Buyer's Guide: Online Community Management
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users find the ease of use of Mighty Networks intuitive and enjoyable, enhancing their experience and setup process.
Users commend the proactive and thorough customer support from Mighty Networks, enhancing their overall experience significantly.
Users appreciate the user-friendly interface and excellent support of Mighty Networks, enhancing communication and platform usability.
Users find the missing features on Mighty Networks limit functionality and user experience, despite anticipation for future updates.
Users find the high pricing of Mighty Networks to be a downside, especially during initial community building.
Users find the difficult setup of Mighty Networks time-consuming, often requiring external help for effective implementation.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users value the ease of use of Circle, appreciating its intuitive design and seamless functionality for global connections.
Users appreciate the detailed tools of Circle for managing members, tracking activity, and ensuring community safety.
Users love the sophisticated and user-friendly interface of Circle, enhancing connection and community engagement among members.
Users find the missing features in Circle's website builder hinder its development and usability significantly.
Users find Circle's subscription cost to be relatively high compared to other platforms, impacting affordability for some.
Users feel the limited customization options on Circle hinder the ability to create effective landing pages.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users commend Hivebrite for its helpful and responsive customer support, enhancing their experience with the platform.
Users value the customizability of Hivebrite, enabling tailored features that enhance community engagement and satisfaction.
Users find Hivebrite to be easy to use, with a user-friendly interface and responsive support enhancing their experience.
Users find limited customization options frustrating, hindering the ability to tailor the platform to specific needs.
Users feel that the expensive pricing of Hivebrite makes it challenging for small non-profits to sustain long-term.
Users face technical bugs that disrupt crucial functionalities, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction with Hivebrite's reliability.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users find Webex Events & Webinars to be very easy to use, ensuring a smooth experience for all participants.
Users appreciate the straightforward setup and robust features of Webex Events & Webinars for seamless event management.
Users love the user-friendly interface and excellent customer support of Webex Events & Webinars.
Users find the limited customization options frustrating, hindering their ability to manage attendees effectively.
Users find the steep learning curve of Webex Events & Webinars challenging, particularly for non-tech-savvy individuals.
Users find the missing features in Webex Events & Webinars hinder usability, especially for new administrators and larger events.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users appreciate the ease of use of Gainsight Customer Communities, facilitating connections and engagement effortlessly.
Users value the easy connection and support Gainsight Customer Communities facilitate, enhancing engagement and community interaction.
Users appreciate the branding customization in Gainsight Customer Communities, fostering stronger connections and brand loyalty among customers.
Users find the limited customization options restrict functionality and create a basic user experience in Gainsight Customer Communities.
Users find the poor interface design of Gainsight Customer Communities limits usability and suggests improvements are needed.
Users find the difficult learning process a challenge, especially with new updates and unorganized community content.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users appreciate the ease of use of Glue Up, enjoying a smooth and user-friendly interface for member engagement.
Users value the streamlined event management and reporting features of Glue Up, enhancing the overall attendee experience.
Users commend the responsive customer support of Glue Up, finding it always available and helpful when needed.
Users note a lack of essential features in Glue Up, particularly for event and project management functions.
Users find the setup process difficult, citing lengthy procedures and challenges with support response times.
Users report a steep learning curve with Glue Up, requiring time for proper onboarding to maximize its features.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users commend Viafoura's exceptional customer support, highlighting quick responses and proactive assistance throughout the collaboration.
Users commend the ease of use of Viafoura, praising the team's helpful support and effective communication.
Users appreciate the effective support and moderation features of Viafoura, enhancing community engagement and quality discussions.
Users find red tape delays in workflows, wishing for a more streamlined content management process in Viafoura.
Users find the analytics confusing, noting difficulties in accessing and using the reporting features effectively.
Users note limited features in Viafoura, impacting full integration and performance analysis capabilities.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users love the ease of use of Bevy, enhancing event management and community engagement effortlessly.
Users rave about Bevy's seamless event management, enabling the hosting of numerous events with ease and innovation.
Users highlight the strong community engagement fostered by Bevy, enhancing collaboration and participation in events.
Users find Bevy's event management rigid and limited, lacking customization and essential community features.
Users find the pricing barrier challenging, especially for startups and smaller organizations seeking affordable solutions.
Users find Bevy's limited customization challenging, particularly for event pages and complex workflows, affecting flexibility.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users find Bettermode to be incredibly easy to use, with excellent customization options and supportive guidance.
Users love the flexible customization options of Bettermode, allowing easy setup and personalized community management.
Users love Bettermode for its intuitive design, allowing easy customization and quick setup without hassles.
Users find that Bettermode has missing features for extensive customization and lacks essential tools for community engagement.
Users note the limited functionality of Bettermode, expressing a need for more customization options and features.
Users face access limitations with Bettermode, affecting customization and functionality compared to other tools.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users find Nas.io to be extraordinarily easy to use, making community building a personal and effortless experience.
Users value Nas.io for its integrated features, allowing community building, easy management, and responsive customer support.
Users value the efficient organization and management tools of Nas.io, enhancing community engagement and administration.
Users find the poor interface design of Nas.io distracting and lacking clear navigation for new users.
Users face frequent connectivity issues with Nas.io, leading to frustration and the need to restart the app often.
Users find the branding in emails unattractive on the free plan, negatively impacting their overall experience.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users value the excellent customer support from BigMarker, appreciating prompt responses and dedicated account management.
Users find BigMarker to be super easy to use, streamlining events and supporting seamless audience engagement.
Users appreciate the user-friendly interface and extensive features of BigMarker, enhancing their webinar experience effortlessly.
Users experience integration issues with CRM tools like Salesforce, affecting overall functionality and email communications.
Users find the difficult learning curve of BigMarker's feature-rich interface somewhat overwhelming despite its resourcefulness.
Users are frustrated by missing features like better slide sharing options and persistent audio and connection issues.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users love the ease of use of Commune, allowing for quick engagement and seamless customization.
Users love the intuitive design of Commune, making it easy to customize and engage with their community effectively.
Users appreciate the access convenience of Commune, enjoying a supportive community and a helpful mobile app for notifications.
Users feel the booking process is outdated and suggest a more customer-centric pricing approach for Commune.
Users feel that the lack of features in Commune limits its overall potential and usability.
Users believe there is a lack of essential features in the Commune web app that needs addressing.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users value the branding customization of Graduway, making it feel uniquely tailored to their organization.
Users value the customizability of Graduway, making it easy and tailored for their organizational needs.
Users value the customization options of Graduway, allowing tailored experiences even for those with limited technical skills.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users find Heartbeat to be easy to navigate, benefiting from a supportive community and abundant resources.
Users appreciate the rich set of community management features and consistent updates that enhance their experience with Heartbeat.
Users appreciate the excellent customer support of Heartbeat, noting their responsiveness and commitment to user feedback.
Users report glitches and bugs in Heartbeat that need addressing to enhance user experience.
Users find the difficult setup of Heartbeat challenging, often needing additional resources or pre-made configurations for success.
Users find the integration process expensive and complicated, hindering their ability to trial the product effectively.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users commend Clowder's exceptional customer support, noting quick responses and innovative solutions to enhance their experience.
Users find Clowder's platform to be exceptionally user-friendly, simplifying engagement and enhancing communication effectively.
Users find Clowder's interface to be intuitive and user-friendly, greatly enhancing engagement and overall satisfaction.
Users express disappointment over missing features like video uploads and enhanced event capabilities in Clowder.
Users find the difficult setup of Clowder problematic due to reliance on easy access methods without credentials.
Users note that the event feature needs improvement, particularly regarding interactivity and faster issue resolution.
Online community management software enables organizations to design, govern, and scale owned digital spaces where customers and members interact. As engagement expands beyond simple forums into support deflection, product feedback, education, and advocacy, manual approaches introduce inconsistency and moderation risk. A dedicated community management platform centralizes conversations, content, and governance, allowing teams to operationalize engagement across customer community software and enterprise community platforms rather than treating community as a side project.
Based on 500 G2 reviews, buyers most often adopt online community management to improve retention, reduce support load through peer-to-peer answers, and create structured feedback loops with product teams. Overall satisfaction is strong at 4.54/5 stars, with ~92% of reviews rating 4+ stars. Users rate Meets Requirements and Ease of Use highest, while Ease of Setup and Ease of Admin lag, reflecting a category that delivers clear value once properly configured. Likelihood to recommend reinforces that well-run community management becomes a durable growth lever.
Pricing is typically subscription-based, with costs driven by the number of admins and members, branding and white-labeling, analytics depth, automation, and security features like SSO. When comparing affordable community management platforms for small business with enterprise community platforms, buyers should factor in not just licensing, but the ongoing operational effort required to moderate, analyze, and continuously evolve the community.
G2’s top-rated PSA software includes Mighty Networks, Circle, Hivebrite and Webex Events & Webinars. (Source)
Gainsight Customer Communities
Satisfaction reflects user-reported ratings across factors such as ease of use, feature fit, and quality of support. (Source 2)
Market Presence scores combine review volume, third-party signals, and overall market visibility. (Source 2)
G2 Score is a weighted composite of Satisfaction and Market Presence. (Source 2)
Learn how G2 scores products. (Source 1)
Based on G2 reviews, online community management delivers the most durable value when organizations treat community as an operating discipline rather than a content or engagement tactic. High-performing teams establish structure early, clearly defining member roles, designated spaces or groups, moderation rules, and a lightweight taxonomy, which reduces friction later as engagement scales.
Teams that see the strongest outcomes strike a balance between engagement flexibility and operational control. While rich interaction features matter, long-term adoption depends on whether community managers can run the platform without excessive manual effort. The most effective implementations tightly integrate online community management with adjacent workflows, support deflection and escalation, marketing-led advocacy and events, and product feedback and beta programs, so conversations consistently translate into action.
For buyers evaluating affordable community management platforms for small businesses versus enterprise community platforms, the real decision point is governance, not just price. Smaller teams often win by prioritizing speed and low administrative overhead, while larger or customer-facing organizations benefit from permissions, SSO, auditability, and reporting that allow customer community software to function as a system of record. The right fit depends on how central the community is to your operating model and the level of complexity you need to manage as it grows.
Online community management is the practice of creating and maintaining a digital space where members interact, ask questions, share knowledge, attend events, and provide feedback. It includes moderation, content programming, member onboarding, analytics, and governance. In software terms, it often means using a platform to centralize discussions, member profiles, resources, and engagement workflows, allowing the community to scale reliably.
Start with structure (spaces, rules, roles), then establish recurring rhythms (welcome flows, weekly prompts, events, and support patterns). Set clear moderation policies and escalation paths. Track participation metrics (active members, posts, response time, unanswered questions) and adjust programming based on what actually drives return visits. The most effective teams connect the community to support, product, and marketing workflows.
The purpose is to establish an ongoing, owned relationship with your customers, members, or employees. Communities reduce support load through peer-to-peer answers, increase retention by building belonging, and generate product insights through continuous feedback. For many organizations, they also become an advocacy and education channel—helping users learn faster, connect with peers, and stay engaged beyond individual transactions.
Core features typically include discussion spaces, member profiles and directories, role-based permissions, moderation tools, notifications, analytics, and content management (posts, resources, announcements). Many platforms add events, courses, direct messaging, and integrations with CRM/help desk tools. For larger orgs, SSO, advanced governance controls, and deeper reporting become critical to scale safely and consistently.
The biggest benefits are scalable engagement and operational efficiency. You get one place to host discussions, organize content, and manage members, reducing fragmentation across email and social channels. Many teams also see support deflection, faster response times, stronger loyalty, and better product feedback. Over time, a well-run community becomes a compounding asset that lowers acquisition costs and improves retention.