Discourse vs Groups.io (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Discourse and Groups.io share a 2.6 GPA, both have a free plan, and Groups.io starts cheaper, at $20 a month against $100 a month.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Discourse grades higher on the free plan. Groups.io grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Discourse
Open-source discussion forum software with hosted plans
Groups.io
Email discussion groups with files, calendar and wiki
Which one is for you
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
Pick Groups.io if
- Fits if your group already lives in email
- Works for clubs under 100 members that only need a mailing list
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 100 members, as free stops there
- Pricey if the list grows, as Premium bills per member
- Watch out: Paid Memberships is in early access and must be requested from support
- Not for you if you want a phone app, as none is listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADiscourseGood | 2.6GPAGroups.ioGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BPremium is $20 a month minimum at $0.04 per member, the cheaper-quarter line of the category. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free plan gives 2 staff seats, 10 categories, 5GB of storage and unlimited members, which a small forum can live on. | CFree is a core email group for 100 members with 1 GB of attachments and no files, calendar, chat or wiki, and a 30-day Premium trial without a card. |
| Features | 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. | BEmail-first groups, files, photos, wiki, calendar, chat and paid memberships on Premium. Paid memberships is in early access. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A hosted forum needs categories, settings and moderation set up before it feels like yours. | CNo store rating on record. You set up groups, settings and members. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android apps, with plugins and an API. No desktop app. | BWeb and email, with Stripe and Google Calendar listed. |
| Best for | a discussion forum, hosted or self-run | email groups with a small free plan |
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: Discourse and Groups.io. How we grade
Price against what you get
Discourse starts at $100 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Groups.io starts at $20 a month and scores 2.7.
Groups.io scores higher and starts $80 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 19 score higher than Discourse for less, and none scores higher than Groups.io 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.
- Groups.io also covers wiki and calendar.
At a glance
| Discourse | Groups.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $100 per month | $20 per month minimum, at $0.04 per member |
| Free plan | Free hosting plan: 2 staff seats, 10 categories, 5GB of storage, 20k emails a month and 500k page views a month. | Core email group for up to 100 members with 1 GB of attachment storage and no files, photos, calendar, chat or wiki. |
| Free trial | Free trial on Pro and Business, no credit card required up front | 30-day free trial of Premium, no card needed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Discourse | Groups.io, Inc. |
| Price read from | discourse.org | groups.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Groups.io
- The free plan stops at 100 members and has no files, calendar, chat or wiki.
- After the 30-day trial a group with more than 100 members must pick a paid plan to continue.
- Premium is billed per member, so cost grows with the list.
- Paid Memberships is in early access and has to be requested from support.
Key features
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.
Groups.io
- Email-first groups
- People can take part by email or on the web, and the site says it does not sell member data to advertisers.
- Files, photos and wiki
- Premium and Enterprise groups share files and photos and keep a wiki. Attachments count toward storage; messages do not.
- Calendar with RSVPs
- Single and recurring events with reminders, attendee limits with a wait list, guests, attendee export and printable name tags.
- Paid memberships
- Premium and Enterprise groups can charge for membership tiers through their own Stripe account. This is in early access and needs approval.
- Enterprise options
- White-label web and email, a custom domain, single sign-on and a customizable home page.
Plans
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.
Groups.io
Free$0
Core email group for up to 100 members, 1 GB attachment storage, no files, photos, calendar, chat, wiki or integrations.
Premium$20
per month minimum, at $0.04 per member
30 GB storage, files, photos, wiki, calendar, chat and member data. Annual: $0.44 per member, minimum $220 a year.
Enterprise$200
per month and up, commercial ($100 non-profit)
White-label web and email, single sign-on, 1 TB storage and custom home page, plus $0.10 to $0.20 per member.
Ways to pay less
Discourse
No public discounts listed.
Groups.io
- Annual discount
One month free on annual Premium
Premium billed annually is $0.44 per member with a $220 minimum, and the pricing page says it includes one month free.
- Nonprofit
50% off Enterprise for nonprofits
Legally recognized non-profits get a 50% discount on the Enterprise plan after verification.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Discourse or Groups.io?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Groups.io is cheaper to start with: $20 a month, against $100 a month for Discourse. Discourse starts at $100 per month, and Groups.io starts at $20 per month minimum, at $0.04 per member.
Which has a free plan, Discourse or Groups.io?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Discourse and Groups.io have a free plan.
Which platforms do Discourse and Groups.io run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Discourse lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.