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Best Community Building Platforms in 2026

Community building platforms help groups host discussions, member profiles, events, and other community formats. This list is for people choosing a service for an organization, audience, or member group.

  1. 1

    BuddyPress

    by BuddyPress
    Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb

    BuddyPress provides a set of configurable social features for self-hosted WordPress sites, including groups, profiles, messaging, and activity streams.

    7.5 Free plan Visit site
  2. 2

    Elgg

    Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb

    Elgg provides a customizable foundation for social and collaborative web applications, with access controls and a large plugin repository.

    7.4 Free plan Visit site
  3. 3

    HumHub

    by HumHub
    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+2

    HumHub offers a broad set of collaboration features with a choice between self-hosting and managed SaaS.

    7.4 Free plan · paid from €144/mo Visit site
  4. 4

    Flarum

    by Flarum
    Free plan APIExtensionSelf-hosted+1

    Flarum provides community and moderation tools with extensive customization options at no software price.

    7.2 Free plan Visit site
  5. 5

    NodeBB

    by NodeBB
    Free plan APILinuxMac+3

    NodeBB covers community discussions, moderation, integrations, and extensions, with a free self-hosted option and paid hosting from $20/mo.

    7.2 Free plan · paid from $20/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
  6. 6

    Discourse

    by Discourse
    Free plan Self-hosted

    Discourse offers self-hosting and managed plans, with a free option and paid hosting from $100/mo. Compare staff seats, storage, and page-view allowances with the needs of your community.

    7.1 Free plan · paid from $100/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
  7. 7

    Open Social

    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+2

    Open Social offers a free community-management core as well as a broader SaaS suite with hosting and professional services.

    7.1 Pricing on request Visit site
  8. 8

    PeepSo

    by PeepSo
    Free plan AndroidiPhoneSelf-hosted+1

    Choose PeepSo if you need community features such as groups, member profiles, and an activity stream, with a free plan to start.

    7.1 Free plan · paid from $149/yr Visit site
  9. 9

    phpBB

    Free plan Self-hostedWeb

    phpBB offers forum-building tools with extension and style customization at no software cost.

    6.8 Free plan Visit site
  10. 10

    AlumnForce

    by AlumnForce
    Free trial AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    AlumnForce brings member engagement, career services, events, and mentoring into one platform. Its annual subscription prices exclude setup and onboarding, and the total depends on database size.

    6.6 From €350/mo (annual) Visit site
  11. 11

    Circle

    Free trial AndroidAPIiPhone+3

    Circle combines community management with courses, events, and related business tools, with web, mobile, and desktop access.

    6.5 From $89/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
  12. 12

    PeopleGrove Engagement Hub

    by PeopleGrove Engagement Hub
    Free plan Web

    PeopleGrove Engagement Hub combines mentorship, alumni networking, events, and reporting for institutional use.

    6.3 Pricing on request Visit site
  13. 13

    Disciple

    by Disciple
    Paid WebiPhoneAndroid

    Choose Disciple if you need a community platform with web and mobile access, private spaces, event hosting and moderation tools.

    5.8 From $599/mo (annual) · 30-day trial Visit site
  14. 14

    Higher Logic Thrive

    by Higher Logic Thrive
    Paid AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    Pick Higher Logic Thrive if your association or professional organization wants community, marketing, and event tools tied to member engagement.

    5.8 Pricing on request Visit site
  15. 15

    Glue Up

    by Glue Up
    Paid WebiPhoneAndroid

    Glue Up combines membership administration, event operations and CRM in one service, with integrations and website connection options.

    5.7 From $3,000/yr Visit site
  16. 16

    Journey by Forj

    by Journey by Forj
    Paid AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    Journey by Forj brings member interaction, learning management, recognition, and analytics together for associations.

    5.7 Pricing on request Visit site
  17. 17

    Bettermode

    by Bettermode
    Paid Web

    Bettermode provides community features across plans with different member and collaborator allowances. Review the listed billing terms and note that mobile apps are not available.

    5.6 From $399/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Visit site
  18. 18

    Gainsight Customer Communities

    by Gainsight Customer Communities
    Paid APIWeb

    Gainsight Customer Communities combines customer discussion, knowledge sharing, events, and feedback features with listed AI capabilities and integrations.

    5.6 Pricing on request Visit site
  19. 19

    Mighty Networks

    by Mighty Networks
    Paid AndroidiPhoneWeb

    Mighty Networks combines community spaces with events and learning activities across web and mobile.

    5.5 From $79/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
  20. 20

    Influitive

    by Influitive
    Paid APIWeb

    Choose Influitive if your company needs structured advocacy programs, with options for rewards, referral workflows, and integrations.

    5.4 Pricing on request Visit site
  21. 21

    Salesforce Experience Cloud

    Paid AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    Choose Salesforce Experience Cloud if you need branded portals or communities connected to Salesforce data, with several ways to build and optional Agentforce automation.

    5.4 From $75/user/mo (annual) Visit site
  22. 22

    Verint Community

    Paid AndroidAPIiPhone+2

    Verint Community offers broad community, self-service, customization, analytics, and hosting choices.

    5.3 Pricing on request Visit site
  23. 23

    NING

    by NING
    Paid Web

    NING combines community features with four plans that vary by member capacity and storage. Check the plan limits and annual-billing prices against the size of the community you intend to run.

    5.2 From $12.50/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Visit site
  24. 24

    SocialEngine

    by SocialEngine
    Paid WebiPhoneAndroid

    SocialEngine offers community features across web and mobile, with both cloud and self-hosted options listed. Compare the plan allowances and billing terms with the scale and setup you need.

    5.2 From $29/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
  25. 25

    XenForo

    Paid APISelf-hostedWeb

    XenForo provides forum software with broad content, moderation, security, and extension features.

    5.2 Visit site

#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price

Compare free plans, paid starting prices, member limits, custom domains, branded mobile apps, event tools, member monetization, and supported platforms. Check trial terms and, for self-hosted or open-source software, review the licence before using or changing code.

Questions

Do community platforms offer free plans?

A free plan is offered by items in this category. Paid and freemium models also appear, so check the current plan details before signing up.

Are free trials available?

A free trial is offered by items in this category. Trial length and terms differ; Circle lists a 14-day trial.

What does Circle cost?

Circle lists pricing from $89 per month and includes a 14-day trial.

Which platforms can members use?

Supported options listed for this category include web, API, Android, iOS, self-hosted, and Windows. Check the platform details for the service you are considering.

Can I read or change the code?

For self-hosted or open-source software, review the project's licence before using or modifying its code. Licence terms vary by project.

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