Discourse vs Hylo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hylo grades higher than Discourse: 3.2 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hylo grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on 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
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 Hylo if
- Fits if you run a mutual-aid or place-based group on a zero budget
- Works for groups that want chat, events and decisions in one place
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need an API or video streaming, as Hylo Pro is not out yet
- Watch out: attachments cap at 50 MB each
- Watch out: stewardship help costs extra, from $300 for a support call
- Skip it if you want branding, as Hylo Whitelabel is listed as coming soon
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADiscourseGood | 3.2GPAHyloVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AFree for every group with unlimited members and groups, and no paid plan is on sale yet. |
| 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. | AThe full platform is free with no member cap, and the 50 MB attachment limit is one a normal group will rarely hit. |
| 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. | BGroups, chat, events, projects, proposals, a member map and mobile apps. API access and video streaming are not available yet. |
| 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, subgroups and decision rules. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android apps, with plugins and an API. No desktop app. | BWeb plus iOS and Android apps, but no desktop app and no integrations listed. |
| Best for | a discussion forum, hosted or self-run | a free community platform with mobile apps |
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 Hylo. 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. Hylo has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Hylo scores higher and starts $100 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 Hylo 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
- Hylo also covers calendar.
At a glance
| Discourse | Hylo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $100 per month | Free |
| Free plan | Free hosting plan: 2 staff seats, 10 categories, 5GB of storage, 20k emails a month and 500k page views a month. | The full platform is free for every group, with unlimited members and groups, and 50 MB maximum per attachment. |
| Free trial | Free trial on Pro and Business, no credit card required up front | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Discourse | Terran Collective |
| Price read from | discourse.org | hylo.com |
| 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.
Hylo
- File storage is limited, with a 50 MB maximum per attachment.
- Hylo Pro (an estimated $60 per group per month) and Hylo Whitelabel are listed as coming soon, so API access and video streaming are not yet available.
- Hands-on stewardship support is sold separately: $300 for a support call, $2,500 for onboarding, $100 per month for ongoing 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.
Hylo
- Groups and subgroups
- Nested and peer groups with unlimited members, plus a public commons for discovering other groups.
- Discussion and chat
- Threaded conversations with topics and tags, and real-time chat rooms inside any group.
- Requests, offers and projects
- Mutual-support requests and offers with completion tracking, and projects with tasks, roles and timelines.
- Proposals and decisions
- Polls, proposals and quorum for structured decisions, with shared agreements and roles.
- Events and map
- In-person and virtual events with RSVPs and calendar sync, and a member map for place-based groups.
- Mobile apps
- iOS and Android apps that the vendor describes as full-featured, with email, push, in-app and digest notifications.
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.
Hylo
Hylo$0
Free forever: groups and subgroups, chat, events, projects, proposals, map, member directory and mobile apps.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Discourse or Hylo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hylo is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $100 a month for Discourse. Discourse starts at $100 per month, and Hylo is free.
Which has a free plan, Discourse or Hylo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Discourse and Hylo have a free plan.
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.