9 Best Social Community Software for Creators in 2024

2024 has seen the digital frontier offering creators chances to reach wider audiences. The cherry on the cake is that individuals can monetize their content on social communities, creating some extra income. With the future of the creator economy sitting right on the cusp, the right social community software is imperative for success.

Social community platforms offer robust, end-to-end content creation and audience engagement. Moreover, they provide revenue-generation tools to meet diverse needs, from educational content to artistry. Their mainstream introduction is a win for every passionate educator, artist, writer, or social media influencer, as the platforms help build a loyal community. We’ve done the heavy lifting to list the nine best social community software for creators in 2024. Please read on to learn more in this article.

What Makes a Good Monetization Platform for Content Creators?

Hundreds of social community software have sprouted, becoming more mainstream and established. However, not all of them will meet consumer standards, and rightly so. Developers have different motives for creating these platforms, from not-for-profit interactions to those that help creators make the dime.

While monetizing content is the most predominant consideration when selecting a monetization platform, numerous other things play a vital role. Here are the essential go-to features we’ve used to choose the best social community software.

• Ease of Use – An intuitive interface that enables creators to get started, set up, and seamlessly manage their community without technical hassles. This interface shouldn’t only be helpful to you as the creator but also to your audience. They should be able to navigate the software and seamlessly interact with its functions for a more enhanced user experience.
• Monetization Options – Subscriptions, donations, ad revenue, and merchandise are all essential monetization options that should be available in social community software. A social community software that offers varying monetization streams to creators makes it easy to generate extra income while practicing your passion.
• Audience Engagement Features – Live streaming, chat functions, and forums, among others, should be available on a non-negotiable basis on every social community software. These help creators reach out to their audience and build connections, giving community members a sense of belonging.
• Analytics and Insight – Deep analytics help creators understand audience behavior better, optimize content, and make data-driven decisions that will increase engagement and drive more revenue.
• Security and Privacy – Effective security ensures that creators’ content and personally identifiable information are protected from cyber criminals’ attacks online. Moreover, they prevent unauthorized access and help you better manage your presence in public domains.
• Integration with Other Platforms – Integrating with social media, payment gateways, and marketing tools smoothes out the content creation and monetization process.
• Support and Resources – Customer support and learning resources are essential for maximizing earning potential. These features also improve user experience and make interactions more pleasurable.

Best Social Community Software for Creators

When you know what features and functions your go-to social platform should have, picking the best one for you becomes a breeze. Here are the nine most sought-after social community software that creators have flocked to in 2024.

1. Teach.io

Teach.io is an end-to-end platform for educational creators seeking to build courses, run communities, and drive monetization against their content. It holds video, text-based media, and interactive elements, so it can be ideal if you’re an educator. Teach.io offers a single way for community leaders to coach, create courses, manage members, and host events. This platform runs on gamification, engaging content developers and community members with rewards for participation.

Try Teach’s 14-day free trial today.

Pros

• Comprehensive Features – Teach.io integrates course creation, community management, and monetizing tools into one platform. You won’t have to procure additional software that way.
• Interactive Tools – Quizzes, multi-media content, and even virtual reality experiences round out the platform to make learning engaging.
• Event Management – With integrated calendar event planning and syncing, it supports everything from group coaching to large conferences.
• Monetization Options – Various monetization methods are available to educators, including paid membership and auto affiliate programs through which users have even made more than $100,000 annually.
• Engagement Strategies – Gamification and real-time chat features ensure high levels of engagement and interaction within the community.

Cons

• Learning Curve– Numerous features available on the platform could overwhelm you if you’re a beginner.

2. Patreon

Patreon is a membership-based website that allows you to earn money from your content while collaborating with others. It enables fans to subscribe and pledge a monthly amount. In return, followers can access exclusive content and unique benefits while directly supporting you. Patreon empowers artists to run an exclusive subscription service while selling digital goods and products as extra income revenue. This platform allows you to share your work, set prices, and offer special rewards, all in one place. Like Teach.io, it’s also fan-centric, provides exclusive content, and allows fans to interact with you.

Pros

• Secure Revenue – Patreon’s membership model provides reliable monthly revenue flow. It comes with membership tiers with benefits, including secure revenue.
• Community – It enables creators to engage with patrons by including exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and early content access.
• Flexibility – Suitable for various content, including videos, podcasts, artwork, etc.
• Analytics – Patreon provides analytics tools for insights into patron behavior and engagement to optimize content, keeping you more informed.

Cons

• Fees – Patreon takes a percentage of the earnings, which can increase in the long run. That can be a blow if you want to maximize your profits.
• Dependence on Platform – Creators are at the mercy of Patreon’s policies and changes. These policies can impact payments, engagements, and the type of content to publish.

3. YouTube

YouTube is a social community platform that allows you to interact with people in numerous ways other than sharing videos. While it is a video-sharing site, features on YouTube (like comments, polls, and community posts) facilitate user engagement much like any other conventional social media site. You can share images, polls, and GIFs to spur discussion and engage subscribers through the community tab. Verified accounts can upload videos that are a bit longer in duration and are even allowed to make live streams.

Pros

• Massive Audience – YouTube has a vast potential to reach a huge audience globally. It’s become more sought-after and preferable for numerous content creators.
• Multiple Revenue Streams – Ad revenue, channel memberships, Super Chat, and a merchandise shelf are all among the numerous revenue streams you can earn on YouTube.
• SEO Benefits – Videos from YouTube seem to rank pretty high in Google searches and can boost your search engine optimization game tremendously.
• Community Features – Comments, live chats, and community posts can generate engagement if you genuinely understand how to create high-converting content.

Cons

• Ad Revenue Fluctuations – It’s hard to predict how much you will earn because ad rates change a lot.
• Platform Control – How many views or revenue you get depends greatly on YouTube’s policies and algorithms.

4. Ko-fi

Ko-Fi is a social community platform for monetizing your audience through donations, memberships, and commissions. You can create a free Ko-Fi page to share a “buy me a coffee” link for one-time or recurring donations from fans who feel like supporting your work. The good thing is that it works for everyone – whether you’re a writer, podcaster, or other content creator. On top of these donations, Ko-Fi allows you to sell memberships that grant access to exclusive content, your creative process, or even automated Discord roles. You can also use it as a straightforward product shop and place for commissions.

Pros

• No Fees on Donations – You get 100% of one-time donation money when using Ko-Fi.
• Flexibility – The platform allows one-time tips, recurring memberships, and selling products/services.
• Easy Setup – The interface is easy to use, which makes setting up a breeze.
• Community Engagement – Posting and interacting with supporters or backers is easy through its chat-enabled interface and tools.

Cons

• Limited Discovery – Creators need to drive traffic to their Ko-fi page.
• Additional Fees for Premium Features – The premium features require a paid subscription.

5. Discord

Discord allows real-time communication and collaboration, and you can create and manage communities called “servers.” Members can communicate through text posts, voice chat, and video streams. Moreover, numerous possibilities exist for customizing the space. That includes admin privileges and roles that define permissions for members. Such flexibility allows tailor-made moderation and control over community channels. This platform also integrates with numerous third-party applications and bots that can automate tasks, bring about engagements, and offer features like games, memes, and polls.

Pros

• Server Customization – You can customize your server to provide content unique to your community.
• Engagement Tools – Dynamic interaction is promoted by including options for voice, video, and text chatting.
• Memberships – Nitro subscriptions and server memberships run towards revenue generation.
• Integration – Integrates seamlessly with other platforms and tools.

Cons

• Complex Setup – Customization options can be overwhelming for beginners.
• Monetization Limits – The platform primarily links earnings to Nitro and server memberships, which can impose limits.

6. LearnWorlds

LearnWorlds is a complete, online course-creation and LMS platform developed to meet any educator or content creator, or training business. It allows you to build and manage online courses, focusing on interactive and engaging learning experiences.

Although LearnWorlds is mostly known for its course creation capabilities, it has effective features for social community engagement, whereby an educator can create a connected and active learning environment.

Pros

• Interactive Features – LearnWorlds has various interactive tools, including quizzes, assignments, and surveys. These tools make the experience more engaging and dynamic.
• Customizable Design – You can personalize your course pages using various themes, layouts, and design elements.
• Community Building Tools – Discussion forums, social media integration, and user profiles are only a few of the many features LearnWorlds comes with.
• E-commerce Capabilities – You can sell courses with many pricing models like subscriptions, one-time payments, or payment plans.
• Analytics and Reporting – LearnWorlds includes in-depth analytical and reporting tools that assist educators in tracing learners’ progress, engagement, and performance.

Cons

• Learning Curve – The vastness of features in this platform may overwhelm some users at the very beginning.
• Cost – While LearnWorlds has various pricing plans, some of these costs can be high compared to other LMS options if advanced features are needed or when the number of students is significant.

7. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks provides full-featured social community software that empowers online communities’ creation, monetization, and growth. It merges community building, content sharing, course creation, and commerce into one platform, allowing users to create a specific ecology of their choice. It provides features such as live streaming, events, forums, messaging, and content sharing to create a customized experience. It also has more solid monetization options-memberships, course sales, and bundles-so that creators can control the revenue streams of their communities.

Pros

• All-in-One – Courses, memberships, and community are in one platform, which makes it easier to manage your activity on the platform.
• Customizable – The platform is versatile; you can customize your community to align with your brand’s goals and theme.
• Engagement – Live streaming, forums and events enhance interaction and help build an audience you can monetize over time.
• Monetization – It has multiple revenue streams, including memberships and selling courses.

Cons

• Cost – High-end plans can be pretty expensive.
• Learning Curve – Some of the features are difficult to learn.

8. Buy Me a Coffee

Buy Me a Coffee is a social community software that allows followers to fund content creators. It also allows you to connect with your audience and monetize content. You can achieve that by linking it to your respective Buy Me a Coffee page from your social media profiles.

The platform also has customization tools to brand yourself with unique content and share your page on all social media. Moreover, Buy Me a Coffee provides features such as automatic Twitter shout-outs and Discord role rewards to enable you to engage with your community and build a loyal following. Buy Me a Coffee is primarily fit for solo creators, and it suitably works as a bridge for managing community appreciation.

Pros

• Ease of Use – Easy setup and easy to use.
• Fee-Free Donations – Creators get 100% of one-time tips.
• Versatility – Supports donations, membership, and selling products.
• Community Engagement – Creators can post an update and engage with their supporters.

Cons

• Limited Features – Fewer features than some other platforms provide.
• Traffic Generation – Requires the creator to drive traffic to their page.

9. Circle

Circle is a social community software combining engaging discussions, members, live streams, chat, events, and memberships within one fully branded platform. It offers easy integration for Single Sign-On with existing authentication providers. This means users can log in to Circle without creating an extra account.

From an intuitive design to heavy customization and gated access features, it’s the all-rounder in online community building. They can broadcast live streams with co-hosts, moderate chat, and comments, and look through community growth and engagement metrics.

Currently available as an iOS mobile app, Circle offers almost everything in creating and managing online communities, thus competing with alternatives like Slack, Discord, and Discourse.

Pros

• User-Friendly Interface – Circle boasts an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, and users can set up and manage their communities with minimal technical expertise.
• Customizable Community Spaces – You can use this platform to create forums, discussion boards, and resource libraries tailored to your community’s needs.
• Integration with Other Tools – Circle integrates seamlessly with popular tools like Slack, Zoom, and Stripe to streamline workflows and enhance functionality.
• Monetization Options – Circle supports various monetization strategies, including membership tiers, one-time payments, and subscription models for revenue generation.
• Focus on Engagement – Circle offers features like threaded discussions, direct messaging, and notifications to keep members engaged, encouraging meaningful interactions and community building.

Cons

• Limited Customization for Branding – You may find it challenging to fully brand your community, and the layout might not be as extensive as you desire.
• Basic Analytics – Circle’s analytics and reporting features are relatively basic, and the platform may lack detailed insights into community engagement and member behavior.
• Pricing – Circle’s pricing structure can be marginally high for smaller communities or individuals. This may be less than ideal if you’re a beginner or have a limited budget.
• Learning Curve for Advanced Features – While the basic functionalities are user-friendly, some more advanced features and integrations may present a learning curve.

How to Get Paid for Online Content

You can earn from your content regardless of the niche you specialize in. Platforms like YouTube, Patreon, or Substack can help you earn money from ads, memberships, and subscriptions. However, it’d be best to focus on building a personal brand and engaging an audience while creating top-notch, quality content. For a deeper dive into monetizing content online, specifically how to monetize content on YouTube, check out our article on monetizing content created on YouTube.

Leverage Teach.io Today

Ready to start monetizing your content? Sign up for your free 14-day trial at Teach.io to make money off your passion. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to join thousands of others in a community of creators and educators killing it.

Sign up today and take your first steps toward financial independence with your content.