1. When will Guild officially close?

The Guild platform will officially close on 1 October 2024. Guild will no longer be live or usable after that date.

2. Why is Guild closing?

Guild is an early-stage start-up and is, to-date, not a profitable business. Whilst Guild’s user growth has been strong since public launch in 2020, revenue growth has not been strong enough to attract the investment, or an acquirer, required to continue.

It is a shame, and we always knew our vision - to create an alternate professional social media experience built around communities, mobile/messaging-first, and kept ad-free - would be hard to achieve. While it is sad to have to close Guild we do not regret trying, and it has been great to see so many positive and supportive communities using Guild over the last years to share, learn from each other and make meaningful professional connections.

3. What should I do before the platform closes?

We recommend that you review your account and save any necessary information regarding your profile, connections or groups you've created.

If you want to be able to access useful information, posts or resources in the future you will need to make a copy of these - you may find the “Email to myself” feature useful for this. In the FAQs below we include instructions for other actions you may want to take.

4. Will I receive a partial refund for my paid plan?

Yes, if you have paid for Guild beyond 1 October 2024 then we will issue a refund for any unused time. We will confirm to you what we believe we owe you before making the payment.

5. Will there be any impact on external integrations linked to my community?

Yes, integrations via Zapier linked to Guild will also stop working after the closure date. We recommend you disconnect any integrations you have, if you have any, from your account. You can do this by accessing your web admin → Integrations tab → Integration keys – > Bin.

6. How do I export my personal data?

To download a copy of everything you've posted to Guild, go to the main menu, tap Settings and select ‘Request personal data' and 'Request my data'. Your browser will download a zip file with three CSV files containing your own posts, DMs you’ve sent, and your profile data.

7. How do I export my community data?

If you’re on a paid plan you can export your account’s User & Engagement data and Conversation data. Go to web admin → Analytics tab. Select from two types of Analytics: Conversation data and User & and Engagement data. You'll receive an email with a link to download the different types of report. The link remains live for 24 hours.

You may also want to make a copy of your community description and guidelines to use in the future. Go to the group home screen, tap the three dot menu on the top right, and click “Edit group” to see all this information on one page.

8. How do I delete my personal account?

In the main menu tap Settings → My account → ‘Delete my account’ at the bottom of the screen. Please note that this action will delete everything you’ve ever posted to Guild.

​​If you're an account owner with any open groups, you will need to close your groups before deleting your personal account.

If you're a group host, you will need to ask your account administrator to reassign the host role before you can delete your account.

9. How do I close my community?

If you’re an administrator, host or moderator, go to the group home screen, tap the three dot menu - top right, click “Edit group” and select 'Close this group' at the bottom of the screen.

You can also complete this action from the web admin. On the 'Groups' screen click the 'Close Group' button next to the group's name.

10. What steps do you recommend when closing a community?

To smoothly close your online communities, here are some recommended steps:

  • Create an announcement post within the groups - use it to explain the decision to close, express gratitude for your members' contributions over the years, provide the exact closure timeline, and suggest the next steps or CTAs. For example, you may invite your members to sign up to a newsletter, a new platform or a waitlist for your new community. Boost this post via the visibility boost.
  • Pin this post for visibility.
  • Send a direct email notification to your members to ensure they are informed about the closure. Your members’ email addresses are included in the User & Engagement data download (see above).
  • Consider hosting a Video Room Q&A session or post a new conversation thread for community members to address any questions they may have and provide clarity and transparency during this transition.
  • If your communities have a presence on social media and your website, post additional updates on these platforms.
  • Make sure you communicate your community’s closure or move wherever you talk to your members - think about other touchpoints like your website, events, member newsletters or magazines, membership apps and the footers of your organisation’s emails, as well as the above routes.
  • As well as communicating what happens with your community, remind your members that they may want to export their own personal data, contacts or useful information from the community so that they can easily find it after the community has closed.

11. What will happen to my data after the closure?

All user data and account data will be securely deleted from our system. The data will not exist after the closure on 1 October 2024.

12. What alternative community platforms do you recommend?

This very much depends on your use case, your feature requirements, your budget and other resources. However, in terms of the 'usual suspects' you might want to consider then review our list of Platforms for building professional communities.

13. Do you offer consultancy / advice for selecting a new community platform and migrating to it?

Guild does not have such a consultancy offering unfortunately. However, we know lots of excellent community experts including independent consultants who could help you with platform selection and migration if needed.

Two such consultants, who know Guild very well and who Guild has worked with over the years, are Michelle Goodall and Blaise Grimes-Viort. Feel free to contact them direct.

14. Might Guild still get acquired or investment to keep going?

We don't think it is likely but, yes, that is still possible and we are open to discussions with interested parties.  Contact Guild's founder Ashley Friedlein if you have a serious proposition.  

15. What if I have further questions that are not covered here? Here’s how to get in touch before the closure on 1 October 2024:

  • Email [email protected]
  • DM Team Guild from your Guild account (via Settings > Help > DM Guild)
  • DM or email your Account Manager or Customer Success Manager - go to your web admin → Account & Admins tab to find their details
  • Ask in the Inside Guild community if you’re a member