The Best Alternatives To Facebook Groups In 2023
Social media has become an integral part of our lives.
Most people find it hard to avoid social networks, and as many as 10% of Americans are addicted to them.
When using a site like Facebook, the number of ads, irrelevant photos and posts, and other distractions make it easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information.
If you’re trying to run any community or group, moving your conversations away from Facebook and to a better community platform can be a great way to improve the experience for everyone.
In this post, I rank and review the best alternatives to Facebook groups for your online business, showing how each can help you grow and enhance your group or community.
What Are The Best Alternatives To Facebook Groups?
Here are the best Facebook alternatives to consider.
1. Mighty Networks.
Best Overall Facebook Alternative.
Mighty Networks is a comprehensive platform that allows you to bring courses, memberships, and offers together into one dynamic community.
Mighty Networks is more than just an online platform – it’s an all-in-one solution that empowers creators and entrepreneurs to create unique digital communities.
It offers free communities, paid membership options, and powerful course tools, including dedicated course-specific events and live streaming capabilities.
Mighty Networks also encourages community members to engage with each other by offering a variety of community features such as private groups, live video streaming, discussions, and polls.
Members can take advantage of the chatbot feature, which helps answer common questions about the platform or specific topics related to the community.
Additionally, members will appreciate how easy it is to connect their social media accounts to share content within their community.
Key Features:
- The chat community within Mighty Networks allows members to interact, ask questions and share ideas on various topics.
- Their feed communities resemble the more traditional online forums where members can post content for others to view, comment on or interact with in different ways.
- Events or event series enable you to host live events and recurring meetups – such as webinars, workshops, and lectures.
- Content-only courses offer recorded lectures, notes, and other digital content for members to access anytime.
User Experience:
This platform makes it easy for students to consume content in various formats, such as audio, video, and text.
Students can access data on multiple devices and platforms as Mighty Networks is mobile-friendly.
Pricing:
MightyNetworks offers these pricing plans:
- Community: $33/mo
- Business: $99/mo
- Path-to-Pro: $249/mo
- Mighty Pro: Contact them for more information.
What I Like/Dislike About MightyNetworks
Like:
- Gated areas for memberships provide a great way to monetize your content.
- The analytics tools enable you to track your community’s engagement and determine what type of content they are most interested in.
Dislike:
- The default view of members’ posts only shows a sentence of the whole post. It’s challenging to understand what the post is about without clicking on the post itself.
Product Updates:
- Hosts can effortlessly add a single event feature tab to any community space so members can quickly access the single event page.
- Hosts can now receive instant notifications when members purchase plans and products, streamlining the process of tracking sales.
2. Skool.
Best For Simplicity.
Skool is an online platform that allows users to centralize their content in one place.
With just one secure login, Skool members can access all their courses, communities, and events through a single interface without switching over to other platforms.
Designed with simplicity, it’s easy for users to manage all their accounts and activities on one platform.
Whether students need to access courses, join communities or find events – everything is right there in one convenient place.
To make things even better, Skool also offers a feature that lets members communicate with each other on the platform.
As a result, it’s easier than ever before for people to stay connected with each other without needing to leave the platform itself.
Key Features:
- Send email broadcasts to your members from the Skool platform.
- Keep track of key metrics like engagement and member retention with detailed reports and analytics.
- Members can post events to a calendar, so everyone stays up-to-date on what’s happening.
- The built-in search feature makes it easy for members to find content quickly and efficiently.
- Chat, notifications, and gamification features encourage engagement between members and keep them coming back for more.
User Experience:
Skool’s user experience is simple and to the point, allowing students and hosts to navigate the platform and find what they want quickly.
Pricing:
Get the most out of Skool with an all-inclusive plan for just $99/month.
You can also start your 14-day free trial today and cancel anytime.
What I Like/Dislike About Skool:
Like:
- With an intuitive design that makes it immediately usable, Skool is a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform.
- The built-in search feature makes it easy for members to find what they want quickly.
Dislike:
- There is no video hosting available on Skool, making it impossible to provide a richer learning experience for members without using third-party platforms.
Product Updates:
- Custom-level course titles and names allow you to add a gamification element.
3. Kajabi.
Best For An All-In-One Solution.
Kajabi is the complete package for helping entrepreneurs and creators reach their business goals.
Not only does it provide a variety of easy-to-use tools to get started quickly, but it also has its own inbuilt CRM software.
Users can manage their customer relationships all in one place.
Plus, with the integration of both Stripe & Paypal, users can easily set up payment processing systems that are secure and reliable.
With such comprehensive features already available right out of the box, Kajabi also offers plenty of additional resources for those who need extra help getting started.
Kajabi also provides private group options which can be password protected or require approval before allowing access.
Being highly customizable, Kajabi allows users to create custom pages with different fonts and colors and add images and videos.
Key Features:
- A safe and secure environment for all your customers ensures a smooth customer experience.
- Kajabi’s website builder is easy to use and helps create great-looking websites quickly.
- Create marketing sequences that include emails, landing pages, on-site forms, and more with a single click.
- High-converting page templates make it easier for your customers to find what they want without wasting time looking for it.
- Publish content quickly to your website with Kajabi’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor.
User Experience:
A sleek interface and a well-organized left-hand side menu make Kajabi easy to use and navigate.
The intuitive design makes it simple for beginners to build their pages, add text, images, and videos and perform any customization required.
Pricing:
Kajabi offers these pricing plans:
- Basic: $119 per month
- Growth: $159 per month
- Pro: $319 per month
What I Like/Dislike About Kajabi:
Like:
- Combining sales funnel, email marketing, online courses, and membership sites into one platform makes Kajabi a handy tool for entrepreneurs.
- The team adds new features regularly, so it’s constantly being improved and updated.
Dislike:
- More configurable options and customization capabilities would make the platform even better.
Product Updates:
- A ‘pay what you want’ feature is live, allowing customers to choose their price for a product or service.
4. Uscreen.
Best For Video Hosting.
Uscreen is an intuitive and easy-to-use platform that allows creators and entrepreneurs to monetize their video content.
With Uscreen’s website-building tools, users can quickly build and customize branded websites to fit their needs.
The platform also offers personalized playlists for a seamless viewing experience and interactive chat features for engaging one’s audience in real-time.
Additionally, Uscreen provides users access to exclusive community spaces where members can connect based on shared interests and experiences.
Uscreen also offers helpful resources such as tutorials and blog posts to help users get started quickly.
The platform features a variety of integrations that allow users to easily add payment gateways, email marketing solutions, and more.
Plus, Uscreen’s analytical dashboard enables users to track the performance of their videos in real-time.
Overall, Uscreen is perfect for entrepreneurs who want to generate recurring revenue from video content without hassle or technical know-how.
Key Features:
- Uscreen lets users distribute video content across iOS, Android, and Roku platforms.
- Uscreen provides an easy-to-use platform for conducting live streams.
- Easily monetize your videos with various subscription plans and pay-per-view options.
- Retain your audience with the help of marketing tools, such as automated messages, drip campaigns, and analytics.
- Uscreen simplifies video content management through its web-based CMS and integrates with other popular platforms like YouTube and Vimeo.
- The platform also offers custom themes and player skins to match the look and feel of the user’s website.
User Experience:
You can find all the necessary features in an intuitive, simple, and easy-to-navigate interface.
Pricing:
Uscreen offers these pricing plans:
- Basic: $79 per month plus $0.50 per subscriber/mo
- Growth: $159 per month plus $0.50 per subscriber/mo
- Uscreen Plus: Contact Uscreen for pricing
What I Like/Dislike About Uscreen:
Like:
- The video content management system is easy to use, and the platform integrates with several other popular venues for easy distribution.
- Integrating with your email server is quick and easy, enabling users to send automated messages and drip campaigns.
Dislike:
- More integrations, especially with mobile apps, would be beneficial.
Product Updates:
- Developers added live streaming capabilities to Uscreen, allowing users to launch live streams within minutes.
5. Circle.so.
Best For Community Building.
Circle.so offers a range of engagement tools that make building relationships with your members and fostering collaboration among them easy.
From interactive courses and discussions to memberships, live streams, chat events, and more – you can find everything you need under one roof on Circle.
The platform has advanced analytics features that give you real-time insights into user activity on your page so you can always be on top of the conversations happening within your community.
When it comes to getting paid, users can make payments in over 160 currencies with no transaction fees.
Anti-fraud measures secure these transactions and protect the sender and receiver of funds against theft or fraud.
Key Features:
- Organized discussions ensure your community can have the right conversations in an organized manner.
- Rich posts allow users to express themselves through text, images, videos, music, etc.
- Group chat rooms allow members to connect and discuss topics that are important to them.
- Events allow members to come together around exciting topics or meetings.
- Recurring subscriptions make it easy to manage memberships and keep members updated on all the latest happenings in your community.
User Experience:
The user experience is welcoming and engaging, making it easy for members to interact with each other without feeling intimidated.
Moreover, as the community host, you’ll have many accessible tools to manage and moderate conversations.
Pricing:
Circle.so offers these pricing plans:
- Basic: $39 per month
- Professional: $89 per month
- Enterprise: $360 per month
What I Like/Dislike About Circle.so:
Like:
- Their “getting started” checklist is excellent for new users, making onboarding a breeze and helping them get up to speed quickly.
- With white-label services, businesses can customize their communities and make them feel like a part of their brand.
Dislike:
- No live chat support is available, so if you have any questions or issues, it can take time to get help from Circle.so support staff.
Product Updates:
Users can now host highly detailed and interactive events with up to 50 on-screen speakers with Circle Live.
6. BuddyBoss.
Best For Integrations.
BuddyBoss allows users to customize their learning experience with 1000’s of integrations using built-in native integrations, web-view functionality, and an API.
Thanks to the drag-and-drop builder, you also have complete control over how your site looks and behaves, which makes customizing it a breeze.
With BuddyBoss, you don’t have to worry about data compromisation because it offers advanced security and privacy features that keep data safe on any device.
There are also options for two-factor authentication if extra security is needed.
The intuitive design of BuddyBoss makes building a community easy, even if you have no coding experience.
The user interface is clean and straightforward, so it’s easy to navigate the site without being overwhelmed by too many choices or settings.
Plus, plenty of helpful tutorials are available if you ever need help understanding how everything works.
Key Features:
- Enable student profiles to track individual progress, provide access to courses and modules, and adjust their course progression.
- Quickly jump between lessons with a single click, or use the activity feed to see what’s happening in your classroom.
- Set up points, rewards, and badges to motivate students and encourage learning.
- Automatically sync new class details, schedules, and updates so students can stay up-to-date with the latest information.
- Breakout rooms make it possible to have more minor group conversations or focus on specific topics within your course.
- Live chat, polling, annotation, and reactions allow a more interactive learning experience.
Pricing:
BuddyBoss offers three pricing plans.
The one site plan costs $228, the five sites plan costs $288, and the ten sites plan costs $388.
All of these are yearly fees.
7. Discord.
Best For Live Streaming.
Discord allows users to easily create chat rooms or join existing ones with just a few clicks.
Depending on what works best for you and your group, you can choose between text and voice/video chats.
You can customize your chatroom by assigning roles and permissions to give members different access levels.
Everyone has a safe space to interact without fear of harassment or trolling from uninvited guests.
The main benefit of Discord is its low latency and high-quality audio/video streaming capabilities.
There won’t be any lag due to poor connection speeds when chatting with friends in different parts of the world.
Its customizable features, such as private channels and role assignments, give moderators more control over who gets access to some regions of their chatroom.
Key Features:
- With age-restricted, easily customizable commands, Discord makes it easy for server owners to keep out any trolls or uninvited guests.
- The Tabs-to-Android feature allows users to sync their messages across devices, so they don’t need to worry about missing out on essential conversations.
- Video calls also make it possible for friends and family who are far apart to stay connected.
- The reduced motion setting allows users to minimize video chatting lag, providing a better user experience.
- Finally, server ownership allows groups and organizations to keep their chat rooms safe and secure by restricting access.
Pricing:
The first plan, Discord Nitro Classic, is offered at $4.99 monthly.
After that, Discord Nitro costs $9.99 per month.
Another alternative to Facebook groups not mentioned in this article is Tribe.
What Are Alternatives To Facebook Groups?
Facebook groups are a great way to stay connected with family and friends but can also be limited in features and customization.
Fortunately, other online communities provide more comprehensive tools for users to collaborate on projects, share ideas, and connect.
These alternative options to Facebook groups provide more features and customization to manage groups, including privacy issues and settings, file-sharing options, chat functions, and more.
Top Features of Facebook group alternatives
Here are the top features of Facebook group alternatives.
Online Communities
Online communities are at the core of many social networks and provide an excellent way for users to connect.
Apart from being able to facilitate conversations and share content, your own online community platform should also provide a secure environment for users to come together and discuss ideas, ask questions, and connect with like-minded people.
Hosting for Online Courses
Content creators looking for alternatives to Facebook Groups to host online courses have plenty of options.
For this purpose, many alternatives can provide better tools for delivering course material and encouraging student collaboration.
When hosting an online course, look for platforms that offer features such as video hosting, private chat rooms, video conferencing, and more.
Public and Private Channels
A great feature Facebook offers is direct messaging.
As you search for alternatives (and if you are looking for new ways to connect with your target audience or new group members), look for platforms that offer both public and private communication channels.
Business owners can encourage more meaningful conversations with users by tailoring their online community to suit their needs.
Doing so not only makes getting subscribers easier but also fosters a sense of loyalty and engagement.
Group Chats
As an alternative to Facebook groups, having group chat functionality can make communication more efficient.
Group chats allow users to break into smaller groups and share ideas or work together on projects.
Additionally, a single chat room can serve as a central hub for all conversations related to the same topic.
Community Management
Switching to an alternative community platform can benefit community members if the proper management tools exist.
Managing discussion forums and ensuring content is relevant and can be easily moderated is crucial.
Popular Facebook group alternatives also consider user engagement.
After all, it’s no use having a great community platform if members are not engaged.
Look for features such as leaderboards, member recognition programs, and content curation to ensure users stay active in the group.
Live Streaming
The ability to share your message in a live format with your audience is something that many people are looking for.
With social media giants like Facebook offering a live streaming feature, more alternative platforms offer similar capabilities.
Live streaming subgroups can also be an excellent way for users to go live and broadcast their messages in a more personalized manner.
User-Friendliness
A user-friendly interface means the system is easy to use and understand.
No one wants a long learning curve that frustrates and overwhelms users.
With ad-free social networks and messaging systems, the key is finding one that has a simple and intuitive design.
For example, the most popular Facebook group alternatives have built-in tools for users to easily and quickly modify content, create groups, start discussions, and more.
They also tend to have an accessible left-hand side menu displaying their features.
The goal is to make the user experience as enjoyable and engaging as possible, so look for a system that fits your needs.
Various Monetization Options
Alternatives to Facebook groups can be great for admins looking for monetization opportunities.
Generally, paid plans provide access to additional income streams, like selling merchandise or membership subscriptions.
Some platforms make it easy to create an ecommerce store where you sell digital products and services related to your group’s topic.
Others even let you build custom landing pages with payment gateways integrated into the page.
Protection of Personal Data
Data privacy and security are among the most important considerations when choosing a platform for your group.
Evaluate what measures are in place to protect users’ data from unauthorized access and ensure that users control their data.
Community Engagement Tools
Companies often opt for community platforms that gamify user experience and increase engagement.
Whether dealing with gamers, influencers, or activists – finding a platform that offers such engagement tools is critical.
Member Profiles
Alternatives to Facebook Groups are great for community managers that want to focus on promoting content from individual members.
Setting up user profiles might take more effort initially, but it usually pays off in the long run.
For example, profiles can help users share their professional details and interests with the group, allowing those with similar interests to find each other and form connections.
Profiles can also let members control the newsfeed and posts they see.
Search Engine Friendly
It’s essential for business owners and marketers to be mindful of how to increase visibility within search engines.
Facebook Groups aren’t SEO friendly due to algorithm limitations.
An alternative to Facebook Groups built with search engine optimization should offer custom domain options, clean HTML code, and other search engine-friendly features.
White-Label Options
White labeling refers to removing branding from a platform and replacing it with your own.
As your business grows, white-label options can be especially beneficial for building trust in the community that you’re creating.
While a free plan will generally limit the ability to customize the platform, paid plans offer more flexibility and customization regarding white labeling.
Integrations
Integrations with the right tools can significantly impact how your group functions and grows.
With the rise of open-source software, there are plenty of options for integrations.
Standard integrations include those to Slack, Whatsapp, WordPress, and Zapier, helping you build automated workflows.
Connections to social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, etc., can also make sharing content with a broader audience easy.
Finally, the right plugin can enable integrations with various payment processors and CRM software.
Mobile App
A mobile app can greatly increase engagement for social groups looking for an alternative to a Facebook group.
A mobile app can help members connect more quickly and efficiently while providing access to exclusive content and notifications.
A mobile app can make the overall user experience much more seamless for those who consume content on the go.
Wrap Up.
The best Facebook group alternative allows you to create a private community of supporters and influencers, all pushing in the same direction.
The right Facebook group alternative helps your business to grow with features that can increase user engagement, save time and money, and help you reach a larger audience.
By finding the right platform for your group, you’ll be well on your way to building a thriving online business.
Further reading on AdamEnfroy.com: A membership site platform provides the features you need to create a thriving online community.
Here are a few in-depth reviews of such platforms:
