$0 – $999

This is includes mailing lists, forum packages, social media groups, some association-specific packages, some white-label platforms, and a few miscellaneous options.

Mailing lists

These work via subscription. Once members subscribe to a mailing list they can send and receive members to and from all members.

Social Media groups

Google+ communities are an option, but one that has failed to find mainstream appeal (despite dubious attempts to showcase high numbers). In the right audience, Google+ communities is an excellent option to quickly launch a community.

LinkedIn groups are the most popular and widely used options for a community of practice. Every member on a LinkedIn group receives notification of new posts. However, it is not as deeply integrated into our daily habits as Facebook. For people that do not like to mix Facebook with pleasure, this could be the perfect option.

Facebook groups are an easy way to launch a community because Facebook is already a habit for most people. Notifications are timely so every member can see when there is something new in the group. As with other social media options, the downside is that you don't own your data, and tranisitioning to another platform could spell the death of the community.

Twitter Hashtags are a surprisingly simple and efficient way to organize people around a single topic. Add a hashtag to a topic and invite others to do the same. You can launch in a community effort in a matter of seconds at no cost or risk.

This article outlines the pros and cons of launching a community using social media in more details.

Forum software

Forum software can be divided into two categories – those hosted by the organisation and those hosted by the software provider. There are pros and cons to both options, but if you are a small organisation or have limited technical resource, a hosted option makes the most sense because it includes technical support and software upgrades.

Forum software packages are broadly the same, with differences in the minute (but occasionally important) details.

Some forum software packages are free under a general public use license (GPL). This means you can edit/tweak/change the software package in any way you like. Others charge a fee for a proprietary license. This is the standard software model where you can use it under common conditions and you’re not allowed to edit the software itself.

In addition, there are a handful of licenses in between (LGPL, MIT, and custom-created licenses). Typically, platforms have both a .org (which is the free source code option) and a .com option (which is the paid license/hosting).

To keep it simple, if you want to make lots of changes to the code (i.e. you have unique customizations), you want to download something that has a general public use license. If you don’t, then it’s not needed.

It's important to note that looking at the features isn’t enough. You also need to consider the prospects of the platform itself. Some platforms appear to have better future prospects than others. This is where the history is relevant. It’s difficult to ignore the fact that the popularity of traditional forums is declining in favour of both modern, open-source platforms, and integrated enterprise solutions.

MyBB Free to download. Hosting required.

MyBB is a free, open-source forum solution with an LGPL license. Currently stable of v1.8, MyBB is best know for its simplicity, extensive administration panel and powerful plugin system, allowing for customisation without coding. With no SaaS offering, a degree of technical knowledge is required in order to self-host.

phpBB Free to download. Hosting required.

phpBB has traditionally been a popular choice due to its simplicity, ubiquity, and affordability (it is free to download). Frequently cited as reliable and simple to use, phpBB has a broad base of support for modifications, themes, and advice. It is easy to install and manage, and is available in a greater number of languages than any other forum platform. On the downside, it suffers from a dated design as with the other traditional forum platforms.

BBPress BBPress is a social/forum plugin for WordPress which is free to download and relatively easy to install, even with limited technical knowledge. Supported by a very large developer community, BBPress is well established and well documented. A good solution for very low budget projects, where technical resource isn't available.

Muut Free to download. Hosting starts at $16 / Mo

Muut (formally Moot) is a modern platform offering forum, messaging and commenting modules for integration into existing sites. It is written in javascript, not php and will shortly offer an api upon which any developer can add and extend the functionality of the software package.

The core product is available for free and can be self-hosted, but to use most of the features (e.g. private messaging) there is a charge.

vBulletin Starts at $14.99/ Mo

Since its creation in 1999, vBulletin has been the most popular paid forum software. Its popularity peaked in version 3.0 in 2004 which included most of the key features we see today. Currently on v5.1x, vB offer vBulletin Connect (self hosting) and vBulletin Cloud (SaaS). While vB is stable and longstanding, we don't recommend it as a good solution. The technology is fairly antiquated, support is sketchy and it requires heavy use of hacks and plugins to customise, which makes it difficult to upgrade.

Xenforo Starts at $140 / Yr

Xenforo was borne out of a disagreement between the developers and management of vB, resulting in lead developer Kier Darby walking away to create his own platform. Released in 2011 and currently stable on v1.5, Xenforo is superior to vB, but still lacking in the flexibility, extensibility and functionality of some of the open source platforms. It is a good choice if you want a traditional looking platform. Xenforo is a self-hosted/licensed model, and doesn't offer a SaaS option.

Invision (IPS) Starts at $30 / Mo

Invision Power Systems (IPB) is a forum software package on a proprietary license. As with phpBB it has a large community supporting custom modifications (for free or a small fee) and offers both self-hosted and SaaS options. The aestheic of IPB is more modern than vB or phpBB but still follows the traditional forum structure.

Ning Starts at $25 / Mo

Ning is the oldest and most established platforms, however Ning 3.0 was launched before being ready and there are doubts about whether Ning has the technical resources to ensure the platform reaches high standards required to succeed. We wouldn't recommend Ning for this reason.

socialengine.com Many have migrated to this platform (apparently) after questions arose concerning Ning. Several options for purchase include $40/mo for cloud hosted, turnkey service, and the php code can be purchased for anywhere from $299 to $699.