Discourse Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
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: No free tier available
- Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
- Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Discourse offers a freemium model with limited features; upgrade to unlock more.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- 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
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- Managed hosting
- Automatic updates
- Basic themes
- Standard plugins
- Email support
- Daily backups
- SSL certificate included
- CDN included
- Limited pageviews
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| users | Unlimited | Unlimited/Higher |
| posts | Unlimited | Unlimited/Higher |
| customization | Full control | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like Managed hosting or Automatic updates
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Discourse branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Starter Plan Comparison
| Self-Hosted $0 | Starter $20/per month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 9 included | 9+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Discourse branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Technical teams that want complete control and can manage their own hosting, updates, and maintenance | Small communities getting started with managed hosting and basic features |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Discourse free?
Yes, Discourse offers a freemium plan with 9 core features included. However, there are limits on users, posts that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Discourse's free plan?
Discourse's free plan includes: 100% free and open source, Full source code access, Unlimited users and posts, All core features included, Complete customization, and 4 more features. Key limits include users: Unlimited, posts: Unlimited, customization: Full control.
03 What's NOT included in Discourse's free plan?
The free plan excludes: Managed hosting, Automatic updates, Basic themes, Standard plugins, Email support. You'll also have Discourse branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Discourse's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like Managed hosting or Automatic updates, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $20/per month.
05 Is Discourse's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Discourse's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.
Get Discourse pricing updates
We'll notify you when pricing changes or new free features are added.