40+ Online Community Statistics for B2B SaaS in 2026
In today's connected world, companies have realized the value of building online communities. Businesses use communities to keep members connected under their brand, offering platforms to learn, share, and collaborate.
These communities focus on improving overall customer experience by improving engagement and value delivery via strong networks, self-service, and quick issue resolution.
Understanding the data behind community success helps you make informed decisions about your community strategy. Here are key statistics from industry reports by CMX, IDC, Forrester, and Community Roundtable.
Community Is Critical to Business
88% of community professionals believe community is critical to their company's mission.
85% of marketers and community builders believe a branded online community improves customer journey and increases trust.
86% of marketers believe having a branded online community benefits core business operations.
77% of companies believe an online community significantly improves brand exposure, awareness, and credibility.
Community Investment Is Growing
65% of organizations say they would increase their community budget.
Fewer than 20% of professionals say they struggle with budget for community.
More than 50% of community professionals have been working on community projects for more than 4 years.
42% of communities have existed for more than 5 years (up from 28% in 2017).
60% of community professionals are focused on scaling existing communities.
Community Size and Scope
33% of organizations have 10,000 or more people in their online communities.
58% of brands have both online and in-person communities; 38% have only digital communities.
43% of communities are focused on serving customers. Other primary audiences include developers (12%), industry influencers (8%), volunteers (6%), employees (6%), advocates (4%), and partners (3%).
Community Challenges
55% of community professionals report difficulty consistently engaging members.
44% face challenges quantifying the value of online communities.
44% of brand community builders do not define their community as having measurable goals and objectives.
More than 70% of companies have not yet connected CRM with community data.
Why Members Prefer Communities Over Social Media
Members of community sites prefer online communities over social media for:- Meaningful conversation: 36% higher- Getting respect from others: 28% higher- Feeling like their own self: 24% higher- Being appreciated: 21% higher- Getting their voice heard: 19% higher- Developing a sense of belonging: 18% higher
Engagement Rates: Community vs. Social Media
For social media, engagement rates average between 0.05-5% of total followers.
Comparatively, almost 50% of online community members are actively engaged.
This massive difference in engagement rates demonstrates why owned communities outperform rented social media audiences.
Community Impact on Business
27.3% of customers use an online community dedicated to a product or service during buying decision-making.
Customers spend 19% more after joining a company's online community compared to third-party sites like Facebook.
18% of participants in community studies revealed that over 30% of their organization's revenue is influenced by their branded online community.
In communities that influence 16% or more of company revenue, 64% have strong community engagement. In communities influencing less than 15% of revenue, only 26% report strong engagement.
Community Impact on Product and Strategy
86% of Fortune 500 brands using private communities report experiencing "deeper/richer insight into customer needs."
82% say they have gained the "ability to listen/uncover new questions."
54% indicate that their experience with private online communities has "changed the way we think about collaboration in general."
46% felt that branded communities changed the way companies think about customers.
33% reported their community changed product design.
33% said community changed their marketing strategy.
Community for Feedback and Collaboration
96% of companies see the value that customer collaboration presents for the marketing department.
58% of Marketing and IT executives say social processes have improved collaboration.
40% of organizations use online communities to collect feedback and customer data.
Member Empowerment
63% of communities empower members frequently or all of the time, including:- Posting questions: 76%- Delivering solutions: 68%- Networking: 65%- Voicing thoughts: 61%- Getting noticed: 60%- Leading: 35%
Member Motivations
80% of respondents participate in online groups to help others by sharing information and experiences.
66% participate in a professional community to belong to a group of colleagues and peers.
People spend most of their time online with colleagues in professional networks (41%), followed by friends, family, and experts.
What Members Expect from Brands
Members who engage in community-oriented behavior expect brands to be:- Reliable: 57%- Trendy/Cool: 36%- Funny: 29%- Exclusive: 29%- Bold: 27%
Market Growth
The worldwide online communities market revenue grew from $392.95 million in 2014 to an estimated $1.2 billion by 2019, representing a CAGR of 24.3%.
The social business market, which runs largely on community platforms, was expected to reach $23 billion by 2019.
23% of companies admit their branded communities have grown 100% or more in the last year.
Community Adoption
81% of companies have a consumer community or similar support channel.
60% of businesses own a branded online community.
15% are planning on launching one within the next year.
In the US, community use almost doubled from 2012 to 2015 (from 31% to 56%).
The ratio of external to internal communities has reversed—external customer communities are now the focus as organizations prioritize customer engagement.
Benefits of Dedicated Community Platforms
Dedicated community platforms offer advantages over social media:
- Better engagement through two-way conversation
- Dedicated space for customer growth, problem-solving, and partnerships
- Private, exportable data
- SEO benefits from user-generated content
- Structured organization and powerful moderation tools
- Advanced customizable analytics
- Higher brand leadership through facilitated discussions
Implications for Your Community Strategy
These statistics point to clear conclusions:
Community works. The data consistently shows communities drive engagement, retention, revenue, and product improvement.
Investment is justified. Most organizations are increasing community budgets, and the ROI data supports this.
Owned platforms outperform social. Engagement rates in owned communities far exceed social media, and the data ownership and SEO benefits are significant.
Measurement matters. Many communities lack clear goals—those that connect community to business metrics see better results.
Community platforms designed for B2B SaaS—like Bettermode—provide the analytics and integrations needed to measure and demonstrate community impact.
Ready to build a community that drives results? Book a demo with Bettermode.
FAQs
What's the most important community metric to track?
Monthly Active Users (MAU) is the most popular metric, tracked by 57% of community professionals. However, the most important metric depends on your goals—engagement rates, retention, support deflection, or influenced revenue may matter more depending on your community's purpose.
How do community engagement rates compare to social media?
Social media engagement rates average 0.05-5% of followers. Online community engagement can reach nearly 50% of members. This dramatic difference is why brands are shifting focus from rented social audiences to owned communities.
What percentage of revenue can community influence?
Studies show 18% of organizations report their community influences over 30% of revenue. Communities with strong engagement are more likely to influence significant revenue—64% of high-revenue-influence communities report strong engagement.
How long does it take to build an engaged community?
Community building is a long-term investment. Most successful communities take 12-18 months to develop strong engagement patterns. However, you can see early indicators of success within 3-6 months if your strategy aligns with member needs.
