Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Bigtent VS tryinstance

Compare Bigtent VS tryinstance and see what are their differences

Bigtent logo Bigtent

BigTent is a web-based organization and communication portal for groups.

tryinstance logo tryinstance

Launch your own branded community app on your domain. Replace Discord with a white-label platform featuring memberships, Stripe payments, roles, content, and full ownership for your business.
  • Bigtent Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-23
  • tryinstance Create your instance
    Create your instance //
    2026-08-11
  • tryinstance Monetize your instance
    Monetize your instance //
    2026-08-11
  • tryinstance Automatically build your instance
    Automatically build your instance //
    2026-08-11
  • tryinstance Automate your business with custom bots
    Automate your business with custom bots //
    2026-08-11
  • tryinstance Automate content in your instance with webhooks
    Automate content in your instance with webhooks //
    2026-08-11

Instance is a branded community platform for businesses and creators that runs on their own domain. It combines memberships, Stripe payments, paid roles, chat, voice, storefronts, push notifications, email, moderation, and automation. Visitors can explore public areas before registering, purchase access in one tap, and receive the correct permissions immediately. An assistant and Bot API can manage members, products, channels, permissions, and community workflows. Instance is designed for operators who want direct control over their customer relationships instead of running their business inside a third-party social platform.

Bigtent features and specs

  • Community Management
    Bigtent offers tools designed to help manage and organize communities effectively, catering to various group needs.
  • Comprehensive Features
    Includes features like event management, email lists, discussions, and file sharing, making it a robust choice for group coordination.
  • User Engagement
    Facilitates communication and engagement through discussion forums and event invitations, fostering an active community.
  • Customizability
    Provides options to customize the platform according to the specific needs of the group, allowing for a tailored user experience.

Possible disadvantages of Bigtent

  • User Interface
    Some users may find the user interface outdated or not as intuitive as more modern platforms.
  • Mobile Experience
    The mobile experience may not be as seamless or responsive as some dedicated mobile apps, potentially affecting usability on smartphones.
  • Feature Overwhelm
    While feature-rich, the platform may overwhelm users who only need basic functionalities, leading to underutilization.
  • Limited Integrations
    May not offer as many third-party integrations as other platforms, which could limit the ability to connect with other tools used by the community.

tryinstance features and specs

  • Branded Community App
    Runs on the operator's custom domain with their branding and an installable PWA.
  • Native Payments and Access
    Stripe purchases can grant the correct paid role and permissions immediately.
  • Public Community Preview
    Visitors can explore public areas before creating an account or purchasing access.
  • Storefronts and Memberships
    Sell recurring memberships, one-time access, paid roles, and products inside community channels.
  • Real-Time Community
    Includes chat, replies, mentions, reactions, media, presence, and voice rooms.
  • Direct Member Reach
    Send in-app announcements, branded push notifications, and email to members.
  • AI and Bot Automation
    The assistant and Bot API can manage members, channels, products, permissions, and moderation.
  • Roles and Permissions
    Control access to servers, channels, storefronts, media, voice, and administrative actions.
  • Developer API and Webhooks
    Extend Instance through REST APIs, real-time bot events, webhooks, and RSS integrations.
  • Moderation Tools
    Supports kicks, bans, mutes, country restrictions, device controls, and automated moderation.

Bigtent videos

Raymond Lundy's BigTent video review

tryinstance videos

Building your instance

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Bigtent and tryinstance)
Membership Management
100 100%
0% 0
Community Platform
0 0%
100% 100
Communication
100 100%
0% 0
Marketing Automation
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Bigtent and tryinstance.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

tryinstance's answer:

Instance is built for serious operators whose revenue, retention, or customer experience depends on community. That includes creators, educators, membership businesses, agencies, professional networks, SaaS companies, paid groups, clubs, and organizations selling access, expertise, content, software, or services. It is especially valuable for teams that want a branded product on their own domain, direct access to members, native payments and permissions, and the ability to automate operations without surrendering the customer relationship to a third-party platform.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

tryinstance's answer:

Instance is built as a secure multi-tenant cloud platform using modern progressive web app technology, real-time messaging and voice infrastructure, Stripe Connect, role-based access control, push notification and email delivery systems, REST APIs, webhooks, bot events, and AI-assisted operations. These technologies are integrated around one identity, payment, and permissions model so changes in commerce or membership state are reflected across the product immediately.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

tryinstance's answer:

Choose Instance when the community is the business, not just a conversation layer. Operators get their own domain, brand, member accounts, Stripe relationship, permissions, storefronts, push subscriptions, email reach, and automation. Prospects can inspect public areas before registering, buy access inside the experience, and enter with the correct role immediately. In measured cold-traffic tests, this lower-friction path has converted two to three times better than the alternatives it replaced. Instance also unifies commerce, communication, access, moderation, and AI operations, eliminating the fragmented stack and platform dependence common to marketplace, course, and chat products.

What makes your product unique?

tryinstance's answer:

Instance gives a business its own branded community app on its own domain, with the entire member relationship under one operating system. Public community previews, one-tap purchasing, Stripe-connected access, roles, storefronts, chat, voice, push notifications, email, moderation, analytics, webhooks, bots, and AI operations all share the same identity and permission model. A payment can grant access immediately, an announcement can reach the app, phone, and inbox, and automation can manage the community through the same controls used by the product. Instance is not another page inside a marketplace. It is the infrastructure for owning and operating the business directly.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

tryinstance's answer:

Instance works with a growing group of community operators and internet businesses. Many run private or paid communities, so customer names and operating metrics are not disclosed publicly.

What's the story behind your product?

tryinstance's answer:

Instance began with a simple conclusion: an internet business should not have to rent its customers from the platform that hosts its community. Existing products split identity, payments, access, messaging, notifications, moderation, and automation across disconnected services, while the operator remains dependent on someone else's account system and rules. Instance was built from the ownership model outward. The result is a complete branded application where discovery, purchase, access, engagement, retention, and automation operate as one system controlled by the business.

User comments

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Bigtent and tryinstance, you can also consider the following products

Google Groups - Google Groups allows you to create and participate in online forums and email-based groups with a rich experience for community conversations.

Whop - Communities and software to help you earn online

TidyHQ - Organization management tool to support membership, subscriptions, event planning, and outreach.

Skool - Community Platform for Creators

Admidio - Admidio is a free online membership management, which is optimized for associations, groups and organizations.

Circle.so - Bring together your discussions, memberships, and content. Integrate a thriving community wherever your audience is, all under your own brand.