What sites allow users to create and join communities?

Yes. There are quite a few platforms where people can create their own communities and let others discover and join them.

Platform	Community format	Good for
Reddit	Subreddits	Public interest/topic communities
Discord	Servers	Chat-based communities, gaming, hobbies, creators
Facebook Groups	Groups	General-interest, local, and social communities
Meetup	Groups + events	Local, in-person communities
Slack	Workspaces/channels	Professional and industry communities
Circle	Branded community spaces	Creators, businesses, paid communities
Mighty Networks	Standalone communities	Creators, memberships, courses
Skool	Communities + courses	Education, coaching, paid groups
Quora Spaces	Topic communities	Questions, knowledge, discussion
LinkedIn Groups	Professional groups	Industry and career communities
Telegram	Groups/channels	Large chat communities
WhatsApp Communities	Groups organized under a community	Clubs, organizations, local groups
Discourse	Forums	Long-form, searchable discussions

A current community-platform directory lists Reddit, Discord, Facebook, Slack, LinkedIn, Skool, Circle, Discourse, Quora, Mighty Networks, Meetup, and others as platforms hosting user-created communities.thehiveindex.com+1

If you're specifically looking to build a site like this

There are two somewhat different categories:

• Community marketplaces: people can discover communities created by other users — Reddit, Meetup, Facebook Groups, Discord, etc.
• Community-building software: you create a community under your own brand — Circle, Mighty Networks, Skool, Discourse, etc.

If you're asking because you want to build a website/app where users can create their own communities and other users can browse and join them, I can also give you a list of 20+ sites that have this exact model, including newer/smaller competitors and how they monetize.

• Reddit - A massive network of communities based on people's interests, where users can create subreddits, post content, and comment on discussions.
• Discord - A communication platform that allows users to create and join servers divided into voice and text channels for gaming, hobbies, and social groups.
• Facebook Groups - A feature on Facebook enabling users to create and join public or private groups centered around specific topics, locations, or organizations.
• Circle - A modern community platform tailored for creators, brands, and coaches to build branded, all-in-one community spaces with courses and events.
• Mighty Networks - A community platform that allows creators and businesses to build custom, engaging digital communities with virtual events, courses, and messaging.
• Substack - A platform primarily for newsletter writers that also includes community features like subscriber chat threads and discussion spaces.

Would you like to know which of these platforms is best suited for a specific type of community (like a business, a gaming group, or a niche hobby)?

Yes. There are quite a few platforms where people can create their own communities and join communities created by others.

• Reddit — Create or join topic-based communities (“subreddits”). Strong for public, interest-based discussion and discovery.
• Discord — Create or join servers organized around hobbies, gaming, creators, projects, local groups, and more. Strong for real-time chat, voice, and community interaction.Mighty Networks
• Facebook Groups — Create public, private, or member-only groups around interests, locations, organizations, and activities.
• Meetup — Create or join communities centered around activities and in-person or online events.
• Mighty Networks — Build branded communities with discussions, events, courses, memberships, and other features.Mighty Networks
• Circle — Lets creators and organizations build structured, branded communities with spaces, discussions, events, and memberships.Mighty Networks
• Skool — Combines community discussion with courses and gamification; particularly oriented toward creators and educators.Everything-PR
• Slack — Communities can be organized into channels around professional, technical, educational, or interest-based topics.
• Geneva — Designed around groups, chats, events, and real-world communities, although its platform status is changing in 2026.Geneva+1
• Hive Index — More of a directory/discovery site than a community host; it catalogs communities across platforms such as Discord, Reddit, Slack, Circle, Facebook Groups, and others.Hive Index

If you're asking because you want to build a site/app where users themselves can create communities and other users can discover and join them, I can also give you a list of platforms that are specifically closest to that model (e.g. Reddit/Discord-style), including open-source options and monetization possibilities.

Many websites let people create, discover, and join communities around interests, hobbies, professions, local activities, or private groups. Here are some of the most common ones:Hive Index+1

Site / platform	Community format	Common uses
Reddit	Subreddits	Topic discussions, hobbies, advice, news, niche interests
Discord	Servers with text, voice, and video channels	Gaming, fandoms, study groups, creator communities, friend groups
Facebook	Groups	Local communities, clubs, family groups, interest groups
Meetup	Event-based groups	Local activities, clubs, professional networking, hobbies
LinkedIn	Groups and professional networks	Career communities, industries, business networking
Slack	Workspaces and channels	Professional communities, tech groups, teams
Circle	Private branded communities	Creators, memberships, courses, paid communities
Mighty Networks	Custom community spaces	Membership communities, courses, creator communities
Skool	Community + learning groups	Coaching, courses, education communities
Quora	Spaces	Question-based communities and knowledge sharing
Telegram	Groups and channels	Large chat communities, announcements, interest groups
Discourse	Forums	Long-form discussions, technical and knowledge communities

Palify Mighty Networks### Sites specifically for finding communities

If you want to browse communities before joining, these directories can help:

• Hive Index — a directory of communities across platforms such as Reddit, Discord, Slack, Facebook Groups, Circle, and forums.Hive Index
• OpenCommunity — helps discover communities on platforms like Discord, Slack, Telegram, Reddit, and others.OpenCommunity

Choosing a platform depends on the type of community:

• Casual discussion around a topic: Reddit, Discord, Facebook Groups
• Real-time conversations: Discord, Telegram, Slack
• Professional networking: LinkedIn, Slack
• Local meetups: Meetup, Facebook Groups
• Paid or membership communities: Circle, Mighty Networks, Skool
• Long-term searchable knowledge base: Discourse, Reddit

realforum.net Mighty NetworksIf you mean sites where anyone can create their own community platform (like starting your own Facebook Group/Discord server), the list is slightly different.

Here are the top platforms and sites that allow users to both create and join communities, broken down by style and focus:

• Reddit : Known as the "front page of the internet," anyone can create a subreddit (community) around any niche topic, hobby, or discussion, and join millions of existing communities.
• Discord : Primarily voice, video, and text communication, allowing any user to spin up their own server (community) or search/join public servers centered on gaming, art, study groups, and more.
• Facebook Groups : A massive ecosystem where individuals and organizations can create public or private groups for local neighborhoods, interest groups, and alumni, or join existing ones.
• Mighty Networks : A powerful platform built for creators, brands, and professionals to design fully customizable, standalone digital communities with courses, events, and livestreams.swarm.to+1
• Circle : A modern, sleek community platform tailored for creators, coaches, and businesses to host member spaces, discussions, courses, and live events all in one hub.circle.so
• Skool : A gamified community platform that combines forums, courses, calendars, and chat, making it popular for educators, masterminds, and online creators to build engaging membership spaces.

Are you looking to build a community for a business/creator brand , or are you looking for a public social platform to join existing hobby groups?

• Reddit - A massive network of communities based on people's interests, hobbies, and passions where users can create subreddits, post content, and engage in discussions.
• Discord - A communication platform that allows users to create and join invite-only or public servers featuring voice, video, and text channels centered around various topics.
• Facebook Groups - A feature within Facebook that enables users to set up public or private groups for communities, organizations, families, or interest-sharing.
• Guilded - A platform tailored for gaming and general communities that offers robust server creation tools, chat, and management features.
• Circle - A modern community platform built specifically for creators, brands, and coaches to host member spaces, discussions, and events.
• Discourse - An open-source forum software and hosting platform used by many modern organizations and enthusiast communities for structured, long-form discussions.

Would you like to narrow these down by community type (e.g., gaming, professional, casual social) or hosting requirements (free vs. self-hosted)?

Many platforms allow users to both create and join online communities, depending on whether you are looking for casual social spaces, gaming hubs, creator-led groups, or professional forums.reddit.com+3

General & Social Communities

• Reddit: Operates entirely on user-created subreddits dedicated to specific hobbies, news, regions, or interests. Anyone can create or join communities for free.
• Facebook Groups: Excellent for local, school, or interest-based groups where users can easily set up public or private communities within the social network ecosystem.youtube.com+1

Chat, Gaming, & Real-Time Voice

• Discord: Built around customizable servers (communities) featuring text, voice, and video channels. Users can instantly create their own servers or join public ones via invites.reddit.com+2
• Telegram: Features large public or private groups and broadcast channels that allow users to connect globally around specific topics or updates.reddit.com+1

Creator, Course, & Professional Platforms (Paid & Free)

• Skool: A streamlined, community-focused platform that blends discussion boards, gamified leaderboards, and courses into a single interface.youtube.com+1
• Circle: A modern, highly customizable platform built for creators, brands, and businesses to host discussions, events, courses, and live streams.circle.so+3
• Mighty Networks: A community-first network platform organized into "spaces" for live events, courses, and structured discussions.youtube.com+1

Traditional Discussion Forums

• Discourse: An open-source, highly extensible forum software used by many tech projects, gaming communities, and organizations for deep, structured conversations.youtube.com+1

If you have a specific type of community in mind (such as a gaming clan, a paid mastermind, a local hobby group, or a study forum), let me know and I can recommend the best-fit platform for your goals.