Your neighborhood deserves more than a feed.
Most communities ended up in a Facebook group. Nobody chose it. The feed works for chatter. It fails at the four things a neighborhood needs most. Scheduling, headcounts, listings, and notices everyone actually sees.
Side by side
Capability differences only. Where a Facebook group is the better tool, we say so below.
| Facebook group | Lantern | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting in | Requires a Facebook account | No social account required |
| Who sees a post | An algorithm picks which members see it | Members get a push and email notification |
| Amenity booking | Not available | Courts, pool, and clubhouse with rules and limits |
| Event RSVPs | "Interested" counts that overstate attendance | Going, maybe, and not going, with real names |
| Buying and selling | Mixed into the same feed as everything else | Its own board with categories and expiring listings |
| Structure | One long feed | Separate calendar, board, schedule, and directory |
| Ads | Ad-supported | None |
| Who runs it | Facebook, plus your group admins | Your community, and the board when they claim it |
When a Facebook group is genuinely fine
Maybe your neighborhood mostly wants conversation, and everybody is already there. Then a group works, and you lose nothing by keeping it. Groups also reach beyond your community better than we do. That matters if you want the whole town at your garage sale.
We would not ask you to shut it down. Most communities keep the group for chatter. They move the four structured things somewhere they work. Courts, events, listings, and notices.
How to switch without a fight
Nobody has to announce a migration. Start with the part that hurts.
Pick the one thing that is broken
Usually courts or events. Start with whatever sparks the most repeated questions in the group.
Set that up and post the link
Setup takes ten minutes. Then drop the link in the group where the arguing was happening.
Let the group keep the chatter
No migration. No announcement that everyone must switch. The structured stuff just quietly stops hurting.
Common questions
Do we have to leave our Facebook group?
No, and we would not lead with that. Communities that force a migration usually fail. Keep the group for conversation. Use Lantern for the parts a feed handles badly. Book a court, count RSVPs, list an item, and send a notice people must see.
Is it free?
Starting is free. Your association may later want to make Lantern official for the whole community. That is a separate conversation with the board.
Can we import our group members?
No. Facebook does not let anyone export a group member list. We would not want it anyway. Neighbors join through a link or a QR code you share. That way, everyone who joins actually chose to.
What about neighbors who refuse to sign up for anything?
They can still open an event page or a court schedule from a link. No account needed. Full participation needs a login, just like your group does. The difference is that Lantern is not a social network.
Do we need HOA board approval?
No. Any resident can set this up. The space carries a clear community-run label, so nobody mistakes it for official association communication. The board can claim it later.
Does this replace Nextdoor too?
For your community, largely yes, and for the same reasons. Nextdoor is a wide-radius feed, not your neighborhood’s own tools. We wrote a separate rundown on that comparison.
Start with one thing
Tell us what your neighborhood is using now and what is not working. We will help you set up the piece that matters most, free.
- Help setting up your first schedule, calendar, or board
- A shareable link and printable QR code
- Keep your existing group for conversation
- No cost and no board approval needed
Where communities usually start
Pick the problem your neighborhood feels most.