Best Community Platforms in 2026
Whether you’re organizing a member group, a discussion space or events, community platforms differ in the tools and access options they offer. Compare moderation tools, private spaces and event hosting alongside member limits, mobile apps and custom-domain support. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide further context when considering scope and cost. NodeBB, HumHub and Circle lead the ranked entries, followed by Discourse. Consider the kind of group you need to support and how it will handle access, moderation and gatherings; the listed criteria give you concrete points for comparing those needs with each platform.
123 community platforms ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Member limit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NodeBB | 8.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $20/mo | Yes | $20/mo | — | View |
| 2 | HumHub | 8.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | €144/mo | Yes | — | — | View |
| 3 | Circle | 8.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $89/mo | No | $89/mo | — | View |
| 4 | Discourse | 7.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $100/mo | Yes | $100/mo | — | View |
| 5 | Octo | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $29/mo | Yes | $29/mo | 999 members | View |
| 6 | Heartbeat | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $19/mo | No | $49/mo | 350 members | View |
| 7 | Whaller | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | €3/mo | Yes | — | — | View |
| 8 | Kazokus | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $49/mo | Yes | $49/mo | 2,500 members | View |
| 9 | UNA | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 10 | HuddleSpot | 7.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $39/mo | Yes | $39/mo | — | View |
| 11 | 7.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View | |
| 12 |  Meetup | 7.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 13 | PeopleGrove Engagement Hub | 7.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | — | — | — | View |
| 14 | Zapnito | 6.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $59/mo | Yes | — | — | View |
| 15 | SocialEngine | 6.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $29/mo | No | $29/mo | 5 members | View |
| 16 | Raklet | 6.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $59/mo | Yes | $49/mo | 500 members | View |
| 17 |  QuestionPro | 6.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $83/mo | Yes | — | — | View |
| 18 |  Invision Community | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
| 19 | Mateflow | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $49/mo | No | $49/mo | — | View |
| 20 | phpFox | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $39/mo | No | $39/mo | — | View |
| 21 |  Rallyhood | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 22 |  FluentCommunity | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $16.58/mo | Yes | — | — | View |
| 23 |  Ummah | 6.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $19/mo | Yes | $19/mo | — | View |
| 24 | Gradual | 6.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | — | View |
| 25 | Hivebrite | 6.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which community platform is ranked first on Inferse?
NodeBB is ranked #1 of 123 with a score of 8.8. HumHub is second and Circle third.
How many of these have a free plan?
18 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Whaller has the lowest first paid tier we found: €3/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.