9 best Discord alternatives for building a community

Discord works well for informal, chat-driven groups, but when it comes to creating a more structured, scalable community, it often falls short. For many brands, these limitations are what prompt the search for a more capable solution:

• Limited branding and customization: Discord offers minimal options to tailor the look and feel of your space, making it hard to create a community that truly reflects your brand identity.
  

• Moderation tools are basic: As communities scale, content moderation becomes critical. Discord’s features don’t offer the level of control needed to manage large or complex audiences effectively.
  

• Few integrations with business tools: Discord doesn’t natively connect with key platforms like CRMs, support ticketing systems, or marketing automation tools, making it harder to sync your community with the rest of your customer experience ecosystem.
  

• Lack of analytics and reporting: With no built-in insights, it’s difficult to track engagement or assess the impact of your community strategy.
  

• Not built for structured use cases: Discord excels at real-time chat, but falls short when it comes to organized discussion, searchable content, or peer support workflows.
  

• Complex configuration and permissions: Setting up roles and managing access can be tedious, especially in larger communities where governance matters.
  

• Privacy concerns: Discord’s data collection practices have raised red flags among privacy advocates, including that the platform may be vulnerable to bad actors.

If your goal is to build a branded, long-term community that supports your customers and your business, it may be time to consider platforms designed for scale, structure, and strategic growth.

A great community platform does more than facilitate conversation — it creates space for connection, learning, and long-term engagement. Here’s what to prioritize when evaluating your options:

• Custom branding and control: Your community should look and feel like an extension of your brand, not a one-size-fits-all forum. Look for platforms that offer full design flexibility, custom domain options, and configurable permissions so you can tailor the experience to your audience and maintain a consistent look and feel across your ecosystem.
  

• Robust moderation tools: Scalable communities require scalable moderation. Features like AI-powered content filtering and granular permission settings help you create a safe, inclusive environment.
  

• Integration with CRM, CX, and support systems: Community doesn’t live in a silo. Seamless integration with enterprise platforms ensures insights from your community can power customer support, product development, and marketing strategies.
  

• Community analytics and reporting: Engagement doesn’t have to be a guessing game. Your platform should provide clear, actionable data on member activity, trending content, support deflection, and more, so you can measure what matters and adjust your strategy accordingly.
  

• Scalable infrastructure: Whether you’re launching a small forum or supporting a global user base, your platform needs to handle growth without compromising performance.
  

• Mobile and web accessibility: Communities don’t stop at the desktop. Make it easy for users to join, contribute, and return on any device. A responsive, intuitive experience across platforms helps ensure high engagement.

These features can help transform your community from a chatroom into a business asset that supports everything from customer success to brand advocacy.

What it is:
Khoros Communities is an enterprise-grade platform built to power customer connection at scale. Designed for flexibility and control, it allows brands to build and manage dynamic online spaces where customers can ask questions, share experiences, find solutions, and connect with one another. Whether you’re building a product forum, customer support hub, or brand advocacy network, Khoros provides robust features to enable meaningful engagement.

Khoros Communities excels at structured, asynchronous interaction. Its deep integration capabilities, comprehensive analytics, and customization options make it ideal for businesses that need more than just conversation — they need a strategic, measurable community platform that grows alongside their brand.

Pricing:
Contact Sales for a quote tailored to your community’s size and needs.

Ideal for:
Enterprise brands across industries — particularly technology, financial, telecommunications, retail, and B2B organizations — looking to scale customer support, enable peer learning, and drive advocacy.

Key differentiators:

• Full branding control

• Extensive moderation capabilities, including AI-powered moderation

• Built-in gamification (badges, leaderboards)

• Advanced analytics and reporting

• Proven scalability with Fortune 500 brands

What it is:
Facebook Groups are sub-communities within the larger Facebook ecosystem, allowing users to gather around shared interests, brands, or topics. They offer easy setup and broad accessibility, especially for audiences that are already active on Facebook. Brands can use Groups to share content, answer questions, and create spaces for discussion.

However, the platform operates within Facebook’s broader algorithmic structure, meaning brands have limited control over visibility, design, and data access. While it’s a popular entry-level option for informal communities, it lacks the features needed for more complex or branded community management.

Pricing:
Free

Ideal for:
Small businesses, hobby groups, and organizations looking to connect with an existing Facebook audience.

Key differentiators:

• Familiar interface for users

• Easy discoverability within Facebook

Limitations:

• Minimal branding and customization

• Limited analytics

• Algorithm-driven visibility, which can reduce post reach

• Not ideal for structured support or knowledge sharing

What it is:
Reddit is a vast collection of user-created communities (subreddits) where people discuss everything from niche hobbies to global news. Anyone can create a subreddit, making it easy to build informal spaces for discussion, feedback, or community engagement. For brands looking to meet audiences in the open internet, Reddit can offer visibility and authenticity.

That said, Reddit is decentralized and not built for brand ownership or control. Moderation is community-led, and design is uniform across the platform. For businesses that want to measure engagement, collect insights, or shape the user experience, Reddit may offer reach, but not structure.

Pricing:
Free

Ideal for:
Brands looking to engage with niche audiences or test community-building in a public, informal setting.

Key differentiators:

• Wide reach across interest groups

• Organic discovery through Reddit search and trends

Limitations:

• No brand control over platform design

• Open forums make moderation difficult

• Limited data and no enterprise integrations

What it is:
Slack is a messaging-first platform designed for internal team communication and collaboration. Its channel-based structure supports real-time conversations, direct messaging, and robust integrations with project management tools, cloud storage, and developer platforms. Communities built on Slack benefit from its responsive interface and app ecosystem.

However, Slack is not optimized for open or large-scale community engagement. There’s no native support for search engine discoverability, long-form content, or structured discussion. As a result, Slack is best for small to mid-sized communities with fast-moving interactions, such as product feedback groups or beta testing teams.

Pricing:
Free for small teams; paid plans start at $8.75/user/month.

Ideal for:
Tech-savvy teams and communities needing real-time collaboration (e.g., startups, developer communities).

Key differentiators:

• Familiar for teams using Slack internally

• App integrations to streamline workflows

Limitations:

• Not designed for large-scale community building

• No public discoverability

• Limited community management tools

What it is:
Mighty Networks is a community platform tailored for creators, educators, and small businesses. It enables users to build branded spaces with features like discussion boards, live events, and online course creation. The platform is mobile-first and emphasizes the ability to bring all aspects of a creator’s work — content, community, and commerce — into one place.

Its drag-and-drop functionality and intuitive interface make it a compelling choice for solo entrepreneurs or small teams. However, for brands needing granular control, integrations with enterprise software, or large-scale moderation, Mighty Networks may not offer the depth of functionality required.

Pricing:
Starts at $41/month.

Ideal for:
Coaches, creators, and small-to-midsize businesses building tight-knit communities.

Key differentiators:

• Native course-building tools

• Mobile-first design

Limitations:

• Limited scalability for larger enterprise communities

• Some features locked behind premium tiers

What it is:
Higher Logic offers purpose-built community platforms with a focus on associations, professional groups, and B2B companies. It includes features like member directories, event management, forums, and email automation. Its structure supports long-term engagement through content libraries, newsletters, and segmentation tools.

This platform is well-suited to membership-based organizations that need a formal, structured community environment. However, setup can be complex, and the interface may feel outdated compared to newer platforms. It requires upfront investment in onboarding and management but delivers a stable solution for institutional communities.

Pricing:
Contact their Sales team for a quote.

Ideal for:
Associations, member-based organizations, and mid-to-large B2B companies.

Key differentiators:

• Automation workflows

• Event management tools

Limitations:

• UI can feel dated

• Setup complexity can require significant onboarding time

What it is:
Gainsight’s Customer Communities product is part of its broader customer experience (CX) and success platform. Designed for SaaS and product-led companies, it enables peer-to-peer support, product ideation, and feedback collection. The community is deeply integrated into Gainsight’s data ecosystem, allowing insights from user behavior to drive success initiatives.

This tight integration is a major strength for brands already using Gainsight. But for those outside the ecosystem or seeking broader marketing engagement, it may be too narrowly focused on customer success use cases. Still, it’s a powerful solution for brands that want to embed community in their product journey.

Pricing:
Contact their Sales team for a quote.

Ideal for:
SaaS and tech companies prioritizing customer success.

Key differentiators:

• Integrated with Gainsight’s CX tools

• Focus on product feedback loops

Limitations:

• Primarily beneficial for brands already using Gainsight

• Less flexible for broader engagement or marketing goals

What it is:
Zendesk offers community functionality as part of its customer service suite. Brands can create support forums, FAQ spaces, and self-service portals where customers help each other troubleshoot common issues. These communities are designed to complement Zendesk’s ticketing and help desk systems.

While Zendesk Communities support case deflection and user-led support, they’re not intended for broader engagement, education, or brand advocacy. The feature set is strong for service-centric needs, but less so for companies that want to foster long-term community culture.

Pricing:
Starts at $55/agent/month.

Ideal for:
Businesses already using Zendesk for customer support.

Key differentiators:

• Seamless with Zendesk ticketing and help desk workflows

• Focused on case deflection and support

Limitations:

• Less robust for engagement or advocacy-driven communities

• Customization is limited outside Zendesk’s ecosystem

What it is:
Bettermode (formerly Tribe) is a visual-first community platform designed for flexibility and modularity. It offers a block-based builder where admins can design layouts, add custom widgets, and embed community functionality across web properties. It’s especially popular with teams that want full control over design without needing developers.

Bettermode is well-positioned as a middle-ground solution: more customizable than lightweight platforms, but less complex than full-scale enterprise tools. For brands that value user experience and front-end flexibility, it offers a strong toolkit, though it may lack some deeper integrations and scalability options.

Pricing:
Contact their Sales team for a quote.

Ideal for:
Companies seeking a flexible, mid-tier solution with visual customization.

Key differentiators:

• Drag-and-drop editor

• Embeddable widgets for websites and apps

Limitations:

• Pricing may be steep for smaller organizations

• Limited out-of-the-box enterprise integrations

Finding the right platform isn’t just about checking boxes — it’s about choosing a solution that supports your community’s purpose today while giving you room to grow tomorrow. Here’s how to make a confident, future-ready choice:

1. Get clear on your community’s purpose
Start by asking the big question: Why are we building this community? Whether your goal is to scale customer support, build brand loyalty, collect product feedback, or create a space for peer-to-peer learning, clarity on purpose will guide every decision that follows.

2. Define the experience you want to offer
Think about the kind of environment your members need. Should the space feel open and informal, or curated and invite-only? Do you want structured discussion forums, live chat, virtual events, or a searchable knowledge base? Envision the user experience you want to create, then let that vision guide your feature requirements.

3. Prioritize the features that matter most
Clarify your must-haves. Every community is different, but essentials might include custom branding, robust moderation tools, detailed analytics, mobile access, and integrations with platforms like your CRM or help desk. Make a checklist of what’s non-negotiable for your team — and your members.

4. Consider your budget and bandwidth
Don’t neglect the operational side. What can your team realistically support? Do you have a dedicated community manager? Will you need help with setup, onboarding, or strategy? Factor in both the cost of the platform and the human resources needed to manage and grow the space.

5. Test your top contenders
Once you’ve narrowed the list, take each option for a spin. Join a demo, explore the admin dashboard, and ask about real-world results. A platform might look great on paper, but how intuitive is it to use? How easily can members find value? And do the analytics align with your KPIs? Testing your options will clarify the winner.

6. Choose a platform that can grow with you
The best choice isn’t just a fit for now — it’s a partner for what’s next. Look for a platform that offers flexibility, supports integration as your tech stack evolves, and scales as your community expands. The right foundation will set you up not just for launch, but for long-term success.

If you’re serious about building a resilient, brand-aligned community, Discord likely won’t meet your long-term needs. Khoros Communities offers the enterprise-grade capabilities required to sustain meaningful engagement like advanced moderation, deep analytics, seamless integrations, scalable infrastructure, and so much more.

Used by some of the world’s most recognizable brands, Khoros Communities is built to do more than host conversations. It helps businesses turn customers into advocates, support teams into community builders, and engagement into measurable impact.

Ready to elevate your community strategy?Get a demo of Khoros Communities today.