Beyond Discourse: 10 Discord Alternatives Reshaping Online Communities

Explore the top 10 Discourse alternatives based on features, customization options, pricing plans, and advantages and disadvantages. Find the ideal platform to build a successful digital community.

While Discourse is a solid community platform for building online communities, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Depending on your goals, you might need more flexibility, better integrations or different customer engagement tools.

The good news is that there are plenty of alternatives that can offer exactly what you’re looking for.

If you are ready to skip the research check out our 10 top picks to get you started.

But before we dive into the specifics, let's discuss the key features to consider when choosing a platform...

Key features to look for in Discourse alternatives

When comparing community platforms, you want to focus on those that are a good fit for your community's needs. Each platform has its own features, nuances, and audience fit. 

Some might be geared towards non-profits. Others might be better for enterprise brands. Either way, you'll need to weigh the features and benefits to understand which suits you best. 

Here's a simple checklist of key features you can use to help narrow down your choices:

• Ease of use (including mobile compatibility) 
• Customizations
• Specific features (like social media integration)
• Scalability
• Technical support from the platform provider
• Integrations with your favorite tools

While these are just the basic community forum key features, the level of customization and scalability will be unique to you and your member's needs and goals.

One thing to bear in mind is thinking long-term. You don't want to roll out a community platform now that doesn't provide the extra features and personalization that members will need as you grow. It'll just create a logistical nightmare and potentially a bad member experience. 

Now that you know the key features to look out for, you should have a better idea of what you're looking for in a community engagement platform. So with all this in mind, let's dive into the top 10 Discourse alternatives.

Discourse alternatives: comparison overview

There's a wealth of good community engagement platforms to choose from. Each tool has its pros and cons, depending on your exact needs. The best choice for your company might not be suitable for another business. 

So, with this in mind, here are the Discourse alternatives we'll run through:

• Bettermode
• Circle
• Higher Logic
• Mighty Networks
• Mobilize
• Slack
• Facebook Groups
• Hivebrite
• Telligent
• Disciple Media

You can check out the reviews for these platforms on G2 and TrustRadius. Reviews are an incredible source of information as members give real and honest views and can help you assess which platform is right. 

With that in mind, let's now look at the top Discourse alternatives.

Platform 1: Bettermode

So, what makes this the best overall platform? It covers a variety of needs like forums, live chat rooms, and knowledge bases all in one place. Plus, it's mega easy to use and seamlessly integrates with your existing IT infrastructure.

Key features

Here are some of the most popular features to see why it's a top Discourse alternative:

• Community templates for common use cases: Like forums, ideation, events, help center, and Q&As. 
• Fully customizable: Use the Design Studio and its brand-new feature the Section block to create unique layouts. 
• Easy integration: With popular tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, and more.
• Embedding options: Easily integrate your community into your websites and apps.
• Gamification: To provide rewarding experiences that better engage community members. 
• Moderation features: Maintains a safe environment, promoting respectful and civilized discussions.
• Spam blocking: Automatically filters out unwanted content.
• Content flagging: Enables reporting of inappropriate posts.

Pricing

Not sure if this community platform is right? No problem – you can request a demo to see for yourself. Pricing starts at $59 per month for the Pro plan. 

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Ready-to-use templates to easily setup different communities
• Powerful customization capabilities to create unique communities
• Advanced analytics to track community engagement
• Easily integrate with third-party apps through the App Store
• Build your community using different languages – Spanish, French, German, and more

Cons:

• Lack of white-label mobile app
• Some may find the abundance of customization overwhelming

You can get started with Bettermode now, or keep reading to find out more about the other Discourse alternatives.

Platform 2: Circle

Circle is a Discourse alternative designed to promote meaningful conversations amongst members.

Features

Here are just a handful of the top features:

• Customize the design to mirror your branding.
• Compatible across multiple devices for ease of use.
• Integrates easily with popular tools like Zapier, Slack, and more.
• Allows you to create both private and public spaces for different audiences.
• Track user engagement and growth with built-in analytics.

Pricing

Circle has tiered pricing to support a growing community:

Basic

$49/month

• Up to 1,000 members
• Unlimited spaces
• Email notifications

Professional

$99/month

• Unlimited members
• Priority support
• Custom domain

Enterprise

$399/month

• Unlimited members
• Dedicated account manager
• API access

Pros and Cons

Let's break down the highs and lows of Circle:

Pros: 

• Its simple and intuitive interface is easy-to-use
• Ability to charge subscription fees to monetize the community

Cons:

• Limited customization features compared to other Discourse alternatives
• Lacks integration with business tools

Platform 3: Higher Logic Vanilla forums

Higher Logic is a Discourse alternative that aims to drive long-lasting engagement thanks to its interactive functionality. 

Features

Let's look at these features in more detail:

• Gather your customers for discussions and answer their burning questions.
• Gamification to keep users engaged with the platform.
• Easy access and regional platform support.
• Automation tools to make managing your community easier and faster.

Pricing

Pricing for Higher Logic isn't available on their website. You'll need to get in touch with them directly for pricing packages. 

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Plenty of customization options
• Ability to post directly to discussion forums from an email
• Create sub-groups for targeted events

Cons:

• Not deemed the most user-friendly
• Most branding changes require CSS changes so you need coding knowledge

Check out how Vanilla Forums compares to Bettermode.

Platform 4: Mighty Networks

Mighty Networks is a popular platform for building online communities, courses, and memberships. It's a good option for creators and small businesses to grow their online presence. 

Features

Here's a handful of the top features:

• Community building: You can create segmented groups for your members (public, private, or secret groups) to foster connections and build relationships. From here, you can also organize events and meetups.
• Content creation: Build and manage online courses, memberships, and subscriptions.
• Analytics and reporting: Keep a close eye on engagement levels, growth metrics, and overall content performance.
• Customizable: Make the platform look and feel just like your brand. 
• Many integrations: Plenty of plugins with popular third-party tools like Zapier, Google Analytics, and Mailchimp.

Pricing

Like other Discourse alternatives, Mighty Networks has a few pricing options. And they offer a free trial too. 

The Community Plan

$41/month (billed annually)

• Access to premium features, integrations, and custom branding

The Courses Plan

$99/month (billed annually)

• Access to course creation tools, online workshops, and member engagement features

The Business Plan

$179/month (billed annually)

• Includes advanced analytics, member insights, and priority support for larger communities

The Path-to-Pro Plan

$360/month (annual billing only)

• Offers all Business Plan features plus additional customization options and dedicated account management

The Mighty Pro Plan

(Contact for pricing)

• Tailored solutions for larger organizations, including custom mobile apps and enterprise-level features

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

•  Simple and easy-to-use interface for both creators and members
• Provides mobile app
• Ability to host courses

Cons:

• Customization and content management functionality is limited
• Integration with third-party business tools is limited

Platform 5: Forj

Designed specifically for use on a mobile, Forj has a range of features that make a mobile community much easier to manage and engage with – for example through forums, live chat, and polls.

Features

Here are a handful of features that are popular:

• Find and connect with members through an organized and searchable member directory.
• Leverage the integrated messaging system to communicate easily across various channels, including in-app messaging and notifications.
• Easily store, organize and share content with a content library. 
• Promote and run events, like meetings, directly on the platform.
• Review engagement and growth metrics with the analytics dashboard.

Pricing

For information on pricing contact the sales team. 

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Always developing their platform and providing new features
• Easy to set up and manage
• Reviews rave about customer service

Cons:

•  Limited admin features to control member accounts
•  Limited third-party integrations

Platform 6: Slack

Slack is a well-known communication platform that allows members to connect, chat, and keep in touch. It's more popular in the business world, as it offers a variety of tools that make project collaboration much easier.  

Features

Let's dive straight into the features that make this possible:

• Instant messaging and group meet-ups (a.k.a. “Huddles” – audio and video calls).
• Organize conversations by “channels”.
• File sharing and storage.
• Integrations with other apps like Zoom, Trello, and Google Drive.
• Searchable message history so you can quickly find previous chats and files.
• Plenty of notification settings.

Pricing

This Discourse alternative starts with a free package. And you can level up depending on your needs. 

Basic

Free

• Limited features and storage
• Ideal for small teams. Or, for testing purposes

Pro

$7.25 per active user/per month (billed annually)

• Ideal for small to medium-sized businesses

Business+

$12.50 per active user/per month (billed annually)

• Ideal for bigger businesses or those with advanced security and administrative needs

Enterprise Grid

Custom pricing

• Ideal for larger organizations and enterprises with specific requirements

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Easy to share and collaborate in real-time
• Supports text chat and audio and video calls
• Provides up to 10 integrations on the free version and hundreds more in the paid plans

Cons:

• Limited customization for branding
• Even the paid plans make it difficult to scale a community
• Managing notifications can be a nightmare

Check out how Slack compares to Discord. 

Platform 7: Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups sits on a well-known and widely used social media platform, allowing users to share content and network both publicly and through private groups. 

Features

Let's take a look at the top features of this social platform: 

• Ability to create public, closed, or secret groups.
• Easily search and find content within groups.
• Quickly share announcements and pinned posts.
• Share files and documents.
• Create events and manage them within a group calendar.
• Run polls and surveys.

Pricing

Facebook Groups is free and sits within a normal Facebook account. However, if you want to advertise within Groups, you'll need to pay (prices for ads vary depending on the size of the audience, for example). 

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Free
• Relatively easy to set up – with many members using it already so quick to adapt
• Wide reach as Facebook has a large existing user base

Cons:

• Limited customization for branding
• Concerns over data mining 
• Members need to have a Facebook account to access Groups and Facebook is declining particularly among younger users

If you are looking for a free community platform with more features and integrations, check out these 12 Facebook Group alternatives.

Platform 8: Hivebrite

Hivebrite is a Discourse alternative that allows you to run events, manage members, and run email marketing campaigns. Similar to Bettermode, Hivebrite claims to be an all-in-one platform.

Features

Hivebrite's best features include:

• Fully brandable thanks to advanced customization features.
• Easily search its member directory for better networking.
• Event planning and management tools.
• Social media marketing and management tools.
• Integrates with some of the popular applications and tools.

Pricing

Pricing for Hivebrite is not available on their website. The best option is to contact their sales team for more information.

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Crafted for alumni communities
• Easy to manage social networks
• Ideal for educational institutions
• Plenty of online community management features

Cons:

• Difficult to set up so may result in a steeper learning curve (and you'll likely need IT support)
• Limited third-party integrations

Check out how Bettermode compares to Hivebrite.

Platform 9: Telligent

Telligent, previously known as Verint Community, prides itself on being a self-hosted, self-service hub for content sharing.

Features

A range of features makes blogs, how-to videos, wiki widgets, media galleries, and community forums easily accessible to members. Plus, there are more features:

• Tools to generate and curate content and recommend people to connect with.
• Ideation application to capture user feedback.
• Easy-to-use interface with drag-and-drop build functionality.
• Integrates with third-party apps and external sites and products – like Salesforce.
• Advanced security and authentication.

Pricing

Unfortunately, pricing for Telligent isn't available on the website but you can get a quote by contacting the sales team.

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Highly customizable to mirror your brand
• Automations, leaderboards, ideation, and easier to manage
•  Plenty of tools to support troubleshooting and great tech support

Cons:

• Built more with developer support in mind
• Appears to be a lack of development and bug fixing

Platform 10: Disciple Media

Disciple Media is another all-in-one community software solution that rivals Discourse.

Features

Here are a handful of the most popular features:

• Options to monetize membership (subscription, in-app purchases, and sponsorship).
• Plenty of communication options (push notifications, polls, live streams).
• Engagement analytics, at an individual-member level.
• Integrates with popular tools like Google Suite, Mailchimp, and Hubspot.

Pricing

Disciple Media offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets – starting from $729 per month when billed annually.

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Great onboarding and technical support
• SEO is possible on the web version
• No ads or spam
• Compatible with various devices (iOS, Android devices, and web)

Cons:

• Lacking some key features on all devices like live-streaming and group video chats
• Technical issues such as forced app closure

Comparison table

Conclusion

Now we've looked at the features and pros and cons of the top 10 Discourse alternatives, you've hopefully got a shortlist of options best suited to your community.

If you're looking for an all-in-one, Bettermode is your best option, offering a comprehensive range of features tailored for community engagement, customization and advanced moderation tools.

But, if you need a free option you might like Facebook Groups and Slack. These are widely used so likely easy for your members to get to grips with (just check they have enough functionality to cater for your needs).

Once you've narrowed down your shortlist – you probably want to get this down to around three options – you can revisit the checklist at the start to make your final decision.

Remember to check out reviews from other users, watch out for hidden fees and take advantage of free trials. 

This article was originally published on April 28th, 2023, and was updated on October 30th, 2024.

FAQ

How much does Discourse forum cost?

There is different pricing for Discourse forums depending on whether you choose to self-host or use their managed hosting services. So, here's the breakdown:

1. Self-hosted option:

Discourse is open-source forum software and free to use if you host it yourself. However, you will need to consider costs for server hosting, domain registration, and any additional features, such as moderation tools or plugins you might want to implement.
2. Discourse hosting plans:

• Starter: $20 USD per month
• Standard: $100 USD per month
• Business: $300 USD per month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for larger communities

Can I use Discourse for free?

Yes, you can use Discourse for free if you choose to self-host it. Discourse is open-source forum software, which means you can download and install it on your own server at no cost.

However, keep in mind that while the software itself is free, you will face costs for server hosting, domain registration and any other moderation features or plugins you may want to add.

If you prefer a managed hosting solution, the Discourse team offers various pricing plans for their hosting services, which provide support and maintenance but come with a monthly fee.

How much does forum software cost?

Forum software costs can range from free open-source options to subscription-based services such as Discourse, which can start at around $20 per month. The cost of forum software varies depending on the features, scalability and support options included.

What is the alternative of forum?

Bettermode is a great alternative of a forum because it lets you create a modern and interactive online community with features like badges, customizable layouts and different ways to organize discussions. It works with other tools and apps, making it easy to connect with your website or services.

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