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.

Software Tagline :
Open source forum software for long-form discussion and real-time chat, self-hosted or managed.
Deployment :
  • cloud based
  • on premises
Subscription Plan :
monthly
Desktop Platforms :
  • web app
Mobile Platforms :
Language Support :
english
Target Audience :
  • startups
  • smes
  • agencies
  • enterprises
Available Support :
  • email
  • live support
  • tickets
Integrations :
Slack, Zapier, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Zoom, GitHub
API Available :
Yes
Free Trial Available :
Yes
Run On Mobile Browser :
Yes
Free Plan Available :
Yes
Customization Available :
Yes

Discourse Videos

Discourse Screenshots

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.

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Discourse Pros and Cons

Discourse FAQs

Yes, Discourse is open source software that can be self-hosted for free, and the hosted Free plan supports up to 500,000 monthly page views.

Pro adds custom themes, API access, five staff seats and 20 GB of storage for $100 per month.

Yes, Discourse can be deployed with Docker on your own server since it is open source.

Yes, paid plans can be tried without a credit card required up front.

Enterprise adds unlimited staff seats, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, expert design services and higher AI credit limits.