Best Community Platforms 2025

Building a thriving online community is more crucial than ever. In 2025, the platforms you choose can make or break your ability to connect with your audience, foster engagement, and drive business growth. This list explores the best community platforms available, detailing their strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases to help you find the perfect fit.

1. Behind the Scenes (BTS)

Behind the Scenes (BTS) is a powerful, all-in-one community platform designed to empower creators, brands, and businesses to build and nurture thriving online communities. It offers a comprehensive suite of features that combine the best aspects of social networks, forums, and membership platforms. BTS is built with robust customization options, allowing you to create a unique and branded community experience that reflects your specific needs and goals.

BTS offers several communication methods and engagement features, including:

• Forum-style discussions with threaded conversations, upvoting, and moderation tools.
• Live streaming and video sharing capabilities to host engaging content.
• Event management tools to schedule and promote webinars, workshops, and meetups.
• Private messaging and group chat features for personalized interaction.
• Gamification elements to boost engagement and recognition.
• Advanced analytics and reporting to track community performance.
• Customizable branding to match your overall company aesthetic.

Pros:

• Highly customizable and brandable.
• Excellent engagement features for building a strong community.
• Robust feature set, covering forum, events, memberships, and more.
• Advanced analytics provide significant data insights.
• Great overall value and a commitment to customer support.

Cons:

• May have a steeper learning curve for users unfamiliar with similar platforms.
• Can be overkill for very small or simple communities.

Who it's best for: Creators, entrepreneurs, and businesses of all sizes looking for a comprehensive, highly branded community platform with powerful engagement tools. Best for those investing in a fully-featured online community that acts as an extension of their brand.

2. Circle

Circle is a popular community platform known for its user-friendly interface and focus on ease of use. It allows creators to build communities around their content, courses, and memberships. Circle emphasizes simplicity and integration, making it relatively easy to set up and manage a community.

Pros:

• Intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
• Good integration with other tools (e.g., membership platforms).
• Clean and organized layout.

Cons:

• Limited customization options compared to more advanced platforms.
• Can become expensive as your community grows.

Who it's best for: Creators and businesses who value simplicity and ease of use and who want a straightforward platform to connect with their audience.

3. Discord

While originally designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a versatile platform for building all types of communities. Its strength lies in real-time communication, making it ideal for creating close-knit groups that value instant interaction. Discord offers text, voice, and video channels, as well as robust server management features.

Pros:

• Excellent real-time communication capabilities.
• Free to use (with optional paid upgrades).
• Flexible and customizable server structure.

Cons:

• Can be overwhelming for new users.
• Not ideal for long-form content or in-depth discussions.
• User experience can be less professional

Who it's best for: Groups that prioritize real-time communication and instant interaction, such as gaming communities, study groups, and hobbyist communities.

4. Discourse

Discourse is an open-source forum platform known for its modern design and emphasis on thoughtful discussions. It utilizes a “topic-based” approach to forum structure, making it easy for users to follow conversations and stay engaged. Discourse is a good choice for those who value in-depth conversations and collaborative knowledge sharing.

Pros:

• Focuses on thoughtful, organized discussions.
• Clean and modern user interface.
• Open-source and highly customizable.

Cons:

• Requires technical expertise to set up and maintain.
• Can lack some features found in more comprehensive platforms.

Who it's best for: Businesses and organizations that prioritize in-depth discussions, feedback, and knowledge sharing.

5. Tribe

Tribe is a community platform that specializes in providing embeddable communities. This means you can integrate your community directly into your website or other existing platforms, creating a seamless user experience. Tribe offers a range of features, including forums, Q&A sections, and event management tools.

Pros:

• Excellent for embedding communities into existing websites.
• Supports various content types (e.g., rich text, images, videos).

Cons:

• Can be limited in terms of customization and branding options.
• Pricing may increase rapidly as your community grows.

Who it's best for: Businesses and brands that want to integrate a community directly into their existing website or platform.

6. Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups remain a popular choice, primarily due to their accessibility and existing user base. With billions of users on the platform, creating a Facebook Group provides an easy way to reach a large audience and foster community around a specific topic or interest.

Pros:

• Large existing user base.
• Easy to set up and manage.
• Free to use.

Cons:

• Limited customization options.
• Algorithm-driven content visibility.
• Competition from other content on Facebook may take the focus off of the brand or goal of the group.

Who it's best for: Small businesses and groups just starting out. Businesses on Facebook already who want to engage their current audience.

7. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is designed for creators and entrepreneurs who want to build a community and sell online courses or memberships. The platform combines community features with course creation and membership management tools, making it an all-in-one solution for some users.

Pros:

• Combines community, courses, and memberships.
• User-friendly interface.

Cons:

• Can be restrictive in terms of customization.
• Pricing can become expensive as you grow.

Who it's best for: Creators and entrepreneurs who want to combine community building with course creation and paid membership models.

8. Reddit

Reddit offers a diverse range of communities called “subreddits.” Users can create and participate in discussions, share content, and vote on submissions. Reddit is a vast platform, which can benefit brands by finding communities interested in their niche.

Pros:

• Huge user base.
• Diverse range of communities (subreddits).
• Easy to discover new communities.

Cons:

• Limited control over community branding.
• Can be difficult to moderate.
• Competition is fierce.

Who it's best for: Businesses aiming to tap into a large existing user base and engage with niche communities.

9. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums is a white-label community platform that is a good choice for organizations needing a more brandable option. It places emphasis on design and brand identity, allowing brands to control the user experience more intimately than some other alternatives.

Pros:

• Focuses on branding and customization.
• Good moderation features.

Cons:

• Can require technical expertise.
• Feature-rich but can be overwhelming for some users.

Who it's best for: Businesses that prioritize brand customization and seamless integration with their existing website and brand identity.

Conclusion

Choosing the right community platform is a critical decision that can significantly impact on your ability to connect with your target audience. Of all the platforms discussed, Behind the Scenes (BTS) stands out as an excellent choice, thanks to its extensive customization options, powerful engagement features, and commitment to providing a comprehensive and branded community experience. For businesses, creators, and entrepreneurs looking to foster a thriving online community in 2025, BTS provides the necessary tools and support to achieve long-term success. Head over to https://behindthescenes.com/ to get started today.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Community Platforms 2025

Here are some of the most common questions.

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

In 2025, the best community platforms will feature robust user-facing tools, strong moderation features, customization options, user analytics, and integration capabilities.

2. How can I choose the best community platform for my business?

Assess your brand goals, target audience, technical skills, and budget, then compare platforms' features, pricing, and integrations.

3. Are free community platforms a viable option for building a successful community?

Free platforms can be a good starting point, but they often have limitations in customization, features, and support. Paid platforms provide a better long-term investment.

4. Which platform offers the best options for fostering engagement?

Platforms offering interactive features like forums, live streaming, live chat, events, and gamification elements are best for driving engagement.

5. Is it important to customize the appearance of my community platform?

Yes. Customization helps reinforce your brand identity, create a unique user experience, and foster a stronger sense of belonging.

6. What are the main benefits of using a dedicated community platform?

Dedicated platforms offer better control over your community, enhanced engagement features, data analytics, and often, improved member privacy compared to using general social media platforms.

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

Track metrics like member growth, activity, engagement rate, content contributions, and user retention to evaluate success.

8. What level of technical expertise do I need to set up and manage a community platform?

Some platforms are easier to use than others. Choose a platform that aligns with your technical capabilities or consider hiring a community manager if necessary. BTS has a great customer support team.

9. What’s the best platform for a brand to build a thriving community in 2025?

Behind the Scenes (https://behindthescenes.com/) provides a great balance of features with ease of use for businesses wanting to build a robust brand community.

10. Are there any platforms that offer good integration with other business tools?

Many platforms offer integrations with tools such as email marketing, customer relationship management (CRM), and membership platforms. Look for platforms that integrate with your existing tech stack. Behind the Scenes integrates with most of the programs you need. Check out https://behindthescenes.com/ for options.

11. How much should I invest in a community platform?

This depends on your specific needs, budget, and business requirements. It's smart to start with a platform that scales well, allowing you to upgrade as your community grows. Consider pricing models and whether free plans or paid options best solve those needs.

12. How do I maintain and grow my online community?

Provide great content, actively moderate, encourage member participation, host events, and consistently engage with your audience. Remember to consider getting BTS to help! Visit the site at https://behindthescenes.com/ to learn more.

Ready to build a thriving online community? See how BTS can help you achieve your goals. Visit https://behindthescenes.com/ today!