Disciple Media vs Discourse (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Discourse grades higher than Disciple Media: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Discourse grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Disciple Media
White-label community app for iOS, Android and web
Discourse
Open-source discussion forum software with hosted plans
Which one is for you
Pick Disciple Media if
- Fits if you want your own app in the stores with your brand on it and can pay $599 a month
- Works for organisations with a paying audience that runs groups and livestreams
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are small: $599 a month is the floor, and $999 for Pro
- Watch out: unlimited items on the plans are subject to fair usage
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there isn't one
- Watch out: Zapier and unlimited courses are on the $999 plan only
Pick Discourse if
- Fits if you want a discussion forum where members ask and answer questions
- Works for small communities that can stay inside 2 staff seats and 10 categories
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow: the free plan stops at 2 staff seats and 10 categories
- Pricey if you need SSO or events, which start at $500 a month
- Skip it if you want to sell courses, because it has no course checkout
- Watch out: plans are sold by staff seat, not by member count
How we grade them
| 1.8GPADisciple MediaWeak | 2.6GPADiscourseGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$599 a month billed yearly is four times the $149 where the dearest tenth of courses and communities tools starts. The page's metadata quotes GBP, so the dollar figure may be a conversion. | BA free hosted plan exists, and Pro is $100 a month, above the $49 middle of courses and communities tools. SSO and events need Business at $500. |
| Free plan and trial | DA free trial with support, but the page doesn't say how long it lasts or whether a card is needed. | BThe free plan gives 2 staff seats, 10 categories, 5GB of storage and unlimited members, which a small forum can live on. |
| Features | CBranded app, feeds, groups, messages, livestreaming, courses and a page builder. The listing's gap: Zapier and unlimited courses need the $999 plan. | CTopic forum, trust levels, chat, AI and translation, plugins and an API. The listing's gap: SSO, workflows, events and gamification need Business, and there is no course checkout. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Building and launching a branded app is a project, with the vendor's console and support. | CNo store rating on record. A hosted forum needs categories, settings and moderation set up before it feels like yours. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android, with Zapier, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zoho connections. No desktop app. | BWeb, iOS and Android apps, with plugins and an API. No desktop app. |
| Best for | a white-label community app under your own name | a discussion forum, hosted or self-run |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Disciple Media and Discourse. How we grade
Price against what you get
Disciple Media starts at $599 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Discourse starts at $100 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Discourse starts $499 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 13 score higher than Disciple Media for less, and 12 score higher than Discourse for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Discourse is open source, according to its own site.
- Disciple Media also covers online courses.
- Discourse also covers team chat.
At a glance
| Disciple Media | Discourse | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $599 per month, billed yearly | $100 per month |
| Free plan | None | Free hosting plan: 2 staff seats, 10 categories, 5GB of storage, 20k emails a month and 500k page views a month. |
| Free trial | Free trial with support; length not stated | Free trial on Pro and Business, no credit card required up front |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Disciple Media | Discourse |
| Price read from | disciple.community | discourse.org |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Disciple Media
- Entry price is $599 a month billed yearly, with no free plan.
- Unlimited items on the plans are subject to fair usage, and prices exclude sales tax.
- The page's search metadata quotes GBP prices (from £449 a month), so the dollar figure shown may be a conversion.
- Zapier and unlimited courses need the $999 plan.
Discourse
- The free plan caps staff seats at 2 and categories at 10.
- SSO, workflows, events and gamification are on Business ($500 a month) and above.
- Plans are sold by staff seats, not by members; members are unlimited.
- It is a discussion forum, not a course platform, so it has no built-in course checkout.
Key features
Disciple Media
- Your own branded app
- Publishes a white-label app listed under your brand on iOS and Android, plus a web version.
- Feeds, groups and messages
- Gives members a feed, group chats, direct messages, events and a member directory.
- Livestreaming and courses
- Hosts livestreams and courses, with multi-host livestreams on the Pro plan.
- Page builder
- Lets your team build home screens section by section.
- Ways to earn
- Subscriptions, in-app purchases, sponsorship and donations are listed as monetization options.
- Integrations
- Open API, webhooks and Zapier, and CRM sync with more than 100 CRMs on the Organisation plan.
Discourse
- Topic-based forum
- Organizes discussion into categories and tags with unlimited members on every hosted plan.
- Trust levels and badges
- Members earn abilities as they participate, and badges reward chosen behaviors.
- Built-in chat
- Adds channels for short-form conversation alongside long-form topics.
- AI and translation
- Uses daily AI credits and translates content into a plan-dependent number of languages: 2 on Free up to 10 on Enterprise.
- Plugins and API
- Official plugins plus an API that covers what the interface does; API and webhook access starts at Pro.
- Mobile apps
- Free iOS and Android apps with push notifications for hosted communities.
Plans
Disciple Media
Branded App$599
per month, billed yearly
Branded iOS, Android and web app, 5 admin seats, 10 groups, 1 monetizable course and 10k video minutes.
Branded App Pro$999
per month, billed yearly
Unlimited admin seats, groups and monetized courses, 20k video minutes, multi-tier pricing and Zapier.
Organisation$3,400
per month and up, billed yearly
Tailored proposal with SSO, CRM sync, bespoke development and migration support; sold through sales.
Discourse
Free$0
2 staff seats, 10 categories, 5GB storage, 20k monthly emails and 100k AI daily credits.
Pro$100
per month
5 staff seats, unlimited categories, 20GB storage, 100k monthly emails, API and webhook access, 15+ plugins.
Business$500
per month
15 staff seats, 100GB storage, SSO, workflows, events, gamification and priority support.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited staff seats, 99.9% uptime guarantee, custom migration and design services; sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Disciple Media
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
The pricing page says yearly billing includes 2 months free compared with the quarterly option.
Discourse
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Disciple Media or Discourse?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Discourse is cheaper to start with: $100 a month, against $599 a month for Disciple Media. Disciple Media starts at $599 per month, billed yearly, and Discourse starts at $100 per month.
Which has a free plan, Disciple Media or Discourse?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Discourse has a free plan. Disciple Media does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.