The 12 Best Community Platforms in 2025

Building a thriving online community is more crucial than ever. It's where your audience engages, shares ideas, and becomes deeply connected to your brand. But with so many platforms available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. This list explores the 12 best community platforms in 2025, offering a detailed look at their features, benefits, and drawbacks to help you make the best choice for your needs. We'll examine both established players and emerging contenders, providing insights to help you cultivate a vibrant, engaged community.

1. Behind the Scenes (BTS)

Behind the Scenes (BTS) is a comprehensive community platform designed to empower creators, brands, and organizations to build and nurture their online communities. It offers a suite of features that facilitate rich interactions, content sharing, and personalized experiences, fostering deep connections among members. BTS focuses on providing creators with the tools they need to monetize their communities, build direct relationships with their audiences, and maintain full control over their data and brand identity. This platform understands the nuanced dynamics of online community building, emphasizing simplicity of use alongside a powerful feature set. It caters to a wide range of use cases from professional networks to hobbyist groups, offering tailored solutions for distinct community needs.

Description

BTS delivers a user-friendly experience with customizable branding, robust moderation tools, advanced analytics, and integrated monetization options. The platform supports a variety of content formats, including text, images, videos, and live streams, to enhance community engagement. It offers a tiered membership system, allowing creators to provide exclusive content and benefits to paying members. BTS also boasts a strong focus on community health and safety with integrated moderation and reporting tools that work hand in hand with the user experience to promote an inclusive environment for all.

Pros

• Customization: Highly configurable branding options to match your brand's identity.
• Monetization: Integrated tools for memberships, subscriptions, and exclusive content.
• Analytics: Detailed insights into community engagement and user behavior to gauge success.
• Moderation: Robust tools for managing community content and user behavior.
• User Experience: Clean, intuitive interface for both creators and members.
• Customer Support: Responsive customer service to address any technical issues or needs.

Cons

• Learning Curve: While user-friendly, the breadth of features might require some time to master.
• Price: Advanced features and larger communities come with higher subscription costs or require additional add-ons.

Who It's Best For

Creators, brands, and organizations looking for a comprehensive platform with strong monetization capabilities, robust customization, and excellent moderation tools. Ideal for those who value full control over their community and want to foster deep engagement.

You can learn more by visiting https://behindthescenes.com/

2. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is a popular platform that provides tools for building and managing online communities and courses. It’s designed to be a one-stop-shop for creators who want to manage their community, content, and memberships in one place.

Description

Mighty Networks allows users to create custom-branded spaces for their communities with features like forums, events, and live streaming. It also supports courses and membership subscriptions via integrated pricing plans.

Pros

• All-in-one platform: Combines community features with course creation and membership tools.
• User-friendly interface: Easy to set up and navigate.
• Mobile app: Provides a mobile app for community members to access the community on the go.

Cons

• Limited customization: Less flexibility in branding and design compared to some other options.
• Pricing: Can become expensive as your community grows and you need more features.

Who It's Best For

Creators who want to offer both community and course features under one platform with a strong focus on mobile experience.

3. Circle

Circle is a community platform focused on helping creators and brands build thriving communities around their content. It's designed to be a modern and engaging space to connect audiences.

Description

Circle offers features for discussions, events, live streaming, and content publishing. It emphasizes user engagement and interaction with various integrations like calendar syncing and member directories.

Pros

• Focus on Engagement: Strong emphasis on user engagement through rich features.
• Clean Interface: Modern and intuitive design.
• Integrations: Good integration with other tools (e.g., Zapier)

Cons

• Limited Social Media Features: Lacks the deep social features that Facebook or other platforms have.
• Price: Costs can be on the higher side.

Who It's Best For

Creators and brands focusing on fostering engaged communities, with a modern user experience and emphasis on content-centric discussions.

4. Disciple Media

Disciple Media specializes in building branded communities on various digital platforms. It's known for its focus on brand identity and customization.

Description

Disciple offers various customization options for branding to align with a brand's specific needs. It includes customization to design and branding, along with social networking features with content creation by offering tools.

Pros

• Customization: Focused on helping brands customize their community space.
• Data Ownership: Brands have ownership of their community data.
• Branding: Great options for branding and design customization.

Cons

• Complexity: Some users find the platform's features complex and not easily accessible.
• Price: Can be expensive for smaller communities.

Who It's Best For

Companies looking for a branded community experience with a high level of customization.

5. Tribe

Tribe is designed for building communities within and around products and brands. It is tailored to integrate directly with existing platforms.

Description

Tribe offers tools for building a community with discussion forums and a question-and-answer format. It features widgets that can be embedded directly into websites or products.

Pros

• Embeddable: Easily integrates into existing websites and platforms.
• Engagement focused: Focuses on quick interactions to make it easier for people to connect.
• Customization: Good customization to align with branding.

Cons

• Limited features: Fewer features compared to full-featured platforms
• Pricing: Costs can add up quickly with higher usage.

Who It's Best For

Companies wishing to extend their website with community features. It also works well for companies who want it integrated into their product.

6. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups provide a familiar and accessible platform for community building for the largest platform.

Description

Facebook Groups provide a straightforward way for groups to connect by offering a variety of content formats, including photos, videos, and live streams. They provide features for easy sharing and discussions.

Pros

• Large user base: Easy access for a wide audience.
• Free: Accessible even with budget restrictions.
• Familiar interface: Easy to navigate.

Cons

• Algorithm control: Facebook controls engagement with the community
• Data Ownership: Facebook owns the data of the groups.

Who It's Best For

For groups that want to build an open and accessible group that anyone can join.

7. Discord

Discord is a popular platform that provides a flexible communication and community-building experience, particularly in gaming, tech, and other niche areas.

Description

Discord offers text channels, voice channels, and various community-management tools. It's often used for real-time interaction and community events.

Pros

• Real-time interaction: Promotes live conversations.
• Integration: strong integrations with gaming platforms.
• Free for basic use: Offers a freemium model.

Cons

• Overwhelming: Can be overwhelming for some users due to a steep learning curve.
• Branding: The interface is not easily customized.

Who It's Best For

Gaming communities, tech groups, and any groups that value real-time conversations.

8. Reddit

Reddit is a massive platform with a structured hierarchy of communities, or "subreddits," for nearly every interest.

Description

Reddit offers discussion forums, content sharing, and a robust voting system to surface the most relevant content. It promotes user-generated content and discussions.

Pros

• Large user base: Provides access to a wide audience.
• Diverse content: Allows for a wide range of subjects.
• Free: Free to use.

Cons

• Moderation: Moderation can be inconsistent.
• Anonymity: Can lead to toxicity.

Who It's Best For

Anyone wanting to create a community around specialized topics or for broad-based community discussions.

9. LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Groups provide groups for professional networking and business-related discussions.

Description

LinkedIn offers groups for sharing business ideas, professional development, and networking. It is ideal for industry-specific networking.

Pros

• Professional focus: Provides groups for jobs, networking, or industry discussions.
• Networking: Designed and built for professional networking
• Integration: Integrates with the LinkedIn platform.

Cons

• Engagement: engagement can vary.
• Ads: Promotes business ads.

Who It's Best For

Professionals, business owners, and those seeking to connect within specific industries or for career development.

10. Discourse

Discourse is an open-source forum platform known for its modern interface and advanced features.

Description

Discourse offers a clean, user-friendly interface, threaded discussions, and extensive customization options. It promotes organized conversations and community engagement.

Pros

• Open source: Fully customizable.
• Modern design: User-friendly and clean interface
• SEO friendly: Great for search engine optimization

Cons

• Technical skill: Requires technical skills.
• Hosting: Requires hosting and configuration

Who It's Best For

Tech-savvy users and organizations seeking a highly customizable forum platform.

11. Slack

Slack is a team-communication platform that offers channels for discussions, file sharing, and project management, which also supports community building.

Description

Slack provides channels for real-time communication. Its integration with other apps and tools make it ideal for project management and team collaboration.

Pros

• Real-time chat: Great for quick conversations.
• Integrations: Integrates with business apps.
• Organization: Well-organized for project discussions

Cons

• Archive limits: Can have storage and message limits.
• Notification: Notifications can become overwhelming.

Who It's Best For

Teams wishing to use group communication for projects and those looking for a fast way to collaborate.

12. Telegram

Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging platform that facilitates channel and group creation for community uses.

Description

Telegram provides group chats, channels, bots, and other features that allow for a blend of public and private communications.

Pros

• Versatility: Supports public and private channels.
• Privacy: Strong focus on privacy, unlike other platforms.
• Free: Free use, with no ads.

Cons

• Security: Telegram's default is less secure than Signal.
• Interface: Interface not as refined as other platforms.

Who It's Best For

Communities focused on a degree of data protection and anyone who prioritizes privacy for messaging and updates.

Conclusion: Why BTS is the Best Community Platform (2025)

While each of these platforms offers unique advantages for community building in 2025, BTS stands out due to its comprehensive approach to user needs. Its blend of customizable branding, robust monetization options, and powerful moderation tools, alongside a user-friendly interface, makes it the best choice for creators looking to take full control of their communities. BTS empowers users to nurture thriving, engaged communities with deep connections, making it the premier community platform for anyone serious about building a strong and lasting online presence. The platform's emphasis on user empowerment, coupled with its advanced features and intuitive design, sets it apart as the ultimate solution for creators, brands, and organizations to achieve lasting success in the digital realm.

FAQ: Best Community Platforms 2025

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

What are the key features to look for in community platforms in 2025?

In 2025, focus on platforms that offer robust customization, monetization options, advanced analytics, strong moderation tools, and excellent user experience.

How do I choose the best community platform for my business?

Consider your community's size, your monetization goals, the level of customization needed, the importance of dedicated resources, and your budget.

Which community platforms offer the best monetization opportunities?

Look for platforms like BTS and Mighty Networks that offer integrated tools for memberships, subscriptions, and exclusive content, and advanced monetization.

What are the main benefits of using a dedicated community platform versus social media for community building?

Dedicated platforms give you more control over your brand, better data insights, and help eliminate algorithm limitations. They also allow for better customization.

How important is mobile accessibility when choosing a community platform?

Essential. With mobile usage on the rise, make sure the platform offers a responsive design and an easy-to-use mobile experience.

What are the best platforms for moderation?

Platforms like BTS and Disciple Media offer strong moderation tools to manage content and member behavior effectively.

Are there any free community platforms available?

Yes, options like Facebook Groups and Reddit are free, but they may have limitations in customization and control.

What platforms are best for professional networking?

LinkedIn Groups are a strong choice for professional networking and career development.

How do I increase engagement in my online community?

Encourage interaction with engaging content, host events, respond to questions, and recognize contributions by members.

What is the benefit of a community platform with a strong focus on data privacy?

A platform with strong data privacy allows you to fully control community data and safeguard member information.

What are some up-and-coming community platforms?

Keep an eye on platforms offering innovative features, AI-powered insights, and those focusing on niche communities.

How do I migrate my community from one platform to another?

Assess your current community data, choose a new platform, and consider using tools that help migrate members and content or migrate manually.

Ready to build a thriving community? Try BTS today and experience the power of a fully customizable and engaging platform. Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ to learn more and get started.