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Mighty Networks is our best overall pick for buyers who want community, courses, events and payments together. Discourse is a stronger fit for organized discussions and self-hosting, while Skool keeps the starting price low for creators—but transaction fees deserve a close look. There is no universal winner: forum software, email-first groups and research communities solve different problems. Compare the platform’s core format and published limits with your needs, and treat the listed starting price as a starting point, not the full cost.
Quick picksThe shortlist
Mighty NetworksMighty NetworksBest overall · $79/mo
DiscourseDiscourseBest for forums · $100/mo
SkoolSkoolBest for creators · $9/mo
XenForoXenForoBest traditional forum · $54/mo
CircleCircleBest for branded courses · $89/mo
NingNingBest for social communities · $12.50/mo
Groups.ioGroups.ioBest for email groups · $18.33/mo
BuddyBossBuddyBossBest for WordPress · $16.58/mo
BettermodeBettermodeBest for modular spaces · $149/mo
Nas.ioNas.ioBest for managed marketing · $20.75/mo
CMNTY PlatformCMNTY PlatformBest for research · Custom
HivebriteHivebriteBest for organizations · $895/mo
OpenWebOpenWebBest for publishers · Custom
DisqusDisqusBest for site comments · $11/mo
JiveJiveBest for internal knowledge · Custom
01Compared at a glance
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mighty NetworksMighty Networks | 7.4 | $79/mo | No | 14 days |
| DiscourseDiscourse | 7.0 | $100/mo | Yes | — |
| SkoolSkool | 7.0 | $9/mo | No | 14 days |
| XenForoXenForo | 7.7 | $54/mo | No | — |
| CircleCircle | 7.1 | $89/mo | No | 14 days |
| NingNing | 7.0 | $12.50/mo | No | 14 days |
| Groups.ioGroups.io | 7.0 | $18.33/mo | Yes | 30 days |
| BuddyBossBuddyBoss | 6.2 | $16.58/mo | No | — |
| BettermodeBettermode | 6.8 | $149/mo | No | 14 days |
| Nas.ioNas.io | 6.5 | $20.75/mo | Yes | 7 days |
| CMNTY PlatformCMNTY Platform | 6.4 | Custom | No | — |
| HivebriteHivebrite | 6.5 | $895/mo | No | — |
| OpenWebOpenWeb | 5.8 | Custom | No | — |
| DisqusDisqus | 5.2 | $11/mo | Yes | 30 days |
| JiveJive | 5.2 | Custom | No | — |
02The picks, in detail
- Best overallMighty NetworksMighty Networks
Mighty Networks brings community, courses, events and payments together, making it a good fit for businesses selling memberships with more than discussion access. The pricing page lists a $79 starting price, but that figure is only part of the cost. Put it near the top if you want a broad paid-community toolkit; check the full pricing details before committing.
What works
- Combines community spaces, courses and events
- Supports paid memberships and other offers
- AI Cohost helps design a community offer
What doesn't
- No free plan; Launch starts at $79/month
- Launch adds a 2% transaction fee
- Launch limits streams to 20 hours monthly and 100 viewers
- Best for forumsDiscourseDiscourse
Discourse is a strong option for support, knowledge sharing and product feedback, with voting and status tracking among its stated use cases. It also suits teams that want self-hosting and data export. A free plan is listed, with paid pricing from $100; check the plan limits and account for hosting before comparing its cost with hosted alternatives.
What works
- Free plan covers small communities without a subscription.
- Topics, categories, tags, and accepted answers organize knowledge.
- Built-in chat, private messaging, and email replies.
What doesn't
- Free plan limits teams to two staff seats.
- Free plan caps page views at 500,000 monthly.
- Pro costs $100 monthly; annual pricing is unpublished.
- Best for creatorsSkoolSkool
Skool combines courses and community for creators selling paid memberships, and its listed starting price of $9 is one of the lower entry points here. It is a practical shortlist option for a single-community business that wants all-in-one basics. The main caution is transaction fees: check their effect on your paid community before switching.
What works
- Combines discussions, courses, events, messaging, and payments
- Unlimited members, courses, videos, and live calls on both plans
- Supports monthly and annual subscriptions
What doesn't
- No free plan
- Hobby charges 10% + 30¢ per transaction
- Each additional community requires another subscription
- Best traditional forumXenForoXenForo
XenForo is the highest-scoring option in this list and fits traditional threaded discussion communities that want forum customization. Its listed starting price is $54, and buyers can choose cloud or self-hosting. The trade-off depends on your route: check the cloud caps or confirm that the paid license fits your budget before choosing it.
What works
- Cloud plans include unlimited members and staff
- Cloud options include a fully managed service
- Self-hosted license has no usage limits
What doesn't
- Starter cloud plan caps at 400K monthly page views and 50GB
- Annual billing is needed for the $54/month Starter price
- Self-hosted license costs $195 upfront
- Best for branded coursesCircleCircle
Circle suits brands combining community and courses, especially teams that value workflows, APIs or branded apps. The pricing page lists a starting price of $89, and extra fees affect the value case. It may make sense when consolidating tools matters, but compare the total cost with what you currently pay for separate community and course products.
What works
- Combines community spaces, courses and events
- Supports one-time and recurring payments
- Unlimited members on listed paid plans
What doesn't
- Lowest listed price is $89/month, billed annually
- Professional has a 2% transaction fee
- Monthly billing prices are not published
- Best for social communitiesNingNing
Ning offers a no-code route to branded social communities, with forums, blogs and options to sell products or ads. Its listed starting price is $12.50, which makes it worth comparing for groups that want more than a discussion board. Plan choice matters: check member caps against your expected community size before signing up.
What works
- Drag-and-drop builder with design customization
- Supports HTML and CSS changes
- Includes groups, forums, blogs and media
What doesn't
- No free plan; trial lasts 14 days
- Starter allows only 10 members
- Monthly billing prices are not published
- Best for email groupsGroups.ioGroups.io
Groups.io is a natural fit for clubs and communities built around email and listserv-style discussion. A free plan is listed, with pricing from $18.33 for paid options. Premium groups can use collaboration tools, but the free plan is less compelling if those tools are important. Choose it for an email-first format, not as a general-purpose community suite.
What works
- Free plan supports up to 100 members
- Email discussions arrive in members’ inboxes
- Members can mute topics and filter keywords
What doesn't
- Free plan excludes files, calendar, chat, wiki, and integrations
- Premium has a $20/month minimum
- Premium annual billing has a $220 minimum
- Best for WordPressBuddyBossBuddyBoss
BuddyBoss is aimed at WordPress course and community sites that need social networking features or developer customization. Its listed starting price is $16.58. The entry price is not the whole decision: weigh the steep renewal and support concerns identified in the published material against the flexibility of building around WordPress before switching.
What works
- Combines online courses and community features
- Includes profiles, groups, events and messaging
- Supports quizzes, certificates and lesson unlocks
What doesn't
- Launch renews at $399/year after $199 introductory pricing
- WordPress hosting is not included
- Native mobile app costs extra; price not published
- Best for modular spacesBettermodeBettermode
Bettermode is a no-code option for brands building a branded, modular community, and its Starter plan may suit smaller communities within its limits. But there is no free plan, and Starter begins at $149 per month when billed annually. That makes it a harder value case for small groups unless the branded spaces are worth the commitment.
What works
- No-code launch without developers
- Drag-and-drop layout customization
- Modular features and branded experiences
What doesn't
- No free plan
- Starter caps at 10,000 members and five collaborators
- Starter costs $149/month annually or $199 monthly
- Best for managed marketingNas.ioNas.io
Nas.io is worth considering for small businesses looking for managed marketing agents, or creators selling memberships and digital products. It also suits teams already using WhatsApp or Discord. The listed price starts at $20.75 and a free plan is listed; check agent access and fees carefully, since those details can change the value of switching.
What works
- Agents cover ads, social messages, reviews, and bookings
- Nas.io says deployment is usually live within two weeks
- Pro includes unlimited products and 10,000 members
What doesn't
- Monthly-billed prices aren’t published
- Pro includes only 5 AI credits per month
- Platinum includes only 10 AI credits per month
- Best for researchCMNTY PlatformCMNTY Platform
CMNTY Platform fits teams that mix qualitative and quantitative research, whether for a short-term project or a long-running insights community. Its research-method coverage is a clear reason to shortlist it. Pricing is not published on the vendor's site, so buyers will need to speak with sales and assess the cost before comparing it with fixed-price options.
What works
- Discussion boards support asynchronous research and ongoing communities
- Diary studies collect participant entries
- Co-creation challenges gather community input
What doesn't
- Monthly and annual prices are not published
- Pricing depends on project duration
- Buyers must contact sales for pricing
- Best for organizationsHivebriteHivebrite
Hivebrite is aimed at organizations building branded member communities, with sub-communities and events among its stated fits. The listed starting price is $895, and annual contracts and group caps narrow its appeal. It makes more sense for organizations budgeting for a larger community toolkit than for smaller groups looking for a low-cost starting point.
What works
- No-code drag-and-drop community page builder
- Unlimited users and members across listed plans
- Member directory, groups, events, and messaging
What doesn't
- Core starts at $895/month billed annually
- Month-to-month pricing is not published
- Core is capped at 5 groups
- Best for publishersOpenWebOpenWeb
OpenWeb targets publishers building on-site communities and monetizing audience participation, with a broader community and ad toolkit. That focus makes it more relevant to publishers than to general membership groups. Pricing is not published on the vendor's site, so the business case is difficult to assess without a custom enterprise quote and a clear view of the total cost.
What works
- Offers conversations, forums and other publisher-site engagement tools
- Includes AI-powered moderation
- Supports authenticated audience participation
What doesn't
- Pricing is custom and available on request
- Monthly and annual rates are not published
- No free plan is listed in the pricing information
- Best for site commentsDisqusDisqus
Disqus is a quick option for sites that need hosted comments, and a free plan is listed. It may suit small sites comfortable with ads, but publishers should check ad and traffic limits before switching. Starting pricing is listed at $11; weigh those limits against the convenience of adding comments without choosing a broader community platform.
What works
- Basic plan lists unlimited pageviews
- Plus removes ads
- Plus includes up to 3 sites
What doesn't
- Basic includes mandatory ads
- Plus pageview limits vary by tier
- Pro annual rates above entry tier are unpublished
- Best for internal knowledgeJiveJive
Jive is aimed at enterprises connecting teams and internal knowledge, with role-based updates and employee knowledge discovery among its stated use cases. It is a narrower fit than platforms built for public or paid communities. Pricing is not published on the vendor's site, so buyers should request a quote before judging whether its collaboration and knowledge-sharing scope justifies the cost.
What works
- Spaces, groups and discussions support team collaboration
- Content tools support creation, search and co-editing
- Role-based updates and recommendations personalize news
What doesn't
- Starting price is not published
- Monthly and annual billing details are not published
- Plan limits and included features are not published
03How we chose
We compare community platforms by looking at published pricing, plan limits, product documentation and Reddit sentiment. We give more weight to details that affect a buying or switching decision: what each plan includes, which limits are disclosed, and what the setup and administration require. We treat vendor claims and user reports as different kinds of evidence, and we do not present Reddit comments as verified product facts. If a price, limit or feature is not published in the material available, we mark it as not published rather than filling the gap with a guess. We do not claim hands-on testing.
04Choose around the community you need to run
Start with the job the platform must do, not a feature checklist. A paid learning community, a member association, a customer forum and an internal employee network can have very different needs. Write down who will join, what they should be able to do, and who will manage the space. Then compare the platform’s published plans and documentation against those requirements. Check whether the information you need—such as member limits, moderation tools, integrations or pricing—is actually published. Don’t assume two tools with similar descriptions include the same capabilities. Ask vendors to confirm any requirement that is unclear, especially before you commit to a plan. The best fit is the option whose disclosed terms and documented features match your use case, without requiring you to pay for a different kind of community.
05Plan the switch before you move members
Before choosing a replacement, list what must move: member records, posts, files, events, access rules and links. Then check the documentation or ask the vendor what can be exported, imported or redirected; don’t assume a migration is automatic. Confirm how members will sign in, whether existing URLs can be preserved, and who will handle content that cannot be transferred. Price the full setup, not just the advertised subscription: include any plan limits or additional services that apply, if they are disclosed. A short overlap between old and new platforms may reduce disruption, but its cost and feasibility depend on your contracts and tools. Set a date to stop accepting new activity in the old space, communicate the change clearly, and keep a fallback plan if key data cannot be moved.
Questions people ask
How should we compare community platform pricing?
Compare the published price with the plan’s stated limits and included features, not just the starting figure. Check billing terms and any costs that apply to your required setup. If a price or limit is not published, treat it as unknown and ask the vendor before budgeting.
Which community platform is best for a business?
There is no single best choice for every business. The right fit depends on the community’s purpose, the people who will manage it, required features, and budget. Shortlist platforms that meet your must-haves, then verify their published plan details and documentation.
Can we move an existing community to another platform?
Possibly, but what transfers depends on the platforms and their documented export and import options. Check member data, posts, files, permissions and URLs separately. Before switching, ask the destination vendor to confirm what can move and plan for anything that must be recreated.
What should we check before signing up?
Confirm that the plan covers your expected community size and required features. Review published pricing, limits, documentation and any unclear terms with the vendor. Also check how members will join, how moderators will manage the space, and what happens to your data if you leave.