What is Discourse?
Discourse is open source forum software used by tech companies and online communities to run long-form discussions alongside real-time chat. It organizes conversations into categories and tags, uses a trust level system to grant experienced members more moderation ability over time, and includes tools like flagging, mute and automatic content filters to help moderators manage large communities. Because it is open source, it can be self-hosted for free on any server that supports Docker.
For teams that prefer managed hosting, Discourse offers a free hosted plan alongside Pro, Business and Enterprise tiers priced by staff seats, storage and monthly page views. Paid plans add custom themes, API access, advanced analytics, automation and AI powered features, with Enterprise adding unlimited staff seats and a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Key Features of Discourse
Here are the powerful features that make Discourse stand out from the competition. Packed with innovative tools and advanced functionalities, this software offers a range of benefits.
- Flat, threaded discussion forums with categories and tags
- Built in real-time chat alongside long-form discussion
- User trust levels for progressive moderation permissions
- Personal messaging between members
- Moderation tools including flagging and automatic filters
- Plugin and theme ecosystem for customization
- Open source, self-hostable software
- AI powered summarization and search on paid plans
Discourse Pricing
Here are the pricing plans for Discourse. Choose the plan that best fits your requirements and budget.
Free
Free
2 staff seats, 500,000 monthly page views, 5 GB storage
Unlimited members and unlimited chat, no credit card required to start
Pro
$100/month
5 staff seats, 20 GB storage, 500k page views per month
Custom themes, API access, 100k monthly emails, 500k AI daily credits, email support
Business
$500/month
15 staff seats, 100 GB storage, 500k page views per month
Advanced analytics, automation, events and gamification, 300k monthly emails, 1M AI daily credits, priority support
Enterprise
Custom
Unlimited staff seats, 200+ GB storage, 1M+ page views per month
99.9% uptime guarantee, GDPR and CCPA compliance, expert design services, 5M AI daily credits
Discourse Specifications
Get a closer look at the technical specifications and system requirements for Discourse. Find out if it's compatible with your operating system and other software.
- cloud based
- on premises
- web app
- startups
- smes
- agencies
- enterprises
- live support
- tickets
Discourse Videos
Overall Discourse Reviews
Here's our unbiased review of Discourse. Discover how our team of experts rates its features, ease of use, customer support, and other aspects that contribute to its overall appeal.