How to choose a community platform: 25 questions to ask before you pick

1. What is the revenue share, and is it capped? Why it matters: at scale the percentage is the bill and the subscription is a rounding error. An uncapped 2% on $50,000 a month is $1,000 every month. Math example, not a customer outcome.

2. What do I pay before I earn anything? Why it matters: a $0 starting plan lets you validate demand before committing to a monthly bill. A plan with no free tier and annual billing commits you for a year.

3. Is payment processing listed separately? Why it matters: Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 applies almost everywhere. A vendor that hides it inside a headline rate makes comparisons meaningless.

4. Is there a surcharge for using my own payment account? Why it matters: some platforms add a percentage if you do not use their in-house processor, which quietly changes the math.

5. Where does the money land, and when? Why it matters: payouts to your own Stripe account give you your own records, refunds and dispute handling. Payouts held by the platform add a dependency.

6. Does it have real quizzes, and how many question types? Why it matters: multiple choice alone tests recall. Ordering, matching and fill-in-the-blank test understanding.

7. Where is the quiz graded? Why it matters: if the answer key is sent to the learner's browser before they submit, anyone with developer tools can read it. That matters for anything with a certificate attached.

8. Does it issue certificates that someone else can verify? Why it matters: a PDF anyone can edit proves nothing to an employer. A public verification page with a unique code does.

9. Can I drip lessons, require prerequisites or set a minimum watch time? Why it matters: structure is what separates a course from a folder of videos.

10. Can I import my existing quizzes and content? Why it matters: rebuilding 300 quiz questions by hand is a week of work. Standard formats such as GIFT and QTI, used by Moodle and Canvas, save it.

11. Can members find old answers? Why it matters: threaded discussions with categories, search and marked best answers turn repeated questions into a library. A chat stream buries them.

12. Is there gamification, and can I tune it? Why it matters: points, levels and leaderboards reward the behavior you want, such as replying and finishing lessons, but only if they are tied to that behavior.

13. Can I see who is going quiet? Why it matters: member health signals let you reach out before someone cancels, which is cheaper than winning them back.

14. How does it look on a phone? Why it matters: many members will only ever visit on mobile. Open the platform on your own phone, join as a member, and try to post, watch a lesson and RSVP.

15. Does it support RSVPs, waitlists and reminders? Why it matters: without them you are copying links into emails by hand, and attendance drops.

16. Can I sell tickets and check people in? Why it matters: paid workshops and in-person meetups need tickets, cancellations and a check-in method at the door, or a separate ticketing tool such as Eventbrite or Luma.

17. How does live video work? Why it matters: most platforms integrate with Zoom rather than build their own video. Know which, and whether recordings land back in the community.

18. Can I export members, with emails, as a CSV? Why it matters: your member list is the business. If you cannot take it with you, the platform owns your future.

19. Is there a public API? Why it matters: an API lets you connect your CRM, automate reports and let AI assistants act on your behalf instead of clicking through admin screens.

20. What does migration in look like? Why it matters: an importer for your current platform's export, plus help with the move, cuts weeks of manual work and lost members.

21. Who owns the payment relationship? Why it matters: if members pay through your own Stripe account, their billing relationship is with you, which makes a future move far easier. If they pay the platform, they may have to re-subscribe.

22. Can strangers find my community in search? Why it matters: a community that is only a login page cannot rank. Public landing pages and a discovery directory give you a chance at organic traffic.

23. Can it post to the chat apps my members already use? Why it matters: automatic alerts to Slack, Discord or Telegram reach members who do not open the platform daily.

24. Are there member limits on the plan I am considering? Why it matters: a cheap plan with a low member ceiling becomes an expensive plan the week you go viral.

25. What is the honest weakness? Why it matters: every platform has one. Ask the vendor directly. A clear answer is a good sign. A dodge tells you even more, because it is the thing you would have found out later.

Mark each question as must-have, nice-to-have or irrelevant for your community before you look at any platform. Then score each vendor only on the must-haves. A platform that wins on nice-to-haves but fails one must-have is out.

Use free trials to test, not to browse. Create one course, one event and five posts, then invite two friends as members and watch them use it on their phones. You will learn more in that hour than from any feature page.

The screenshot rule: choose on must-haves, compare fees at the size you plan to be in two years, and never pick a platform you cannot export your members from.

HiveLearn was built to answer most of these questions with a yes: courses, community, events and payments in one place, server-graded quizzes with six question types, verifiable certificates, QR ticket check-in, CSV export, a public API, channel alerts to Slack, Discord and Telegram on every plan, and a revenue share capped at a fixed amount per month on paid plans. Starter is $0 a month with 6%; paid plans start at $39 a month with a 14-day free trial, no credit card.

Its honest weaknesses: no app published under your own brand, member limits on Starter and Growth, and a lighter marketing suite than Kajabi. If those are must-haves for you, weigh them first.