Build a community your
members actually love
HelloBox is the modern, fully-hosted alternative to Discourse, Circle and Facebook Groups. Launch a beautiful forum on your own domain in minutes, at a fraction of the price.
The forum software your community deserves
Modern, hosted, and refreshingly affordable. Everything Discourse, Circle and Facebook Groups make hard, HelloBox makes simple.
Hosted & maintenance-free
We handle hosting, scaling, backups and SSL. No servers to patch, no plugins to break.
A fraction of the price
Free forever to start, then from $5/mo. You only pay for the size of your community.
Every feature included
Themes, newsletters, integrations, AI and monetization, all in the box. No upsells.
Your brand, domain & data
Your own domain with auto-SSL. Export anytime. You own the relationship, not a network.
One platform. Every tool your community needs.
From branding to publishing to growth, it's all built in, and it all works together.
Make it unmistakably yours
Start from a polished theme and brand it as your own. Your community should look like you, not a generic forum template.
- Ready-made themes (Ocean, Jellyfish)
- Your logo, colours & favicon
- Public or private with member approval
Keep members coming back
Built-in engagement loops bring people back without you lifting a finger.
- Automatic newsletter with your most popular posts
- Granular email notifications members control
- Voting, comments, bookmarks & @mentions
- RSS feeds + auto-post to your socials
Publishing that feels effortless
A modern block editor your members will actually enjoy, with AI to help them write.
- Blocks for images, code, maps, tweets & more
- Rich-text, inline or Markdown, your choice
- Auto-save & drafts so nothing is ever lost
- Categories, tags & optional post approval
Here's a quick snippet to fetch the latest posts from your community.
const posts = await feed.latest()
Extend everywhere, and earn
Connect the tools you already use, then turn your community into a business.
- Auto-post to Slack, Discord & 8 more
- Google Analytics & SEO sitemap built in
- Chatbots: Crisp, HubSpot, Drift, Jivo, Tawk
- Run your own ads & keep 100% of revenue
Give every member a writing partner
Select any text in the editor and the HelloBox AI assistant helps rework it, so more people contribute and posts read well.
Also shorten, expand, change tone, simplify, or write from your own prompt.
How I run weekly challenges
every monday i post a lil design thing for ppl to try out and its been rly good for keeping the group active
Every Monday I post a small design prompt for the community to try. It's become a reliable way to keep everyone active and engaged.
A community for every kind of builder
Flexible enough for any audience, opinionated enough to feel effortless.
Creators & influencers
Own the community around your work instead of renting an audience on social media.
Course communities
Help students connect, ask questions and stay accountable, and improve outcomes.
Startups & products
Gather early users, collect feedback and reach product-market fit faster.
Newsletter communities
Turn one-way emails into two-way conversations your subscribers love.
Podcasters
Keep the conversation going after the episode and offer premium content.
Businesses & teams
Run a customer community or an internal hub for your company.
Bloggers
Invite guest posts, spark discussion and bring readers back with newsletters.
Existing groups
Move off Facebook or an old forum to a home you actually control.
Start free. Only pay as you grow.
No lock-in, no per-seat surprises. Switch plans or cancel anytime.
Start your community in minutes
Free to start. No credit card. Cancel anytime.