• Need help deciding between Facebook Group or Dedicated Platform to host our community

    Sia Kate

    Member

    Updated: Apr 14, 2025
    Views: 597

    I need to decide whether to build our community on Facebook Group or a dedicated community platform like Jatra, Discord or Circle.

    I am inclined towards Facebook Group because most of our customers already have the app installed on their phones; so getting them on the community should not be a problem. I am however aware of the downsides of using Facebook for community building.

    Facebook won’t give us organic growth and flexibility. It requires you to spend on advertisements to reach out to new users; or rely on referrals.

    Dedicated community platforms can solve this problem; but it could be difficult to onboard initial members.

    I would really appreciate if you could share your thoughts on this. Help me make the right choice.

    5
    Replies
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Replies
  • Rohit Kapoor

    Member1mo

    Hi Sia - choosing between Facebook Group and Dedicated Community Platform depends upon your community goals and long-term view. In short, start your community with Facebook group and move to a dedicated platform once you have 50+ members in your group.

    Let me explain.

    You are absolutely right that FB groups offer convenience. Your users already have a FB account and are a click-away from joining your FB group. There low barrier to entry. That's why Facebook Groups are a great way to validate the community.

    My recommendation is to grow your FB group till it has 50 members and they are interacting. Once you see some momentum in your FB Group, I recommend shifting to a dedicated community platform like Jatra or Discourse or Circle.

    Why? Because these are open platform that allow for organic growth. Kaustubh wrote an excellent piece on getting first 100 community member. If you already have a few members in your FB group; you should make the transition from Facebook group -> Jatra early on in your community journey.

    There are a few cases when you might want to stick to Facebook Group:

    1. Your audience is not tech-savvy.
    2. Your community is smaller by design
    3. You do not need organic growth

    I hope this helps you decide between FB Vs dedicated community platform.

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  • Paula Derrenger

    Member3w

    Excellent points, Rohit. Facebook Groups offer easy onboarding but lack organic growth and flexibility. Dedicated community platforms offer better control, SEO benefits and sustainable, long-term growth.

    Start with FB group to validate the interest but shift early to dedicated community platform.

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  • Max Jacob

    Member3w

    If you're okay with Zuckerberg owning your community and showing your posts to 12 people unless you boost them... Facebook Group it is. 😅

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