11 of the best online community software platform solutions

Are you looking for the best online community platform that can host your brand's community?

Finding the ideal software for online communities can be overwhelming, as elements like ease of use, ability to assist customers, the flexibility of platforms along with many other factors are at stake. To ease the pressure in making this critical decision We've looked at the best 11 community software solutions that are available.

Read the full article to learn the full information, which includes the best as well as the ugly of the top solutions on the market. We've provided a wealth of information on what you need to look for in an online community platform in order to help you choose the best option that meets your specific needs.

What is the online community software solution businesses?

Platforms for online communities are software solutions that let you create an electronic space for users to learn, connect, and connect with other community members.

Each platform has strengths and weaknesses. Being aware of your preferences can aid in narrowing your possibilities as we explore the top online communities as well as their features. Let's get to it!

What should you look for in an online platform that is part of a larger community

Community software includes a crucial part for community, and other alternatives that are beneficial and help achieve specific objectives. If you are choosing the right software, you should look for an option that is suitable to help your business today as well as in the near future.

Focus on the whole system, not only on particular features. Think about the entire package, and how the program can be integrated into the larger concept of your business.

What are you looking for in a quality software that is based on community:

Easy and straightforward to master. You're going to spend much of your time developing or overseeing your group. You'll want to be able to appreciate the user experience. Be sure that the platform has a user-friendly interface to allow you to work effectively. Also, of course, you would like it to be user-friendly and enjoyable for members to utilize!

Accessible and simple. Members must be able to swiftly log into the platform when organizing an event or would like to join. There are fewer obstacles to getting into the system, is less likely to sign up.

integrates with other aspects of your organization. Most communities are the framework of products and services, which include courses online and coaching tools. Every item should have the same branded appearance and design, and it is essential to be able to easily move from one area to another.

includes sales and marketing capabilities. There's no way to grow the community of someone who nobody has any idea about. The best platform will have tools to help you create a buzz around your group, as well as selling memberships as well as selling other products.

Informative analytics. To provide a superior experience to your clients which draws them in and keeps them interested, you need to be aware of the elements that work and those that don't. Analytics tools provide you with the details you require regarding the habits of your members and their preferences and help you make sure that your efforts are directed on the most efficient ways.

The top 11 community software online solution providers

We'll now look over the best online community software today available.

1.

Benefits of this include:

Easy. makes it super simple to establish and manage your community online. The community you create can function as a stand-alone product or employ it as an added value to the coaching programs or your classes.

Multiple levels. You can create communities that are completely free or paid to design the "membership funnel" for promoting your business. Your free membership can bring in new customers by providing the opportunity to interact with you and your members. Use's extensive marketing toolset to upsell your community that is paid forso that members have access to high-quality content and the benefits.

In-depth integration with your marketing and sales technology system. One of the characteristics that differentiate this HTML0 suite is its comprehensive collection of tools for building businesses. If you are a member, you can access the entire range of tools, which comprise:

• Web Builder
• Make an online landing page
• Marketing software for email
• Funnel builder
• Pages to order and process payments
• Podcast host

The tools you use are built to be integrated so you never have problems with building tech integrations or diagnosing problems. Join and you're good to go.

As an all-in-one solution, will also save you cash. By investing in single-use products or constructing your own technology stack, you can easily spend hundreds of dollars every month. By paying only one month-long fee that covers everything you need for running an effective online business.

The Basic plan cost $119 per month. It includes 3 digital items (a community, as well as two additional) and an opportunity to connect with 10,000 people. If you are unable to afford the Basic plan, you may upgrade onto the Grow plan at $159 a month. This gives you 15 items as well as up to 25,000 contacts.

You can try it nothing for 14 days for free

All the information your online business requires for your online business. Everything you need can be found in one spot. Yes! Let's go

2. Facebook groups

If you're a frequent user of Facebook, you user, you probably already have an account in at the very least at least one Facebook group. Facebook allows users to set up private groups that allow you to connect with other people to discuss business or personal issues.

Facebook's groups are for no cost, but there are hidden fees for credibility and trust. Trust in the business has decreased by 66% in recent years.

As an example, when she created the Facebook group that would host members of the community, Kathryn Aragon discovered that many members were not engaging in a meaningful way on Facebook. To boost engagement her community was able to increase engagement, she decided to move the group over to another platform.

One of the most important benefits for Facebook as a platform for communities are:

Security. The content within the group is only accessible to other members.

discussion. Posts and comments enable members to talk about questions in real-time. Group updates are sent directly to members and can streamline communication.

Management of members. Group administrators are able to control group members, as well as permissions.

There are some negatives, including lack of ownership (that's an issue) as well as a lack of member directory and website management. The members aren't Facebook'scustomers. They're Facebook's customers. We should not forget about the massive Facebook downtime that occurred in October, 2021. This caused small businesses across the globe to be denied access to their community as well as their customers.

A major complaint of community owners is the lack of direct support, as there are only support forums offered for troubleshooting.

3. Discord

As it has gained popularity in the realm of gaming, Discord has been a thriving community platform that is accessible to all kinds of gamers. Its goal is to provide a space where people can come together and share their shared passions.

Discord can be described as an online application that is a solution for communities. Discord offers real-time video and audio chats. Also, Discord has customized roles to distinguish users from administrators. Given its gamer and techno-related origins, the style of Discord is dark and might not fit with the design of your business. Discord isn't a great choice for options to brand your members' area.

It provides the following benefits:

AI-Powered Bots. The bots can be programed to greet new members, and to customize the experience. The members will be aware that it's an automated system that interacts with them, yet you're able to make fun experiences with it , as well as providing useful information.

Reliable, secure private channels. Discord isn't tied down to time which makes it feel like being part of the same space. Discord is known for its security and protection. All channels are safe, which permits users to feel secure in their conversations.

Moderator Academy. This is a comprehensive source for veteran and novice moderators who want to improve their knowledge of community management.

But, creating your Discord community could be a bit difficult. This means that you will have to learn that could mean you won't achieve the most value from this service. It is likely that the Discord server that you are using Discord server will be alongside all of the other communities that you're a part of that means you'll be competing with them for attention.

Discord is available for free. Simply install the application and create it. You can also upgrade the version up to the Discord Nitro version ($99.99 annually) in order to gain access to more emojis larger uploads, better-quality videos as well as other enhancements.

4. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks offers an online platform to teach classes that include a community component. It is a robust platform that is customizable to meet the needs of your students and also functions to encourage community participation.

The key element to Mighty Networks features include:
   

Mobile access. The community site online includes an app available designed for smartphones that makes it easy for users to interact with fellow members in the field. It's actually simpler to communicate with your smartphone than the web.

Email alerts. Members are notified via email of any new activity on the site. It gives them a short indication to log in and check what they might have missed.

Branding. Mighty Network allows you to develop a branding space that has a similar look and feel as your website site. Apply your brand's colors to tabs, buttons, actions, and text icons.

It's crucial to consider the fact that Might Networks is a community-focused platform. If you're planning to create different kinds of products in order to increase your revenue, you might need to buy different applications, as well as software for hosting the applications.

5. Hivebrite

Hivebrite Hivebrite HTML0 is an all-in one platform for community management specifically designed for educational and non-profit groups. It serves more than 500 institutions such as Vanderbilt University, WWF, and Sabin Vaccine Institute.

The business doesn't publish their prices on their website. To evaluate Hivebrite for yourself, you'll have to sign up to Demos this suggests they're just offering pricing plans to companies.

They do come with attractive functions. Your community will be able to be branded. Furthermore, it permits you to manage your community's information and also marketing tools all all in one spot.

One of the most distinct Hivebrite attributes is

Live stream. It's possible to livestream the members of a community in order to organize live-streamed events in real time.

Rights of access. With Hivebrite, you can assign different access rights to specific individuals, for instance, students or alumni. Additionally, you can create levels of membership with greater access for members who pay.

Modular functions. As your community grows, you are able to activate various functions. Options include events, forums as well as networking groups. Media center, messaging center, and even an employment board or directory.

The biggest issue with this platform is the integration to your database as well as other technologies. It is common to need engage an IT expert to set up APIs to sync your data with other programs.

6. Tribe.so

Tribe is a community-building system featuring an app ecosystem directly third-party integrations, and tools to integrate the community into different products and websites. Tribe's use-cases for Tribe include education of customers, customer success and support for customers, brand loyalty, leading in brands, as well as feedback from customers regarding products.

With Tribe the main functions take care of essential community components. Apps extend your capabilities. Examples:

• Slack allows moderators and administrators to receive notifications of various activities.
• Zapier allows you to link your team with the various technology tools in your stack.
• Google Analytics helps you measure activities in your local community.

Tribe is a collection of the following attributes:

Social-sharing. Tribe includes Open Graph tags which enable social sharing. It is easy to share your content in the community, and to draw attention from prospective members.

Integration. Third-party integrations with over 30 different applications enable the integration of your community with the tools you're using already.

Moderation panel. Tribe gives you the possibility to accept, modify, or even deny content posted from users. You can also archive old content to keep your feed free of chaos.

The Tribe app is totally free to the first 100 members. The Plus Plan for $59 a month, permits you to access additional apps as well as the possibility of 2,500 members. Though to get the most from the app, you'll have to upgrade to the Premium Plan which costs $299.99 per month. It will let you get rid of the Tribe logo, utilize its API and webhooks and expand to 25,000 members.

7. Circle.so

Circle will help you build an online community for your courses as well as coaching or assistance for customers. It's goal is to streamline the community-building process by equipping users with the capacity to develop content, build private spaces, encourage discussion and even make money from your membership. It's loaded with options and lets you build an online space with a name that matches your website.

Some of the most memorable features offered by Circle include:

Integrations that are straightforward. Circle works well with additional tools provided by third-party companies like applications for email marketing, Slack, Wordpress, and many other programs, which allows the community to be promoted  as well as integrate both with different tools.

Private and secret spaces. You can create distinct spaces for various kinds of members within your membership. For instance, you could make a specific space that is only for core members one space being reserved for premium members.

Searchable member directory. Members are able to connect to each other via profiles that can be customized and also search filters.

Circle is $35 per month, plus fee for transactions of 4% per user. The standard plan only provides the essentials of your group, such as chat rooms and private messages. You can upgrade to the Premium Plan ($89 monthly with an additional transaction cost per user) for access to live streaming courses, online classes and more advanced analytics.

It is possible that you will have pay for the additions, such as spaces for administrators, more spaces, email white-labeling, as well as a custom Single Sign-On (SSO).

8. Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums is been created to allow companies of all sizes to provide exceptional customer service. It is frequently used for support for customers, customer service, marketing of products, and also for the marketing of brand names.

Vanilla offers a great user experience, a seamless integration into your existing technology stack, and flexible , customizable customization that fits your brand.

The most important features of Vanilla Forums include:

Knowledge Base. You can create an online Help Center that is self-service for your neighborhood. It contains User guides as well as Help documents.

Surveys can be made to fit your needs. With Vanilla Forums, you can send out customizable surveys to your community for immediate comments.

Open source community. It is possible to download Vanilla's open source code for free of cost and host your community on your own. Are you tech-savvy? Make a contribution to the source code.

This platform is less ideal for those who are self-employed and self-employed, as pricing cannot be displayed on the website. If you're interested in the idea, it's possible to schedule an appointment with an agent for sales.

9. WildApricot

WildApricot is an all-in-one software originally developed for non-profit organizations and associations. The users include associations, clubs and states and local chapter groups.

Wild Apricot has a self-serve design that lets you personalize every element of your group. The gamification system and reputation system helps you promote good content, and make features for members readily available, and even manage moderation.

It is packed with these essential features:

Event managing. Plan events such as online auctions, virtual conference or webinars. Find sponsors who will help you with your occasion. You can also design your own event calendar and manage the event's registration.

Donations. With WildApricot, you can take donations, and discuss progress in reaching the goals you have set for your donations. You can also export the records of your donations in order to monitor and track donations.

CRM. Like , WildApricot comes with CRM (customer relationship management) program that has the largest members directory that is accessible from any location.

Third-party software is required to help you market and manage your business. The majority of them will work with WildApricot that includes WordPress, Mailchimp, and Zapier. Payment processing, however, is available only to U.S. and Canada residents.

You can try WildApricot free with as many as 50 contacts. Your price will then increase in the event that your audience grows

• One month at $48 for 100 contacts.
• $60 a month for 250 contacts
• A month's rent of $110 for 500 contacts
• A month of $190 for 2000 contacts.

10. Disciple Media

Disciple Media is a platform that allows interactions between communities. It is comprised of three parts that include an interface to control your content that you post on your mobile device or desktop device, as well as an application for mobile devices that allows users to interact in an online community that gives users the opportunity to interact with their desktops.

It's designed for creators, founders, and prominent personalities who want to establish their own brand social platform.

Disciple Media includes the following characteristics:

Multiple layouts. You can store and share content in an area central to. Make use of groups, folders and lists to give an individual structure to your team.

Mobile application. Disciple Media is an equivalent to social networks due to the fact that its app experience for mobile devices is designed to users. It also has a web-based application, however is lacking features when compared with the mobile app.

In-app purchase. Disciple lets you make in-app purchases in addition to sponsorships, and convert your customers into subscribers.

The price for Disciple depends on the number of participants as well as the type of device you prefer, either mobile or web, or both.

• Web-only: $46 per month for 100 users
• Mobile only: $458 per month for 500 users
• Mobile and Web 504 dollars for 500 users

The add-ons offer API whitelabeling and API additional administrative users. You'll also pay for community coaching , as along with member support as well as mastermind capabilities.

11. Vibely.io

Vibely.io was created by two former Asana employees Teri Yu, and Theresa Lee who wanted to challenge the community of creators with a positive approach. Their slogan "Built exclusively by females and not gamer guys," will provide a glimpse of the kind of people they're seeking.

Vibely.io is an online platform for community interaction, which lets creators interact with their audience and collect their user-generated content.

Vibely.io's best features are:

The commitment to positiveness. Vibely guarantees no spam, trolls or any form of violence. The goal is to make an environment where everyone feels welcome.

Tools for accountability and challenges. This app offers leadersboards, challenges, and trackers to keep everybody motivated.

Ambassadors. Vibely allows you to designate individuals in your community who will assist in welcoming and managing members.

Make a Vibely community for free without a limit to the number of users that are ambassadors, members and super administrators. In the base plan, there is no way to take periodic payment. The Mastermind program allows payment to be taken as well as taking a 10% cut of revenues.

The top online community software solutions firm

There's plenty to think about when selecting the most suitable online community-building platform. There are tools you need to set up marketplaces, sell products, and build your group, in addition to the platform needs to be suited to the participants as well.
   
    Based on our reviews There are a variety of options to choose from However, one stands out as a complete business platform.

It permits you to develop and profit from a lively community, as well as other online products such as classes online as well as coaching classes. Additionally, it offers all the tools you need to market and sell these items, so you can expand and grow a profitable knowledge business.

If all you need is to set up a forum it is possible to choose one of the community platforms we've looked at. Based on the scale of your group it could be a good choice (or perhaps completely free).

The free programs can be subject to external rules and algorithms, while restricting your potential expansion. The software doesn't have the features that you require and generally limit the number of participants you can be accepted by.

The community you create is yours. Your rules, terms and conditions as well as the price, whether either paid or free.

If you're looking to start an online social network, is the ideal solution for you. It includes video tutorials and videos that will get you up and running within a brief time. Through the University you can access training on the basics of managing an internet-based community. It's no cost to anyone who would like to use it.

Start your free 14-day trial from now!

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