You can build an online community about anything, from anthropology to learning English to stock market tips and cozy gaming.
Online communities come in all shapes and sizes, including groups for anthropologists, language learning, astrology, startups and founders, and artists. While centered on niche topics, these communities have millions of members, and some bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.
That's the beauty of the internet: we can all find our people somewhere.
It doesn't matter if you're interested in niche topics or have some wildly unique knowledge to share. In fact, that's even better, as your experience becomes precious — and much easier to make money from.
With the right community platform, even a small group can make you loads of money.
Let's check out 20 of the most interesting communities and show you how you can build your own today.
Gaming communities
Gaming might not be a niche hobby, but because it's so broad, it's worth finding your little corner of it to build your community in. These groups prove that.
"There's creators making 2k, 5k, even 20k per month on Whop — and they're doing this just be creating small digital communities."
1. Rocket League Clubhouse
Rocket League is heaps of fun, but take it from me – it's a lot less fun when you're plain bad at it. Maybe I need to join the Rocket League Clubhouse...
This is a community made by Rocket League pros. They love the game, they've played for 40,000 hours between them, and now they're sharing their knowledge in a huge community.
The group also offers live training events, replay reviews, and calls to help you get your game to the next level.
More importantly, the way this community is absolutely thriving proves that you can make your own group about just about anything – you don't need anything but some knowledge and some passion.
- Platform: Whop
- Members: 500+
- Monetization: $27/month, $60/3 months, $200/year
2. Blindside Faithful
Now this here is an example of a community that's essentially a niche within a niche: Blindside Faithful. Focused on expert analysis and strategies tailored to NRL Fantasy, this is a group of people passionate about their particular flavor of fantasy sports.
The core value here lies in shared insights and ongoing support from creators.
A super-niche community like this is unlikely to top the charts in terms of membership numbers, but that's not a bad thing. Those who join will be likelier to stick with you and may be willing to pay more just to be in the group.
- Platform: Whop
- Members: 20+
- Monetization: $10/month
3. Beginner Chess Academy
Does playing chess classify as "gaming"?
The Beginner Chess Academy is the go-to spot for people who love the idea of playing chess but aren't quite pros yet. The community was built for players under 1000 ELO with the goal of improving their win rates.
This is a good example of a well-rounded group. You're getting a guide, a chat, access to forums, and the chance to talk directly to the creator and get some personalized feedback.
- Platform: Whop
- Members: Not listed publicly
- Monetization: $19.90/month or $49.90/3 months
4. CozyGamers
r/CozyGamers is for all of the casual gamers who play for the vibes and not for the high scores.
The community discusses games, including fan favorites like Stardew Valley or The Sims, but there's more to it. Cozy gaming rooms, cute setups, nice accessories, and upcoming game releases are all frequent topics of discussion.
The group also advertises a gaming Discord and a Steam group in its sidebar, but it doesn't appear to be monetized.
- Platform: Reddit
- Members: 226K
- Monetization: None
Learning communities
Whether they're all there to learn something together or just there to talk about something cool, people in these communities are all thirsting for knowledge.
5. AskAnthropology
If you have a fun question about how people live, think, behave, build cultures, and create societies, r/AskAnthropology is where you go to get the answers. This Reddit community is a good example of a group where knowledge is the ultimate commodity, and the questions spur some fascinating discussions.
Some of the top threads here include questions like "Were early humans just starving all the time?" and "Did ancient people love their dogs, like we do today?". You can easily spend hours on random deep dives here; it's like a more interactive Wikipedia.
This community proves that you can build a thriving group based on just about anything. But, direct Reddit monetization is not a thing, so r/AskAnthropology doesn't actually bring in any money — at least not that I can see.
The good news? You can monetize any community with Whop, no matter the platform.
- Platform: Reddit
- Members: Close to 150,000
- Monetization: None available
6. Advanced English Community
Learning English feels easy now that we've got the weird Duolingo owl haunting us on a daily basis, but once you hit a certain level, apps just don't cut it.
If you want to be truly fluent, learn how to speak with a flawless accent, or improve your skills so you can easily teach others, you'll need a pro teacher.
Teacher Ash formed the Advanced English Community for that purpose: empowering people to speak English without fear. The group is aimed at learners who are already at the C1-C2 level in English.
Advanced language-learning communities still make a lot of sense even in this AI-driven world we live in now. No one can replace years of real experience.
Outside of his successful community on Whop, Ash also runs an Instagram and a TikTok, where he's amassed over a million followers.
- Platform: Whop
- Members: Not made public
- Monetization: $60/month or $150/3 months
Lifestyle & wellness communities
From staying fit to obsessing about astrology, these communities are focused on lifestyle topics, and they're thriving.
7. Strava
Strava is a hugely popular fitness app, so it should come as no surprise that people want to talk about it. In fact, there's more than one community dedicated to the app.
There's the official Strava Community Hub, hosted by the makers of the app itself. The r/Strava community has nearly 250,000 members at the time of writing, so it's huge, but it's unofficial, so you're unlikely to get a response from someone who represents Strava.
This is an interesting example of a community being used as a sort of support tool to prop up other parts of the offer. Many people pay for Strava, but the community itself is free.
- Platform: Website (accompanying the Strava app)
- Members: Unknown
- Monetization: Strava has a free tier, but paid subscribers pay $11.99 per month or $79.99 per year plus taxes. The community itself is free.
8. Vital Eats Club Premium
I like the idea and the act of cooking, but finding recipes can be a chore. This is especially hard if you have dietary restrictions or goals to hit.
This is why niche communities like Vital Eats Club Premium hit just right. It's a treasure trove full of recipes, but there's more to it. You get to chat with like-minded food aficionados and find delicious culinary tricks.
Outside of community access, Vital Eats also gives you a weekly newsletter.
- Platform: Whop
- Members: Not listed publicly
- Monetization: $13.53/month or $139.19/year
9. STAX VIP
STAX VIP is a Facebook community, and much like Strava's Community Hub, it's centered around a paid product.
This is a community for fans of the STAX. clothing brand. You don't have to pay to join it and you'll likely score some exclusive discounts if you do, but obviously, the clothes themselves aren't free. The community drives brand recognition and makes it more personal than just having an Instagram profile (which the brand still has, of course).
This is a good example of how building the perfect offer and making money online isn't just about charging people money. If you give them something for free and they like what they see, they'll be more likely to pay you for the content that's behind a paywall.
- Platform: Facebook
- Members: 53.8K
- Monetization: The group itself is free, but STAX. clothing can cost hundreds of dollars.
10. Glow Up Club
The Glow Up Club is a community centered on — you guessed it — getting a glow up. In every sense of the word.
Adora Kim, the creator of the club, made it as a safe space for girls to get to where they wanna be. It could be your skincare routine, it could be getting fit, or it could be getting more confident … all of that is easier to achieve in a group.
There are monthly challenges, planners and trackers, glow-up routines, and in-depth guides to help you.
The fun thing here is that many people can start a similar community, and making it more niche by tailoring it towards women can actually pay off, as girls know it'll be relevant to their goals.
- Platform: Whop
- Members: Not listed publicly
- Monetization: $19.99/month
11. Cottagecore
If you're like me, you've seen lots of cottagecore TikToks. Well, there's a subreddit for it, too: r/cottagecore.
Confused? "Cottagecore" is kind of romanticizing a simpler, idyllic, rural lifestyle. It's all about cozy cottages, baking bread, sewing, gardening, and living slowly, closer to nature. But equally, it's about implementing elements of that into your daily life, be it through buying something with cottagecore vibes or making sourdough from scratch.
This community doesn't seem to be monetized, but it does have its own Discord server for more lively conversation. You could totally make money from a similar community, though. Things like crochet patterns, graphic design, or videos would do very well here.
- Platform: Reddit and Discord
- Members: 249K+
- Monetization: None
12. Scorpio Hangout VIP Plus
If you've ever been told you give Scorpio energy, this is your corner of the internet. Yup, this is indeed an exclusive group only for those with the Scorpio star sign.
Maybe you believe in astrology. Maybe you don't. Maybe you're not a Scorpio but a Sagittarius. In any case, there's something unbelievably cool about a community that's unabashedly specific. If you join it, you're just bound to find your people.
The Scorpio Hangout gives you "priority access to celestial gatherings," which honestly makes me wish I were a Scorpio. You're also getting access to private channels, coffee chats, challenges, and a book club. Sounds otherworldly, right?
- Platform: Whop
- Members: Not shared publicly
- Monetization: $25/month; $60/3 months, $225/year
Finance communities
Finance communities is where big brains gather to make some serious money – here are some of the best ones.
13. WallStreetBets
r/WallStreetBets (WSB) is a massive Reddit community for people who want to talk about stocks, options trading, high-risk bets, and meme stocks.
The community self-describes itself: "Like 4chan found a Bloomberg terminal." It's not a replacement for the best trading Discord servers, though, as it's pretty much half memes, half (useful, but often highly speculative) advice. It can be good, but it can't beat actual advice from experts.
The community itself isn't monetized, but it also has a Discord, a YouTube channel, and a Twitch, so it does get some revenue from those different channels.
- Platform: Reddit
- Members: 2.7M
- Monetization: Not directly, but potentially through Discord, YouTube, or Twitch
14. Startup.io Community
What's a smart way to sell your product? Offer something of value for free and let people decide for themselves.
That's what Startup.io is doing. They offer a free Whop community for people to come in and learn about their world-class trading indicator suite firsthand. Those who are sold on it can then get it from Whop, complete with the tool, expert opinions, and detailed strategies.
Judging by the number of positive reviews (946 reviews with a 5-star rating at the time of writing), this strategy is working so well for the team at Startup.io. You could do the same if you build your own community with Whop.
- Platform: Whop
- Members: In the thousands
- Monetization: Free community, but also $99/month for the premium community with the indicator suite
Creative & truly niche communities
One of these is truly not like the others (but they're all super fun). These communities prove that there's no such thing as "too niche."
15. Artist Lounge
You'll find plenty of communities where people share art that they like, but the r/ArtistLounge subreddit is unique in the sense that this is where the artists meet to talk.
The sub runs monthly challenges, serves as a place to vent and share your little wins, and get advice from fellow artists.
The community doesn't seem to be monetized, although it has a Discord server that members can join too. A separate sub, r/Artbusiness, is used for discussing art as a business instead of a hobby.
- Platform: Reddit
- Members: 275K weekly visitors
- Monetization: None
16. Mushroom Growers
I know what you might be thinking, but the Mushroom Growers Facebook community is for people who like to grow mushrooms — no illegal variants included. In fact, the rules specifically forbid discussing actives, so this is strictly for people who like mushrooms and grow their own.
Being a Facebook group, this community doesn't have much in the way of making money. But, if you had a niche hobby like this, you could easily monetize your community by sharing your unique insights and charging money for them.
Even just charging a membership fee for joining the group could net you some decent money, and if you added extra content, like live streams or ebooks, you could charge even more.
- Platform: Facebook
- Members: 24.5K
- Monetization: None
17. TLR Distribution
"Private Whop community just means unity. To me, it's connectivity, it's ending the streak of loss after loss and actually finding correct and accurate information. It's connecting with people who understand the ins and outs of the business, who understand the ins and outs of marketing, and ins and outs of engagement."
-TLR Distribution
It's no secret that making money as an artist or a musician isn't the easiest thing in the world. Communities like TLR Distribution exist to demystify it and make it possible for everyone.
This community connects you to like-minded artists and experts from the TLR team. The goal? Earning a full-time income by making music.
Members get access to 1:1 coaching, a tight-knit community of 400+ artists and pros to share their experiences with, exclusive tools and courses, and more. If you want to build your own community that offers loads of value, this is how you do it: by building out your offer until it's irresistible.
- Platform: Whop
- Members: 400+
- Monetization: $14.97/month or $119.97/year
Discovery & tech communities
For founders, tech aficionados, and all kinds of curious people.
18. Product Hunt
Product Hunt is a community-driven website where founders, makers, and early adopters share and discover new products.
Every day, people launch apps, tools, and startups on the platform, and the community votes on their favorites. There's also a forum for general discussion, as well as a news section.
Founders can pay to be featured to the early adopters who visit Product Hunt, and although the financial figures aren't public, that's likely one of the bigger sources of revenue for the platform.
- Platform: Website
- Members: Not listed publicly
- Monetization: Varies based on product
19. Indie Hackers
CEOs and soon-to-be founders can find a home in Indie Hackers. This is where side-project builders and bootstrapped entrepreneurs hang out, share their wins, their fails, and everything in between.
The vast majority of the platform is free. You can browse posts, read case studies, and engage without paying a fee.
Founders can advertise on the platform, which is likely a source of money for Indie Hackers. You can also subscribe to Indie Hackers Plus, which gives you access to exclusive content and a premium founder profile that helps you advertise your projects.
- Platform: Website
- Members: Not listed publicly
- Monetization: Most features are free, but there's a $198/year membership that unlocks a lot more
20. Innovators Circle
If you want to make money online, or better yet, make money with AI, The Innovators Circle is a community for you.
The group is focused on the intersection of tech, AI, and making money. That's fairly broad, but the goal here is to grow your income fast and connect with people like you: innovators.
Focused groups like this can be hugely successful. Everyone is there with one goal in mind, and that means the group stays on track, trading insights that help them turn knowledge into dollars.
- Platform: Whop
- Members: Not listed publicly
- Monetization: $24 one-time purchase
How to build your own community
There's no idea too big or too small, and the internet is one vast sea of people. If you're interested in something, there are people out there who share those interests.
Maybe you like to knit. Maybe you're a crypto trader who specializes in memecoins. Maybe you're a style guru and you want to help people pick their seasonal color palette.
One way or another, building a community is the way to go, and it seriously only takes a few minutes with Whop.
We have a full-blown guide to building a community from scratch, but I'll give you a quick rundown to get you started right here, too.
Find your niche & target audience
If you've got an idea brewing, you most likely already have a niche in mind – but if you don't, now's the time to narrow it down.
Even small communities can earn you top dollar. Tight-knit, engaged groups are a lot easier to sell to, so don't feel limited in your choice of community.
"The first thing that you want to do is secure your first use case and then find out who your target audience really is. All the matters at the beginning is getting your first few customers in the door and giving them a good experience."
-Lucas Duncan from Whop
A broad niche gets you a bigger group, but there's a lot to be said for working with true enthusiasts.
Work out the structure and the rules
Don't jump in headfirst. Try to imagine your perfect community.
What does it have? How many channels, and about what? Will you moderate your community, yourself or will you need to hire mods? What sort of rules will you need to keep the peace?
In an ideal world, everyone's going to be lovely, but conflict will always arise – prepare for it before your community even opens its doors to the public.
Pick the right platform
There's platforms like Skool and Kajabi, but Whop is the number one choice.
There are many community platforms, but the best one is Whop.
Whop gives you the ultimate place to build your offer and sell it.
Add extra content to your community, such as ebooks or courses, and watch it thrive thanks to the support of a platform that was made for people like you – entrepreneurs with a vision and a dream.
Getting started takes just a few minutes, so set up your whop and start earning today.
Market and launch
Once you're all set, get the word out. It helps if you have an existing social media presence. Post on your socials, send out a newsletter, or even just let your friends know and have them pass it on.
Don't hyperfocus on your community and nothing else. Make a TikTok or an Instagram and get some content creation going alongside your community, then funnel people into your group once they find you elsewhere.
And now?
Keep on building. Stay active within the group. Value your founding members and listen to feedback.
Running an online community isn't just a way to make money. It's honestly an adventure, so embrace it, and your members will value the dedication.
Best place to start a community? Whop
There's simply no better place to make an online community than Whop.
The one problem with many online communities is that they don't let their members find everything in one place. You'll have the forum on Reddit, the chat on Discord, and the extra files uploaded on some semi-shady server somewhere and tucked away where nobody can find them.
It's a nuisance, and nobody likes it.
That's why Whop is different. You can add apps with a single click, from Chat to Forums, so people can communicate. You can set up 1:1 calls, share files, host live streams, and sell tickets to live events.
Don't limit yourself. Start your community the right way, with a platform that gets what you need and delivers it.
Make your niche community with Whop today.
