UNA

UNA is an open-source platform for creating community websites, social networks, collaboration spaces, and educational portals. Its feature set includes feeds, posts, groups, events, messaging, courses, discussions, a wiki, and collaboration tools. Studio provides no-code controls for configuring apps, roles, pages, forms, menus, design, and languages. Developers can use its REST API and OAuth 2.0 server, or run UNA as a headless backend. Listed integrations include Stripe, Shopify, Snipcart, Mailchimp, Intercom, Google Tag Manager, and Rocket.Chat through the Chat+ app. AI agents can connect to 13 model providers, including local models through Ollama, and to vector stores such as Pinecone and Qdrant. UNA runs on the customer's domain and servers, with files stored on local disk or S3-compatible storage. It is MIT-licensed and can be modified and self-hosted. Standard is free; Pro costs $20 a month and Max costs $100 a month. All plans list unlimited projects and deployments.

UNA brings community features, no-code administration, and developer interfaces into a self-hostable platform. The free Standard plan includes unlimited projects and deployments, while Pro and Max add paid support and update options.

UNA is for organizations or builders creating community, social, collaboration, or educational sites. It also suits those who want to host and modify an open-source platform on their own infrastructure.

UNA is an open-source platform for organizations building community sites, social networks, collaboration spaces, or educational portals on infrastructure they control. It suits teams that need more than a discussion board and can take responsibility for hosting. Its broad feature set and no-code administration are compelling; self-hosting and the paid tiers’ project-specific support and update terms shape the trade-off.

Overview

UNA brings feeds, posts, groups, events, messaging, courses, discussions, a wiki, and collaboration tools into one platform. That range can support several kinds of community activity in one place, including event hosting and private spaces with moderation tools. It is a strong fit for organizations designing a multi-purpose community, but may be more platform than a team needs for a single, narrow use case.

Studio offers no-code controls for configuring apps, roles, pages, forms, menus, design, and languages. UNA is MIT-licensed and can be modified and hosted on your own domain and servers. Files can live on local disk or S3-compatible storage, which gives operators control over infrastructure and storage choices while making them responsible for running the service.

Key features

The REST API and OAuth 2.0 server let teams use UNA as a complete platform or as a headless backend. That flexibility suits both a standalone community and a product that needs community functions connected to an existing architecture. Integrations include Stripe, Shopify, Snipcart, Mailchimp, Intercom, Google Tag Manager, and Rocket.Chat through the Chat+ app, covering payments, commerce, marketing, and communications connections.

UNA's security features include site-wide SSL, antispam, an audit log, regular security fixes, two-factor sign-in, and password expiry and history. The maker says the platform helps customers prepare for GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA; customers choose where hosted data is stored. These tools and controls can support organizations with security and data-location requirements, though operating a self-hosted site still leaves infrastructure management with the customer.

AI agents can use 13 model providers, including local models through Ollama, and connect to vector stores such as Pinecone and Qdrant. This gives teams options for connecting agent workflows to different models and retrieval systems. It is a specialized advantage for organizations building AI features, rather than a reason to choose UNA for community hosting alone.

Pricing

All three plans include unlimited BYO Cloud, projects, and deployments, so the plan choice is about update automation and support rather than project count. The Standard plan is free. It includes manual updates and community support, making it the no-cost route for teams comfortable maintaining updates and seeking help through the community.

Pro costs $20 a month (billed $20.00/ month). It adds auto-updates and direct support, each for one project. That makes it a practical step up for an organization that wants those services on a primary deployment while keeping other projects on Standard; the one-project caps matter if support or automation must cover several sites.

Max costs $100 a month (billed $100.00/ month). It includes unlimited auto-updates and unlimited direct support, so it fits operators managing multiple projects who want both services across them. The paid plans do not change the listed project or deployment allowance, which is already unlimited on Standard.

Platforms

UNA supports Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted use. Its mobile apps extend access beyond the browser, while the API and self-hosting options give teams ways to incorporate or operate the platform within their own systems.

Who it's for

UNA is best suited to organizations that want to shape a community product around their own needs, operate it on their own infrastructure, and use a broad set of social and collaboration features. Studio reduces the need to configure every element through code, while the API supports teams building a more customized front end or integration. Teams seeking a managed, low-maintenance service should weigh the self-hosting responsibility and the cost of broader update and support coverage.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Feeds, groups, events, messaging, courses, discussions, a wiki, and collaboration tools cover varied community needs in one platform.
• Pros: The MIT license, no-code Studio, REST API, and OAuth 2.0 server offer room to customize both administration and integration.
• Pros: Standard has unlimited projects and deployments, making it possible to run multiple instances without a per-project plan cap.
• Cons: UNA runs on your own domain and servers, so teams must take on hosting and infrastructure operations.
• Cons: Standard relies on manual updates and community support; Pro covers auto-updates and direct support for only one project.

Alternatives

Community Platforms is a useful place to compare services in the same category. Octo may suit a smaller community that can stay within its free tier of 0–99 users, one admin, and 10 GB of disk space. Whaller is an option for teams that want a free plan for 100 members across five spheres and one organization, or a per-user Pro plan. HumHub is another self-hosted, open-source community platform, with an AGPLv3 Community Edition and module marketplace access.

HuddleSpot may work for a group that fits its free Starter limits of 100 members and five spaces or channels. Thigmo is worth considering for event-focused communities: its free Spark plan allows unlimited members and events, up to five store products, and charges 5% + $0.30 per paid sale. Minds is another open-source social platform, with its platform and mobile app licensed under AGPLv3.

Raklet may be a better fit for organizations with modest contact and email needs: its free plan includes 100 contacts, one admin seat, and 1,250 free emails per month. Reddit is an alternative for communities that prefer an established social network; Reddit Premium adds ad-free browsing and other member features.

Verdict

Choose UNA if you need a customizable community platform with social, event, collaboration, and API capabilities, and you want to host it on infrastructure you control. Its free Standard plan’s unlimited projects and deployments make it accessible to self-sufficient operators. Look elsewhere if you want a hands-off hosted service or need direct support and automated updates across multiple projects without paying for Max.