7 Best Online Community Platforms (2023): Ranked & Reviewed

Are you looking for the best online community platform to help your business reach its full potential? In this article, I’ve ranked and reviewed my top picks for the best platforms this year.

With the best online community platform, you can create a safe and secure space for your members to interact with each other and your company.

Online community platforms have revolutionized how we interact, build relationships and share information. They provide a safe space for people from all walks of life to come together, discuss common interests and enrich each other’s lives.

Whether you’re looking to make new friends, start a business, or organize a social movement, these community platforms are an invaluable tool to help you reach your goals.

What Are The Best Online Community Platforms?

These are my favorite picks for the best online community software.

1. Thinkific

Best Overall Platform

Overview

Thinkific is the perfect platform for anyone looking to create and sell online courses. You can easily create a course from scratch or use one of their many templates to get started quickly.

You can customize the Course Player with your branding, add quizzes and surveys, and even offer discounts on your courses. 

With Thinkific, you have all the tools you need to create an engaging learning experience for your students. Plus, you can track student progress and sales in real-time to adjust as needed.

Key Features & Benefits

• Course Creation Tools – Create courses with ease using the intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
• Sales & Marketing Tools – Promote your courses with customizable landing pages, coupons, and more.
• Customizable Course Design – Brand your course with custom colors, logos, fonts, and more.
• Student Engagement – Keep students engaged with on-lesson discussions, quizzes, and surveys.
• Membership Types – Offer memberships for exclusive content or access to multiple courses at once.
• Directly Downloadable Files – Upload student handouts, worksheets, or other documents directly into the course material for easy access by students.
• Communities Feature – Enhance your online course offerings with exclusive members-only content, live lessons and events, and coaching options for students.
• Email Integration – Connect Thinkific to email marketing services to keep in touch with students throughout their learning journey.
• Analytics & Reporting – Track progress through analytics & reporting tools to gain real-time insights into student performance and engagement levels.

Pricing

Thinkific has four pricing tiers, including the free plan and a 25% discount for paying yearly.

• Free: $0 per month
• Basic: $36 per month
• Start: $74 per month
• Grow: $149 per month

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Intuitive course creation tools with drag-and-drop interface
• Sales and marketing tools for promotion
• Student engagement features such as quizzes and surveys
• Responsive customer support team
• Communities feature for exclusive content
• Email integration and analytics/reporting tools

Cons:

• Limited customization options compared to some competitors
• Not specifically focused on community building

My Take

Thinkific is an excellent option for creating and selling online courses. The intuitive design tools make it easy to create engaging course material, while the marketing and analytics tools provide you with everything needed to track progress and sales.

With pricing plans starting from free, it’s a great way to jumpstart your journey toward becoming an online course creator. With all of these features and more, Thinkific is an ideal online community platform for anyone looking to build a successful business.

2. Mighty Networks

Best Community Platform

Overview

Mighty Networks is the leading community platform for building digital communities, courses, and memberships. With this platform, creators, entrepreneurs, and brands can create their own branded apps and take ownership of their online presence. 

With powerful tools like custom content creation, analytics, and monetization options, Mighty Networks makes it easy to boost community engagement and grow your business. It’s available on every platform, so you can reach your audience wherever they are.

Key Features & Benefits

Mighty Networks is one of the best community platforms and provides an array of features to help you.

• Create a branded community that’s instantly available on all major platforms, including web, iOS and Android mobile apps.
• Build a membership site with native features and customization options such as discussion boards, live streaming, polls, surveys, Q&As, and online courses.
• Get customer feedback to help improve your products and services.
• Monetize your social media following by offering memberships or selling products directly from your network.
• Custom domain
• Host cool live events to engage with your audience in real time.
• Network with other professionals in your industry to share ideas and resources.
• Learn how to use a product through tutorials or FAQs posted in the community forums by experts or customers who have used it before you.
• Participate in mastermind groups to collaborate with peers on projects or initiatives related to business growth objectives.

Pricing

Mighty Networks have four main pricing bands and two months free when you buy an annual subscription. They also offer a two-week free trial for the Business Plan.

• Community: $33 per month
• Business: $99 per month
• Path to Pro: $249 per month
• Mighty Pro: On Request

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Native features for membership site creation
• Monetization options
• Custom domain and live events hosting
• Networking and learning opportunities
• Mastermind groups for collaboration

Cons:

• Can be overwhelming for beginners
• Limited options for customization beyond branding and visual design

My Take

Mighty Networks is a powerful online community platform that makes it easy for anyone to build their own community and have their own app without complicated (or expensive) tech.

Features like web-based social software and an all-in-one digital marketing platform provide users with the tools they need to create a thriving online community. Whether you’re looking to create an online course or build a network of followers, Mighty Networks is an excellent choice.

3. Skool

Best For Simplicity

Overview

Do you want to avoid juggling multiple platforms to host your course content, student community, and event schedule? Skool is the perfect solution for you!

Skool is a one-stop platform that lets you combine all of these elements in one place with just one login and search. With Skool, you can give your customers a better alternative to Facebook Groups.

Key Features & Benefits

Skool is a revolutionary online community platform providing an innovative learning approach; here are the main benefits:

• One Login – With Skool, you only need one login to access your course content, community, and event schedule.
• Easy Search – With the built-in search feature, you can easily search for any content you need
• Customizable Content – You can customize your course content with videos, images, audio files, text documents, and more.
• Community Management – Skool makes it easy to manage your student community with its intuitive user interface and powerful moderation tools.
• Event Scheduling – Easily schedule events such as webinars with the built-in calendar feature
• Automated Email Notifications – Automatically send email notifications to students when new content is added or events are scheduled.
• Secure Payments – Skool offers secure payment processing, so you don’t have to worry about fraud or chargebacks from customers.
• Affordable Pricing – Skool offers affordable pricing plans that fit any budget so you can get started quickly.

Pricing

Skool has super simple pricing: $99 per month and a two-week free trial.

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• One login for course content, community, and event schedule
• Easy search functionality
• Customizable content options
• Intuitive community management tools
• Secure payments and affordable pricing

Cons:

• Limited features compared to other platforms
• Lacks advanced analytics and reporting tools

My Take

Skool is an innovative community platform offering course creators a one-stop solution for hosting student communities, courses, and events. You can easily manage your content and schedule in one place with one login and one search.

So if you want a simple all-in-one platform to host your courses and community, Skool could be just what you’re looking for.

4. Circle

Best All-In-One Solution

Overview

With Circle, you can create an interactive and vibrant virtual community where members engage in discussions, chat rooms, events, and more – all branded to your business. Create an immersive learning experience for your community members with courses on Circle. Plus, manage your members easily with their Member Management feature.

Key Features & Benefits

• Interactive courses – Create interactive courses for your members to learn from, complete with quizzes and polls.
• Live streams – Host live streams with your members to keep them engaged and connected with you in real time.
• Group chats – Create group chats for members to discuss topics, ask questions, and share ideas in a private setting.
• Events – Organize events such as webinars, workshops, or meetups so your members can connect with each other in person or virtually.
• Customizable home page – Easily customize the home page of your community to make it unique and inviting for new visitors.
• Analytics & insights – Get detailed analytics about how your community is performing so you can make informed decisions about its growth and success.
• Mobile app – Access all the features of Circle on the go with the mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.

Pricing

Circle has three pricing plans, a 14-day free trial with no credit card needed and a 10% discount for annual billing.

• Basic: $39
• Professional: $89
• Enterprise: $360

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Interactive courses with quizzes and polls
• Live streams and group chats for engagement
• Event organization and customizable homepage
• Analytics and insights for data-driven decisions
• Mobile app availability

Cons:

• Less focused on online course creation
• Limited customization options compared to competitors

My Take

Circle.so is a powerful platform for creating and managing online communities. It offers many community features, including chat spaces, themes, events, and paywalls. 

With its intuitive design and easy-to-use tools, Circle makes engaging with members and building meaningful relationships easy. Whether you’re looking to start an online community or want to manage an existing one, Circle is a perfect choice.

5. Bettermode (Formerly Tribe)

Best For Larger Companies and Customization

Overview

Recently rebranded as Bettermode, Tribe is an innovative and customizable community platform allowing users to create online communities and counts IBM among its clients. With the Bettermode App Store, users can install modular apps to automate and enhance the functionalities of their community. 

Bettermode provides a secure and private environment for members to interact with each other and the internal team. With its intuitive design and powerful community features, Bettermode is the perfect solution for creating an engaging online community.

Key Features & Benefits

• Customizability – Bettermode Community Platform offers robust customizability, allowing you to tailor the platform to your specific needs.
• Multilingual support – Reach out to members from around the globe with the multilingual feature. Host and communicate in multiple languages for a truly global community experience.
• Community Gamification – Leaderboards and badges to enhance engagement in the community
• Very secure – Build 100% GDPR compliance communities.
• Widgets, Apps, and API – With Bettermode’s app store, you can add new functionalities to your community platform and embed them into other products.
• Groups & Topics – Create groups and topics within your community to foster discussion and collaboration among members.
• Rich Media Support – Upload images, videos, audio files, documents, and more to create engaging content for your community members.
• Subscription & Membership Options – You can natively charge for subscription or membership on the platform to monetize your online community.

Pricing

Bettermode has two pricing options:

• Advanced: from $599 per month
• Enterprise: For large businesses. Check price with Bettermode

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Great customizability options
• Community gamification features
• Highly secure and GDPR compliant
• Widgets, apps, and API for added functionalities
• Multilingual support

Cons:

• Expensive pricing, especially for smaller businesses
• The confusing name change may affect brand recognition

My Take

Well, apart from the slightly confusing name change, Bettermode is essentially the same under the bonnet as it was when it was called Tribe!

Bettermode is a powerful community platform that helps more established businesses increase user engagement, retention, and lifetime value. It offers features such as email integration, social network integration, contacts sync, survey customization, and multilingual support. 

With its comprehensive set of features and capabilities, Bettermode is the perfect choice for larger businesses looking to take their customer engagement to the next level.

6. BuddyBoss Web

Best Platform For WordPress

Overview

BuddyBoss is one of the best course and community platforms for WordPress, giving you the freedom to grow your online presence without limits. With BuddyBoss, you can unlock your website’s online learning and full-scale social networking features. 

BuddyBoss can name Yale and Standford among its clients, so you know you’re in good hands!

You have the flexibility and control to create a fully functional social networking platform that looks and feels just like Facebook.

Key Features & Benefits

• Member Profiles – Create detailed profiles for each member, including custom fields and profile pictures.
• Social Groups – Easily create and manage groups within your community, with options to customize group settings and access levels.
• Activity Feeds – Keep members engaged by displaying their activity in real-time on the activity feed.
• WooCommerce Integration – Sell products directly from your website with WooCommerce integration.
• GamiPress Integration – Gamify your courses with GamiPress integration, allowing you to reward members for completing tasks or activities.
• Private Messaging – Allow members to communicate privately through private messaging capabilities.
• Email Notifications – Keep members informed about new content or updates by email notifications when something new is posted or updated on the site.
• Media Uploading – Allow members to upload photos, videos, audio files, and more directly from their device or computer to their profile page or group page.

Pricing

BuddyBoss has a pricing system based on the number of sites you have:

• One Site: $228
• Five Sites: $288
• Ten Sites: $388

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Activity feeds for engagement
• WooCommerce integration for product sales
• GamiPress integration for gamification
• Private messaging and email notifications

Cons:

• Designed specifically for WordPress users
• Lacks advanced community building features compared to competitors
• No as scalable as other platforms

My Take

BuddyBoss is a powerful platform for creating and managing online courses, memberships, and social networks. It offers various tools to help you create the perfect website for your needs. With its intuitive design and easy-to-use features, it’s no wonder why so many people are turning to BuddyBoss for their online course or membership site. 

7. Facebook Groups

Best Free Community Platform

Overview

No review would be complete without mentioning Facebook Groups, a popular and free online community platform. They are a great way to connect with others in your industry, share ideas and resources, discuss common challenges, and collaborate on projects.

The downsides are you cannot charge members, and despite moderation, you do not have 100% control of the members or content. You also don’t own the data, and as a free platform, many annoying distractions exist, like ads.

Key Features & Benefits

You can create a group for any topic or interest. Start a discussion about a hobby, find support for a cause, or connect with like-minded people; there’s a group for you

• Invite members – Once you’ve created your group, you can invite members. This makes building an engaged community around your group’s topic or interest easy.
• Post updates and content – You can post updates and content in your group to keep everyone informed and engaged. This could include photos, videos, links, polls, questions, and more!
• Start conversations – With Facebook Groups, you can start conversations with other members in the form of comments and replies on posts and discussions. This helps foster meaningful connections among members of the group.
• Share files – You can also share files in your group, such as documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, so everyone can access them easily.
• Create events – You can create events within your group so members can stay up-to-date on upcoming activities related to the group’s topic or interest.

Pricing

Facebook Groups is free to use.

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals
• Ability to share and receive advice in a specific niche or field
• Possibility to promote business/brand within a targeted audience
• Free to use

Cons:

• Potential for exposure to fake news, misleading information or harmful content
• Privacy concerns regarding personal data shared within the group
• Risk of joining groups with inappropriate or offensive content
• Advertisements and sponsored content can detract from the group experience

My Take

Facebook Groups is a decent platform for creating an engaged community around any topic or interest. It’s free to use, so it’s perfect for those who may not have the budget to invest in more expensive platforms like Thinkific or Mighty Networks.

However, it lacks full control of members and content you get with paid platforms. Overall, if you’re looking for an easy and free way to create an online community, Facebook Groups is a good starting point.

What is an Online Community Platform?

An online community platform is a specialized software solution that facilitates, hosts, and powers online communities. It provides the tools necessary to create an engaging and interactive experience for group or organization members.

It can host forums, chats, live streams, events, and memberships. With the right platform, you can build an online community tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Search engines can also index online community pages and rank them in the search results, which is great for your SEO. This makes finding your group or organization much easier for potential members.

You can quickly grow and nurture an engaged online community with the right platform. 

Wrapping Up

I hope you found this review of the best online community platforms helpful and that it has given you a better understanding of how these solutions can help businesses and organizations create and manage an online presence that is engaging, interactive, and successful.

You should determine which online community platforms best suit your needs and budget. Once you have chosen the right platform, you can begin to build and nurture a successful online community that will add value to your business.