Best Community Software for Small Businesses (Free & Paid)
Community software allows businesses to build and manage online communities where customers, employees, or members can interact. It provides a platform for sharing ideas, asking questions, and offering support to one another. Features often include forums, discussion boards, user profiles, messaging tools, and content sharing options. For small businesses, community software helps engage customers and build brand loyalty by creating a space for open dialogue. It encourages users to provide feedback, which can lead to product improvements and innovation. By fostering a sense of community, small businesses can differentiate themselves from competitors. Community software also reduces customer support costs, as users can help each other solve problems, freeing up your staff for other tasks. It enhances customer satisfaction and retention by making people feel valued and heard. Additionally, it provides valuable insights into customer needs and preferences, helping you make informed business decisions. Here are some community software options available for you to choose from to build a vibrant and engaged community around your brand:
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Software
List of Top Community Software for Small Businesses
Zendesk Suite is a customer service software that streamlines interactions between businesses and their customers. It offers a unified interface for managing customer support across multiple channels like email, chat, phone, and social media. The suite includes ticketing system features for efficient issue tracking and resolution. Key functionalities also encompass a knowledge base for self-servic... Read more about Zendesk Suite
Available
$55 Per month
United States
Slack is a communication platform designed for teams, offering a streamlined way to collaborate. It organizes conversations into channels, allowing users to focus on specific topics or projects. Direct messaging enables private conversations, while file sharing makes document collaboration easy. Slack integrates with numerous apps, including Google Drive and Trello, enhancing its functionality. It... Read more about Slack
Available
$245 Per month
United States
Webex Events is a comprehensive solution for hosting virtual and hybrid events. It's designed to offer an interactive and engaging experience for attendees, regardless of their location. The platform supports a range of event types, from webinars to large conferences. It features high-quality video and audio streaming, ensuring a seamless presentation. Webex Events offers robust audience interacti... Read more about Webex Events (formerly Socio)
NA
$950 Per month
United States
Khoros Communities is a robust platform designed to empower organizations in building and managing online communities effectively. With a user-friendly interface, it facilitates seamless communication and collaboration among community members. Khoros Communities supports discussion forums, blogs, and social media integration, providing a versatile space for engagement. Its moderation tools ensure ... Read more about Khoros Communities
NA
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United States
NING is a specialized platform for creating custom social networks, tailored to specific interests or communities. It's renowned for its flexibility and ease of use, allowing anyone to build a unique online community space. The platform supports various content types, including blogs, photos, and videos, enabling rich multimedia engagement. NING offers extensive customization options, from design ... Read more about NING
14 Days
$25 Per month
United States
Discourse is an innovative software designed for creating engaging and interactive online communities. It's renowned for revolutionizing traditional forum models with its user-friendly interface and modern design principles. The platform facilitates seamless communication, offering features like real-time post updates, extensive formatting options, and mobile compatibility, ensuring an enjoyable u... Read more about Discourse
14 Days
$20 Per month
United States
vBulletin Cloud is a hosted forum software solution, offering a blend of power and simplicity for building online communities. It eliminates the need for server management, as hosting is provided by vBulletin. The platform is known for its robust functionality, catering to both small and large communities. It features an intuitive and customizable user interface, allowing for a tailored community ... Read more about vBulletin Cloud
Available
$14.99 Per month
United Kingdom
Thinkific Plus is an advanced online course creation platform, designed for high-volume businesses and organizations. It offers enhanced features, catering to the needs of larger-scale operations. Thinkific Plus supports the creation of compelling, interactive courses with a variety of content types like videos, quizzes, and downloadable resources. The platform includes robust tools for user segme... Read more about Thinkific Plus
NA
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Canada
BuddyPress is a free, open-source social networking software package, a plugin for WordPress. It transforms a WordPress website into a social community platform, ideal for small to medium-sized online communities. BuddyPress allows users to create detailed profiles, connect with friends, and engage in group discussions. The software supports private messaging, enhancing personal communication betw... Read more about BuddyPress
NA
Free
United States
XenForo is a modern, user-friendly forum software known for its sleek design and intuitive user experience. It's built on a robust and flexible framework, making it suitable for forums of all sizes. XenForo offers a range of social engagement features, such as likes and reactions, which encourage user interaction. The software includes an advanced permission system, giving administrators granular ... Read more about XenForo
7 Days
$648 Per year
United Kingdom
Podia is an all-in-one digital platform tailored for creators and entrepreneurs. With Podia, users can effortlessly sell online courses, memberships, digital downloads, and webinars without the hassle of third-party tools. Its user-friendly interface simplifies course creation, allowing customization of content, pricing, and branding. You can drip content to engage and retain students and integrat... Read more about Podia
NA
$33 Per month
United States
Vesta is a comprehensive community management software, designed to streamline and enhance the operations of homeowner associations (HOAs) and property management companies. It focuses on simplifying the complexities of managing residential communities. Vesta offers tools for efficient communication, including mass emails and notifications, keeping residents informed and engaged. The platform supp... Read more about TINT
NA
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United States
BigMarker is a comprehensive webinar and virtual event platform designed for hosting, marketing, and monetizing online events. It's versatile, catering to webinars, workshops, and large-scale conferences. The platform offers high-quality live streaming and video hosting capabilities, ensuring a seamless viewing experience. BigMarker includes interactive features like polls, Q&A sessions, and chat ... Read more about BigMarker
Available
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United States
Higher Logic Vanilla is a comprehensive community platform designed to foster engagement and collaboration. With a user-friendly interface, Higher Logic Vanilla facilitates seamless communication and interaction among community members. The platform supports discussion forums, enabling users to ask questions, share insights, and connect with peers. Higher Logic Vanilla's gamification features enco... Read more about Higher Logic Vanilla
NA
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United States
Higher Logic Thrive is a versatile software platform designed to facilitate effective online communities and engagement. It serves as a hub for organizations looking to connect with their members, customers, or stakeholders. With Higher Logic Thrive, you can create customized, user-friendly online communities, discussion forums, and collaboration spaces. Members can easily interact, share knowledg... Read more about Higher Logic Thrive
NA
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United States
Kajabi is a comprehensive platform designed for entrepreneurs and businesses to create, market, and sell online courses and digital products. It stands out for its all-in-one functionality, combining website building, course creation, and email marketing tools. Kajabi offers a user-friendly interface, making it accessible for non-tech-savvy users to craft professional-looking courses and websites.... Read more about Kajabi
Available
$55 Per month
United States
Influitive is a cutting-edge advocacy marketing platform, designed to harness the power of customer enthusiasm. It specializes in building and managing a brand's community of advocates. The software facilitates the creation of engaging challenges and rewards to motivate users. Its intuitive interface allows for easy navigation and management of advocacy programs. Influitive integrates seamlessly w... Read more about Influitive
NA
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Canada
Bloomfire is a knowledge engagement platform that centralizes and democratizes organizational information. It's designed to make company knowledge easily accessible, fostering a culture of collaboration and informed decision-making. The software features a powerful search engine, quickly surfacing relevant information from a variety of content types. Bloomfire supports diverse media formats, inclu... Read more about Bloomfire
30 Days
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United States
Mighty Networks is a dynamic platform designed for creating and managing vibrant online communities and membership sites. It's particularly favored by creators, entrepreneurs, and brands looking to build a dedicated space for their audience or customers. The software excels in offering a range of interactive features, such as discussion boards, polls, and live streaming, fostering engagement and c... Read more about Mighty Networks
14 Days
$41 Per month
United States
Gainsight Customer Communities is a specialized software platform designed to enhance customer engagement and relationship management. Primarily targeted at businesses looking to build stronger connections with their client base, it offers a suite of tools for creating interactive online communities. These communities serve as dedicated spaces where customers can engage in discussions, share feedb... Read more about Gainsight Customer Communities
Available
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United States
Glue Up is a comprehensive software suite designed for event management, membership management, and CRM (Customer Relationship Management). It's tailored for organizations and professionals who organize, manage, and maintain member communities and events. The platform offers end-to-end event management solutions, including event planning, registration, ticketing, and attendee engagement. Glue Up's... Read more about Glue Up
Available
$2500 Per year
United States
eXo Platform is a digital workplace solution designed to enhance team collaboration and communication. It combines features like social networking, forums, and chat for interactive engagement. The platform offers spaces for teams to collaborate on projects, and document management for easy file sharing and editing. eXo includes an integrated calendar for event planning and scheduling. Users can pe... Read more about eXo Platform
Available
$5 Per month
France
Disciple is a versatile community-building platform designed for creators and brands. It empowers users to create their own independent, customizable social networks. The software stands out for its user-friendly interface, making it accessible even to those without technical expertise. Key features include content management tools, allowing for the easy sharing of articles, videos, and images. It... Read more about Disciple
Available
$729 Per month
United Kingdom
Circle is a modern software platform specifically designed for building and nurturing online communities. It's favored by creators, educators, and businesses for its flexibility and ease of use. Circle allows users to create engaging spaces for discussions, content sharing, and member interaction. The platform features customizable forums, member profiles, and direct messaging, fostering a sense o... Read more about Circle
14 Days
$89 Per month