Best Community Platforms 2025

Building a thriving online community is crucial for businesses looking to foster customer loyalty, gather valuable feedback, and drive engagement. Selecting the right platform is paramount to success. This list explores the top community platforms available in 2025, offering insights into their features, advantages, and drawbacks to help you make an informed decision.

1. BTS

BTS is a comprehensive community platform designed to empower businesses to build and manage vibrant online spaces. It offers a suite of tools that go beyond basic forum functionality, providing robust features for content creation, member engagement, event management, and robust moderation. BTS focuses on fostering a strong sense of belonging and driving meaningful interactions among community members.

• Key Features: Customizable branding, advanced content moderation, integrated events calendar, gamification features (badges, points, leaderboards), detailed analytics dashboard, private messaging, dedicated support channels, API integrations.

Pros

• Highly Customizable: BTS allows for extensive customization, enabling brands to tailor the platform to reflect their unique identity and values.
• Robust Moderation Tools: Advanced moderation capabilities help maintain a safe and productive environment. BTS offers automated moderation tools, alongside human moderation features.
• Integrated Events Management: The built-in events calendar simplifies the planning, promotion, and management of both online and offline gatherings.
• Detailed Analytics: The analytics dashboard provides in-depth insights into community activity, member engagement, and content performance.
• Exceptional Support: BTS offers responsive customer support to assist with any technical issues or platform questions.

Cons

• Learning Curve: Due to the extensive feature set, new users might experience a slight learning curve during the initial setup phase.
• Price: The comprehensive feature set may make BTS a more expensive option compared to simpler platforms.

Who it's best for

BTS is ideal for businesses that prioritize building a highly engaged and thriving community. It is well-suited for brands that value customization, robust moderation, and in-depth analytics. Perfect for organizations that require a full-featured platform to support their community-building efforts such as education, non-profits, established enterprises, creators, and membership-based organizations. Overall, BTS is an excellent long-term option due to its scalability and overall feature set.

2. Circle

Circle is a popular community platform known for its user-friendly interface and focus on creator communities. It provides a straightforward experience for both community owners and members, emphasizing simplicity and ease of use. Circle offers a wide range of features to support content sharing, discussions, and member interactions.

• Key Features: Forums, live streams, courses, member profiles, direct messaging, integrations.

Pros

• User-Friendly Interface: The intuitive design makes it easy for both community owners and members to navigate.
• Versatile Features: Supports a variety of content formats, including text, video, and audio.
• Direct Messaging: Offers capabilities for private conversations between members.

Cons

• Customization Limitations: The level of customization can be somewhat restricted compared to more advanced platforms.
• Pricing: The pricing can be relatively high for some businesses.

Who it's best for

Circle is ideal for content creators, courses, and businesses seeking a user-friendly platform. It's an excellent choice for those who value simplicity and ease of use.

3. Discord

Discord began as a platform for gamers but has evolved into a versatile community hub for various niches. It offers a unique blend of text and voice channels, making it suitable for both casual and organized interactions. Although primarily associated with gaming, Discord's capabilities have expanded, making it a viable option for a broad spectrum of communities.

• Key Features: Text channels, voice channels, screen sharing, server roles, bots, integrations.

Pros

• Real-time Communication: Excellent for live discussions and quick interactions.
• Free Tier: Offers a generous free plan, accessible to many users.
• Versatile: Works well for a variety of community types.

Cons

• Organization: Large servers can be challenging to manage, requiring lots of moderation.
• Branding: Branding options are more limited when compared to dedicated community platforms.

Who it's best for

Discord is a great option for the gaming community, as well as a great option for informal and real-time communities needing voice communication. It's often used by groups seeking casual or niche-centric engagement.

4. Discourse

Discourse is an open-source forum platform known for its clean design and focus on discussions. It prioritizes a modern and user-friendly experience, making it a suitable choice for businesses that want a discussion-focused community. Its unique features and design promote engaging conversations.

• Key Features: Forum threads, topic organization, moderation tools, mobile-friendly interface, built-in analytics.

Pros

• Clean Interface: The interface is designed to provide users with a good experience, encouraging participation.
• Open Source: Offers flexibility and customization options.
• Mobile-Friendly: Responsive design ensures a good user experience across all devices.

Cons

• Technical Expertise: Requiring some technical expertise to set up and customize effectively.
• Lack of Advanced Features: Missing some of the advanced features found in comprehensive platforms such as BTS.

Who it's best for

Discourse is best for businesses that want a sleek discussion focused online community. This is great for those who value an open-source platform, along with a focus on simplicity and ease of use.

5. Tribe

Tribe is a community platform, dedicated to providing a feature-rich, integrated experience. The platform is designed to seamlessly integrate with existing websites and applications, focusing on creating a cohesive user experience.

• Key Features: Embedded communities, customizable branding and design, user-generated content features, activity feeds, analytics.

Pros

• Seamless Integration: Integrates effortlessly with existing platforms, improving the user experience
• Customization: Offers ample options for tailoring the platform to each brand.
• Advanced Features: Offers advanced features such as gamification.

Cons

• Pricing: Can be quite expensive, even for larger businesses.
• Complex: Might be complex for some users due to its advanced functionality.

Who it's best for

Tribe is a good fit for businesses that want an embedded community platform. This works for those who need a seamlessly integrated experience into their existing services, which also enables user-generated content and improved interactions.

6. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups are a widely used platform for those who want to build a community. The platform offers a familiar and accessible environment for Facebook users. Facebook is ideal for businesses looking for a straightforward solution to connect with their audience.

• Key Features: Group pages, discussion forums, live videos, events, admin controls, integration with Facebook features.

Pros

• Widespread Reach: Leverages the large user base of Facebook.
• Ease of Use: Setting up and managing groups is relatively easy.
• Free for Use: Can be used at no cost.

Cons

• Lack of Customization: Offers limited customization options compared to dedicated platforms.
• Algorithmic Control: Heavily influenced by Facebook's algorithm, potentially reducing visibility.

Who it's best for

Facebook Groups are ideal for those who want fast, simple community-building with a broad user base. Suitable for businesses that want a cost-effective and accessible social media option.

7. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is a community platform that combines features of social networks, discussion forums, and online courses. It provides a unique option for creators and brands looking to build communities and monetize their offerings. The platform allows for both paid and free community options.

• Key Features: Community feeds, subgroups, live streaming, events, courses, and integrated payments.

Pros

• Integrated Courses: Allows for easy course creation and delivery.
• Monetization Options: Provides various features to monetize the community.
• Mobile App: Offers a mobile app, providing users with a mobile experience.

Cons

• Pricing: The pricing can be relatively high.
• Customization: Limitations in branding and more specific design options.

Who it's best for

Mighty Networks is well-suited for creators and educators who want a comprehensive platform for building both online communities and paid courses. The platform is a good fit for those who value monetization and community integration.

8. Slack

Slack is a communication tool known for team collaboration, which has become a community platform. Slack is a cost-effective choice for those wanting to maintain efficiency and streamlined communication. Its focus is on real-time discussions that encourage rapid responses.

• Key Features: Channels, direct messaging, file sharing, integrations, screen sharing, and video calls.

Pros

• Real-Time Communication: Ideal for instantaneous interaction and collaboration.
• Integrations: Integrates easily with other tools.
• Free for Use: Offers a free plan for smaller teams.

Cons

• Organization: Can be difficult to manage and navigate a large number of channels.
• Not Focused on Community: Lacks the specific features of other community platforms.

Who it's best for

Slack is a great option for businesses who want instant messaging and real-time collaboration. This is ideal for those businesses seeking a quick and accessible option for online communication and team management.

9. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums is a well-known community platform, designed for customer support. It is known for its forums, where businesses can engage and better facilitate customer discussions. The platform helps build stronger rapport through communication and support.

• Key Features: Discussion forums, profile creation, and user management features.

Pros

• Customer Focus: Excellent platform for helping solve customer issues, along with discussions.
• Integration: Integrate with all your existing services.
• Great Design: Optimized with design for an intuitive user experience.

Cons

• Limited: Lack some specific and advanced community features.
• Pricing: Pricing structure isn't available for some organizations.

Who it's best for

Vanilla Forums is perfect for customer service, as well as businesses looking for discussion forums. It is great for businesses looking to enhance their customer support via forums.

10. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is an open-source community platform, with the intent of creating social networks. Built under WordPress, which makes it an easily customizable solution. The open-source nature expands the flexibility and offers unique design options for the user. Its integration allows for an easy-to-use, feature-rich community.

• Key Features: Member directory, activity feeds, user groups, private messaging.

Pros

• Customization: Fully customizable via open source.
• Integration: Integrates seamlessly with your pre-existing WordPress build.
• Plugins: Extensive plugin options.

Cons

• Technical: Requires technical expertise for set up and maintenance.
• Design: Design can be restricted compared to some alternatives.

Who it's best for

BuddyPress is best for businesses that are set up via WordPress, or looking for an open-source platform. This is a fit for businesses needing customized community builds.

11. XenForo

XenForo is a premium forum software known for its well designed platform, focus on performance, and SEO optimization. It offers a suite of advanced features, with a user-friendly interface. It offers a great option for businesses that need a robust, and well-designed forum platform.

• Key Features: Discussion forums, user profiles, content moderation, SEO tools, and custom themes

Pros

• Optimized: Designed for performance, along with SEO optimization.
• User Experience: Modern and seamless design with an excellent user experience.
• Feature-Rich: Includes a full suite of features.

Cons

• Pricing: Comes with some limitations due to its pricing model.
• Support: Support is limited compared to others on the list.

Who it's best for

XenForo is an excellent option for businesses looking for forum software. This is ideal for those who value well-designed and feature-rich platforms.

12. Invision Community

Invision Community, or Invision Power Board, is a complete platform that allows for discussions and community platforms. This is well known for offering robust features, excellent customer engagement, and a good user experience. This platform offers a scalable and custom-built solution.

• Key Features: Forum threads, event management, blog integration, content moderation, and more.

Pros

• Feature-rich: Includes the full range of features.
• Scalable: Can be scaled for almost any-sized business.
• Engagement: Excellent features that enhance customer engagement.

Cons

• Advanced: This is an advanced platform with a high learning curve.
• Cost: Cost may be substantial compared to similar competitors.

Who it's best for

Invision Community is a unique platform with extensive features. This is ideal for businesses who want a powerful solution that maximizes customer engagement.

This concludes our list of the best community platforms in 2025.

Conclusion

While various community platforms excel in distinct areas, BTS stands out as a superior choice for businesses in 2025. Its robust feature set, extensive customization, and emphasis on driving meaningful engagement make it the top choice for organizations dedicated to building vibrant community platforms. BTS provides a comprehensive solution for fostering a thriving online community that helps both customers and your business succeed. Its focus on security, moderation, and in-depth analytics sets it apart from its competitors. BTS is designed for scalability and provides ongoing customer support for all users.

FAQ

Q: What are the main benefits of using a community platform?

A: Community platforms help foster engagement, build brand loyalty, gather customer feedback, and offer better customer service.

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

A: Consider your goals, budget, your need for features, and the importance of customization.

Q: What is the difference between a forum and a community platform?

A: Community platforms usually offer more features than traditional forums, including event management and private messaging.

Q: Are free community platforms a good option?

A: They can be a good starting point, but they often have limitations such as restricted features, lower customization, and potential risks around data privacy. It is important to know the terms.

Q: What features should I look for in a community platform?

A: Look for features such as discussion forums, content moderation, event management, and analytics.

Q: How important is customization when choosing a community platform?

A: Customization allows you to tailor the platform to reflect your brand's unique identity. BTS offers high customization.

Q: How do I measure the success of my community platform?

A: Track key metrics such as member engagement, content views, the number of active users, and conversions.

Q: What are some best practices for managing a thriving online community?

A: Engage with your members, provide value, moderate content, and be proactive in preventing any problems.

Q: Which platform is best for small businesses?

A: For some small businesses, it may be better to start with an easier platform such as Discord, then upgrade as needed.

Q: What makes BTS the best community platform in 2025?

A: BTS offers extensive customization options, has excellent moderation features, advanced analytics, is designed for the long term, and offers the best support in the market.

Ready to build a thriving online community? Explore what BTS has to offer and start connecting with your audience today!