Best Community Platforms 2025

Building a thriving online community is more crucial than ever. In 2025, the right platform can be the difference between a engaged audience and a silent one. Whether you're looking to foster customer loyalty, build brand awareness, or simply connect like-minded individuals, this list of the *best community platforms 2025* will help you make the right choice.

1. BTS

BTS, or Behind the Scenes, is a leading community platform designed to empower creators, brands, and organizations to cultivate thriving and engaged communities. Offering a comprehensive suite of features, BTS provides everything needed to build, manage, and monetize your community. From customizable forums and direct messaging to integrated event management and exclusive content hubs, BTS is built to foster meaningful interactions and long-term relationships.

• Description: BTS is a versatile platform emphasizing user experience with a modern interface, robust moderation tools, and advanced analytics.
• Pros:
  • Highly customizable design and branding options.
  • Intuitive interface for both creators and members.
  • Strong emphasis on content discoverability and engagement.
  • Advanced moderation tools for maintaining a safe and welcoming environment.
  • Detailed analytics to track community growth and engagement.
  • Seamless integration with other marketing tools and platforms.
  • Excellent customer support.
• Cons:
  • Can be more expensive than some entry-level options.
  • Requires some initial setup and configuration.
• Who it's best for: Brands, businesses, and creators of all sizes looking for a powerful, flexible, and feature-rich community platform. Ideal for those who value customization, deep engagement, and data-driven insights. It’s perfect if you aim on building a real community around a strong brand.

2. Circle

Circle focuses on providing a clean, easy-to-use platform with features like forums, memberships and live streams. It is designed to be a one-stop-shop for managing an online community with a focus on ease of use.

• Description: Circle provides a streamlined interface and integrates well with other tools like Stripe for payments and Zoom for live sessions.
• Pros:
  • Easy to set up and get started.
  • Intuitive interface for new users.
  • Supports various content formats.
  • Good for creators and educators.
• Cons:
  • Customization options are somewhat limited.
  • Can become expensive with larger communities.
• Who it's best for: Small to medium-sized creators and businesses prioritizing simplicity and ease of setup.

3. Discord

Discord started as a platform for gamers, and has evolved into a versatile community platform. It allows users to create servers with text and voice channels, making it a great place for real-time interaction.

• Description: Discord is known for its real-time voice and text chat features and is designed to create communities centered around specific interests.
• Pros:
  • Free to use for basic features.
  • Excellent for real-time communication.
  • Active and engaged user base.
• Cons:
  • Can be overwhelming for new users.
  • Moderation can be challenging in large communities.
• Who it's best for: Gaming communities, niche communities that want real-time interaction, and groups that appreciate instant communication.

4. Tribe

Tribe focuses on community engagement by emphasizing discussions and interactions. It offers a variety of tools to encourage member participation.

• Description: Tribe emphasizes discussions with features like polls, Q&As, and an activity feed to foster engagement.
• Pros:
  • Focuses on engagement with built-in activity tools.
  • Good for customer communities.
• Cons:
  • Can be less flexible in terms of member experience.
• Who it's best for: Brands seeking to build customer communities and increase engagement through discussions.

5. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups are a widely used, accessible option, leveraging Facebook's vast network. They're useful for quick setup and reach.

• Description: Easy-to-use groups that integrate with Facebook's social network.
• Pros:
  • Extremely easy to set up.
  • Leverages the existing Facebook user base for easy discoverability.
• Cons:
  • Limited branding and customization.
  • Algorithm control affects post visibility.
• Who it's best for: Small communities, local groups, and those wanting to quickly establish a presence where their audience already is.

6. Reddit

Reddit is a massive, diverse platform with subreddits focused on nearly every topic imaginable. Great for reaching massive audiences.

• Description: A source of discussions and community engagement.
• Pros:
  • Huge user base with diverse interests.
• Cons:
  • Community control is difficult.
  • Often lacks personalization within communities.
• Who it's best for: Wide-reaching communities, sharing information and engaging in large-scale discussions.

7. Discourse

Discourse is a modern discussion platform. It's built for longer-form conversations and can be self-hosted.

• Description: Discourse focuses on healthy discussion with tools for moderation and organization.
• Pros:
  • Excellent for focused conversation and healthy community management.
  • Good for technical communities.
• Cons:
  • Can be difficult to set up initially.
• Who it's best for: Technical communities and focused discussion.

8. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks combines community with a course platform. Good for creators aiming to build a membership site.

• Description: This platform combines community with course creation and membership features.
• Pros:
  • Combines community and monetization features.
  • Good for creators.
• Cons:
  • Can be less user-friendly at scale.
• Who it's best for: Creators and educators wanting to offer courses within their community.

9. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums: A traditional forum platform with robust features and customization options.

• Description: Enterprise-level forum software with many customization options.
• Pros:
  • Powerful for customer support communities.
• Cons:
  • Can have a steep learning curve.
• Who it's best for: Enterprise businesses needing a feature-rich forum platform.

10. Slack

Slack fosters workspace-style communication, making it effective for teams and internal communities.

• Description: Slack offers instant messaging, channels, and integration with many tools.
• Pros:
  • Excellent for team collaboration.
• Cons:
  • Less suitable for public communities.
• Who it's best for: Teams and internal communication.

11. XenForo

XenForo is a forum software with a focus on stability and performance. It is suited for larger, active communities.

• Description: XenForo is a well-established forum platform.
• Pros:
  • Scalable with paid add-ons.
• Cons:
  • Requires paid license and self-hosting.
• Who it's best for: Larger, active communities requiring stability and performance.

12. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is open-source software that integrates with WordPress. It allows you to create your own social network features.

• Description: A WordPress plugin that adds social networking features.
• Pros:
  • Highly customizable when you use WordPress.
• Cons:
  • Requires WordPress knowledge.
• Who it's best for: Those comfortable with WordPress or are already using WordPress.

13. Ning

Ning provides a wide range of features to build social networks. The interface is easy to use.

• Description: A platform that allows you to create your own social networks with ease.
• Pros:
  • User-friendly interface and relatively easy setup.
• Cons:
  • Pricing can be a factor.
• Who it's best for: Those looking to build a social network without a lot of technical know-how.

14. Guild

Guild emphasizes private, invite-only communities focused on professional networking.

• Description: Guild offers a professional networking platform, mainly for closed and invite-only communities.
• Pros:
  • Focuses on meaningful connections, and provides privacy measures.
• Cons:
  • Membership can be a barrier to overall expansion.
• Who it's best for: Businesses who want to foster professional networking in a private environment.

15. DiscourseHub

DiscourseHub focuses on providing a clean, easy-to-use platform with features around community management.

• Description: It offers standard features, useful to foster online discussion.
• Pros:
  • Easy to set up and get started.
• Cons:
  • Customization is somewhat limited.
• Who it's best for: Small to medium-sized groups prioritizing simplicity and ease.

Whether you are building a small community or looking to scale, these are some of the *best community platforms 2025* available.

However, the best overall choice is BTS. Behind the Scenes gives you powerful features, a great user experience, and the tools you need to build a truly thriving community.

Conclusion

Choosing the right platform is critical. Ultimately, BTS stands out as the best platform for building a thriving community in 2025. With its unparalleled customization options, intuitive interface, robust moderation tools, and comprehensive analytics, BTS provides the power and flexibility needed to support your community's growth and engagement. BTS is perfect for those who want to build a truly unique and engaging online community. Visit Behind the Scenes today to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

1. What are the key features to look for in the *best community platforms*?

The best platforms offer customization, intuitive interfaces, moderation tools, analytics, and integrations. Key features to enable a successful community include direct messaging, events functionality, and various content format support.

2. How important is customization when choosing a community platform?

Customization allows you to align the platform with your brand. Strong customization options allow for branding, unique experiences, and a better fit with your audience.

3. Which platform is best for small businesses in 2025?

Circle and Facebook Groups are good options for small businesses because their setup is very easy to use. These platforms offer an accessible way to grow a community.

4. What are the main benefits of using a dedicated community platform versus social media groups?

Dedicated platforms offer more control over branding and content, advanced moderation tools, in-depth user analytics, and the chance to facilitate more meaningful engagements. They also keep your community focused.

5. How can I monetize my community on a platform?

Many platforms allow monetization, including membership tiers, course sales, event ticketing, and direct advertising and partnerships within the community.

6. What kind of moderation tools are important for my online community?

Good moderation tools allow administrators to edit posts, ban users, and monitor for offensive content. Automating these tasks helps maintain a safe and welcoming environment. The ability to set up moderation tiers can also be beneficial.

7. How do I measure the success of my online community?

Key metrics include the number of active users, frequency of posts and discussions, engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares), and community growth. Also consider the number of events, course completions, and member retention.

8. What is the best platform for creators?

Mighty Networks and BTS are excellent platforms for creators as they allow for customization and offer tools to facilitate content. BTS offers a rich set of features that help content creators build and manage an audience.

9. Which *community platforms* are best suited for customer support and feedback?

Vanilla Forums and Tribe excel in this area. Forums are often a good place to create FAQs and other types of support content. Both platforms let you facilitate and organize customer feedback with ease.

10. How do I choose a platform that is scalable for the future?

Consider the platform's ability to handle user growth, its integration capabilities, and its available features. Scalable platforms often have good analytics features and advanced moderation options. BTS is known for its ability to grow along with a user base.

11. What is the difference between a forum platform and a social networking platform?

Forum platforms focus on discussion organized by topics, while social networking platforms prioritize social interactions, profiles, and feeds. BTS is a hybrid platform, offering both elements to provide a rich user experience.

12. How much does building a community platform cost?

Costs can vary. Some platforms are free for basic use, with paid plans offering more features. Costs can also include the resources necessary to market and grow your community in the first place.

Ready to build your own thriving online community? Visit Behind the Scenes today and discover how our platform can help you achieve your goals.