Note (September 2026): Twitter was renamed X on July 23, 2023; this list has been updated with the platforms’ current names, owners and verified figures.
The best community-building websites depend on the kind of community you want. Discord and Slack suit real-time chat, Reddit and Discourse suit threaded discussion, Facebook Groups and LinkedIn suit communities built on an existing social network, Meetup suits in-person events, and Nextdoor suits verified neighbors. Most are free to join; Meetup charges organizers.
Key Takeaways
- Chat communities: Discord (launched May 13, 2015) reported 200 million monthly active users in 2025, according to Wikipedia.
- Discussion communities: Reddit has more than 138,000 active subreddits run by unpaid volunteer moderators.
- Events: Meetup, founded in June 2002, has been owned by Bending Spoons since January 2024 and charges group organizers a fee.
- Neighborhoods: Nextdoor requires members to submit their legal names and addresses.
- Your own site: embeddable tools such as AtomChat and open-source forum software such as Discourse let you host the community on a website you control.
Community-building websites have become increasingly popular over the years, providing people with an online platform to connect, engage, and collaborate. These platforms serve as a virtual space for individuals with similar interests, passions, or goals to come together, share ideas, and form meaningful relationships.
The Best Online Community Platforms
Here is a list of some of the best community platform websites that you can explore to build and foster communities around your interests.
The Best Online Community Platforms
AtomChat
AtomChat is a powerful community-building website that offers a complete suite of communication tools. It is a comprehensive messaging platform that allows you to create custom chat rooms, groups, and channels. It is also equipped with audio and video calling features, file sharing, screen sharing, and more. Unlike most platforms on this list, AtomChat is added to a website you already own: as of September 2026, its website lists integrations with WordPress, BuddyPress, Webflow, Shopify, SocialEngine and EasySocial, a free tier, a 14-day Pro trial, and paid memberships, paid channels and tipping through Stripe. The company says more than 3,000 creator communities and websites use it. AtomChat is a perfect choice for businesses, organizations, and individuals who want to build a strong community and engage with their members.
Meetup
Meetup is an online platform that connects people with similar interests to organize and attend events. Founded in June 2002 and headquartered in New York City, Meetup has been owned by the app developer Bending Spoons since January 2024, after earlier ownership by WeWork (2017) and AlleyCorp (2020). The platform provides users with a calendar of events based on their location and interests, making it easy for individuals to find and join communities they are interested in. Meetup is great for people who want to build real-world connections and engage with like-minded individuals. Joining groups is free for members, but Meetup has charged group organizers a fee since 2005, so check the current organizer pricing before starting a group.
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that allows individuals to connect with professionals in their industry, share knowledge, and build their personal brand. LinkedIn, launched on May 5, 2003 and owned by Microsoft since December 2016, reported 1.3 billion registered users as of March 2026, making it a strong platform for individuals who want to build their professional network and establish themselves as thought leaders in their field. LinkedIn Groups, which can be public or private, host moderated discussions around industries and occupations.
Reddit is a popular social news aggregation and discussion website that allows users to create and participate in online communities called subreddits. Subreddits cover a wide range of topics, from news and politics to gaming and entertainment. Reddit, founded on June 23, 2005 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange since March 2024, has more than 138,000 active communities out of roughly 1.2 million subreddits; each is run by unpaid volunteer moderators who set and enforce its rules. Reddit is great for individuals who want to connect with people who share their interests and engage in meaningful discussions.
Discord
Discord is a chat and voice platform designed for gamers, but it has grown to become a popular community platform for people with various interests. It offers features like text and voice chat, screen sharing, file sharing, and more. Discord is perfect for individuals who want to connect with like-minded people and engage in real-time conversations. Launched on May 13, 2015 and based in San Francisco, Discord reported 200 million monthly active users in 2025. Communities are organized into servers with text and voice channels, and Forum Channels, added in September 2022, give longer conversations their own threads. Discord is free to use; the optional Nitro subscription costs $9.99 a month in the US.
Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups is a feature on Facebook that allows individuals to create and join groups based on their interests, hobbies, or location. Groups can be public or private, and members can post and interact with each other. Posts in a private group are visible only to its members. Facebook, owned by Meta Platforms, reported about 3.07 billion monthly active users in December 2023, which gives groups a very large pool of potential members. Facebook Groups is a great option for individuals who want to connect with people in their community and engage in conversations on a variety of topics.
Slack
Slack is a messaging platform designed for teams, but it has grown to become a popular community platform for individuals and organizations. It offers features like channels, direct messaging, video calls, file sharing, and more. Slack suits communities that want organized, work-style channels, such as professional or alumni groups. Slack launched in August 2013 and has been owned by Salesforce since July 21, 2021. Its free plan limits access to the most recent 90 days of message history, which matters for communities that want a searchable archive.
X (formerly Twitter) is a popular social media platform that allows individuals to post and engage with short public messages, still widely called tweets. Twitter was renamed X on July 23, 2023, and its domain moved from twitter.com to x.com on May 17, 2024. It is also a great platform to build a community around your interests or hobbies. X offers features like hashtags, lists, communities and X Spaces (live audio rooms), making it easy for users to discover and engage with other users who share their interests.
Quora
Quora is a question-and-answer website that allows users to ask and answer questions on a wide range of topics. Users can follow topics, people, and questions that interest them, making it easy to build a community around their interests. Quora is great for individuals who want to connect with people who have similar interests and engage in thoughtful discussions. Quora was founded on June 25, 2009 by former Facebook employees Adam D’Angelo and Charlie Cheever and opened to the public on June 21, 2010. Its Spaces feature, launched in November 2018, lets users run topic-based communities inside Quora.
Nextdoor
Nextdoor is a private social network for neighborhoods that allows individuals to connect with their neighbors, share information, and build community. Nextdoor is perfect for individuals who want to build a strong community around their neighborhood. Founded in 2008 and based in San Francisco, Nextdoor requires users to submit their legal names and addresses, claimed 88 million members (“neighbors”) in 2024, and operates in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and several European countries.
Comparison of Online Community Platforms
The table summarizes the platforms above plus Discourse, using details from Wikipedia and the companies’ own sites as of September 2026.
| Platform | Launched | Owner | Community format | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AtomChat | Not stated | AtomChat | Chat, calls and paid channels embedded in your own website | Creators and site owners who want to monetize members |
| Meetup | June 2002 | Bending Spoons (since January 2024) | Groups built around in-person and online events | Local hobby, professional and social groups |
| May 2003 | Microsoft (since December 2016) | Professional profiles and groups | Industry and career communities | |
| June 2005 | Reddit, Inc. (NYSE: RDDT) | Public, topic-based subreddits with volunteer moderators | Open discussion around a niche | |
| Discord | May 2015 | Discord Inc. | Servers with text, voice and forum channels | Gaming, fandom and real-time communities |
| Facebook Groups | Facebook: February 2004 | Meta Platforms | Public or private groups inside Facebook | Reaching members who already use Facebook |
| Slack | August 2013 | Salesforce (since July 2021) | Workspaces with channels and direct messages | Professional, alumni and work-style communities |
| X (formerly Twitter) | Renamed X in July 2023 | xAI (since March 2025), which SpaceX acquired in February 2026 | Public posts, hashtags, lists and communities | Public conversation and audience building |
| Quora | June 2009 (public June 2010) | Quora, Inc. | Questions, answers and Spaces | Knowledge-sharing communities |
| Nextdoor | 2008 | Nextdoor (publicly listed since November 2021) | Address-verified neighborhood feeds | Local neighborhood communities |
| Discourse | August 2014 | Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc. | Open-source forum software you can self-host | Long-term, searchable discussion forums |
What Is a Community-Building Website?
A community-building website is an online platform where people with a shared interest, profession, location or goal can find each other, talk and organize. The platforms fall into four broad types, and the type matters more than the brand.
- Groups inside a social network (Facebook Groups, LinkedIn Groups, X communities): easy to start because members already have accounts, but the network controls reach, rules and data.
- Chat servers (Discord, Slack): fast, real-time conversation; older messages are harder to find, and Slack’s free plan gives access to only the last 90 days of history.
- Forums and discussion sites (Reddit, Quora Spaces, Discourse): threaded posts that stay searchable, which suits questions and long-running topics.
- Event and local platforms (Meetup, Nextdoor): built around meeting in person or around a verified address.
Which Community Platform Should You Choose?
Choosing a community platform comes down to where your members already spend time and how they need to talk. Use these checks in order:
- Define the purpose. Write one sentence on who the community is for and what members get from it, such as local runners meeting weekly or developers helping each other with one framework.
- Pick the conversation format. Choose chat (Discord, Slack) for quick back-and-forth, a forum (Reddit, Discourse) for searchable answers, or events (Meetup) for meeting in person.
- Decide who owns the space. On Reddit, Facebook or X, the platform sets the rules and can change features; self-hosted Discourse or an embedded tool such as AtomChat on your own website keeps the member list and content under your control.
- Check the costs. Reddit, Discord, Facebook Groups and Quora are free to use; Meetup charges organizers; Slack’s free plan limits history; Discourse is open-source software under the GNU GPL, but self-hosting it needs your own server.
- Write rules and appoint moderators before launch. Reddit’s model, in which volunteer moderators set and enforce community rules, is a useful template for any platform. See why clear guidelines matter for forums and communities.
- Seed the first conversations. Post the first questions and invite a small group of active members so newcomers find discussion already under way.
How to Grow an Online Community
Growing an online community depends on giving members a reason to return. Practical steps include a pinned welcome post that explains the rules, a regular schedule (a weekly thread, a monthly event on Meetup, or a live voice session on Discord), and recognizing helpful members with a role or moderator status.
Promotion works best from places your audience already visits. A blog or newsletter can feed members into the community, as covered in how to grow your community beyond your blog, and brands can follow the approach in how to use Discord for community building. If you want a dedicated site instead of a third-party platform, see how to develop a good-looking community website and the BuddyX social community theme review.
Common Mistakes When Building a Community
- Choosing a platform members do not use: a Slack workspace for an audience that lives on Discord will stay empty.
- Launching with too many channels: a few active channels feel busier than twenty quiet ones.
- Having no moderation plan: spam is a known, ongoing problem in LinkedIn Groups, so rules and moderators are needed from day one on any open group.
- Depending entirely on one platform: platforms change; Twitter, for example, was bought in October 2022, renamed X in 2023 and changed owners again in 2025, so keep an email list or another way to reach members.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free platform to build an online community?
Discord, Reddit, Facebook Groups and Quora Spaces are free to create and join. Discord suits real-time chat, Reddit suits public topic discussion, and Facebook Groups suits audiences already on Facebook. Discourse is free open-source software, but it needs a server to self-host.
Is Discord better than Slack for a community?
Discord is usually the better fit for hobby, gaming and fan communities because it is free, supports voice and forum channels, and reported 200 million monthly active users in 2025. Slack fits professional communities, but its free plan limits access to the most recent 90 days of messages.
Does Meetup cost money?
Joining Meetup groups is free for members, but Meetup has charged group organizers a fee since 2005. Check Meetup’s current organizer plans before starting a group.
Is Twitter still a community platform?
Twitter was renamed X on July 23, 2023. X still offers hashtags, lists, communities and live audio through X Spaces, so it remains usable for public, interest-based conversation.
Can I build a community on my own website?
Yes. Open-source forum software such as Discourse, released in August 2014, can be self-hosted, and embeddable tools such as AtomChat add chat, calls and paid memberships to WordPress, BuddyPress, Shopify and other sites.
