Modern Community Platforms refer to online platforms that provide users with a set of features and community tools to interact with each other, share content and knowledge, and build communities. These platforms typically include features such as discussion forums, chat rooms, messaging, user profiles, events, and other engagement tools. They are designed to facilitate communication, collaboration, and information sharing among community members and can be used for various purposes such as social networking, customer support, knowledge management, and learning. Modern community platforms are typically cloud-based, mobile-friendly, and offer robust analytics, marketing automations, and reporting capabilities to help community managers measure engagement and improve user experiences. Many of these are also categorized as private online community platforms, giving businesses greater control over user data and experience.
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The Best Modern Community Platforms In 2025
There are several modern community platforms available, and the best one for you will depend on your specific needs and use case. Here are some popular modern community platforms:
1. BuddyPress
BuddyPress is a modern community platform designed for businesses and organisations that use WordPress. It is free and open-source software that allows users to create and manage online communities. BuddyPress provides a range of features such as member profiles, activity streams, discussion forums, groups, and messaging.
BuddyPress offers a customizable user interface that can be tailored to match the branding of the organisation. The platform is also extendable, which means that users can add additional features and functionality through plugins. BuddyPress has integrations with other WordPress plugins and themes, making it easy to connect with other systems.
The platform offers a range of tools for member engagement, such as polls, surveys, and user-generated content. BuddyPress provides different pricing plans based on the size of the community and the features required. The platform also provides support and documentation to help users get the most out of their community.
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2. Insided
InSided is a modern community software that helps businesses engage with their customers and build communities. It is a cloud-based platform that offers a range of features such as discussion forums, chat, social media integrations, user profiles, and analytics. The platform is designed to improve customer satisfaction, reduce support costs, and increase customer loyalty. It is often used as a solution for private online community platforms.
InSided provides a customizable user interface tailored to the brand, with integrations including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk. Its community engagement tools and mobile accessibility make it suitable for dynamic user bases. Businesses can select pricing based on community size, number of users, and required features. InSided is particularly popular among learning community platforms due to its collaborative features.
3. Influitive
Influitive is a community software platform tailored for advocate marketing programs. It is cloud-based and includes features such as engagement tools, rewards, recognition, and analytics. Designed to boost customer loyalty and engagement, it helps businesses drive brand advocacy and increase sales.
Influitive features challenges, missions, and leaderboards to engage users. It integrates with Salesforce, Marketo, and HubSpot. Its reporting capabilities allow businesses to evaluate the effectiveness of advocacy campaigns. This makes it a fitting choice for businesses focused on community building and learning community initiatives.
4. Higher Logic Thrive
Higher Logic Thrive is a modern community platform designed for organisations aiming to create vibrant online communities. This community software includes forums, groups, blogs, user profiles, and powerful analytics tools.
With features like gamification, social sharing, and real-time messaging, Higher Logic Thrive promotes active community participation. It integrates with platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo to support seamless community management. It also offers tools for effective community moderation and supports private online community platforms. Many educational institutions use it as a learning community platform.
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5. Hivebrite
Hivebrite is an advanced community software used by organizations to manage private social networks. It includes user profiles, forums, groups, events, and analytics features. Hivebrite is suitable for alumni networks, corporate groups, and nonprofit organizations.
The platform offers a customizable interface, gamification features, surveys, and real-time messaging. Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, and MailChimp. Hivebrite provides tiered pricing based on community size and needs, with a mobile app for on-the-go access. It’s ideal for businesses seeking private online community platforms with advanced functionality and for those focused on developing a learning community.
6. Circle
Circle is a modern community platform designed for businesses and creators. It offers forums, groups, user profiles, events, and analytics in a mobile-friendly, cloud-based environment. The platform is designed to support community engagement and member collaboration.
Circle allows custom branding and offers tools like polls, Q&A, and real-time messaging. With integrations like Zapier, Slack, Google Analytics, and marketing automations, Circle helps automate community management. Circle’s pricing is flexible, with services like consulting and training. It’s particularly strong for those selling online courses and digital products. Circle also allows users to upload and stream video content.
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7. Disciple
Disciple is a modern community software offering a branded, mobile-first experience. It includes forums, groups, user profiles, and event features. Disciple supports community engagement with gamification, social media integration, and real-time messaging.
Integrating with Stripe, MailChimp, and Zapier, Disciple helps monetize and grow communities. It supports robust community management through admin tools and content moderation features. Disciple is commonly used to host video content and digital products. It can also be used by those managing course content for educational purposes.
8. Common Room
Common Room is a cloud-based community platform focused on unifying distributed community activity. It includes discussion forums, groups, user profiles, events, and analytics. Common Room supports cross-platform community engagement by connecting with channels like Slack, GitHub, and Twitter.
It includes features like polling, surveys, and real-time messaging and integrates with Mailchimp, Salesforce, and Google Analytics for broader workflow compatibility. Common Room is used by companies creating private online community platforms.
9. Tribe
Tribe is a flexible, modular community software built for modern businesses. Known as Bettermode, it allows companies to create branded, highly customizable online communities. It supports rich member interactions, content sharing, feedback collection, and the sale of digital products.
With modular components and embeddable widgets, Tribe integrates with tools like Intercom, Zendesk, and HubSpot. Its API-first architecture and support for SSO make it suitable for enterprise needs. Tribe supports hosting online courses and is widely used to manage private online community platforms. It is particularly beneficial for sharing structured course content and facilitating a learning community.
10. Podia
Podia is an all-in-one creator platform that includes a built-in community feature. It enables creators to sell courses, memberships, and digital downloads while hosting communities in one place. This community software is ideal for educators, coaches, and entrepreneurs.
Podia includes a drag-and-drop builder, email marketing tools, and integrated checkout. Its community space supports discussions, exclusive content access, and the sale of digital products. Podia offers a free plan and a “Growth Plan” for those seeking advanced features and reduced transaction fees. It is also great for delivering online courses and uploading video content. Podia supports web conferencing tools for live classes and events.
Final Thoughts On Best Modern Community Platforms
There are several modern community platforms available in the market that offer a range of features to help businesses and organisations create and manage online communities. Each platform has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of the best platform ultimately depends on the specific needs and requirements of the organisation.
BuddyPress is a popular choice for organisations that use WordPress and are looking for an open-source, customizable platform. Inside is another powerful platform that offers advanced analytics and integration with other tools. Influitive is a great option for businesses that are looking for a platform that incorporates gamification to increase engagement.
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