Discourse vs Khoros (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Discourse grades higher than Khoros: 2.6 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Discourse grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
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 Khoros if
- Fits if you run a large brand community and buy through a sales team
- Works for companies that want community and social listening from one vendor
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price before you talk to anyone, because none is published
- Not for you if you want self-serve sign-up or a free try, as none was found
- Not for you if you are a small team, as it is aimed at enterprises
- Watch out: the old khoros.com address now redirects to khoros.ai
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADiscourseGood | 1.6GPAKhorosWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo price is published and every plan is sold through sales, so the cost is unverified and graded in the middle. |
| 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. | FNo free plan or self-serve trial was found on the site. |
| 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. | CAn AI community platform, automated moderation, analytics, AI social management and listening. It covers the job, but is aimed at enterprise customers. |
| 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. An enterprise rollout with a sales process and a setup project. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android apps, with plugins and an API. No desktop app. | CWeb only, and the pages read name no integrations. |
| Best for | a discussion forum, hosted or self-run | enterprise communities and social media |
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 Khoros. How we grade
Where they differ
- Discourse is open source, according to its own site.
- Discourse also covers team chat.
- Khoros also covers AI search.
At a glance
| Discourse | Khoros | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $100 per month | Not published |
| Free plan | Free hosting plan: 2 staff seats, 10 categories, 5GB of storage, 20k emails a month and 500k page views a month. | None |
| Free trial | Free trial on Pro and Business, no credit card required up front | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Discourse | Khoros, LLC |
| Price read from | discourse.org | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Khoros
- No prices are published; every plan is sold through sales, so cost could not be verified.
- Aimed at enterprise customers; no self-serve sign-up or free plan was found on the site.
- The old khoros.com address now redirects to khoros.ai.
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.
Khoros
- Aurora AI community platform
- A branded community where customers ask and answer questions, with AI-assisted self-service aimed at deflecting support tickets.
- Automated moderation
- Lists automated moderation, gamification and lifecycle management for community members.
- Community analytics
- Surfaces trends, sentiment and signals from community activity.
- Iris AI social management
- Handles publishing, scheduling and engagement routing across social channels.
- Social listening
- Monitors social sources in 187 languages, according to the vendor.
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.
Khoros
Pricing could not be confirmed. See khoros.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Discourse or Khoros?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Discourse starts at $100 per month, and Khoros has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Discourse or Khoros?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Discourse has a free plan. Khoros does not.
Which platforms do Discourse and Khoros run on?
As of Nov 12, 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.