Quick Answer
Last verified:

Discourse pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $0 per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: Yes
  • Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
  • Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training

Discourse offers 4 pricing tiers: Self-Hosted, Starter, Pro, Business. Standard paid plans include Self-Hosted at $0/free forever, Starter at $20/per month, Pro at $100/per month. The Starter plan is small communities getting started with managed hosting and basic features.

Compared to other community platforms software, Discourse is positioned at the budget-friendly price point.

Last verified: February 2026 | Sources: 2 pricing pages and reviews
Discourse is a powerful, open-source discussion platform built for modern communities that value civilized conversation and thoughtful engagement. Unlike traditional forums, Discourse offers a clean, responsive design optimized for both desktop and mobile, with real-time updates, trust levels, and gamification features that encourage quality participation. As 100% free and open-source software, Discourse can be self-hosted for complete control, or used through official managed hosting plans starting at $20/month. Trusted by major communities including GitHub, Mozilla, and Stack Overflow, Discourse combines the depth of traditional forums with the speed and usability of modern social platforms.

All Discourse Plans & Pricing

Plan Monthly Annual Best For
Self-Hosted users: Unlimitedposts: Unlimited Free Free 0 Technical teams that want complete control and can manage their own hosting, updates, and maintenance
Starter pageviews: Limitedusers: Unlimited $20 /per month $240 /per month Small communities getting started with managed hosting and basic features
Pro pageviews: Higher limitsusers: Unlimited $100 /per month $1200 /per month Growing communities that need custom branding, mobile apps, and advanced features with professional support
Business pageviews: High volumeusers: Unlimited Contact Contact Enterprise organizations requiring dedicated infrastructure, custom configurations, and premium support
View all features by plan

Self-Hosted

  • 100% free and open source
  • Full source code access
  • Unlimited users and posts
  • All core features included
  • Complete customization
  • Self-managed updates
  • Community support
  • Plugin ecosystem
  • No licensing fees

Starter

  • Managed hosting
  • Automatic updates
  • Basic themes
  • Standard plugins
  • Email support
  • Daily backups
  • SSL certificate included
  • CDN included
  • Limited pageviews

Pro

  • Everything in Starter
  • Advanced plugins
  • Custom themes
  • Mobile app support
  • Advanced moderation tools
  • Priority support
  • Staging site
  • Higher pageview limits
  • Advanced analytics
  • Custom integrations

Business

  • Everything in Pro
  • Dedicated AWS hosting
  • Subfolder support
  • Custom configuration
  • Advanced security
  • SSO integration
  • Custom SLA
  • Dedicated support
  • Migration assistance
  • Enterprise features
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Hidden Costs to Budget For

Watch for 8 hidden costs
  • Self-hosting: Server costs ($5-50+/month VPS or cloud hosting)
  • Self-hosting: Development time for setup and maintenance
  • Self-hosting: Domain and SSL certificate costs
  • Migration services for importing existing forum data
  • Custom plugin development for specialized features
  • Custom theme design and branding
  • Mobile app customization and deployment
  • Educational/nonprofit discounts available (must inquire)
Tip

Ask your Discourse sales rep about these costs upfront. Getting them in writing before signing can save you from surprise charges later.

Full hidden costs breakdown →

Frequently Asked Questions

01 How much does Discourse cost?

Pricing varies by plan. Check the official pricing page for current rates.

02 Does Discourse have a free tier?

Check the pricing section above for free tier availability.

03 What are the main features of Discourse?

Key features include the items listed in the pricing tiers above.

04 Is Discourse worth the price?

Value depends on your specific needs and use case. Compare features across plans.