attendees, SSO, compliance support, and account manager.
  
  

All plans include unlimited speakers and sessions. A 14-day free trial is available.

Best for:

Creators launching summits or workshops, educators running events or courses, and brands using events to drive awareness, leads, and engagement.

Kajabi

Kajabi acquired Vibely in 2022 to bolster its community offering. Now the platform helps creators, educators, and brands build and manage private, branded online communities. 

It integrates seamlessly with Kajabi’s courses, memberships, and email tools, allowing users to combine content delivery with community engagement in one place.

Pros

• All-in-One: Community, content, email, and payments live under one roof—no need for third-party tools.

• Engagement Features: Includes live video rooms, chat, discussion feeds, challenges, leaderboards, and direct messaging.

• Unlimited Members: No per-member pricing across all tiers.

• Mobile Access: iOS/Android app with push notifications keeps members active.

• Gamification: Points, badges, and challenges drive engagement.

Cons

• Requires Kajabi Subscription: No standalone plan for community only.

• Limited Customisation: Design flexibility is minimal compared to standalone platforms.

• Kajabi Branding: Only removable on the highest tier.

• Usage Caps: Lower-tier plans limit products, members, and admin users.

Key Features

• Access Groups & Circles: Organise members into segments and subgroups with feed- or chat-style interaction.

• Live Rooms: Host video meet-ups, coaching calls, and Q&As inside the platform.

• Challenges: Run timed activities with progress tracking and accountability tools.

• Leaderboards & Badges: Reward top contributors and foster healthy competition.

• Moderation Tools: Assign roles, manage posts, and enforce rules.

Pricing

• Kickstarter ($89/mo): 1 product + 1 community, 250 contacts

• Basic ($149/mo): 3 products (incl. communities), 10k contacts, Kajabi branding.

• Growth ($199/mo): 15 products, 25k contacts, 10 admins.

• Pro ($399/mo): 100 products, 100k contacts, custom branding, 3 sites.

A 14-day free trial is available. Best for creators already using Kajabi for content and looking to add community engagement without extra tools.

Substack

Substack is a platform that lets creators, educators, and independent publishers build audiences through email newsletters and paid subscriptions. While it started as a writing tool, it has expanded into a community-building platform with native features like comments, chat, and threads.

Pros

• Audience Ownership: You own your email list and can download subscriber data.

• Built-In Community Tools: Comments, likes, replies, and real-time Substack Chat help foster interaction.

• Monetisation Ready: Easy to set up paid memberships, donations, and exclusive posts.

• No Monthly Fees: Free to use unless you're monetising.

• Strong Network Effects: Recommendation system helps you grow by tapping into other writers’ audiences.

Cons

• Limited Customisation: You can’t fully control the look, layout, or user experience.

• Basic Community Tools: No circles, events, or structured groups like other platforms.

• Mobile-Only Chat: Substack Chat is app-only, not web-accessible.

• Not Ideal for Courses or Coaching: Lacks native tools for structured learning or group programs.

Key Features

• Email & Web Publishing: Public and subscriber-only posts with built-in email delivery.

• Substack Chat: Real-time conversation tool for your paid and free subscribers.

• Comments & Threads: Commenting on posts and community discussion threads.

• Paid Subscriptions: Tiered memberships and gated content for monetisation.

• Mobile App: Native iOS and Android apps with reading and chat support.

• Recommendations: Boost visibility by recommending other Substacks and being recommended.

Pricing

• Free to Use: No hosting or platform fees.

• Monetisation Fee: Substack takes a 10% cut of paid subscriptions.

• Payment Processing: Stripe adds ~2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.

Best for:

Writers, educators, and brands who are building email-first communities, especially those focused on publishing, thought leadership, or niche interests.

Slack

Slack is a team communication platform originally built for workplace collaboration. However, many creators, educators, and brands use it as a community platform due to its real-time messaging, integrations, and structured channels. 

It’s best suited for professional or topic-specific communities where fast-paced, ongoing conversations are key.

Pros

• Familiar Interface: Many users already use Slack for work, reducing onboarding friction.

• Real-Time Messaging: Instant replies, threads, DMs, and group chats keep engagement high.

• Organised Channels: Separate conversations by topic, role, cohort, or event.

• Powerful Integrations: Connects with Google Drive, Notion, Zapier, Typeform, and more.

• Free Plan Available: Great for small or early-stage communities.

Cons

• Limited History on Free Plan: Only 90 days of message history unless you upgrade.

• No Native Monetisation: You’ll need third-party tools for paid memberships or gated content.

• Not Designed for Community: Feels like a workplace tool, not a social platform.

• Can Be Overwhelming: Real-time activity can lead to notification fatigue and missed posts.

Key Features

• Channels: Organise conversations around themes or groups.

• Threads & Mentions: Keep discussions focused and notify relevant members.

• DMs & Groups: Allow private or small group chats.

• App Integrations: Add tools like polls, forms, events, and learning resources.

• Searchable Archive (Paid): Full-text search across all messages and files.

• Custom Emojis & Branding: Personalise the experience slightly.

• Desktop & Mobile Apps: Cross-device access for members.

Pricing

• Free Plan: 90-day message history, 10 integrations, limited file storage.

• Pro Plan: $8.75/user/month – unlimited history, integrations, custom branding.

• Business+: $15/user/month – advanced admin and compliance tools.

Best for:

Niche, high-engagement communities (like accelerator cohorts, alumni groups, or paid masterminds) where real-time conversation and structure are more important than long-form content or monetisation tools.

Circle

Another all-in-one community platform aimed at creators, Circle is a tool for hosting your content, courses, and community in one place.

Whether you’re a brand, startup, course creator, club owner, or coach, you can use Circle to engage, connect, and monetise your online community.

Pros and cons

Overall, reviewers positively rate this platform for hosting their online communities.

Circle makes it easy for you to create spaces to help your community members share their ideas, get feedback, and host discussions.

You can host private spaces for certain members and use your own branding and content to make the platform feel unique to you. It’s a great option if you’re a creator looking to monetise your community and sell some of your content.

Circle's other pro is how easily it scales. You can use the platform to host a five-person group coaching call or a 500-person live broadcast.

However, the platform doesn’t offer a robust analytics dashboard or access to user profiles in the backend. Using all the available features can get expensive quickly.

Key features

• Organised discussions

• Private courses

• Member Directory

• Customised branding

• Event spaces

• Paid memberships

• Recurring subscriptions

• Thousands of integrations

• Bulk actions

• Roles and permissions

Pricing

• Professional: $99/month

• Business: $219/ month

• Enterprise: $399/ month

Thinkific

Thinkific is a platform designed specifically for those who want to share their expertise as part of a course or digital download.

It’s for those with a vast knowledge base who want to build a vibrant community around their educational content.

Pros and cons

The intuitive platform makes it easy to quickly deliver an online course and launch it to your community.

However, this is not a platform solely dedicated to building community; it’s a content platform with community features built around it. So, other online community platforms would be a better choice if you’re looking to host your existing community and not create a new one.

Key features

• Dedicated spaces to host community discussions

• Engagement features such as Q&As, office hours, live classes, and coaching

• App compatibility

• Drag and drop interface to create audio lessons, PDFs, and presentations

• Upload video content and other files to create your courses

• Offer member-only content

• Fully integrated e-commerce features

Pricing

• Basic: $48/ month: includes unlimited courses, 1 community, your own domain, 5 spaces per community, 5 digital downloads, 1 admin, unlimited students’ email and live chat support,

• Start: $97/ month: same as above with 10 spaces per community, membership and payment plans, live lessons, assignments, advanced website code editing,

• Grow: $195/ month: same as above with 3 communities, 20 spaces per community, analytics, bulk enrollments, and student emailer, API access

Uscreen

This community platform focuses on video creators who want to turn their fans into paying customers.

Uscreen is a membership-based platform that offers fans a subscription model to pay for their favorite creators' content without ads.

The platform describes itself as the place where “content and community seamlessly unite.”

Pros and cons

The Uscreen algorithm helps you retain and grow your audience with the content that engages them most. It offers white-label apps and websites so you can keep things personal and engage your community members with you and each other.

Easy livestream features make it much easier to connect with your community than other community platforms. Public and private channels within your community allow members to interact with each other once they’ve joined.

Key features

• 1:1 support from the Uscreen team

• Flexible monetisation tools

• Customisable website and apps

• Marketing and analytics tools

• Easy migration from other platforms

• User-generated videos and community challenges

• Live stream capabilities

Pricing

• Growth $199/ month: Video catalog, 1-hour live stream, 100 hours of video storage, member analytics, and accept payments

• Pro $599/ month: 10 hours of live stream, 150 hours of video storage, content migration, shoppable videos, Zapier integrations

• Plus custom pricing: full-feature white label mobile apps, TV live streaming apps, custom branding, API access

Memberdev

MemberDev builds custom membership websites for coaches, educators, and thought leaders to scale their online communities.

From group coaching cohorts to education platforms, mastermind communities, advanced content libraries, and custom course experiences, MemberDev can build the community platform you need.

Pros and cons

As with most community platforms, MemberDev comes pre-built with all the essential features you need to host and manage your community.

You can manage member profiles and directories, forums and messaging, groups, and social feeds all in one place, making it super convenient to interact with your community members.

Users rate the platform’s ease of use and claim the platform has helped them boost the visibility of their businesses.

The downside of this community platform is that it’s expensive and isn’t recommended for startups or first-time business owners. It’s better for businesses with a proven revenue and customer base.

Key features

• Sales funnels

• Flexible checkout

• Dynamic subscriptions

• Upsells and Add-ons

• Member CRM and profiles

• Member forums

• Member dashboards

• Advanced access

• Content library

• Analytics

• Email integrations

Pricing

• Custom pricing ranges from $5k to $15k and is feature-based or for a custom-built solution.

Disciple

Disciple offers community-building software for all businesses, regardless of size.

Aimed at creators, the platform offers a range of features to facilitate engagement, content sharing, and monetization via your own app.

Pros and cons

Disciple stands out from all the online community engagement platforms because it combines community building, content creation, and monetization tools in one platform, reducing the need for multiple services.

Advanced personalization makes it easy to make the community feel like your own and align it with your brand identity.

The interactive tools within your app provide the opportunity to foster high levels of engagement and interaction with other community members.

The downside of Disciple is that it is expensive and takes some time to set up your app initially.

The abundance of features can be overwhelming, and if you’re only starting out with community building, it may be a little too advanced.

Integration restrictions also make it hard to use the software with other tools you rely on.

Key features

• Create community-building apps with no code

• Spaces and groups

• Member profiles

• Posts and articles

• Multimedia support

• Discussion forums

• Direct messaging

• Live streaming

• Subscription models for access to premium content

• Course sales

• Customization and branding to make your community look like yours

Pricing

• Grow: $583/ month

• Pro: $932 / month

• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Swarm

Swarm is a video-centric community platform designed to foster engaging, asynchronous interactions among members. It enables users to exchange personal videos, screen shares, voice notes, and text messages within threaded discussions, creating an in-person feel without the need for live meetings.

Key Features:

• Asynchronous Communication: Facilitates threaded discussions through video, voice, and text, allowing members to engage at their convenience.

• Live Streaming: Hosts live events directly within the platform, supporting webinars, mastermind groups, and live podcast recordings.

• Monetization Tools: Offers options to sell memberships and create branded mobile apps, enabling community leaders to generate recurring revenue.

• Customization and Scalability: Provides white-label solutions with branded apps for desktop, iOS, and Android, and scales to accommodate communities of various sizes. 

Pricing:

• Novice Plan: $39/month (billed annually) – Includes 1 space, 25 members, video/voice/text features, paid memberships, transcriptions & AI, and a 2-minute video limit.

• Pro Plan: $79/month (billed annually) – Offers 5 spaces, 50 members per space, live streams up to 45 minutes, and enhanced features.

• Expert Plan: $149/month (billed annually) – Provides unlimited spaces, 150 members per space, full white-label options, branded mobile app, and more.

• Elite Plan: $339/month (billed annually) – Features unlimited spaces and members, a dedicated success coach, a concierge setup, priority support, and additional premium services.

Reddit

With over 73 million daily users, Reddit is the most well-known community platform on the internet.

Founded as a centralised community platform, the website is now categorised around different interests.

Pros and cons

Anyone can join a discussion and answer questions, and you can find a subreddit about absolutely any topic imaginable on the platform.

Here’s an overview of the top 20 communities on Reddit:

To create your own community on Reddit, you need to be an active member on the platform and have a certain number of “karma” points. You receive these by interacting with other Reddit users and receiving upvotes for what you share.

Key Features

• Option to create private forums

• Private messaging features

• Custom feeds

• Community muting

Pricing

Reddit is free for users, but you can sign up for a premium subscription for ad-free browsing and access to the Reddit lounge.

Discord

Started as a way for friends in the gaming community to communicate while playing online games, Discord is a text, video, and audio-based app.

The app now hosts discussions amongst private communities.

While small communities of friends or co-workers mainly use the app, there are larger, open communities you can join that center around specific topics like games.

Pros and cons

Members of invite-only communities can discuss whatever they like, and the community owner can moderate discussions if necessary.

It’s easy to share files, announcements, and information via your Discord server and you can host dozens of members on a Discord channel.

You need to know the people you want to join the community in order to send them an invite.

Key features

• Broadcast messaging

• Private community hosting

• Collaboration tools

• Commenting and notes

• Discussion forums

• File sharing

• Group messaging

• Real-time notifications

• Mobile access

• Reminders

• Video conferencing

Pricing

Discord servers are free for anyone with a Discord account to set up.

There is a free plan for users to join, but upgrading to Nitro for $9.99 a month allows for larger file-sharing capabilities and better-quality streams.

Quora

A question-and-answer-based forum, Quora is a community platform where people share knowledge on thousands of topics.

Questions and answers get upvoted so that the most useful, reliable information reaches the top.

Pros and cons

You can’t create private accounts on Quora, which makes it challenging to host an exclusive community using this platform. Once questions are public, they become the property of the wider Quora community.

It’s a great place to build authority, especially if you have knowledge of a niche topic.

Quora is a good platform to check if you want to access crowd-sourced information on a wide variety of topics or find out what your customers are discussing.

Key features

• Upvoting and downvoting of answers

• Categorisation and organis are going ation of topics to make it easy to find what you’re looking for

• Quora spaces (private forums for a selected number of experts)

• Can promote your business in your answers or Quora answers

Pricing

Free

Selecting your online community platform

Now that you know the pros and cons of the best online community platforms, it’s time to decide which suits your needs.

Use these guidelines to help make the decision!

• Assess your needs

  • What are your community goals?

  • Who is your target audience?

  • What are the required features you need from your online community platform?

  • What don’t you need?

• Evaluate the options

  • Can you get a demo and trial period?

  • Check user reviews and testimonials.

• Final decision

  • Weigh up the pros and cons of each platform.

  • Consider your budget.

Final Thoughts

Selecting a community platform that best serves your needs will set your online community up for success.

Once you’ve evaluated your options using the pros and cons list of the best community platforms out there, it should be easy to settle on the best for you.

If you want to build a thriving community based on online events, you need an all-in-one event platform.

HeySummit gives you all the tools you need to plan, market, and host events for your community.

Check out how easy community building can be with a HeySummit free trial.