Updated February 2026
The 4 Best Hivebrite Alternatives
Ranked for 2026
Hivebrite charges $25,000–$50,000 per year for a platform you will never own. If your organisation is scaling past 5,000 members, there are better paths, from affordable SaaS tools to fully owned custom infrastructure.
This guide ranks every meaningful Hivebrite alternative, explains who each option is right for, and helps you choose based on your community's size, budget, and long-term goals.
Why organisations look for Hivebrite alternatives
Hivebrite works for some organisations. But there are five recurring reasons why large, mission-driven organisations start looking for something better.
Annual fees that never stop
Hivebrite charges $25,000–$50,000+ per year. At year 10, you've spent $250,000–$500,000 and still own nothing. The fees continue indefinitely, and increase as your community grows.
You're renting, not owning
Your community lives on Hivebrite's servers. If Hivebrite raises prices, changes their terms, or shuts down, your platform disappears. You have no infrastructure you permanently control.
Mobile apps are white-label only
Hivebrite's mobile apps carry Hivebrite's branding and are constrained by their template. You cannot build fully branded native apps with custom features outside Hivebrite's product offering.
Feature roadmap constraints
Every feature your community needs has to go through Hivebrite's product roadmap. If they don't build it, you can't have it, regardless of how mission-critical it is to your organisation.
Data sovereignty concerns
Your member data, profiles, connections, engagement history, lives on Hivebrite's servers, subject to their data policies, infrastructure decisions, and security posture.
The 4 best Hivebrite alternatives, ranked
Ranked by suitability for large, mission-driven community organisations.
Socio Connect
Best for Scale & OwnershipBest for: large organisations (10,000–100,000+ members) that need permanent ownership
Pricing
From $200,000 (one-time)
Best for: 10,000–100,000+ members
Socio Connect is not a SaaS platform, it's a custom development agency that builds community platforms you own permanently. Instead of renting access to someone else's infrastructure, you commission a platform built to your exact specification. One-time investment. No recurring platform fees. Full data sovereignty.
Pros
- Platform is permanently owned, no recurring fees after build
- Fully native iOS and Android apps under your brand
- No vendor lock-in, no feature constraints
- Data lives on your servers
- Custom-built to your community's unique needs
- Economics improve dramatically at scale
Cons
- • Higher upfront investment (from $200,000)
- • 16–24 week build timeline, not an overnight launch
- • Requires organisational readiness for a capital project
Mighty Networks
Best Budget AlternativeBest for: creators and smaller communities under 10,000 members
Pricing
From $33/month (~$400/year)
Best for: Under 10,000 members
Mighty Networks is a creator-focused community platform with courses, events, and membership features. It's significantly cheaper than Hivebrite and has a more modern UX. It works well for communities under 10,000 members but lacks the enterprise infrastructure needed for large-scale organisations.
Pros
- More affordable than Hivebrite (starts ~$33/month)
- Modern creator-focused UX
- Built-in course and monetisation features
Cons
- • Not designed for enterprise-scale communities
- • Limited customisation, still a SaaS template
- • You still don't own the platform or data
- • Less suited for alumni networks, nonprofits, or associations
Circle.so
Budget OptionBest for: small communities and course creators who need a quick start
Pricing
From $89/month (~$1,068/year)
Best for: Under 5,000 members
Circle.so is an affordable, easy-to-launch community platform popular with course creators and small communities. It's much cheaper than Hivebrite but lacks the enterprise features, data controls, and scalability that large organisations require.
Pros
- Very affordable (from $89/month)
- Quick to set up
- Clean UX for content-first communities
Cons
- • Not enterprise-grade, limited admin controls and analytics
- • No native mobile app infrastructure
- • Data remains on Circle's servers
- • Not designed for 10,000+ member communities
Higher Logic
Enterprise SaaSBest for: large associations seeking enterprise SaaS
Pricing
$50,000+/year
Best for: Large professional associations
Higher Logic is an enterprise community platform often used by professional associations. It's broadly comparable to Hivebrite in positioning but with even higher pricing and longer implementation timelines. Like Hivebrite, you rent access, you never own the platform.
Pros
- Enterprise-grade features for associations
- AMS integrations
- Established vendor with long track record
Cons
- • Very expensive, typically $50,000+/year
- • You still never own the platform
- • Complex implementation and long onboarding
- • Limited ability to customise beyond the product
Which Hivebrite alternative is right for you?
Choose Mighty Networks or Circle.so if…
- • Your community has under 5,000–10,000 members
- • You need to launch quickly with a small budget
- • You're a creator-led community, not an institution
- • You're not yet ready for a capital investment
Choose Socio Connect if…
- • Your community is at or heading toward 10,000–100,000+ members
- • You're paying $25,000+/year to Hivebrite and want to stop
- • You need infrastructure you permanently own
- • You need custom native mobile apps under your brand
- • Data sovereignty and vendor independence matter to your mission
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to move beyond Hivebrite?
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