Open Social

Paid#34 of 54 in Online Community PlatformsCommunity Building Platforms

Open Social: Open Social combines community management with collaborative documents and self-hosting. Ranked #34 of 54 in Online Community Platforms by our editors (5.7/10); pricing: Pricing on request; best for organizations building self-hosted member communities.

5.7/10★★★☆☆Editor score

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At a glance

• Editor score
  5.7 / 10
• Pricing
  Pricing on request
• Best for
  Organizations building self-hosted member communities
• Facts checked
  23 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Custom roles and access controls for members and groups
  • Real-time collaboration across documents, spreadsheets and presentations
  • Available as a Drupal distribution or hosted SaaS

• Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is arranged through sales rather than published tiers
  • Localization is an add-on
  • Native mobile apps are optional rather than included

Our verdict on Open Social

Open Social is a community management system for organizations that want members to connect, share knowledge and collaborate. Its audience includes NGOs, governments and international institutions, as well as organizations building local or global communities. Available as a Drupal distribution or hosted SaaS, it can suit teams that want a self-hosted option alongside hosted delivery. Community basics include member and content management, discussions, comments, mentions, notifications and private groups.

Beyond discussion, Open Social supports group access control, user-generated content, workflows, dashboards, search and a resource library. Real-time document collaboration extends to documents, spreadsheets, presentations and canvas files, making the product relevant where a community also needs shared workspaces. Custom roles and permissions and white-label customization give organizations control over member access and presentation. The AI assistant is described for workflows, content moderation and search. Organizations seeking a focused forum rather than broader collaboration features may find this scope more than they need.

According to the vendor's positioning, the software is offered as cloud hosting and can also be self-hosted; published notes describe demo-based pricing rather than public plan tiers. Localization is an add-on, and native mobile apps with push notifications are optional. The product lists ticket support and ISO 27001 and GDPR compliance. Buyers should weigh those deployment and governance options against the sales-led pricing and add-on structure. Open Social is a fit for organizations that want member management, group permissions and collaborative content in one community system; those seeking a simple discussion space or a fixed published price may prefer a narrower alternative.

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Open Social pricing

Open Social fact sheet

Alternatives to Open Social

• DiscourseA flexible discussion hub with chat, moderation, private spaces, and self-hosting.9.4
• RedditA free platform for topic-based communities with built-in moderation and events.9.2
• ICInvision CommunityA broad community suite for established forums that need content, groups, events, and monetization.9.0

See all Open Social alternatives →

Featured on iTechGuides

Open Social is listed in our Online Community Platforms directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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.

Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update