Best Customer Community Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Sugester is ranked #1 of 37 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Circle and Forums.net. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Discourse. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Salesforce Experience Cloud at $2/mo.
A customer community gives members a shared space to participate and organizations ways to manage that activity. Compare community visibility and moderation tools with community analytics, then consider member limits, custom domains, and single sign-on for access and setup. Help desk integrations may matter when community activity connects with customer support. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide cost context. The entries include Sugester, Circle, and Forums.net, with Hivebrite and Salesforce Experience Cloud also represented. As you compare them, consider who should be able to participate, how contributions should be managed, and which listed integrations and controls fit your needs.
37 customer community software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 Sugester iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.9$12/mo Community visibility: mixedCustom domain: Yes
- 2 Circle iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.1$89/mo Custom domain: Yes
- 3 Forums.net iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.0$49.99/mo Community visibility: mixedCustom domain: YesSingle sign-on: Yes
- 4 Hivebrite iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.0 Custom domain: Yes
- 5 Salesforce Experience Cloud iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.0$2/mo Custom domain: Yes
- 6 Higher Logic Thrive iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.9
- 7 Invision Community iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.9 Custom domain: Yes
- 8 Oracle WebCenter Content iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.8 Community visibility: mixedSingle sign-on: Yes
- 9 NextBee Community Platform iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.6 Community visibility: mixedCustom domain: YesSingle sign-on: Yes
- 10 Discourse No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4$100/mo Custom domain: Yes
- 11 Freshdesk No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4$19/mo
- 12 Zoho Desk No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2₹420/mo
- 13 Zapnito No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.8 Custom domain: Yes
- 14 Answerbase No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6$149/mo Community visibility: mixedCustom domain: YesSingle sign-on: Yes
- 15 Bettermode No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5$399/mo Custom domain: Yes
- 16 UserEcho No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5$19/mo
- 17 ComBase No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4$249/mo Custom domain: Yes
- 18 HelloBox No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Community visibility: mixedCustom domain: Yes
- 19 Higher Logic Vanilla No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Custom domain: Yes
- 20 Scoold No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Community visibility: mixedCustom domain: YesSingle sign-on: Yes
- 21 ServiceNow Communities No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Community visibility: mixedSingle sign-on: Yes
- 22 Zendesk Guide No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4$55/mo Custom domain: YesSingle sign-on: Yes
- 23 Flarum No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.3
- 24 Forumbee No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.3
- 25 Influitive No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.3
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which customer community software is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
Sugester is ranked #1 of 37 with a score of 7.9. Circle is second and Forums.net third.
How many of these have a free plan?
4 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Salesforce Experience Cloud has the lowest first paid tier we found: $2/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.