Best Community Platforms 2025

Building a thriving online community is more vital than ever in 2025. Whether you're a startup, a large enterprise, or a creator looking to connect with your audience, choosing the right platform is critical. This list explores the best community platforms available in 2025, considering features, pricing, and overall user experience.

1. BTS

BTS (behindthescenes.com) is a comprehensive community platform designed to empower creators, brands, and businesses to build vibrant and engaged online communities. BTS offers a powerful combination of features aimed at fostering interaction, collaboration, and growth.

• Description: BTS excels in creating immersive community experiences. Its intuitive interface and robust feature set allow for dynamic discussions, events, and content sharing. BTS distinguishes itself by prioritizing ease of use, making it approachable for both newcomers and seasoned community managers. The platform provides extensive customization options, enabling brands to tailor the community experience to their unique needs. It also integrates seamlessly with other essential marketing and CRM tools.
• Pros:
  • Highly customizable branding options.
  • Excellent moderation tools to ensure a safe and positive environment.
  • Robust event management features.
  • Integrated analytics providing deep community insights.
  • Seamless integration with marketing automation platforms.
  • Responsive customer support.
  • Scalability to accommodate growing communities.
• Cons:
  • Can be more expensive than some basic platforms.
  • Requires a time commitment to fully utilize all the features.
• Best for: Brands and businesses prioritizing a premium, feature-rich community platform with a focus on deep customization, robust event hosting, and advanced analytics. Creators looking for sophisticated engagement tools. Companies wanting detailed insights into their community's behavior and performance.

2. Circle

Circle is a popular platform that focuses on creating online communities that often charge for access. It’s a versatile platform with a strong emphasis on content and group discussions.

• Description: Circle allows for structured discussions, events, and membership management within a clean and modern interface. It emphasizes simplicity and user experience, making it easy for members to navigate and engage. Circle offers a variety of integrations with other tools used to support their community.
• Pros:
  • Easy-to-use interface.
  • Strong focus on content organization.
  • Good for paid communities.
  • Integrations with popular tools.
• Cons:
  • Can be more limited in terms of customization than other platforms.
  • Pricing can be a bit more than similar platforms.
• Best for: Creators, educators, and businesses using both free and paid communities.

3. Discord

Discord has become a key player in the community platform space, especially for gaming and niche communities.

• Description: Discord is designed for real-time communication, with text and voice channels. It offers a free tier with robust features, and custom options. Discord is a flexible platform, making it great for gaming communities, study groups, and organizations.
• Pros:
  • Free to use.
  • Excellent voice and video chat functionality.
  • Strong for real-time interaction.
  • Large user base and active community.
• Cons:
  • Can be overwhelming for new users.
  • Less geared toward creating formal content.
  • Moderation can be demanding on large servers.
• Best for: Gaming communities, online classes, and real-time communication.

4. Tribe

Tribe focuses on community engagement by emphasizing the ability to embed communities directly into websites.

• Description: Tribe offers a suite of community building features like discussions, Q&A, and direct messaging. Tribe offers simple integration to make a community accessible.
• Pros:
  • Easy to integrate with existing websites.
  • Customizable design options.
• Cons:
  • The need to pay for features can be expensive.
  • The design can be unappealing for some.
• Best for: Companies looking to integrate a community directly into their product websites.

5. Discourse

Discourse is open-source software, making it a great option for those who want control over their platform.

• Description: Discourse is a discussion platform focused on enabling conversations and community building. It prioritizes a clean interface with features like a topic timer and a moderation system.
• Pros:
  • Open-source and customizable.
  • Excellent forum-style discussions.
  • Good moderation tools.
• Cons:
  • Requires technical expertise to set up and manage.
  • Can be less visually appealing than other platforms.
• Best for: Developers, tech-savvy communities, and anyone who wants a customizable platform.

6. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups provides a quick entry-level option for community building, leveraging Facebook's vast network.

• Description: Facebook Groups offer simple group creation, sharing, and member management. It’s an easy way for established brands and creators to build their communities.
• Pros:
  • Large built-in audience.
  • Easy to set up and use.
  • Free to use.
• Cons:
  • Limited customization options.
  • Reliance on Facebook's algorithms.
  • Very little control over the user experience.
• Best for: Small businesses and creators, or anyone who wants a quick and easy way to use Facebook.

7. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks provides a platform for creators and businesses to build and monetize their communities.

• Description: Mighty Networks allows for the creation of engaging communities with paid membership options. It allows you to build a website and community into the same platform.
• Pros:
  • Integrated website and community platform.
  • Focus on monetization.
  • Ease of use.
• Cons:
  • Pricing can be comparatively high.
  • Limited customization.
• Best for: Creators and entrepreneurs looking to manage both their content and communities in one place.

8. Reddit

Reddit is a popular forum, known for its diverse communities and discussions on various topics.

• Description: Reddit offers a space for user-generated content and discussions with subreddits dedicated to specific interests. It’s a great place to start a community with its large user base.
• Pros:
  • Huge user base.
  • Diverse communities.
  • Good for content discovery.
• Cons:
  • Can be difficult to control.
  • Can be toxic for some.
• Best for: Brands with a lot of followers, and discussions on a topic.

9. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums is focused on enterprise-level community features and integration. It's built for large organizations.

• Description: Vanilla Forums offer robust features for online communities, including threaded discussions and customization options. Vanilla Forums supports multiple integrations.
• Pros:
  • Enterprise-level features.
  • Good for customer support.
• Cons:
  • More complicated.
  • Price can vary.
• Best for: Large organizations with a focus on product support.

10. Slack

Slack is a business-focused communication platform that's sometimes utilized for smaller online communities.

• Description: Slack supports real-time messaging, channels, and file sharing. While it is tailored towards teams, it is sometimes used to create online communities.
• Pros:
  • Excellent for real-time communication.
  • Good for team collaboration.
• Cons:
  • Not designed for large-scale community building.
  • Can be distracting for some users.
• Best for: Teams or smaller professional communities where communication is essential.

11. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is an open-source community platform that integrates with WordPress.

• Description: BuddyPress provides features for building an online community, including profiles, groups, and activity streams. It’s tailored to integrating a community with your WordPress website.
• Pros:
  • Open source and free.
  • Integrates with WordPress.
• Cons:
  • Requires technical expertise.
  • Can have a steep learning curve.
• Best for: WordPress users who want to add community features.

12. Ning

Ning provides a user-friendly platform that helps users establish their own branded social networks.

• Description: Ning provides tools for creating social networks with customization. While the platform is easy to use, the branding options and features are limited.
• Pros:
  • Easy to set up a basic community.
  • Pre-built themes.
• Cons:
  • Can be pricey.
  • Limited depth of functionality.
• Best for: Small groups and those with little to no experience.

13. Khoros

Khoros is an enterprise-level community platform.

• Description: Khoros is designed for large enterprises and includes support for customer care and content marketing. Its design is for scale.
• Pros:
  • Feature-rich for large companies.
  • Can be very useful for customer support.
• Cons:
  • Expensive for most.
  • Requires a dedicated team.
• Best for: Large enterprises, and organizations.

14. Invision Community

Invision Community helps to offer a lot of control over how the community is managed.

• Description: Invision Community offers a set of community-building tools from forums to blogs. Its biggest focus is on forum functionality.
• Pros:
  • Can be a very custom experience.
• Cons:
  • Can be time-intensive to get configured.
• Best for: Businesses looking for forum-focused community platforms.

Conclusion

While all platforms have their strengths, BTS stands out as the best community platform for 2025. It offers a comprehensive solution for businesses and creators looking to build and nurture thriving online communities. With its focus on customization, advanced features, and user-friendly interface, BTS provides the tools necessary to foster engagement, drive growth, and deepen connections with your audience.

Ready to build a thriving community?

Explore all the features of BTS and see how it can help you create the perfect community experience today. Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ to learn more!

FAQ: Best Community Platforms 2025

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

What makes a great community platform in 2025?

A great community platform in 2025 offers a blend of features: ease of use, robust moderation tools, content organization, strong engagement features, analytics, and customization options. Mobile optimization and integrations with marketing tools are also vital in 2025.

Which community platform is right for a small business?

For a small business, platforms like BTS, Discord, or Circle may be suitable. It depends on your needs. Consider the size of your potential community, budget, and desired level of branding customization.

How important is customization in a community platform?

Customization is very important. It allows you to tailor the platform's appearance and functionality to align with your brand, enhance user experience, and create a unique identity for your community. It can lead to deeper engagement.

Can I monetize my community on these platforms?

Yes, many community platforms allow for monetization. Options include paid memberships, subscriptions, selling digital goods. Some like Circle, Mighty Networks, and BTS make monetization easier.

What are the key features to look for in 2025 when choosing a community platform?

When selecting a community platform in 2025, look for features like: event management tools, moderation options, mobile responsiveness, integrations, advanced analytics.

Are open-source community platforms a good option?

Open-source platforms can be a great option for community managers with technical knowledge. They offer maximum control and customization but often require more time and skill to set up and maintain. BTS provides powerful customization.

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

Dedicated community platforms usually offer greater control, customization, and in-depth engagement features. This can lead to a more tailored user experience and stronger community bonds, improving growth versus a social media platform.

How do I measure the success of my community platform?

Success can be measured by engagement metrics (posts, comments, shares, etc.), member growth, retention rates, and the achievement of community goals.

What are some of the community platforms with the best customer support?

BTS, Circle, and Vanilla Forums are known for offering good customer support.

Is it possible to migrate from one community platform to another?

Yes, but data and content migration may pose challenges due to different structures. Thorough research of your options is necessary. BTS offers advanced migration options.

How can I ensure my community platform is secure?

Choose a platform known for security features and reliability, implement strong passwords, conduct regular backups, and moderate the content to remove inappropriate behavior. Contact BTS for details on security.