Mighty Networks vs Vanilla Forums:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Mighty Networks had more branded searches than Vanilla Forums among customer community platforms worldwide. Mighty Networks had about 18,100 branded searches, while Vanilla Forums had 880. Mighty Networks made up 34.6% of all customer community platform searches we track, and Vanilla Forums accounted for 1.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about customer community platforms, Mighty Networks and Vanilla Forums each appeared in two of the five answers. Mighty Networks and Vanilla Forums were each mentioned first in two of the four answers that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Mighty Networks, about 21 searches for every 1 for Vanilla Forums
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 2 of 5 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Each is named first in 2 of 4 answers.
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Top customer community platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Mighty Networks was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Vanilla Forums was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Mighty Networks and Vanilla Forums were each listed first in two of the four answers that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Circle1st
Bettermode2nd
Discourse3rd
Higher Logic4th
Khoros5th- Mighty Networks6th
- Vanilla Forums7th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Circle5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Bettermode5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Khoros4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Discourse3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Higher Logic3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Mighty Networks2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Vanilla Forums2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about customer community platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which customer community platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best customer community platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best customer community platform for online customer forum?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“customer community platform”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best community platform”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.
Is Mighty Networks or Vanilla Forums more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Mighty Networks and Vanilla Forums by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven customer community platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Mighty Networks, Vanilla Forums. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Mighty Networks | Circle | Discourse | Bettermode | Khoros | Higher Logic | Vanilla Forums |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 44% | 22.1% | 12.4% | 7.2% | 8.8% | 3.9% | 1.7% |
| Nov 2025 | 43.6% | 24.8% | 11.5% | 7.1% | 7.1% | 3.9% | 2.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 47.9% | 22.3% | 9% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 3.4% | 1.8% |
| Jan 2026 | 45.6% | 24.4% | 11.8% | 7.5% | 6.1% | 3.3% | 1.4% |
| Feb 2026 | 41.7% | 24.5% | 14.2% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 4.5% | 1.5% |
| Mar 2026 | 43% | 26% | 10.9% | 7% | 7% | 4.6% | 1.6% |
| Apr 2026 | 45.1% | 26.5% | 10.1% | 6% | 6% | 4.8% | 1.5% |
| May 2026 | 42.2% | 28.3% | 9.7% | 6.9% | 6.8% | 4.6% | 1.4% |
| Jun 2026 | 42.9% | 28.8% | 8.3% | 7% | 7% | 4.6% | 1.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 43.3% | 27.5% | 7.7% | 8.6% | 7% | 4.7% | 1.2% |
| Aug 2026 | 36.3% | 28.9% | 12.1% | 10.9% | 5.8% | 4.8% | 1.2% |
| Sep 2026 | 34.6% | 26% | 20.6% | 6.9% | 5.6% | 4.6% | 1.7% |
How has the Mighty Networks and Vanilla Forums comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Mighty Networks was ahead of Vanilla Forums in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mighty Networks’ share of searches among customer community platforms worldwide moved from 44% to 34.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 33.1K to 18.1K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vanilla Forums’ share of searches among customer community platforms worldwide held steady at 1.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.3K to 880.
How did search popularity change for customer community platforms worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Mighty Networks lost share of searches among customer community platforms worldwide, from 36.3% to 34.6%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Vanilla Forums worldwide fell 32.3% over 12 measured months, from 1.3K to 880 in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Mighty Networks’ and Vanilla Forums’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Mighty Networks
1 branded search term
- mighty networks
Vanilla Forums
1 branded search term
- vanilla forums
Other head-to-heads among customer community platforms
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