The Top 10 Most Popular online community platforms in 2022
Build authority and trust through online community with this list of the best online community platforms.
If you run a business online most likely, your clients as well as the wider target audience are geographically dispersed -- they might not all be located in the same town or state, and perhaps even the same the same country.
In the past, the most common method to gather your customers together was to host social occasions, events, meetings, etc. It's possible to do this in the present, but for the most inclusionary option it's worth considering hosting something online.
Online communities are seeing a surge in popularity at the moment. In some ways they're like posts-social media- instead of connecting everyone according to how well they know one another, online communities are brought together by common interests first.
It's likely that your customers have a lot in common. Organizing them into a community could be extremely beneficial, from seeing more engagement with your brand to elevated organic customer growth due to the expanding communities.
How do you begin? The first step is to find an online platform for community.
These are some tips for those who want to go through.
- What are online community platforms?
- What are the benefits of online community platforms vital?
- How do you build an online community platform?
- Top 10 of the best online community platforms
What are community websites?
When you consider building a community, how do you do it? There is a need for software for community forums that can allow the community to have features such as community management and makes it easy for members of the community to talk about subjects, make comments, begin conversations and so on.
For instance, Reddit -- the most popular online community platform globally and also one of the most popular websites around the world. More than 100,000 subreddits that are active (communities that share a common theme, such as the r/science subreddit) on the platform and millions of users who visit the site daily and visitors. Every user is able to start a new subreddit community, and members can be part of multiple communities simultaneously.
Another popular online community model particularly within the world of startups one of which can be found in Hacker News. This online community created by the startup incubator Y Combinator is famous for the lively discussions that take place about a wide range of issues around technology and draws thousands of people each day. The platform for community members was designed by Y Combinator and inspired by the early days of Reddit.
Why are online community forums crucial?
The creation and management of online communities are only going to get more crucial as they satisfy one of the most fundamental human needs that is social connections.
At the same time, it rarely makes sense to create your own brand-name website or community platform by the ground up. It is a huge amount of time and effort to develop and maintain -- so why not just choose one of many online community platforms out on the market?
There are open-source or third-party commercial community platform (with a free plan for testing) to develop the white-label service you desire typically with no programming necessary.
How can you create an online community-based platform
Prior to deciding on which platform for online communities to choose ensure you understand what kind of a community you're creating.
In his publication Build Your Community, Richard Millington offers a number of useful ways to build a strong online community:
- Join the first group of members
- Customize an online platform according to your specific needs
- Learn from each other and let the members of your community assist each other
- Have a unique positioning
- Make sure that your community is centered around your company
If you're aware of the group which you're setting up your website for, you can more accurately plan for participation by members, sign up for social media, buy an individual domain and, of course choose the most appropriate online community platform.
The top 10 web-based community platforms for 2022
There's no community online platform that's perfect for everyone. Each platform will succeed at certain aspects (e.g. real-time chat) and be worse on other features (e.g. more structures of logic ).
This is why we've selected 10 best online community platforms which you can use to build the perfect environment for your audience. Feel free to skip ahead to this section if you're planning to invest in a specific platform:
1.
If you've ever thought of creating a community attached to your online class Look no further than .
Once your training is complete After the course is completed, you can add a community it, so that the students will get acquainted with each other, discuss common issues and share expertise.
Principal features
- Courses and communities together in one spot
- White label customization with no code
- Get started quickly
Pricing
There's a free plan available, with paid plans starting with just $39 per month.
2. Tribe
Those who need a white-label online community site should take a look at Tribe. The no-code platform permits you to create and personalize a platform to reach your audience's. Everything from layouts and colors to the custom domain as well as additional widgets are easily customizable and can be tailored to your needs.
Your community members can join groups, write posts as well as participate in discussions. They'll be able to access their own feed of activity information and updates. They can also use their social media logins for logging into the platform.
User-generated content posted on Tribe is SEO-friendly automatically and optimized for social sharing (if it is made available to the public). Additionally, they are moderation tools to ensure that all discussion stays focused on the topic.
Principal features
- A no-code editor
- Login is easy for everyone
- Branding that can be customized
- Member roles for clear rights
- Analytics that are powerful
Pricing
- Between $59 and $599 a month, depending upon the number of participants
3. Mighty Networks
Online creators that are active in developing an online presence around their brand should check the site Mighty Networks.
This community platform makes it easy to invite community members to discuss anything you have to provide, from online classes to ebooks. You can let users post too and chat with each other, further strengthening the community you have created.
The new posts are simple to create with an intuitive CMS and can include images, videos as well as audio and surveys, among others. other features. Your users can interact with your content on the web or through mobile apps.
Key attributes
- Unlimited storage for the community files of your
- Add and sell online course
- Direct messages between members
- Unlimited admins and members
Pricing
- Between $33 and $99 per month, based on whether you need online classes or not.
4. Slack
Most likely, you've been invited to join an Slack group through any of the communities that you're part of.
Slack doesn't only function as the perfect chat for work -- it's also a simple option to set up any kind of online community. There's a free plan, which allows you to add members to the community at any time, but limits public messages at 10,000 (can be seen by signing up to a paid-for plan). Paid plans also allow for additional storage space, apps integrations and group calls.
There are direct messages accessible, as well as the ability to make channels that keep different subjects well-organized. However, there's not much in terms of customizations and virtually nothing more than chat.
In general, Slack is an excellent option for people who are trying to keep conversations moving within their communities, but not much else.
Principal features
- Unlimited members
- Neat channel organization
- Most users likely already have an Slack account
Pricing
- A free and generous plan
- Paying options start at $6.67 a month per user
5. Discord
Anyone that is familiar with gaming community has probably known about Discord, an instant messaging service that allows for voice calls, video calls and chats.
In one way, Discord is similar to Slack, but centers on the user. A single user account can be part of multiple servers (communities) that makes it easy to create a new online community if your target audience is already using Discord.
Discord is completely free users can choose whether to upgrade their account to become a professional user to unlock additional capabilities. Similar to Slack, Discord is a good option for creating an online community, especially if the majority of the features you require have to do with chat.
Key characteristics
- Free for most users
- channels, message, and voice calls are available
Pricing
- Free. Each user can modify their profile independently
6. Facebook Groups
Another option that is popular for creating a online community that is difficult to miss can be found in Facebook Groups.
Many people who are online, regardless of demographics they have had a Facebook profile. This means that Facebook Groups an easy choice when thinking about a new community platform.
There's not much in terms of customizing, but it is possible to include a header, forums rules, permit members to post, add media files, and even moderate forums activity.
Facebook Groups are completely free. The downside is that most members won't see every group update in their activity feed, unless they access the group via a direct link. This means that members' engagement within Facebook Groups is typically small.
The most important attributes
- Easy to start and moderate
- Users do not need to establish distinct profiles
Pricing
- Free to create and participate
7. Discourse
If it's about open-source community platforms Discourse is taking the lead. You can tweak the codebase in any way you see appropriate to create the features you want.
In the same way, Discourse is a pretty robust platform from the beginning. Create a community create threads and categories, arrange them as well as assign moderators. Users, in turn, can post, message each others, post content, and so on.
An extremely useful power feature which Discourse offers is automatic filtering for spammers and trolls.
The most important characteristics
- Open-source code and flexible API
- Social media logins available
- Moderation with automatic power
Pricing
- Self-host Discourse is no cost
- Managed hosting can cost between $100 and $300 per month
8. Vanilla Forums
Vanilla Forums (owned by Higher Logic) is a platform for managing communities that lets companies connect their customers with each others.
The forum software is simple to modify in any manner by using HTML or CSS. Users are able to talk about one another, post remarks, post questions, leave private messages, set up polls, and much more.
If you are a company, you can run multiple sub-communities within Vanilla Forums at once easily and designate community administrators for moderateration. Each forum can be tailored to meet a particular goal such as a knowledge base or space to ask questions.
Principal attributes
- Modification of HTML through HTML and CSS
- Community features that are flexible
Pricing
Starts at around $600 but precise quotes are provided by the sales team.
9. Circle
When you visit the Circle website, one gets an impression of peace and peace. The minimalist design of the website isn't taking away from its powerful set of capabilities.
Circle makes it easy to make your own community that has a unique domain name. The site allows you to quickly include wikis, discussions, FAQs, Q&As , and even integrations with other applications. It also has a mobile application also to ensure that your users are in touch.
The Circle membership site is not free but stays affordable even for smaller online companies.
Principal characteristics
- A beautiful interface
- A mobile app
- A majority of community functions are provided
Pricing
From $39 to $399 a month, depending on members, admins and storage needs.
10. Reddit
Many of the most effective communities were not created to attract people to their communities. Rather, they went to their audience themselves.
Reddit is the biggest collection of online communities that can be started by anyone. The creation of your own subreddit will enable you to gain more members faster than it could have been otherwise.
Your Reddit community post posts, then vote them as well as choose moderators. It's also completely free. The downsides are seeing ads as well as getting community members outside of Reddit to engage.
Principal characteristics
- Hundreds of millions of people already on the platform
- Easy to manage and minimal setup required
Pricing
Beginning using Reddit is completely free. However, you'll probably want to give the Reddit Gold periodically to your most active users.
How to build a solid community
Finally, pick the best online community site in the top list and get started right away. Good luck!