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Ad-free, privacy-focused messaging for professional communities

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Reviews onG2Capterra
21 reviews tracked

The Bottom Line

Entry price

Free plan available, paid tiers above

Biggest pro

No advertising or data monetization preserved member trust

Biggest con

Shut down on October 1, 2024-no longer available

TL;DR - Guild

  • Mobile-first professional community platform-shut down October 2024
  • Hosted 6,000+ groups and 120,000 users with ad-free, GDPR-compliant messaging
  • Closed due to funding challenges; all data securely deleted
Pricing: Free plan available
Best for: Growing teams
4.4/5 across review platforms

What is Guild?

Editorial review
Guild was a mobile-first professional community and networking platform that provided ad-free, privacy-focused group messaging for professional communities. Launched in 2019, it hosted over 6,000 professional groups and 120,000+ users before shutting down on October 1, 2024. Guild offered GDPR-compliant messaging without advertising, distinguishing itself from LinkedIn and Slack with a distinctly professional tone. The platform closed due to challenging investor market conditions and not yet reaching profitability. All user data was securely deleted upon closure.

Available on: Web, iOS, Android

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • No advertising or data monetization preserved member trust
  • Purpose-built for professional communities, not repurposed social media
  • GDPR-compliant by design from launch
  • Mobile-first approach suited on-the-go professionals
  • Clean, distraction-free interface focused on conversation
  • Supported both open and invite-only professional groups

Cons

  • Shut down on October 1, 2024-no longer available
  • Never reached profitability despite 120,000+ users
  • All user data was deleted upon closure with no export option
  • Limited feature set compared to Slack or Discord
  • Small user base limited network effects for discovery

Ratings Across the Web

4.4(21 reviews)

Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more

Key Features

Mobile-first group messaging for professionalsAd-free and privacy-by-design platformGDPR-compliant data handlingProfessional community and network creationGroup-based communication channelsMember directory and profile managementDirect messaging between membersPush notifications and activity feedsCommunity moderation toolsCross-platform access on iOS and Android

Pricing

Freemium

Guild offers a generous free tier with optional paid upgrades for advanced features.

View pricing

Reviews

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4.4/5

Across 21 verified user reviews on Capterra, G2

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Guild FAQ

What was Guild?

Guild was a mobile-first professional community platform that provided ad-free, GDPR-compliant group messaging for professional networks. It hosted over 6,000 groups and 120,000 users before shutting down in October 2024.

Why did Guild shut down?

Guild closed because it had not yet reached profitability and the investor market shifted to favor profitable businesses over growth-stage startups. The challenging funding environment made it unsustainable to continue operations.

Is Guild still available?

No. Guild ceased operations on October 1, 2024. The website is no longer active for signups, and all user data was securely deleted upon closure.

What are alternatives to Guild?

Former Guild users can consider Slack, Discord, Circle, Mighty Networks, or LinkedIn Groups for professional community management. Each offers different tradeoffs between privacy, features, and professional focus.

Can I recover my Guild data?

No. Guild stated that all user data and account data were securely deleted from their systems upon closure on October 1, 2024. No data recovery is possible.

Source: guild.co

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