Top 15 Notable Community-Focused Website Platforms
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, building a thriving social network, professional community, or learning hub requires the right tools. Here, we present a selection of the top community website software options available in 2025, each catering to various needs and preferences.
Mighty Networks
Ideal for interactive community building, Mighty Networks offers a comprehensive suite of features including private communities, live events, mobile apps, membership tiers, and engagement tools. Its course creation capabilities make it an attractive choice for growing interactive communities. Pricing starts at $41 per month for the Community Plan, with more advanced plans available.
Circle
Designed for clean, conversation-focused communities, Circle is a popular choice among creators and businesses seeking an elegant community experience. Key features include dedicated member spaces, community discussions, and course integration. Pricing varies, with the platform being well-suited for a range of budgets.
Podia
Budget-friendly and easy to set up, Podia is an appealing option for small creators. It provides digital downloads, online courses, memberships, and other essential features. Its affordability makes it an attractive choice for those building small communities with a content-driven focus.
MemberPress
Integrated with WordPress, MemberPress offers robust membership management for businesses within the WordPress ecosystem. Key features include membership tiers, paywalls, recurring payments, and seamless scalability with WordPress. Pricing details are not specified, but the platform caters to businesses of all sizes.
Kajabi
Known for scaling course platforms, Kajabi is an excellent choice for course creators and sales funnels. Its suite of features includes a drag-and-drop builder, email marketing, and course integrations. While pricing details are not provided, Kajabi is well-suited for businesses looking to grow their online course offerings.
Thinkific
Scalable for education, Thinkific is an ideal choice for educators and learning hubs. Its features include online course delivery, certificates, quizzes, drip content, and more. Its scalability makes it an attractive choice for those looking to grow their learning communities.
Wild Apricot
Catering to nonprofits and associations, Wild Apricot offers membership management, event tools, private communities, and email marketing. Its ability to support an unlimited number of members makes it an appealing choice for larger organizations.
AI Website Creator (Mobirise)
For those without technical skills, the AI website creator by Mobirise offers a quick and easy way to build social network-style sites. Key features include a drag-and-drop editor, user profiles, activity feeds, messaging, and AI-generated content drafts. Its visual editor and strong social network features make it an attractive choice for beginners.
Hivebrite
Ideal for professional and alumni networks, Hivebrite offers comprehensive member management tools, strong event organization features, and customizable branding. While it may be expensive for small organizations, its features make it an attractive choice for larger organizations and networks.
Tribe
Easily integrated with business tools, Tribe offers scalability for large communities, a clean, intuitive interface, and good customer support. Its limited free plan may be a drawback for some, but its features make it an attractive choice for businesses looking to build large, professional communities.
Khoros
Ideal for large-scale customer support communities, Khoros offers AI-powered insights and moderation, extensive customization options, enterprise-grade security and support, and more. However, its high cost may be prohibitive for smaller communities.
PeerBoard
Ideal for small to medium-sized communities, PeerBoard offers discussion forums with nested comments, member profiles and activity feeds, moderation tools, content approval, gamification, and integration with popular CMS tools. Its limited customization options and fewer advanced features compared to competitors may be a drawback for some.
SocialEngine
Offering white-label social network platforms, SocialEngine allows for customized, branded communities. Both cloud-hosted and self-hosted options are available, and the platform offers a good selection of third-party plugins. Its higher cost compared to open-source alternatives and a steeper learning curve for advanced customization may be a drawback for some.
Choosing the best software depends on your specific needs—whether your focus is on social networking, professional interaction, scalable online courses, or nonprofit membership management. Each option varies in its balance of community tools, course features, ease of use, and pricing.
- To build an interactive and content-driven community, you might consider Mighty Networks for its comprehensive suite of features, including course creation and a starting price of $41 per month.
- For larger nonprofits or associations seeking membership management, event tools, and private communities, Wild Apricot could be an appealing choice due to its ability to support an unlimited number of members.
