The Best Community Platforms in 2026
We researched community platforms through official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. Rankings focus on the core job of hosting branded communities, value for money and verified features such as discussions, events, profiles and moderation.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
Discourse#1 of 1269.4/10A mature choice for communities that need discussion, chat, moderation, and private spaces.
Free plan · 14-day trial
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Runner-up
Reddit#2 of 1269.2/10A flexible, free home for public topic discussions with substantial moderation tools.
Free plan
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Top-ranked free plan
UNA#3 of 1269.0/10A flexible community stack for organizations that want control over hosting, features, and mobile apps.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 126 tools, best first · page 1 of 3
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Best forEstablished communities needing deep discussion tools
A mature choice for communities that need discussion, chat, moderation, and private spaces.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
Free plan · 14-day trial Our Discourse verdict → Visit DiscourseFor vendors Sponsor this spot · #1 · $149/mo →9.4/10★★★★★Visit Discourse -
Best forFree public discussion communities
A flexible, free home for public topic discussions with substantial moderation tools.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Reddit -
Best forHighly customizable self-hosted communities
A flexible community stack for organizations that want control over hosting, features, and mobile apps.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit UNA -
Best forBudget-conscious forum communities
A flexible, budget-conscious forum platform with self-hosting and managed plans.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Moderation tools
Free plan · 14-day trial Our NodeBB verdict → Visit NodeBBFor vendors Sponsor this spot · #4 · $69/mo →8.9/10★★★★☆Visit NodeBB -
Best forSelf-hosted social communities
A broad community platform with self-hosted control, hosted plans, and branded mobile apps.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit phpFox -
Best forLow-cost secure groups and internal communities
A low-cost community platform with secure spaces, collaboration tools, and flexible deployment options.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Whaller -
Best forEnterprise customer-support communities
A broad customer-support community platform with contact-sales pricing.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Higher Logic -
Best forEnterprise communities needing workflow automation
A broad, automation-focused community platform for complex enterprise programs.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit Khoros -
Best forFeature-rich communities with branded apps
A broad community platform for organizations that need apps, automation and member operations.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Octo -
Best forPaid communities with courses and live rooms
A broad community platform for paid learning communities and live member experiences.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Mateflow -
Best forLocal groups centered on in-person events
A strong fit for local event communities, with less breadth for courses and customization.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Meetup -
Best forCampuses managing clubs, events and communications
A campus-focused platform for managing student groups, events, communications and payments.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit CampusGroups -
Best forCreators monetizing courses, events, and memberships
A broad platform for creators selling memberships, courses, events, and paid content.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.3/10★★★★☆Try Mighty Networks -
Best forPaid communities with live events
A polished choice for paid communities that need events, courses, and live rooms.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Circle -
Best forEnterprise forums with content hubs
A broad community suite for organizations that need forums, content hubs, and private spaces.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Invision -
Best forMature enterprise discussion communities
A mature, highly configurable community suite for complex enterprise programs.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Verint -
Best forLarge organizations with high community budgets
A broad community platform for organizations that need extensive features and integrations.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Hivebrite -
Best forProfessional communities needing content and courses
A broad community platform for organizations combining content, courses, events, and member spaces.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Zapnito -
Best forSelf-hosted internal communities
A flexible self-hosted community platform with strong permissions and modular features.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit HumHub -
Best forPaid learning communities with automation
A broad community hub for paid learning programs, events, memberships, and automated engagement.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Heartbeat -
Best forSocial networks needing broad monetization
A broad community platform with strong monetization tools and a very small entry tier.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit SocialEngine -
Best forAssociations needing events and member apps
A broad association platform that brings community, events, learning, and member apps together.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Tradewing -
Best forBranded professional networks and events
A broad community and events platform for organizations that need branded member spaces.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Gradual -
Best forAssociations and learning communities
A broad community and learning platform for associations that need events, courses, and mobile access.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Forj -
Best forBrands building customer forums with idea tracking
A customizable customer community suite with forums, knowledge bases, events, and idea tracking.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Khoros -
Best forCustomer advocacy and reward-driven communities
A reward-driven community platform for advocacy, feedback, and customer engagement.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Influitive -
Best forFree communities with courses and payments
A free community hub with courses, payments, events, and WordPress support.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit HuddleSpot -
Best forNew communities needing free access and CRM tools
A broad community suite with a free unlimited-member plan and built-in CRM tools.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit Thigmo -
Best forWordPress-based communities
A broad WordPress community plugin for spaces, learning, moderation, and paid access.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Moderation tools
7.5/10★★★★☆Try FluentCommunity -
Best forCreators selling memberships and paid content
A focused membership community platform with paid content, events and private spaces.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit UUKI -
Best forFederated creator and social communities
A flexible federated community platform with publishing, groups, chat, and memberships.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Moderation tools
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Minds -
Best forAssociations needing community and member communications
A broad community and communications platform for associations that need more than forums.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit Higher Logic -
Best forMembership associations needing CRM workflows
A broad membership platform for associations that need CRM and community workflows.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit VeryConnect -
Best forBrands requiring a premium white-label app
A premium white-label community platform with broad engagement and monetisation tools.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Disciple -
Best forDevelopers wanting an open-source community base
A customizable, self-hosted community base for developers who want control over their platform.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit OpenPeeps -
Best forEvent-led chapters and group communities
A broad community and event platform for organizations running structured group programs.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Bevy -
Best forSelf-hosters wanting chat, forums, and voice
A broad, free community stack for groups prepared to manage their own infrastructure.
- Custom domain
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Nodyx -
Best forOpen-source communities needing broad engagement tools
A broad, self-hostable community suite for open-source projects and non-commercial organizations.
- Event hosting
6.7/10★★★☆☆View OpenSource -
Best forMembership organizations with events and payments
A broad membership platform for organizations combining communities, events, payments, and communications.
- Custom domain
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Raklet -
Best forWordPress communities needing self-hosting
A flexible WordPress community plugin with a free core and paid expansion tiers.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit PeepSo -
Best forProduct communities needing integrations and feedback
A broad community platform for product teams that need feedback workflows and integrations.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Bettermode -
Best forOrganizations combining community and structured learning
A hosted academy that brings courses, community conversations, events, and analytics together.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Disco -
Best forFaith communities managing members and giving
A focused community platform for Muslim organizations, with giving, events, and member tools.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Ummah -
Best forGroups coordinating events, fundraising, and tasks
A free starting point for private groups that need events, payments, messaging, and shared tasks.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Rallyhood -
Best forAlumni organizations with fundraising needs
A focused alumni platform that connects private communities, fundraising, events, and advancement CRMs.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Almabase -
Best forMembership organizations needing courses and events
A broad membership platform combining communities, events, courses, payments, and mobile access.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Communa -
Best forAffordable communities with directories
A broad web community platform with a permanent free plan and paid growth tools.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Kazokus -
Best forEvent and membership communities needing networking
A broad web platform for organizations combining community, events, and memberships.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Nectios -
Best forSmall paid communities with learning and events
A broad community platform for paid memberships, courses, events, and livestreaming.
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
- Moderation tools
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Wahazi -
Best forOrganizations needing branded community apps
A branded home for editorial content, member discussions, events, and group chats.
- Custom domain
- Private spaces
- Event hosting
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit tchop
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Event hosting | Private spaces | Custom domain | Moderation tools | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discourse | Yes | $100/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.4 |
| 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.2 | |||
| 3 | UNA | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.0 | |
| 4 | NodeBB | Yes | $20/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.9 | |
| 5 | phpFox | No | $39/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.8 | |
| 6 | Whaller | Yes | €3/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.7 |
| 7 | Higher Logic Vanilla | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.7 | |
| 8 | Khoros Aurora AI | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.6 | |||
| 9 | Octo | Yes | $29/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.5 |
| 10 | Mateflow | No | $49/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.4 |
| 11 | Meetup | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.4 | ||
| 12 | CampusGroups | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.3 | ||
| 13 | Mighty Networks | No | $79/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.3 |
| 14 | Circle | No | $89/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.2 |
| 15 | Invision Community | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.2 | |
| 16 | Verint Community | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.1 | |
| 17 | Hivebrite | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.1 | |
| 18 | Zapnito | Yes | $348/yr | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.0 |
| 19 | HumHub | Yes | €144/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.0 | |
| 20 | Heartbeat | No | $490/yr | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.9 |
| 21 | SocialEngine | No | $29/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.9 | |
| 22 | Tradewing | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.8 | |||
| 23 | Gradual | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.8 | ||
| 24 | Journey by Forj | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.8 | ||
| 25 | Khoros Communities | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.7 | ||
| 26 | Influitive | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.7 | |||
| 27 | HuddleSpot | Yes | $39/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.6 |
| 28 | Thigmo | Yes | $70/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.6 |
| 29 | FluentCommunity | Yes | $199/site/yr | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.5 | |
| 30 | UUKI | No | $15/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.5 |
| 31 | Minds | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.4 | ||
| 32 | Higher Logic Thrive | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.3 | |||
| 33 | VeryConnect | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.2 | |
| 34 | Disciple | No | $599/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.1 |
| 35 | OpenPeeps | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.0 | |
| 36 | Bevy | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.9 | |
| 37 | Nodyx | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.8 | |
| 38 | OpenSourceCommunity | Yes | Free | Yes | 6.7 | |||
| 39 | Raklet | Yes | $49/mo | Yes | 6.7 | |||
| 40 | PeepSo | Yes | $149/site/yr | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 | |
| 41 | Bettermode | No | $4,788/yr | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 |
| 42 | Disco | No | $399/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 |
| 43 | Ummah | Yes | $19/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 |
| 44 | Rallyhood | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 | ||
| 45 | Almabase | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 | ||
| 46 | Communa | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 | |||
| 47 | Kazokus | Yes | $49/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 |
| 48 | Nectios | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 | ||
| 49 | Wahazi | No | CA$79/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 | |
| 50 | tchop | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.7 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- Discourse vs Reddit
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How we rank community platforms
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update