The best Google Groups alternative
An all-in-one community platform that provides you with a hassle free way to build a secure online community on – Web, iOS and Android.

Generate Revenue
Generate income by selling online courses, membership subscriptions, and exclusive content.
Drive Engagement
Drive more engagement than typically seen on Facebook and Instagram.
Reclaim Control
Bring your community together in a safe space that you own and control.
Team collaboration, reimagined
Disciples’s all-in-one, fully-branded community platform is the best alternative to Google Groups. We put the power back in your hands and provide you with all of the tools and features you need to gather, manage and monetise your group members with your very own alternative to Google Groups.
Reclaim control of your data, reach and community in a trusted and secure space, with the highest levels of security and compliance


Your community, your rules
Your own-branded community platform
Disciple’s Google group alternative provides you with the freedom to launch, grow and monetise your community. Simply select the features and branding that suits your needs and in a few easy steps you’ll have your own community platform that allows you to reach 100% of your members.
- Web, iOS & Android
- Push notifications
- Livestreaming
- Full customisation
- Multiple groups
- Event Calendar
The Console
Our easy-to-use Console allows you to store and publish content, manage members and understand what makes your community tick. You control all aspects of your community from the Console.
- Analytics
- Member profiles
- Member database
- Scheduled posts
- Integrations & API
- Moderation tools
We take care of the technology, so you can focus on the success of your community
API
We built our public API, so you can integrate your community with existing tools.
Updates
We regularly update the platform with new features and keep an eye on App Store guidelines, so you don’t have to.
Privacy
We provide a secure, GDPR compliant platform where you own and control your data.
”
Disciple really understands
how to build engaging
community platforms. My
average revenue per
community member is £38
Disciple really understands how to build engaging community platforms. My average revenue per community member is £38
Madeleine Shaw – Business Owner


Start growing, engaging and monetising your community
Web
from
$55
per month
- Branding & customisation
- Unlimited groups and topics
- Events
- Content Library & Media Gallery
- Friends & Messaging
- Subscriptions
No credit card required
Mobile App
from
$549
per month
- All the features of Web
- Exposure to millions of users in Apple and Google app stores
- In-app purchases
- Livestreaming
- Push-notifications
- Dedicated Community Success Manage
- Priority customer support
Bespoke enterprise packages are available on this tier
*Plus VAT for customers in the UK and non-business customers in the EU


“Fantastic app platform has brought our community to life.” – Action for Happiness
Disciple community apps in app stores.
Rated 4.64 out of 5. Based on 14,508 iOS and Android app reviews received between 30 June 2014 and 6 November 2018.


“Outstanding Product and Exceptional Customer Experience!” – Her Spirit
Frequently asked questions
Independent community platforms like Disciple, offer a great alternative to Google Groups. For starters, community platforms provide improved discussion forums and offer much more user friendly communication tools across web and mobile. As a result, engagement is much higher and you don’t ever have to worry about any privacy concerns because you own your data.
A Google Groups Alternative You Can Control
If there is one thing that is constantly tripping up community builders it’s Big Tech’s tendency to reach into their communities and impose a corporate agenda. Google Groups are no different.
They will argue that without strict control, any group of people online could quickly spiral out of hand, and to an extent they’re right. But there’s control, and then there’s CONTROL, and Google Groups tend to exercise the latter. That means that all their moderation decisions can be traced back to what’s good for Google, not what’s good for you.
Moderation Done Right
When it comes to moderating user content and activity our approach is to return control to community leaders. Here are some of the ways we do that:
Shadow banning – Shadow banning is a discreet and effective moderation tool that enables community leaders to make posts from problematic members visible only to them. That way, they continue to feel engaged but their content does not wind up causing offense to others.
Automatic post scores – Disciple uses AI technology to scan all posts and provide you with an “appropriateness” score that can help you make moderation decisions.
Removal of content – The next step up from shadowbanning is disabling or unpublishing user content. You need to have this tool in your moderator’s toolbox and Disciple provides it. Keep in mind such decisions can be reversed in due course should you reach an amicable settlement with the member.
Members blocking members – Disciple Google Groups alternative software also allows you to enable members to block others they simply don’t wish to engage with. This real-time tool helps provide community members with a sense of personal control that they appreciate.
Trusted reporters – If you are pressed for time and need a more efficient way to keep tabs on your group assign “trusted reporters”. These are team members with a history of making fair and accurate assessments of other user’s content.
One of the downfalls of Google Groups is that there aren’t any options to monetise your community. Having your own community platform with a provider like Disciple, provides you with a range of flexible monetisation features for you to choose from. One option is our subscription model; your members will pay a monthly or annual fee to be part of your community. Or, you can set your community up as a paid download from app stores. That means you set the price and your members pay a one-off fee to download and join your community space. Our community software comes with in-app purchases and freemium functionality, meaning you can put a paywall in front of any exclusive content or areas of your community platform. You can also use any combination of these monetisation options to make money in the ways that work for you and your community.
Google Groups hasn’t had a major update for years. It is running for existing users but unfortunately it doesn’t get updated or improved, making it a very dated platform to build a community on. Google has previously had a history of shutting down services which haven’t been taking off and Groups would fall into that category, so it could happen.
Migrating your community may sound like a challenge. But here at Disciple, we help communities of all sizes migrate from social media, websites and mailing lists into their own, dedicated and highly interactive community spaces. We’ve got plenty of resources, best practices and guides to help make sure your community moves with you when you’re ready to go.
Learn more about a Google Group alternative


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