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Discourse

Unclaimed Editor reviewed

Modern forum software for community discussions

Community Platforms Forum Software Social Networks

3.8(5 across the web)

FreemiumVisit Website

Reviews onG2Capterra

5 reviews tracked

The Bottom Line

Entry price

Free plan available, paid tiers above

Biggest pro

Best forum software

Biggest con

Resource heavy

TL;DR - Discourse

Discourse is open-source forum software for building online communities
It provides modern discussion features, moderation tools, and extensive customization options
Self-hosted free, managed hosting from $100/month

Pricing: Free plan available

Best for: Growing teams

3.8/5 across review platforms

What is Discourse?

Editorial review

Discourse reinvented forum software for the modern web. Clean design, powerful moderation tools, and discussion features that encourage quality conversation-community platforms that work. Trust levels encourage good behavior. The notification system keeps people engaged. Self-hosting or managed cloud deployment. Organizations building community forums choose Discourse because it's the modern standard for web discussion platforms.

Available on: Web

LCLouis CorneloupUpdated May 26, 2026 · how we evaluateSourcediscourse.org ↗

Pros & Cons

Pros

Best forum software
Open source
Active development
Great community
Modern design

Cons

Resource heavy
Hosting expensive
Complex self-hosting
Learning curve for admin
Ruby dependency

Ratings Across the Web

3.8(5 reviews)

Capterra3 reviews

Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more

Key Features

Forum softwareThreaded discussionsBadgesTrust levelsPluginsOpen source

Pricing Plans

14-day Free Trial

Self-Hosted

Free

Open source

100% free
Full control
Community support

Starter

$25/month

Basic hosting

Managed hosting
Basic plugins
Email support

Most Popular

Standard

$100/month

Growing communities

More plugins
Priority support

Business

$300/month

High traffic

Enterprise plugins
SLA
Dedicated support

Calculate your cost View full pricing

How Discourse's pricing compares

At $25/mo, Discourse is the most affordable of its 4 direct competitors.

Discourse

$25

Mighty Networks

$41

$49

$89

$299

Entry paid plan, monthly.

Reviews

3.8/5

Across 5 verified user reviews on Capterra, G2

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Best Discourse Alternatives

Top alternatives based on features, pricing, and user needs.

View full list →

DiscordFreemium

Your place to talk and hang out

Mighty NetworksPaid

Community platform for creators and brands

BettermodeFreemium

Community platform with forums and knowledge base

Build branded online communities for networking and member management

Vanilla ForumsPaid

Build branded online communities for support and engagement

Community platform for creators and brands

The community-first platform to monetize your audience with courses, events, and discussions.

Community platform with customization

See all Community Platforms tools →

Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

All Discourse alternatives8+ tools ranked, pricing + verdict per pick Discourse vs DiscordHead-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Discourse vs Mighty NetworksHead-to-head: features, pricing, who wins Discourse vs BettermodeHead-to-head: features, pricing, who wins

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Discourse FAQ

Is Discourse free?

Open source and free to self-host. Hosted starts at $100/month. Self-hosting saves money but requires technical skill.

What is Discourse?

Discourse is modern forum software. Discussion boards with real-time updates, gamification, and moderation tools. Powers many community forums.

Discourse vs Slack?

Discourse is for async, searchable discussions. Slack is for real-time chat. Discourse for community; Slack for team communication.

Who uses Discourse?

Ruby community, Figma, New Relic, and many open source projects. Popular for developer communities and support forums.

Source: discourse.org

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