Social Media, Web Development

9 Free Ning Alternatives And Some Open Source Solutions

Published · Updated

Filed under Ning, Open Source, Social Network, White Label

A comic book-style scene of a community of people interacting --ar 16:9 --v 6.1 --seed 679901836

When Ning discontinued their free services, it left many communities scrambling for alternatives. Although some opted to transition to Ning’s paid plans, many sought new, cost-effective platforms to host their communities.

Today, there are numerous robust options for building online social networks, from easy-to-use hosted solutions to fully customizable open-source platforms.

In this post, I’ll break down some of the best free or affordable Ning alternatives, including hosted services and open-source solutions, each offering powerful tools for social networking, community engagement and collaboration.

Hosted Solutions

1. Discord

Originally built for gamers, Discord has evolved into a powerful community-building tool for anyone looking to create a real-time, interactive space. It’s especially popular with creators, brands and organizations seeking to cultivate a close-knit community. Discord servers allow for text, voice and video chat, making it a dynamic option for live interaction. Its flexible structure supports different channels for various topics and with the introduction of community features like threads, moderation tools and integrations, Discord has become a go-to platform for fostering active, engaged groups.

  • Key Features: Voice, video and text chat, integrations, roles and permissions, bots for automation
  • Pricing: Free with optional paid tiers (Discord Nitro) for enhanced features

Helpful Tip
Use Discord’s roles and permissions feature to manage member access and encourage meaningful interaction in different parts of your community.

Check out how Discord servers can be structured to facilitate engagement.

2. Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is one of the top community platforms available today. It allows you to create a branded social network with features like online courses, membership subscriptions and event management. Mighty Networks focuses on engagement, helping communities thrive through a mix of social interaction and learning tools. It’s a fantastic solution for creators and businesses looking to monetize their communities.

  • Key Features: Courses, events, subscription tiers, community building
  • Pricing: Free plan available with limited features; paid plans unlock advanced tools

Helpful Tip
Use Mighty Networks’ built-in monetization features to grow your community into a thriving business.

Check out how Mighty Networks supports communities with a range of engagement tools.

3. Tribe

Tribe is a modern community platform built to integrate seamlessly with your website or product. Tribe offers a highly customizable social space where users can interact, share content and engage in discussions. It’s a fantastic option for those seeking to add community features to an existing site or product, with easy integrations and detailed analytics to measure engagement.

  • Key Features: Custom branding, Slack and Zapier integrations, embeddable widgets
  • Pricing: Free for basic use; premium plans with additional features

4. Disciple

Disciple offers a customizable, mobile-first community platform. It allows creators and businesses to build independent, branded networks through iOS and Android apps, making it easy to stay connected with your audience. Disciple is great for anyone looking to foster community engagement while maintaining a strong mobile presence.

  • Key Features: Mobile apps, content creation, social and chat features, e-commerce integrations
  • Pricing: Paid plans starting at $55/month, no free plan

Helpful Tip
If mobile connectivity is crucial for your community, Disciple’s mobile app experience is a game-changer.

Disciple offers extensive mobile customization to keep users engaged on the go.

5. Hivebrite

Hivebrite is an all-in-one community management platform tailored for professional networks, alumni groups and corporate communities. It offers comprehensive tools for event management, content sharing and member engagement, all within a secure, branded environment. Hivebrite is ideal for organizations needing a community solution that’s highly customizable and private.

  • Key Features: Event management, monetization tools, user segmentation, analytics
  • Pricing: Custom pricing based on your organization’s needs

6. Circle

Circle is a simple and flexible platform for creating and managing online communities. Its clean interface and ease of use make it popular with creators looking to build discussion-based communities. Circle allows you to host live events, create paid memberships and integrate with external tools like Zapier and Notion.

  • Key Features: Discussion forums, live events, membership options, integrations
  • Pricing: Plans start at $39/month; no free plan

Open Source Solutions

If you prefer to own every aspect of your community and require greater flexibility, open-source platforms offer an ideal solution. These platforms require more technical expertise but allow for complete customization and control over your community’s structure, design and features.

7. Discourse

Discourse has become one of the most popular open-source platforms for building online forums and communities. Its modern design encourages engagement and allows users to participate in discussions, vote on posts and follow specific threads. Discourse also offers robust moderation tools and a range of integrations to connect with external systems.

  • Key Features: Threaded conversations, upvoting, email integration, moderation tools
  • Installation Requirements: Server hosting required or managed hosting through Discourse’s official service

8. BuddyPress

For WordPress users, BuddyPress is an essential plugin that turns your WordPress site into a social network. It’s perfect for those already familiar with the WordPress ecosystem and allows for easy integration of social networking features like activity streams, member profiles and private messaging. BuddyPress makes it easy to transform a blog or business site into a fully-fledged social platform.

  • Key Features: Profiles, private messaging, activity streams, group creation
  • Installation Requirements: Requires WordPress hosting

9. Elgg

Elgg is a flexible open-source platform ideal for creating social networks, educational platforms and collaborative environments. Its plugin architecture allows for extensive customization, making it a powerful solution for developers who want to build unique community experiences. Elgg is backed by a strong developer community and is used by organizations around the world.

  • Key Features: User profiles, group discussions, file sharing, plugins
  • Installation Requirements: Server with PHP and MySQL support

Helpful Tip
If flexibility and customization are key, Elgg’s extensive plugin library can help you build the perfect community experience.

Elgg is a favorite for educational and corporate social networks.

My Thoughts

Our expectations around online communities have shifted over the year, and maybe I’m getting old, but there’s something familiar and engaging about how Discord works. I always feel connected to my various communities and I feel like a real individual rather than a page view.

But if you’re looking for something a bit more Web 2.0, whether you’re it’s a hosted solution that takes care of all the technical details or an open-source platform that gives you complete control, the options available today for building online communities are more powerful than ever. Depending on your community’s needs, whether it’s ease of use, scalability or customization, there’s a platform to match. As a lifelong WordPress guy however, I would probably build on BuddyPress because of its flexibility and control that many community leaders require.