12 Greatest On-line Neighborhood Platforms in 2024 (Execs and Cons)

Constructing a web based group is a robust method to have interaction together with your viewers, foster significant interactions, and drive long-term loyalty.

Whether or not you’re seeking to create a social area on your prospects, a discussion board for like-minded people, or a assist community on your services and products, selecting the best group platform is essential.

On WPBeginner, we’ve got used Fb for a very long time for our WPBeginner Interact group, which has 98,000+ members. We now have additionally extra just lately been experimenting with platforms like BuddyBoss for creating social networks and utilizing MemberPress to energy our video tutorial web site.

This has helped us acquire invaluable insights into which group platforms work finest for various wants. That’s why we now have a deeper understanding of group administration and the strengths and weaknesses of various instruments.

On this article, we’ll share our record of the perfect on-line group platforms, highlighting their professionals and cons. We now have gone out of our method to check numerous totally different choices for all type of wants so that you could discover the perfect one on your on-line mission.

If you’re in a rush, then simply take a fast take a look at our high professional picks to decide.

#PlatformBest ForPricing🥇BuddyBossFull social networks$299/yr + Free🥈MemberPressConstructing a small to medium-sized group$179.50/yr + Free🥉CircleConstructing a small to medium-sized group$89/month4ThinkificConstructing a group round your on-line programs$49/month5BuddyPressMaking a free group in WordPressFree

How We Take a look at and Evaluate On-line Neighborhood Platforms

To provide the finest suggestions, we examined and reviewed standard group platforms.

We wished to offer you an inventory of well-rounded and dependable instruments, so we paid particular consideration to the next standards:

Ease of Use: We now have prioritized user-friendly group platforms that include a simple navigation system and mean you can customise your platform in line with your group’s wants.

Options: A perfect group platform ought to embrace dialogue boards, boards, gamification, polls, surveys, and different interactive parts. It must also permit for the straightforward creation, group, and sharing of content material.

Reliability: We now have solely really helpful instruments that we’ve got examined ourselves on actual web sites. We additionally examined every platform’s loading pace, uptime, and scalability for rising companies.

Integration Capabilities: For this showcase, we’ve got explored every platform’s capabilities to combine with e mail advertising companies, CRMs, social media platforms, and analytics companies.

Help: We now have investigated the standard of buyer assist for every group platform. We additionally checked the tutorials, guides, boards, and data bases provided by every software.

Having mentioned that, let’s check out our record of the perfect on-line group platforms with their professionals and cons.

1. BuddyBoss

BuddyBoss is the perfect on-line group platform on the web. It permits you to rework your web site right into a social media platform, construct boards, create social teams, introduce new actions for customers, and extra.

The plugin comes with a complete suite of options that will help you create an interactive area on your members.

As an illustration, customers can observe one another locally, ship personal messages, and examine exercise feeds of various members.

You’ll be able to even create personal or hidden teams for targeted discussions and collaboration.

As well as, you possibly can create totally different membership ranges in your group, combine with studying administration programs to promote programs, and even promote your merchandise alongside group memberships.

For extra particulars, see our tutorial on how one can create your personal personal group with WordPress.

In our opinion, BuddyBoss stands out as the perfect platform for constructing a social media community. We significantly like that it permits you to create a custom-branded cell app for Android and iOS units, which could be a game-changer for rising your group.

This, paired with its seamless integration with WordPress, makes BuddyBoss the perfect alternative for constructing thriving on-line communities.

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BuddyBoss reveals actual time notifications to maintain members engaged and knowledgeable about exercise inside the group.

It permits customers to share pictures, movies, and different media content material.

We significantly appreciated the software’s gamification parts, corresponding to factors, badges, and leaderboards.

It permits customers to create profiles with their particulars and pictures.

BuddyBoss helps numerous membership fashions, together with free, paid, and tiered memberships.

The plugin can combine with instruments like WooCommerce for eCommerce capabilities, Zoom for broadcasting and conferences, and web page builders like Elementor for personalisation.

Cons

The plugin has a free plan. Nonetheless, to unlock a few of the options, you have to the professional model.

Why we suggest BuddyBoss: Total, BuddyBoss is the perfect on-line group platform as a result of it’s user-friendly, scalable, and comes with a whole lot of social options. Plus, the plugin works proper in your WordPress dashboard, so that you received’t have to arrange any integrations.

2. MemberPress

MemberPress is the finest WordPress membership plugin in the marketplace. It additionally provides plenty of options to construct a thriving on-line group round your membership web site.

The plugin permits you to create totally different membership tiers with various entry ranges and advantages for members. Upon getting performed that, you possibly can construct an unique discussion board to debate subjects, share data, and construct relationships.

You may as well permit customers to create their very own teams inside the group to foster engagement. Moreover, customers can view one another’s profiles and stay up to date about current exercise, posts, and discussions.

Over the previous few years, we’ve got been utilizing MemberPress on our video membership web site. It has performed an vital half in managing our subscription-based mannequin and creating a way of exclusivity for our members.

We significantly respect the convenience of organising totally different membership tiers with various entry ranges to our video content material library.

Plus, we imagine that MemberPress could be a nice possibility for creating a robust group amongst subscribers by options like personal boards and member directories.

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MemberPress can combine with BuddyBoss to spice up the performance of your group.

If you wish to earn some cash whereas constructing a group, then you possibly can prohibit group options to paid members solely.

When working with the plugin, we had been impressed by its drip content material characteristic. It permits you to launch content material steadily to members primarily based on their membership stage.

The software additionally comes with totally different moderation options and allows you to create pointers for group habits.

Cons

MemberPress has a free plan, however many of the options are locked in it.

It isn’t a traditional group platform, so it might lack a few of the options provided by different instruments within the record.

Why we suggest MemberPress: If you happen to already have a membership web site and need to increase conversions, then we imagine MemberPress is the selection for you. It permits you to create membership ranges and an unique group for customers who be a part of your group. This will encourage free customers to develop into full-time members.

For extra particulars, you possibly can see our full MemberPress overview.

3. Circle

Circle is one other wonderful software for creating on-line communities in just some minutes. It permits you to construct an enormous group after which set up it utilizing ‘Areas’ for broad subjects and ‘Teams’ for extra targeted discussions inside these areas.

Customers may also personalize their profiles with bios, avatars, and social media hyperlinks, fostering a way of connection. Utilizing the built-in instruments, they’ll create textual content, pictures, and video content material to share with the group.

Aside from that, Circle permits direct messaging and even permits you to host stay video classes for bulletins, Q&A classes, or interactive workshops.

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We love that Circle permits you to create and handle occasions, each in-person and digital, to carry your group collectively. This can be a distinctive characteristic not accessible in lots of different instruments.

You’ll be able to add interactive polls and surveys inside your group.

Circle creates a centralized exercise feed for every person showcasing current posts, discussions, and occasions.

It permits you to create totally different membership ranges to generate income. You may as well cost charges for particular occasions or supply unique occasions to paid members.

The software permits you to add, take away, or edit member profiles and handle their entry ranges inside the group. You may as well handle discussions, feedback, and content material with built-in moderation instruments.

Cons

In comparison with platforms like BuddyBoss, Circle provides much less flexibility for customizing the appear and feel of your group.

In our opinion, Circle could be higher if it had a extra highly effective chat performance.

We discovered it a bit annoying that it doesn’t combine with many LMS and membership instruments.

Why we suggest Circle: If you happen to prioritize options like stay streaming, monetization, and cell entry for a smaller or medium-sized group, then Circle could be a nice possibility.

4. Thinkific

Thinkific is a self-hosted platform that allows you to construct and promote on-line programs. Nonetheless, you can even construct, host, and monetize your group with it.

It comes with a drag-and-drop builder that permits you to create custom-branded communities and dialogue teams on your college students.

As an illustration, you possibly can arrange a selected group the place customers can work together, ask questions, and share insights.

Our favourite characteristic is the stay chat immediate, which permits instructors and college students to speak seamlessly. This makes it a terrific possibility for on-line studying web sites.

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Thinkific has built-in functionalities like person profiles, exercise feeds, and personal messaging.

We had been pleasantly shocked to be taught that the software routinely creates dialogue boards for every course to facilitate scholar engagement.

The platform permits you to create totally different tiers of group entry primarily based on target enrollment or membership stage.

It tracks and stories group engagement and efficiency with detailed analytics.

Cons

Thinkific’s core energy lies in course creation. Whereas it provides group options, they won’t be as feature-rich as different group platforms.

It isn’t a terrific possibility for giant communities, which could be a dealbreaker for enterprises and big companies seeking to construct a discussion board.

Why we suggest Thinkific: We might suggest Thinkific for course creators due to its concentrate on schooling. It can permit instructors to construct a group round their programs.

5. BuddyPress

BuddyPress is a free WordPress plugin that may convert your WordPress web site right into a functioning social community or group.

It lets customers create their very own profiles and observe one another by good friend connections. Customers can then share updates, pictures, and hyperlinks, making a newsfeed-like expertise.

BuddyPress permits you to construct teams, ship personal messages, and create boards. It additionally sends real-time notifications about exercise, mentions, and messages.

For particulars, see our tutorial on how one can flip your WordPress web site right into a social community.

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You’ll be able to lengthen BuddyPress’ performance utilizing totally different plugins and themes particularly created for it.

It provides a responsive design for optimum person expertise on cell units.

One factor we actually like about BuddyPress is that it doesn’t price something to make use of. This allows you to get monetary savings and concentrate on constructing a group with out worrying about further charges.

It may be used for numerous group sorts, corresponding to inside firm networks, fan communities, or on-line boards.

Cons

BuddyPress can typically battle with different plugins, resulting in compatibility points. In our opinion, this may be irritating for inexperienced persons who have no idea how one can troubleshoot errors.

Upon testing, we realized that the software can typically harm web site efficiency, relying on the variety of members and exercise.

Why we suggest BuddyPress: If you’re in search of a free plugin that allows you to construct large-scale communities in your WordPress web site, then you must decide BuddyPress.

6. MemberMouse

MemberMouse is a well known membership plugin for WordPress websites, but it surely may also be used to construct a non-public group on your members.

The plugin has core options like a member listing, personal messaging, and the power to create fundamental teams the place members can work together with one another.

We had been significantly impressed by its content material restriction characteristic primarily based on membership ranges, which creates a way of exclusivity.

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MemberMouse permits you to create drip content material that’s launched steadily over time.

It handles recurring subscription funds simply.

We appreciated that it permits you to ship push notifications to customers primarily based on actions like including new members, canceling memberships, receiving funds, and extra.

Cons

It doesn’t have a free plan.

We discovered that it doesn’t have intensive moderation instruments, which could be a dealbreaker for some customers.

Why we suggest MemberMouse: Whereas MemberMouse is primarily a membership administration plugin, it provides a stable basis for constructing a group round your paid content material.

For extra data, see our MemberMouse overview.

7. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is an excellent standard on-line group platform. It permits you to create dialogue teams for devoted subjects, host stay streaming movies, and permit real-time messaging.

The software additionally permits you to create and promote digital occasions, supply totally different membership ranges, create polls and surveys, and rather more.

You’ll be able to even promote on-line programs and merchandise to your group members utilizing Mighty Networks.

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We came upon that Mighty Networks creates a selected part with highlighted tags. This allows you to get an thought of subjects at the moment trending inside your group.

It permits you to ship push notifications to carry again inactive members. You may as well use its AI characteristic for dialog starter concepts.

The platform provides premade themes on your group.

You’ll be able to simply set up group pointers and average the content material.

Cons

Mighty Networks is costlier than different group platforms, particularly for bigger communities.

Over time, some customers have reported inconsistencies in buyer assist high quality and response occasions.

Why we suggest Mighty Networks: If you wish to create a medium-sized group, then Mighty Networks could be a good selection. It’s a robust platform that makes use of AI-powered options to construct a group.

8. Podia

Podia permits you to design on-line communities round on-line programs or digital merchandise.

You’ll be able to create group hubs for various dialogue subjects and permit members to take part by posts and feedback. Aside from that, it provides options like person profile customization, direct messaging, and a centralized group feed.

Total, Podia is an all-in-one platform that may additionally act as a web site builder, e mail advertising service, course builder, web page builder, and extra.

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Podia permits you to supply group membership as an add-on or unique profit for course or product purchasers. You’ll be able to even promote the membership as a standalone product.

It has a user-friendly interface, very best for inexperienced persons.

The platform has a tremendous analytics characteristic.

Cons

Podia’s major focus is on creating and promoting on-line programs and digital merchandise. Because of this its group options are constructed round this core performance.

In our opinion, its administration instruments are fundamental in comparison with devoted group platforms.

Why we suggest Podia: If you happen to promote digital merchandise and need to construct a group round them to create some hype, then Podia is a superb alternative. You’ll be able to construct a group, create touchdown pages, and promote the product by e mail advertising options utilizing only one software.

9. Bettermode

Bettermode is a flexible platform that empowers you to create partaking and interactive on-line communities. It provides a complete suite of options designed to construct connection, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing amongst your members.

You’ll be able to create areas, construct detailed member profiles, ship direct messages, add teams, and facilitate open conversations by threaded discussions.

The software additionally provides a stay chat possibility for members and might join with different platforms to spice up performance.

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With Bettermode, you possibly can set up and promote digital or in-person occasions.

We appreciated that the software permits you to award badges and factors and maintain scores on the leaderboard to enhance engagement inside your group.

It makes use of AI to counsel content material concepts to members.

You’ll be able to have a completely branded group expertise with out seen Bettermode branding.

Cons

Bettermode is pricey, and its free plan has restricted options.

Whereas Bettermode can deal with rising communities to a sure extent, it would face challenges when scaling for terribly giant communities.

Why we suggest Bettermode: If you’re in search of a group platform that’s tremendous versatile and provides many customization choices, then Bettermode is a superb alternative.

10. Hivebrite

Hivebrite is a powerful platform designed for constructing and managing on-line communities, significantly for enterprises, associations, and alumni networks.

It comes with all of the options anticipated from a group platform, corresponding to discussions, boards, member profiles, teams, and occasion organizations.

Nonetheless, you can even host stay streaming classes inside your group to have interaction members in actual time.

Hiverbrite can combine with present enterprise programs, complies with strict information coverage, and provides {custom} branding, making it a terrific alternative for giant and rising on-line communities.

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The platform retains all group members knowledgeable by exhibiting personalised exercise feeds.

It comes with gamification parts, superior reporting, and integration with different third-party instruments.

You’ll be able to create and handle numerous content material sorts, together with articles, paperwork, and multimedia, instantly from Hivebrite.

Cons

It has a steep studying curve and will not be an excellent alternative for inexperienced persons.

Hivebrite’s principal focus is on enterprise purchasers, which signifies that some options extra suited to smaller communities are much less developed.

When researching, we concluded that the software’s buyer assist isn’t nearly as good as a few of its opponents.

Why we suggest Hivebrite: Hivebrite is a superb alternative for organizations seeking to construct partaking on-line communities. It’s particularly very best for customers with particular wants like enterprise-level safety, scalability, and customization.

11. Discord

Discord is a well-liked communication platform largely identified for its gaming group, but it surely has developed into a flexible software for numerous teams and pursuits.

You’ll be able to simply create a free account and construct a Discord group in just some minutes. When you do this, you possibly can embed the widget in your WordPress web site in order that customers can view the whole members of your Discord server and be a part of the group utilizing the supplied invite hyperlink.

For particulars, see our tutorial on how one can embed a Discord widget in WordPress.

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It provides each personal and group chat choices with numerous formatting options.

You may as well ship voice messages and join together with your group members over video calls.

Discord permits you to create devoted channels for particular subjects. You may as well create a separate voice chat channel for various actions.

We had been significantly impressed to be taught that Discord helps numerous bots for automated duties, moderation, and leisure.

Cons

Discord’s channel-based construction can develop into overwhelming for bigger communities, making it tough to prepare and discover particular data.

Discord focuses on real-time communication. This implies content material can disappear shortly, and also you received’t have the ability to archive or reference data later.

Managing a big Discord server might be time-consuming and difficult because of the quantity of messages and the potential for spam content material.

Why we suggest Discord: It may be an excellent alternative if you wish to construct a gaming group or promote real-time communication amongst your members.

12. Patreon

Patreon is a group platform designed to assist creators construct an revenue by providing unique content material and experiences to their supporters, generally known as patrons.

It permits you to create a number of membership tiers with various advantages and pricing to cater to totally different patron assist ranges. You’ll be able to then schedule posts upfront to persistently present new content material to your group members.

Patreon additionally comes with options like direct messaging, stay streaming, dialogue teams, and Discord integration.

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When testing, we appreciated the Creator Dashboard characteristic the place you possibly can simply handle membership ranges, posts, patron communications, and earnings.

Patreon permits you to promote bodily and digital merch to group members.

It additionally offers insights into patron habits, demographics, and income.

Cons

The platform’s emphasis on monetary assist might create an surroundings the place group members really feel pressured to contribute financially to entry your content material and take part in discussions.

Whereas Patreon could be a nice platform for established YouTubers and influencers, constructing a following from scratch on the platform might be difficult.

It provides restricted customization choices.

Why we suggest Patreon: It’s a good selection if you have already got a following and need to construct a group to earn extra cash by sharing unique content material with patrons.

Which Is the Greatest On-line Neighborhood Platform?

In our professional opinion, BuddyBoss is the perfect on-line group platform in the marketplace. It permits you to construct a social media web site in WordPress, create a discussion board, arrange exercise feeds, and a lot extra.

Alternatively, if you wish to create a group with unique content material primarily based on membership ranges, then you possibly can go for MemberPress. It’s the finest membership plugin that allows you to construct a thriving on-line group round your membership web site.

However, in case you promote programs and need to construct a group on your college students, then we suggest Thinkific.

Equally, to construct a large-scale group with no platform prices, you possibly can go for BuddyPress.

Ceaselessly Requested Questions About Neighborhood Platforms

Listed here are some questions often requested by our readers about group platforms.

What’s a web based group platform and its key options?

A web-based group platform is a software program software that lets individuals with shared pursuits, objectives, or experiences join and work together with one another.

Key options for an excellent group platform embrace person profiles, boards, teams, personal messaging, stay chat, occasions, and analytics.

What’s the finest on-line group platform for companies?

When you have a small enterprise web site, then you must think about platforms like Circle, Mighty Networks, or Hivebrite.

These instruments supply options corresponding to membership administration, analytics, and integration capabilities that may aid you develop your group.

How do I select the suitable on-line group platform for my wants?

When selecting a web based group platform, you must prioritize elements corresponding to group measurement, desired options, price range, and technical experience.

This may aid you make an knowledgeable choice in line with your corporation wants.

Associated Guides for Neighborhood Platforms

The right way to Add a Discussion board in WordPress with bbPress

The right way to Create Chat Rooms in WordPress for Your Customers

Final Information to Making a WordPress Membership Website

The right way to Make a Gaming Web site With WordPress (Step by Step)

The right way to Create a Person-Submitted Occasions Calendar in WordPress

Greatest Web site Concepts to Launch an On-line Aspect Enterprise 

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The submit 12 Greatest On-line Neighborhood Platforms in 2024 (Execs and Cons) first appeared on WPBeginner.