Discourse vs Loomio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Discourse grades higher than Loomio: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 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
Loomio
Group decision-making software for organizations and co-ops
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 Loomio if
- Fits if a group needs to decide things in writing
- Works for co-ops and boards that want a record of reasons
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if your group is over 30, as Starter caps at 30 and one group
- Skip it if you want one-off subgroups on Starter, as it has none
- Watch out: SSO and custom branding need the custom Private Loomio plan
- Watch out: after cancelling, data is kept 30 days before it is deleted
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADiscourseGood | 2.0GPALoomioFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CStarter is $33 a month billed annually for a whole group of up to 30, in the middle of the category's prices; Pro is $83. |
| 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. | CA 14-day trial for up to 10 people and 10 discussions. The card is not mentioned. No free plan. |
| 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. | CDiscussion, proposals and a searchable record cover decision-making fully, but it is a smaller job than running a community. |
| 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 build groups, invite people and set up proposals. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android apps, with plugins and an API. No desktop app. | CWeb only, and no integrations are listed apart from Zoom on Pro. |
| Best for | a discussion forum, hosted or self-run | group decisions with discussion and voting |
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 Loomio. 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. Loomio starts at $33 a month and scores 2.0.
Discourse scores higher, and starts $67 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 19 score higher than Discourse for less, and 26 score higher than Loomio 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 also covers team chat.
At a glance
| Discourse | Loomio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $100 per month | $33 per month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly) |
| 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 | 14-day free trial, up to 10 people and 10 discussions |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Discourse | Loomio Cooperative Limited |
| Price read from | discourse.org | loomio.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.
Loomio
- Starter is for one group of 30 people with no subgroups; larger groups need Pro.
- Prices are for the whole group, and the figures above are the commercial rate.
- After cancelling, data stays available for 30 days before it is deleted.
- Single sign-on and custom branding need the custom Private Loomio plan.
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.
Loomio
- Discussion with context
- Put the question, background and documents in one thread, and invite the right people to take part.
- Voting with reasons
- People record their position along with the reasoning, so concerns show up early and the proposal can change.
- A searchable record
- The discussion, reasons and final outcome stay searchable for later reference.
- Subgroups
- Pro allows unlimited subgroups for teams and working groups within one organization.
- Data export and regions
- Group admins can export data as CSV, HTML or JSON, and choose hosting in the USA, EU or Australia.
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.
Loomio
Starter$33
per month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly)
Commercial rate. One group of up to 30 members, no subgroups, email support. $399 a year when paid annually.
Pro$83
per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
Commercial rate. Up to 3,000 members, unlimited subgroups, Zoom and email support. $999 a year when paid annually.
Private LoomioCustom
Dedicated server and database, SAML or OAuth single sign-on, custom branding and domain, unlimited users.
Ways to pay less
Discourse
No public discounts listed.
Loomio
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit pricing
Eligible nonprofits and member-funded groups pay less: Starter is $299 a year and Pro $499 a year, with Pro covering up to 300 members.
- Annual discount
Save about 15% by paying annually
The pricing page shows annual payment saving about 15% on Starter and 16% on Pro at the commercial rate.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Discourse or Loomio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Loomio is cheaper to start with: $33 a month, against $100 a month for Discourse. Discourse starts at $100 per month, and Loomio starts at $33 per month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Discourse or Loomio?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Discourse has a free plan. Loomio does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Discourse and Loomio 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.