# Hylo review (2026): is it any good? > Free open-source platform for community groups and coordination Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Hylo is a coordination platform for community groups, networks and place-based organizing. A group gets discussions, chat, events, requests and offers, projects, proposals and a member map in one place. The platform is free and open source under the MIT license, with paid hands-on support from the team. - **Category:** Courses & Communities - **Made by:** Terran Collective - **Website:** https://www.hylo.com - **Runs on:** Web, iOS, Android - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you need an API or video streaming, as Hylo Pro is not out yet. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Hylo is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** The full platform is free for every group, with unlimited members and groups, and 50 MB maximum per attachment. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Hylo | $0 | Free forever: groups and subgroups, chat, events, projects, proposals, map, member directory and mobile apps. | Read from https://www.hylo.com/pricing on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Hylo before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Mutual-aid groups, bioregional networks and cooperatives - Communities that want a free, open-source home for discussion and decisions ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Hylo is free for every group, with unlimited members, chat, events, projects, proposals and iOS and Android apps. Hylo Pro and Whitelabel are not out yet, and file attachments cap at 50 MB. - **Value for money: A.** Free for every group with unlimited members and groups, and no paid plan is on sale yet. - **Free plan and trial: A.** The full platform is free with no member cap, and the 50 MB attachment limit is one a normal group will rarely hit. - **Features: B.** Groups, chat, events, projects, proposals, a member map and mobile apps. API access and video streaming are not available yet. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. You set up groups, subgroups and decision rules. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web plus iOS and Android apps, but no desktop app and no integrations listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Hylo's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among course and community platforms - Hylo's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 98 of the 98 other course and community platforms we grade. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 98 of 98) and worst on ease of use (C, above 23). - Hylo has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/courses-communities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Hylo is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 98 of the 98 other course and community platforms we grade. - You could make: Calendar: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: Chat that a whole team counts on staying up. - You could not: A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to. - You could not: A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Community, Open source, Calendar, Team chat ## Alternatives - [Loomio](https://toolgpa.com/tools/loomio): Group decision-making software for organizations and co-ops. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hylo-vs-loomio) - [Discourse](https://toolgpa.com/tools/discourse): Open-source discussion forum software with hosted plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/discourse-vs-hylo) - [Bettermode](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bettermode): Branded community platform with Q&A, events and AI search. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bettermode-vs-hylo) - [Groups.io](https://toolgpa.com/tools/groups-io): Email discussion groups with files, calendar and wiki. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/groups-io-vs-hylo) - [Circle](https://toolgpa.com/tools/circle): Community platform with courses, events, payments and branded apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/circle-vs-hylo) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.hylo.com/ - https://www.hylo.com/pricing Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/hylo Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).