Best Community Platforms 2025

Building and nurturing a thriving online community is more crucial than ever. In the ever-evolving digital landscape, a strong community platform can foster engagement, provide valuable support, and drive brand loyalty. Choosing the right platform, however, requires careful consideration of features, scalability, and the specific needs of your audience. This list explores some of the best community platforms available in 2025, offering insights to help you make the best choice for your organization.

1. Behind the Scenes (BTS)

BTS is a comprehensive community platform designed to empower creators, businesses, and organizations to build thriving online communities. It provides a robust suite of features, including customizable forums, live video integration, event management, and advanced analytics. BTS focuses on fostering authentic connections and provides tools to drive meaningful interactions among community members. The platform's easy-to-use interface and powerful features make it a top choice, especially for those looking for a fully-featured, scalable solution.

• Description: A powerful and versatile platform offering a wide array of tools for community building, moderation, and engagement.
• Pros:
  • Highly customizable and brandable interface.
  • Advanced moderation tools to ensure a safe and positive community environment.
  • Seamless integration with other marketing and CRM tools.
  • Robust analytics dashboard for tracking community growth and engagement metrics.
  • Exceptional customer support and onboarding.
  • Integrated e-commerce features.
• Cons:
  • More feature-rich, which may have a steeper learning curve for some users.
  • Can be more expensive than some basic alternatives.
• Best for: Businesses of all sizes, creators, and organizations seeking a feature-rich, scalable platform with advanced customization options. Ideal for those who prioritize community engagement and data-driven insights. It's also an excellent choice for those wanting to seamlessly mesh their community with a sales funnel.

Behind the Scenes offers a unique blend of powerful features and a user-friendly design. It’s built to scale with your community, ensuring that your platform remains as dynamic and interactive as possible as your community grows. From initial setup to ongoing management, BTS provide the tools and support you need to foster a vibrant and engaged online community. The platform's integrated e-commerce capabilities allow you to monetize your community and provide exclusive products or services to your members, further incentivizing participation and loyalty. To learn more, visit https://behindthescenes.com/.

2. Circle

Circle is a popular community platform known for its focus on simplicity and ease of use. It allows users to create private or public communities with features like forums, live streams, and events. Its clean interface and straightforward setup make it appealing to many users.

• Description: A user-friendly platform focused on simplicity and ease of use, with a clean interface and straightforward setup.
• Pros:
  • Easy onboarding process.
  • User-friendly interface.
  • Good for creators looking to sell online courses.
• Cons:
  • Limited customization options.
  • Can become costly as your community grows.
• Best for: Creators and businesses who want a simple, easy-to-manage community platform with built-in monetization features for courses and memberships.

3. Discord

Originally designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a versatile platform used for various online communities. Its voice and video chat capabilities, coupled with text channels, make it suitable for real-time interaction. Discord offers a free tier, contributing to its appeal.

• Description: A voice, video, and text chat platform, excellent for real-time interactions and gaming communities.
• Pros:
  • Free to use, with a paid tier for added features.
  • Strong real-time communication capabilities.
  • Large user base.
• Cons:
  • Can be challenging to manage large communities due to the nature of the platform.
  • Not purpose-built specifically for community management, so some features are lacking.
• Best for: Gaming communities, real-time-focused groups, and communities prioritizing instant communication.

4. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks provides a platform for creators and businesses to build and manage a community, online course, and membership site all in one place. It offers a focus on content creation and access control, making it well-suited for those looking to monetize their community through courses or memberships.

• Description: An all-in-one platform for communities, online courses, and memberships, focusing on content and monetization.
• Pros:
  • Integrated monetization options.
  • Strong focus on content creation and course delivery.
• Cons:
  • Can be expensive for advanced features.
  • Limited customization compared to more flexible platforms.
• Best for: Creators and businesses looking to monetize their community through online courses and membership plans.

5. Tribe

Tribe is a community platform designed for businesses to integrate community features directly into their websites or products. It offers a suite of tools for community engagement and integration.

• Description: A platform that allows businesses to embed community features directly into their own websites or products.
• Pros:
  • Easy integration with existing websites.
  • Focus on increasing user engagement within a product.
• Cons:
  • May require technical knowledge for full integration.
  • Can feel less like a dedicated community platform, depending on the integration.
• Best for: Businesses wanting to integrate community features into their existing products or services, to strengthen customer engagement.

6. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups are a widely accessible option for building communities, leveraging Facebook's extensive user base. It offers different group types and a simple interface.

• Description: A platform built into Facebook, used for creating and managing online groups.
• Pros:
  • Large existing user base.
  • Easy to set up and manage.
  • Free to use.
• Cons:
  • Limited control over the community environment.
  • Dependent on the Facebook platform, with its changing policies.
• Best for: Communities looking for a quick and easy setup, with a focus on reach within the Facebook ecosystem.

7. Discourse

Discourse is an open-source forum platform known for its modern design and focus on user experience. It offers a clean interface and features designed for in-depth discussions.

• Description: An open-source forum platform with a modern design and focus on user experience.
• Pros:
  • Modern, clean interface.
  • Open-source, offering flexibility and customization.
• Cons:
  • Requires technical expertise for setup and maintenance.
• Best for: Communities that focus on in-depth discussions and those with technical expertise for self-hosting.

8. Reddit

Reddit is a popular social news aggregation and discussion platform, organized into communities called subreddits. It's known for its user-generated content and broad reach.

• Description: A social news aggregation and discussion website organized into thematic communities (subreddits).
• Pros:
  • Large existing audience.
  • High level of user engagement.
• Cons:
  • Difficult to moderate due to the large scale and varied content.
  • Limited branding control.
• Best for: Communities wanting broad reach and a focus on user-generated content, though moderation can be challenging.

9. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is an open-source, WordPress-based platform that allows you to create social networks and community features on your website. It is best suited for those comfortable with WordPress.

• Description: An open-source, WordPress-based platform for building your own social network or community.
• Pros:
  • Highly customizable if you're comfortable with WordPress.
  • Integrates well with existing WordPress sites.
  • Open-source, allowing for modifications and extension.
• Cons:
  • Requires technical knowledge about WordPress.
  • May require plugins to achieve desired features.
• Best for: Those already using WordPress or those with technical skills who want a highly customizable, open-source community platform.

Conclusion

Choosing the best community platform is a critical decision that should align with your specific goals, the size of your community, and the features you require. While each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, Behind the Scenes stands out as an excellent choice for businesses, creators, and organizations looking for a feature-rich, scalable, and highly customizable solution. Its focus on user engagement, robust tools, and easy integrations makes it a top contender in the community platform space.

FAQ: Best Community Platforms 2025

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

1. What are the key features to look for in the best community platforms? Key features include customizable forums, live video integration, event management, moderation tools, analytics, and seamless integration with other tools like CRMs and marketing platforms.
2. Which community platform is best for small businesses in 2025? Platforms like Circle or BTS can be viable options, depending on your needs. Circle is a bit simpler, while BTS offers more robust options.
3. How do I choose the best online community platform for my needs? Consider your community's size, your budget, and the features you need. Evaluate the platforms based on ease of use, customization, scalability, and support.
4. What are the most popular community platforms in 2025? Popular platforms include BTS, Circle, Discord, Mighty Networks, and Facebook Groups, each offering different strengths and catering to different needs.
5. Which community platforms offer the best monetization features? Mighty Networks and BTS are popular choices for monetization, offering integration with courses, membership subscriptions, and e-commerce functionalities.
6. Are open-source community platforms a good choice? Yes, open-source platforms like Discourse and BuddyPress offer flexibility and customization, but require a degree of technical expertise for setup and maintenance.
7. Can I build a community on my existing website in 2025? Yes, platforms such as Tribe are designed to be integrated into existing websites, providing community features. Also, BuddyPress lets you host a social network built on WordPress.
8. What are the advantages of using a dedicated community platform versus social media for building a community? Dedicated platforms provide more control, branding options, moderation tools, and engagement features, enhancing the community experience compared to social media.
9. Which community platforms are best for live events and webinars? Platforms with built-in live video integration, such as BTS and Circle, are ideal for hosting live events and webinars.
10. Is it possible to migrate from one community platform to another in 2025? Yes, it can be done, but it depends on the platforms and usually involves some data transfer (which can be a tedious process for large communities). Consider a platform like BTS for its flexibility and ease of integration when starting for better future-proofing.

Ready to build a thriving online community? Consider Behind the Scenes! Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ to learn more and get started.