Nowadays, online communities are essential components of our lifestyles. When it comes to video gaming, social networking, and even business opportunities - connecting with individuals all across the world has never been more comfortable through these thriving groups.
However, developing and running a successful web community is no simple task; your platform selection turns out to be an integral factor in its success or failure. That's why we're here to help you find the best online community platform in 2023.
In this post, we'll explore the importance of hosting your community on the best platform, what separates the best online community platform from the rest, and a few of the best options available.
The Importance of Hosting Your Community on the Best Platform Online
Selecting the correct platform to host your community is essential for extended success. The top platforms include features that make it easy to communicate, remain involved, and advance the growth of your community.
On the other hand, a flawed decision can lead to interaction obstacles and impede expansion; thereby stagnating development in its tracks. Moreover, there are some communities better suited to certain types of platforms than others.
For example, gaming-centric communities thrive on platforms like Discord or Slack. Social networks are ideal for building online connections and fostering relationships among individuals. And YouTube is superb for cultivating video-based communities over time.
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What Separates the Best Online Community Platform From the Rest?
When it comes to online community platforms, there are certain criteria that set the best ones apart from the rest. These criteria include:
Customization Options
The ideal online community platforms offer customization possibilities that let you make your platform stand out. These options may comprise personalized themes, emojis, reactions, and other components which can be adapted to the specific requirements of your community.
With these personalization choices in place, it will help create a more inviting atmosphere for your members as well as make it much easier for them to engage with each other onsite.
Management Tools
In order to really maximize the success of any online community, powerful management is paramount. Fortunately, many platforms offer a variety of helpful tools that can simplify this job.
Features like analytics and reporting provide key insights into how your members interact with each other, while moderation and automation capabilities let you take care of mundane tasks quickly so you're free to focus on more meaningful pursuits.
Ultimately, these management tools ensure that whichever corner of the web your community occupies remains an inviting space for all involved.
Monetization Opportunities
Make the most of your online community platform by exploring a range of monetization opportunities.
Paid memberships and exclusive content access provide an excellent way to generate revenue from your users, while merchandise sales also open up the potential for success.
Utilize these features to turn profits towards further investments in the growth and development of your community - all whilst delivering valuable experiences that benefit both you and its members.
Integrations
By integrating your online community platform with other powerful tools, you can make the most of your management and marketing activities. Social media platforms, email software, or project managing apps are just some examples that could help increase efficiency and maximize your community's performance.
With a few clicks of a button, these integrations allow for an easier workflow and improved user experience.
User-Friendliness
For a smooth and successful online community, choose an interface that is user-friendly not only for creators but also members.
Look into platforms with straightforward instructions as well as intuitive navigation so users are able to efficiently engage in the community platform while allowing you, the creator, to manage it seamlessly.
Scalability
When your online community gains traction, you must consider the scalability of platforms in order to accommodate large amounts of users and activity.
To ensure that your network can keep flourishing as it grows, be sure to evaluate a platform’s capacity for handling vast user numbers without dragging or crashing.
A Few of the Best Online Community Platforms in 2023
Now let's take a look at some of the best online community platforms available in 2023.
Discord
Discord is one of the best online community platforms in 2023, offering users a suite of powerful features that allow them to easily create and manage their communities. Discord offers customizability options, management tools, monetization opportunities, integrations with other services, and user-friendliness.
In addition, Discord supports bots like Whop's Discord Subscription Bot (one of the best bots for Discord servers) which can help you maximize your growth by offering Discord rewards and to charge access to Discord servers in particular.
Check out some of our guides on making the most out of Discord:
Slack
For gaming communities, Slack is one of the best online community platforms in 2023. It helps users connect with others who share their interests and build relationships.
Slack offers a wide range of features that make it easy to customize and manage your community—from custom themes and emoji reactions to analytics and reporting tools. Slack also integrates well with other services like email marketing solutions for maximum efficiency.
YouTube
YouTube is an excellent platform for creating video-based online communities in 2023. With YouTube's easy-to-navigate interface, you can quickly and easily create content that will draw viewers from around the world.
YouTube also offers monetization options such as paid memberships and ads so you can generate revenue from your videos as well as support your community's growth.
Reddit is another great option for creating online communities in 2023. It provides users with an easy way to create and manage their own subreddits, customizing it to their exact specifications. Reddit also offers a wide range of features that make it easy to interact with your members—from post voting and customized feeds to moderation tools and analytics.
Facebook Groups
For social networking-based online communities, Facebook Groups is one of the best platforms in 2023. With Facebook Groups, you can quickly create and manage a group dedicated to your interests or cause. You can invite members and share content easily, while also managing users, hosting events, and tracking engagement with group analytics.
Twitch
Twitch is ideal for gaming-focused online communities in 2023. Twitch allows streamers to build a community around their favorite games and broadcast live video content.
Twitch's suite of features makes it easy to engage with your followers—including chat rooms, polls, game integrations, donation options, and more. Streamers can also monetize their content through subscriptions or ads on the platform.
For business-centered online communities, LinkedIn is one of the best platforms in 2023. It provides users with a professional network to connect with others and share content like articles, podcasts, and videos related to their industry or interests.
LinkedIn also offers features that make it easy to host events, compile lists of members and connections, view analytics on engagement and reach, and more.
Instagram has quickly become one of the best platforms for creating visual-based online communities in 2023.
With the platform's easy-to-use interface, users can quickly create engaging visual content like photos, stories, and videos that draw viewers from around the world. Users can also take advantage of Instagram's monetization options such as paid memberships or ads to support their community growth.
Finally, Twitter (now X) is an excellent platform for creating text-based online communities. The platform allows you to easily create tweets that reach an audience of millions while also interacting with other users through comments and likes. You can also use Twitter's analytics tools to track your followers' engagement and reach as well as discover new opportunities for growth.
Of These Options, What Platform Has the Best Online Community?
So of all the options available, what platform has the best online community? Discord stands out as the best platform for creating an online community. With its comprehensive suite of features and customizable tools, it is easy to see why many consider it to be the top choice for connecting with others.
For starters, Discord offers one of the best user experiences when it comes to creating and managing a community – from setting up roles and channels to messaging members and moderating conversations.
It also supports a wide range of customizations, allowing users to customize their server's look and feel with widgets, emotes, backgrounds, music bots, and more. Plus, users can even set up a paid Discord server or get involved in reselling Discord servers if they want to monetize their online community.
In addition, Discord provides powerful analytics tools that make it easy to track your members' engagement and reach. You can analyze conversations happening on your server, view detailed stats like chat activity or server uptime, or explore insights based on demographics such as location or age group. Armed with this data you can then hone in on what works best for your specific community.
Finally – and perhaps most importantly – Discord has established itself as one of the most secure platforms for hosting an online community in 2023. It utilizes advanced security measures such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and encryption to ensure all conversations remain private while protecting user data from any malicious actors.
These features have earned it the trust of many users who now rely on its services for their online communities in 2023.
Maximize Your Discord Community With Whop’s Discord Subscription Bot!
Whop is a Discord bot that helps creators manage and monetize their Discord servers by offering subscription-based content. With Whop, creators can set up exclusive channels and roles for their subscribers, and even offer perks like early access to content or special badges.
The bot also handles subscription payments, so creators don't have to worry about managing payments or access manually.
What Does Whop Do for Creators?
Whop provides creators with a way to monetize their Discord communities and reward their most loyal fans. By setting up subscription-based content, creators can offer exclusive access to channels, content, and perks to their subscribers.
This can help to create a sense of community and exclusivity, while also providing creators with a way to generate income from their Discord server.
How to Get Started
To get started with Whop, creators need to add the bot to their Discord server and set up their subscription-based content. This involves setting up roles and channels for subscribers, as well as deciding on pricing and perks.
Once this is set up, subscribers can begin to sign up and gain access to the exclusive content and perks that the creator has set up. Whop handles all subscription payments, making it easy for creators to manage and monetize their Discord community. Try it for free using this link.
Parting Thoughts on the Best Online Community Platform
For online communities, Discord is in our opinion the best platform for creating and managing an online community. With its comprehensive suite of features and customizable tools, it is easy to see why many consider it to be the top choice.
In addition, Discord offers powerful analytics tools that make it easy to track your members' engagement and reach. And, with the addition of Whop, creators can even monetize their Discord server and reward their most loyal fans.
Now that you know what platform has the best online community, if you're ready to take the next step towards using Whop for your own community, simply request a demo.
Additional Discord guides:
Want to read more about Discord? We can guide you through how to build an online community in general in our blog. We have articles on creating Discord rules for your server, how to add a banner to your Discord server, how to boost a Discord server, Guilded vs Discord, setting up a Discord membership bot, and more.
