Key takeaways
- WhatsApp Communities is free and good at announcements and topic groups. It has no member profiles, matching or private requests.
- Circle and Mighty Networks replace the group chat with their own platform and apps, priced in dollars.
- Nas.com, Periskope and Milvao work around your existing groups, each for a different job.
- Milvao is the narrowest option here: private requests and introductions only, on a separate business number.
What WhatsApp Communities covers, and where it stops
WhatsApp Communities connects related groups under one umbrella, with an announcement group admins use to reach everyone. It is part of the WhatsApp app and free to use. WhatsApp's help article puts a community at up to 2,000 members across its groups.
Two things push organisers to look further. Members see the phone numbers of people in any sub-group they share, so a request for help is never private. And nothing in Communities knows who offers what: there are no profiles with skills or cities and no way to route a request to the right member. Communities also can't be created on the WhatsApp Business app.
WhatsApp Communities alternatives at a glance
| Option | What it is | Members stay on WhatsApp | Starting price | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle | Hosted community platform with discussions, directory, courses, events and payments | No, they use Circle's platform | $89 a month, annual billing | Creators and communities ready to move to their own space |
| Mighty Networks | Hosted platform with courses, events, payments and native apps | No, they use Mighty's apps | $79 a month | Hosts selling courses or memberships |
| Nas.com (formerly Nas.io) | Memberships, payments, content and messages around an existing group | Yes | Pro $20.75 a month as shown | Paid WhatsApp communities |
| Periskope | Team inbox, tickets and bulk messages for groups on a linked number | Yes | $25 per user a month | Teams running many groups |
| Milvao | Private requests and consented introductions between members | Yes, groups untouched | ₹2,999 a month, after a ₹4,999 pilot | Business networks and founder communities |
Platforms that replace the group chat
Circle lists member profiles and a directory on every plan, alongside direct messages, courses, events and email. Mighty Networks offers a People Explorer that suggests connections from follows and reactions, with native iOS and Android apps. Both expect members to open a new app or site, and neither lists WhatsApp as an integration.
This route makes sense when the community wants a home of its own and can bring members along. Read Milvao vs Circle and Milvao vs Mighty Networks for the detail.
Tools that keep your groups
Nas.com keeps members inside the existing group and handles membership fees, event pages and a content library around it. Periskope links a number as a device and gives a team one inbox across the groups that number is in; its docs list Communities support as coming soon. Milvao never touches the groups: a join link pinned in each one brings members to a private chat on the community's business number, where they ask for help and get introduced after both people agree.
These three don't overlap much. A paid community could use Nas.com for access, and Milvao for introductions, on different numbers.
Where Milvao is weaker
- Milvao is paid, where WhatsApp Communities is free, and Meta's message charges come on top.
- No announcements, discussions, polls or events. You keep your groups or community for those.
- Members can search only an opt-in directory of people who chose to be listed, and there is no chat between members.
- Replies are in English only, text only, and Starter covers up to 300 onboarded members.
- Milvao is early stage and focused on India, and needs a separate WhatsApp Business Platform number.
Sources
- WhatsApp: Communities (checked 5 November 2026)
- WhatsApp Help Center: group or community (checked 5 November 2026)
- WhatsApp Help Center: communities on the WhatsApp Business app (checked 5 November 2026)
- Circle pricing (checked 5 November 2026)
- Circle integrations (checked 5 November 2026)
- Mighty Networks pricing (checked 5 November 2026)
- Mighty Networks docs: People Explorer (checked 5 November 2026)
- Nas.com: WhatsApp communities (checked 5 November 2026)
- Nas.com pricing (checked 5 November 2026)
- Nas.com Help: free plan phased out (checked 5 November 2026)
- Periskope pricing (checked 5 November 2026)
- Periskope docs: connect WhatsApp (checked 5 November 2026)
- Periskope docs: use cases (checked 5 November 2026)
Facts about WhatsApp and other services come from the pages listed, on the dates shown, and can change.