The Hylo Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Hylo in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Hylo
The Insider’s Guide
Free open-source platform for community groups and coordination
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among course and community platforms, read from Hylo’s own pages.
Made by Terran Collective · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Hylo’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Hylo’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.2
GPA, above 98 of the 98 other course and community platforms we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Hylo, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You set up groups, subgroups and decision rules.
- 1
Best for a free community platform with mobile apps
Hylo is free for every group, with unlimited members, chat, events, projects, proposals and iOS and Android apps.
- 2
It is free
Hylo has no paid plan at all. The full platform is free for every group, with unlimited members and groups, and 50 MB maximum per attachment.
- 3
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 4
Groups and subgroups
Nested and peer groups with unlimited members, plus a public commons for discovering other groups.
- 5
Discussion and chat
Threaded conversations with topics and tags, and real-time chat rooms inside any group.
- 6
Requests, offers and projects
Mutual-support requests and offers with completion tracking, and projects with tasks, roles and timelines.
- 7
A 3.2 GPA, above 98 of 98
That is against the other course and community platforms we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
Hylo is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Hylo at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Terran Collective
- Category
- Courses & Communities
- Our grade
- 3.2 GPA, very good
The report card
Best for a free community platform with mobile apps
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Hylo is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
Hylo is free to use.
Free for every group with unlimited members and groups, and no paid plan is on sale yet.
Hylo
$0
Free forever: groups and subgroups, chat, events, projects, proposals, map, member directory and mobile apps.
The free plan
The full platform is free for every group, with unlimited members and groups, and 50 MB maximum per attachment.
Read from hylo.com on Nov 13, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Free open-source platform for community groups and coordination. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, calendar, team chat, community.
Groups, chat, events, projects, proposals, a member map and mobile apps.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Hylo is made by Terran Collective.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
98/98
Other course and community platforms it is graded above
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.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 99 course and community platforms we grade, cut by the letter each got. Hylo’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 94 of 98
- AFree plan and trialAbove 98 of 98
- BFeaturesAbove 56 of 98
- CEase of useAbove 23 of 98
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 25 of 98
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 78 course and community platforms. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Hylo is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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.
What you could make
- Calendar: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
- A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Hylo’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Loomio, Discourse, Bettermode, Groups.io and Circle
The 5 tools Hylo is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Loomio
Free trial · from $33/mo
Group decision-making software for organizations and co-ops.
- Hylo has a free plan. Loomio does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Hylo lists iOS and Android apps.
- Hylo also covers calendar and team chat.
- 2.6GPA
Discourse
Free plan · from $100/mo
Open-source discussion forum software with hosted plans.
- Hylo also covers calendar.
- 1.8GPA
Bettermode
Free trial · from $149/mo
Branded community platform with Q&A, events and AI search.
- Hylo has a free plan. Bettermode does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Hylo lists iOS and Android apps.
- Hylo is open source, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
Groups.io
Free plan · from $20/mo
Email discussion groups with files, calendar and wiki.
- Only Hylo lists iOS and Android apps.
- Hylo is open source, according to its own site.
- Groups.io also covers wiki.
- 2.8GPA
Circle
Free trial · from $89/mo
Community platform with courses, events, payments and branded apps.
- Hylo has a free plan. Circle does not, though it has a free trial.
- Hylo is open source, according to its own site.
- Hylo also covers calendar and team chat.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
11
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Hylo free?
Yes. Hylo is free to use.
How much does Hylo cost?
Hylo lists one plan. Hylo: $0.
What platforms does Hylo work on?
Hylo is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Hylo have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Hylo is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Hylo have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Hylo is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Hylo open source?
Yes. Hylo is open source, according to its own site.
Who makes Hylo?
Hylo is made by Terran Collective.
What are the alternatives to Hylo?
The closest alternatives to Hylo in our directory are Loomio, Discourse, Bettermode, Groups.io and Circle.
How does Hylo compare with other course and community platforms?
Hylo's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 98 of the 98 other course and community platforms we grade.
Is Hylo good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Hylo A for value for money. Hylo has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of Hylo?
Hylo is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Hylo’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Terran Collective. Prices change, so check hylo.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Hylo, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/hylo
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Hylo: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/hylo
Know someone choosing between course and community platforms?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/hylo/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
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- Academy LMS Insider's GuideWordPress LMS plugin with a free core and Pro licenses by site count2.8 GPA
- Circle Insider's GuideCommunity platform with courses, events, payments and branded apps2.8 GPA
- FluentCommunity Insider's GuideWordPress community and course plugin, free with paid Pro licenses2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Hylo’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Hylo is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Terran Collective. Prices and plans change: check hylo.com before you buy.