I dare you to count the number of online community platforms that exist today. I’m talking about ALL of them…the ones that serve enterprise, mid-market, startups, communities of practice, creators, artists, book clubs, etc. (OK, maybe not the Web3-focused ones.) What’s your guess?!
By my count, there are 43 😲. I admit I may not know them all, but that’s the number I’m at today, and that’s not including tools that you use in addition to the platforms.
**UPDATE as of 9/21/23: The list is now up to 48.**
I consider it part of my job to stay in the know about these technologies, as well as the other tools that compliment them. To keep track and make sense of all this, I started a spreadsheet for myself a while back. At least once a week, I’m editing or adding to this spreadsheet.
It’s about time I share this resource, and make it collaborative…so here you go:
The Go-To List for Community Platforms, Tools, and More
Want to make an addition or suggestion to the spreadsheet? Add it via a comment (on the actual spreadsheet), and it will be reviewed.
This spreadsheet will continue to be updated, and I plan on adding columns for things like:
Target Audience
Price Range
Region(s) served
And more!
*Special thanks to Tiffany Oda, Joel Primack, and Max Pete for their feedback on this!
Confused or overwhelmed by it all?
I get it. If you’re entertaining the idea of starting your own Community, looking at something like that spreadsheet can be a lot. Platform selection should go hand-in-hand with strategic planning, IMHO. If you’re having challenges with either, or just looking for where to get started, I can help.
~Jenny
You have forgotten WoltLab Suite
https://www.woltlab.com and FeverBee
https://www.feverbee.com and
orbit.love
http://www.orbit.love
And some more. The list is just too big.
Amazing list. Also encourage you to add InvisionCommunity.com if you're going to add WoltLab. Invision is one of the original OG forum developers, and they have a long history of building online communities.