Building an online community has significant benefits—boosting collaboration, sharing knowledge, and increasing engagement, loyalty, and sales. But success depends on choosing the right platform.
You might have heard of inSided (now Gainsight Digital Hub)—it's one of the popular community building platforms. When evaluating any solution, it's worth comparing different options. Whether it comes down to cost, customization, or features built for your specific needs, there are several excellent alternatives to consider.
This guide covers the top inSided alternatives, diving into features, use cases, and pricing for each.
inSided (now part of Gainsight as Digital Hub) is an online community platform that enables brands to create and manage customer communities. Businesses use it to engage members, provide support, and foster community around their brand.
While inSided is popular, there are reasons to explore alternatives:
When evaluating community platforms, consider these factors:
Look for user management, registration and authentication options (including SSO), moderation tools, gamification, and analytics.
Consider how well the platform integrates with your existing stack—customer success tools, CRM, support software, and other systems your team uses.
Depending on your needs, you may want custom themes, professional templates, or the ability to add your own branding throughout the community.
If you're planning to grow, choose a platform with flexible plans that can handle large volumes of users and content.
The platform must be intuitive and easy to use. Features like drag-and-drop and ready-made templates help with this.
| Platform | Best For | Key Strength | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bettermode | Mid-market B2B SaaS | Customization + integrations | $149/mo |
| Higher Logic Vanilla | Enterprise support | User-generated content | Custom |
| Discourse | Developer communities | Open-source flexibility | $50/mo |
| Khoros | Large enterprise | Advanced case management | ~$100K/year |
| Salesforce Experience Cloud | Salesforce users | CRM integration | $5/member/mo |
| Forj (Mobilize) | Associations/nonprofits | Mobile-first engagement | $100-$2000/mo |
| Hivebrite | Education/alumni | Membership management | $5,000/year |
| Disciple Media | Mobile-first communities | Native mobile apps | $729/mo |
Bettermode is an all-in-one community platform offering forums, ideation, Q&A, knowledge base, and more. Flexible and highly customizable, Bettermode can be tailored to fit B2B SaaS community needs.
Key Features:- User-friendly templates for common use cases- Powerful Design Studio to customize layouts without coding- Integration with Salesforce, Zendesk, Jira, HubSpot, Intercom- Extensive embedding options for websites and products- Multi-language support- Gamification tools for engagement- Built-in analytics to track community health
Best for: Mid-market B2B SaaS companies that want to engage and educate customers through a customized community.
Pros:- Easy-to-use interface with content categorization and tags- Flexible customization—change every part in real-time- Powerful analytics to measure business impact- Rich ecosystem of integrations
Cons:- No white-label mobile app currently
Pricing: Self-Service at $149/month, Mid-Market at $18,000/year, Enterprise with custom pricing. Free trial available.
Higher Logic Vanilla (formerly Vanilla Forums) is community software offering forums and Q&A. Designed to help businesses build online communities with a focus on user-generated content.
Key Features:- Good moderation tools- Built-in gamification engine- User-generated and exclusive content features
Best for: Engagement management with user-generated content.
Pros:- Easy to set up without deep technical knowledge- Includes basic analytics and reporting
Cons:- Limited customization and personalization- Limited embedding options
Pricing: Contact for custom pricing.
Discourse is an open-source community platform built using Ruby-on-Rails, offering forums, Q&A, and polls. Supports threading, categorization, and member-driven moderation.
Key Features:- Categorization and tagging of forums- Configurable access control- Powerful moderation capabilities
Best for: Member-driven moderation forums, developer communities.
Pros:- Easy to manage discussions with member-driven moderation- Basic metrics and community health insights- Ability to define groups and private categories
Cons:- Requires sysadmin skills to host, complex setup- Limited integrations- Customization requires engineering resources
Pricing: Free trial, then starting at $50/month.
Khoros (formerly Lithium) is a cloud-based platform offering forums, blogs, and social media integration. Manages customer interactions across multiple digital channels.
Key Features:- Extensive customization options- Built-in analytics and game mechanics- SSO supported
Best for: Enterprise businesses needing advanced customer case management.
Pros:- Good customization options- Numerous integrations via APIs- Good data and reporting options
Cons:- Expensive in both technology and services- Limited platform development since acquisition- Focus on new paid features over improving existing ones
Pricing: Starting around $100,000/year.
Part of the larger Salesforce ecosystem, Experience Cloud syncs with sales, marketing, and service applications. Best for existing Salesforce customers.
Key Features:- Easy-to-use plugins for customization- Advanced security with report access controls- Pre-built templates
Best for: Companies already invested in Salesforce wanting an add-on community solution.
Pros:- Easy to connect with Salesforce CRM- Flexible security and sharing settings- Excellent customer support
Cons:- Learning curve and practice required- Expensive with overwhelming initial configuration- Setup can take weeks to implement
Pricing: Starting at $5 per community member per month.
Forj is a mobile-first community platform offering forums, live chat, and polls. Designed for organizations that need mobile-friendly engagement.
Key Features:- Flexible moderation controls- Personalized onboarding options- Smart segmentation
Best for: Nonprofits and associations looking for mobile-first engagement.
Pros:- Great customer service- Easy to set up and configure- Constantly adding new features
Cons:- No desktop app- Navigation issues reported by users- Limited admin features for member accounts
Pricing: Free plan for up to 5 users; paid plans from $100 to $2,000/month.
Hivebrite is an all-in-one platform aimed at nonprofits, education, and alumni organizations. Offers forums, Q&A, and events.
Key Features:- Membership management capabilities- Fundraising management- Social media management
Best for: Education, alumni, and nonprofit sectors for membership management.
Pros:- Centralized platform connecting email, social, and websites- Fully customizable and branded- Turn on/off features to pay only for what you need
Cons:- Can be difficult to set up (may need IT help)- Limited third-party integrations
Pricing: Free trial; paid plans starting from $5,000/year.
When comparing inSided alternatives, Bettermode stands out for several reasons:
Highly customizable. Tailor your community to specific needs and create unique brand experiences without custom coding.
Apps and integrations. Beyond built-in apps, create custom apps based on your needs through the developer platform.
Robust embedding options. Embed the entire community, specific spaces, or individual posts into your apps and websites.
Engagement features. Badges, rewards, and social sharing tools keep members active and engaged.
Data analytics and reporting. Track performance and make data-driven decisions to improve your community.
Ready to explore? Book a demo with Bettermode.
Top inSided (Gainsight Digital Hub) alternatives include Bettermode, Higher Logic Vanilla, Discourse, Khoros, Salesforce Experience Cloud, Forj (Mobilize), and Hivebrite. Each offers different strengths depending on your use case.
Most robust platforms include tiered pricing. Discourse offers an open-source option that's free to self-host. Bettermode offers a free trial to explore the platform before committing.
Consider what your members need—easy navigation, engaging features like forums and Q&A, and integration with your existing tools. Think about customization requirements, scalability, and budget. Test platforms through trials and demos before deciding.
For mid-market B2B SaaS companies, platforms like Bettermode offer the right balance of customization, business integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk), and features designed for customer engagement, support deflection, and product feedback.