Comparison: group vs. community vs. channel
On Rakuten Viber, you can choose to open a group, community, or channel.
Group: perfect for birthday party preparations, private family chats, and teacher/parent communication.
Community: the best option for fan clubs, public meet-up organizers, and recipe sharers.
Channel: ideal for brands requiring a one-way communication line (only admins can post in a channel).
Set Up
| Group | Community | Channel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ability to change the name | Everyone | Super-admins only | Super-admins only |
| Limitations on names that can be used | No | No | Yes; must follow Rakuten Viber guidelines |
| Ability to change icon | Everyone | Super-admins only | Super-admins only |
| Ability to change the description | No | Super-admins only | Super-admins only |
| Ability to change the background | No | Super-admins only | Super-admins only |
Manage members
| Group | Community | Channel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member limit | 250 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Admins can add an alias to their profile | No | Yes | Yes |
| Ability to add new members | Anyone can add new members. The users will be added to the group automatically and won’t need to accept the invitation* | Super-admins can restrict who can invite new members. The user must accept the invitation to join the channel | Super-admins can restrict who can invite new members. The user must accept the invitation to join the channel |
| Ability to remove members | Admins only | Super-admins and admins only | Super-admins and admins only |
| Ability to ban members | No | Super-admins and admins only | Super-admins and admins only |
*If a user has the Control who can add you to groups setting on My contacts, only people in their contact list will be able to add them to groups. They will not receive an invitation or any indication that someone wanted to add them to a group.
Privacy
| Group | Community | Channel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Availability of member list | Yes | Yes | Super-admins and admins can see the complete member list, and members can only see the super-admin and admin list |
| Ability to view members' phone number | Yes | No | No |
| Ability to call members | Yes | No | No |
Content control
| Group | Community | Channel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Availability of chat history | No | Yes | Yes |
| Writing permissions | Everyone | Everyone, or super-admins and admins only (optional) | Super-admins and admins only |
| Must comply with Rakuten Viber's Acceptable Use Policy | No | Yes | Yes |
| Can be reported for violating Rakuten Viber's Terms of Service | No | Yes | Yes |
| Share link | Admins only | Everyone, or super-admins and admins only (optional) |
Everyone, or super-admins and admins only (optional) |
| Comment on a post | No | Yes |
No |
Viber for business
| Group | Community | Channel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opportunity to partner with Rakuten Viber | No | Yes | Yes |
| Opportunity to become public (searchable) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Option to connect a bot that can provide extra services to members | No | Yes | Yes |
| Availability of member insights | No | Yes, to Super-admins | Yes, to Super-admins |
| Ability to view message statistics | No | Admins can see how many unique views, shares, and clicks each message had | Admins can see how many unique views, shares, and clicks each message had |
| Ability to view reaction statistics | All members can see how many reactions each message had | Admins can see how many unique views, shares, and clicks | Both admins and members can see how many unique views, shares, and clicks each message had |