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This is one focused category — browse the entire Community & Forum Platforms list here. Other Software products for SaaS Companies.

Other Software products for SaaS Companies.

Community & Forum Platforms for SaaS Companies
Albert Richer

When exploring the best community and forum platforms tailored for SaaS companies, market research indicates a clear preference for flexibility and integration capabilities. Customer review analysis shows common patterns, with platforms like Discourse and Tribe consistently earning high marks for their user-friendly interfaces and robust customization options. Data suggests that companies prioritizing seamless integration with existing tools, such as Slack or CRM systems, often see greater engagement within their communities. Interestingly, users frequently mention that while aesthetics matter, features like mobile responsiveness and analytics capabilities are essential for long-term success. For example, Flarum is often suggested for its lightweight design and speed, making it ideal for startups on a budget. On the flip side, platforms like Vanilla Forums, while offering comprehensive features, can be seen as overly complex for smaller teams, highlighting the importance of choosing a platform that fits your specific needs. When exploring the best community and forum platforms tailored for SaaS companies, market research indicates a clear preference for flexibility and integration capabilities. Customer review analysis shows common patterns, with platforms like Discourse and Tribe consistently earning high marks for their user-friendly interfaces and robust customization options.

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1
Expert Score
9.8 / 10
624
163
AI-ENHANCED
SUBCOMMUNITY SUPPORT

Bettermode Community Platform

Bettermode Community Platform
View Website
Bettermode is an all-in-one customizable community platform designed specifically for SaaS companies. It provides a branded customer portal, support forums and engagement hubs which are enhanced with AI to address the unique needs of customer engagement and interaction in the SaaS industry.
Bettermode is an all-in-one customizable community platform designed specifically for SaaS companies. It provides a branded customer portal, support forums and engagement hubs which are enhanced with AI to address the unique needs of customer engagement and interaction in the SaaS industry.
AI-ENHANCED
SUBCOMMUNITY SUPPORT

Best for teams that are

  • Mid-to-enterprise brands requiring fully white-labeled customer portals
  • Companies needing deep customization via a block-based builder
  • Customer success teams wanting to integrate support with community

Skip if

  • Creators selling courses who need native LMS features
  • Communities requiring a native mobile app (only offers PWA)
  • Small hobby groups with zero budget for enterprise-grade tools

Expert Take

Our analysis shows Bettermode stands out for its enterprise-grade security and deep CRM integrations, making it an ideal choice for customer support and success teams. Unlike simple forum software, research indicates it offers robust two-way data syncing with HubSpot and Salesforce, allowing for sophisticated user segmentation. Based on documented features, its SOC 2 compliance and data residency options provide a level of trust and governance rarely found at this price point, although it trades off native course-building depth for flexibility.

Pros

  • Deep two-way integration with HubSpot and Salesforce
  • SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliant
  • Highly customizable 'Spaces' and block-based builder
  • White-label capabilities for brand consistency
  • Strong support for multilingual communities

Cons

  • No native mobile app (PWA only)
  • Lacks native course building and quizzes
  • SSO and API often cost extra
  • Learning curve for CMS/Space concepts
  • Limited built-in monetization tools
2
Expert Score
9.7 / 10
368
37
OPEN-SOURCE FLEXIBILITY
LIVE EVENT READY

Discourse Community Platform

Discourse Community Platform
View Website
Discourse is an exceptional solution for SaaS companies looking to build strong, vibrant online communities. Its open-source nature provides flexibility and customization, allowing it to cater to specific industry needs, while its features for discussions, chat, and moderation facilitate impactful communication and interaction. Its thoughtful design promotes meaningful conversation, making it an excellent platform for customer engagement and support.
Discourse is an exceptional solution for SaaS companies looking to build strong, vibrant online communities. Its open-source nature provides flexibility and customization, allowing it to cater to specific industry needs, while its features for discussions, chat, and moderation facilitate impactful communication and interaction. Its thoughtful design promotes meaningful conversation, making it an excellent platform for customer engagement and support.
OPEN-SOURCE FLEXIBILITY
LIVE EVENT READY

Best for teams that are

  • Technical communities or developers who prefer open-source software
  • Large-scale forums requiring advanced moderation and self-hosting
  • Organizations prioritizing full data ownership and code control

Skip if

  • Non-technical users seeking a simple, plug-and-play setup
  • Creators needing built-in course hosting or monetization tools
  • Teams wanting a chat-first or real-time messaging experience

Expert Take

Our analysis shows Discourse is the gold standard for modern technical communities, evidenced by its adoption by industry giants like OpenAI and Docker. Research indicates its unique 'Trust Level' system significantly reduces moderation overhead by automating user privileges. While managed hosting has restrictions, the fact that the full enterprise-grade software is available for free self-hosting makes it unmatched in value and flexibility.

Pros

  • 100% open source software
  • Used by OpenAI, Docker, and GitLab
  • Complete JSON API access
  • Automated trust & moderation system
  • Modern flat-thread interface

Cons

  • No custom plugins on standard hosting
  • Steep price jump ($100 to $500)
  • Requires HTML/CSS for deep design
  • Complex admin settings for beginners
  • Plugin restrictions on lower tiers
3
Expert Score
9.6 / 10
395
157
ANALYTICS DRIVEN
EMBEDDABLE FORUMS

Turf: Community Platform for SaaS

Turf: Community Platform for SaaS
View Website
Turf is a unique forum software solution designed specifically for SaaS companies. It offers features like embeddable forums, subcommunities, and analytics, catering to the need for collaboration, customer engagement, and data-driven decision making prevalent in the SaaS industry.
Turf is a unique forum software solution designed specifically for SaaS companies. It offers features like embeddable forums, subcommunities, and analytics, catering to the need for collaboration, customer engagement, and data-driven decision making prevalent in the SaaS industry.
ANALYTICS DRIVEN
EMBEDDABLE FORUMS

Best for teams that are

  • SaaS companies needing centralized product feedback and roadmaps
  • Product teams aiming to reduce support tickets via self-service
  • B2B software companies wanting to identify upsell opportunities

Skip if

  • Non-SaaS businesses like lifestyle communities or coaching groups
  • Creators primarily looking to sell online courses or memberships
  • Organizations needing a native mobile app for their community

Expert Take

Research indicates Turf uniquely consolidates fragmented SaaS tools—replacing separate vendors for feedback, documentation, and forums—into one cohesive, ISO27001-certified platform. Our analysis shows the "in-app widget" capability significantly lowers the barrier to entry for user engagement by embedding community directly into the product interface, a feature often missing from legacy forum software.

Pros

  • Unifies forums, KB, and feedback
  • Embeddable in-app widget
  • ISO27001 and SOC2 certified
  • Transparent monthly pricing tiers
  • Native Salesforce & Intercom integrations

Cons

  • Low volume of public reviews
  • AI search locked to Enterprise
  • Custom SSO requires higher plans
  • Limited third-party plugin ecosystem
4
Expert Score
9.6 / 10
529
41
ENGAGEMENT HUB
CUSTOMIZABLE SPACE
ENGAGEMENT HUB
CUSTOMIZABLE SPACE
AI-ENHANCED
OPEN-SOURCE FLEXIBILITY

Circle Community Platform

Circle Community Platform
View Website
Circle is a comprehensive SaaS community platform that is specifically designed to foster member engagement and facilitate content sharing, making it ideal for SaaS companies that aim to build, grow, and manage their user communities. It is highly customizable, allowing you to craft unique spaces, prompt interactive discussions, host live events and even launch your course.
Circle is a comprehensive SaaS community platform that is specifically designed to foster member engagement and facilitate content sharing, making it ideal for SaaS companies that aim to build, grow, and manage their user communities. It is highly customizable, allowing you to craft unique spaces, prompt interactive discussions, host live events and even launch your course.
ENGAGEMENT HUB
CUSTOMIZABLE SPACE
ENGAGEMENT HUB
CUSTOMIZABLE SPACE
AI-ENHANCED
OPEN-SOURCE FLEXIBILITY

Best for teams that are

  • Creators and coaches building paid memberships and courses
  • Non-technical founders wanting a clean, modern, all-in-one interface
  • Brands wanting built-in tools for events, live streams, and paywalls

Skip if

  • Developers or enterprises needing full code access or self-hosting
  • Free communities with zero budget as there is no free tier
  • Complex organizations needing deep custom data models

Expert Take

Our analysis shows Circle effectively solves the 'fragmented stack' problem by unifying courses, discussions, and events into a single, cohesive interface. Research indicates it is the platform of choice for high-stakes creators like Tim Ferriss and institutions like Harvard, validating its scalability and reliability. Based on documented features, its SOC 2 certification and Headless API make it uniquely capable of serving both secure enterprise needs and bespoke brand experiences.

Pros

  • All-in-one platform combining courses, events, and discussions
  • SOC 2 Certified and GDPR Compliant
  • Trusted by Harvard, SpaceX, and Tim Ferriss
  • Clean, modern, distraction-free user interface
  • Native video hosting and live streaming capabilities

Cons

  • Transaction fees charged on top of subscription
  • Starting price ($89/mo) is high for beginners
  • Notification volume can overwhelm new users
  • Limited structural customization for non-developers
  • Email marketing features often require add-ons

Product Comparison

Product Has Mobile App Has Free Plan Has Free Trial Integrates With Zapier Has Public API Live Chat Support Popular Integrations Supports SSO Starting Price
1 Bettermode Community Platform
Not specified No Contact for trial Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified Custom pricing
2 Discourse Community Platform
Yes Yes Not specified Yes Yes No Slack, Salesforce, Google Workspace Yes $100/month
3 Turf: Community Platform for SaaS
Not specified Yes Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified $20/month
4 Circle Community Platform
Yes No Not specified Yes Not specified Not specified Slack, Zapier, Discourse Not specified $39/month
1

Bettermode Community Platform

Has Mobile App
Not specified
Has Free Plan
No
Has Free Trial
Contact for trial
Integrates With Zapier
Not specified
Has Public API
Not specified
Live Chat Support
Not specified
Popular Integrations
Not specified
Supports SSO
Not specified
Starting Price
Custom pricing
2

Discourse Community Platform

Has Mobile App
Yes
Has Free Plan
Yes
Has Free Trial
Not specified
Integrates With Zapier
Yes
Has Public API
Yes
Live Chat Support
No
Popular Integrations
Slack, Salesforce, Google Workspace
Supports SSO
Yes
Starting Price
$100/month
3

Turf: Community Platform for SaaS

Has Mobile App
Not specified
Has Free Plan
Yes
Has Free Trial
Not specified
Integrates With Zapier
Not specified
Has Public API
Not specified
Live Chat Support
Not specified
Popular Integrations
Not specified
Supports SSO
Not specified
Starting Price
$20/month
4

Circle Community Platform

Has Mobile App
Yes
Has Free Plan
No
Has Free Trial
Not specified
Integrates With Zapier
Yes
Has Public API
Not specified
Live Chat Support
Not specified
Popular Integrations
Slack, Zapier, Discourse
Supports SSO
Not specified
Starting Price
$39/month

Similar Categories

How We Rank Products

Our Evaluation Process

The 'How We Choose' section for community and forum platforms for SaaS companies outlines a research-based methodology focused on key factors such as specifications, features, customer reviews, and ratings. In this category, important considerations include user engagement features, integration capabilities, scalability, and customization options, which significantly influence the selection process. Rankings were determined by analyzing data from comprehensive reviews, comparing product specifications, and evaluating customer feedback to assess satisfaction levels and overall value. The research methodology emphasizes an objective analysis of available data to provide a clear understanding of each platform's strengths and weaknesses.

Overall scores reflect relative ranking within this category, accounting for which limitations materially affect real-world use cases. Small differences in category scores can result in larger ranking separation when those differences affect the most common or highest-impact workflows.

Verification

  • Products evaluated through comprehensive research and analysis of community engagement features.
  • Rankings based on analysis of user feedback, platform capabilities, and expert reviews.
  • Selection criteria focus on scalability, user interface design, and integration options for SaaS companies.

Other Software products for SaaS Companies

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Score Breakdown

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