# NodeBB review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Open-source forum software with managed hosting plans Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. NodeBB is forum software built on Node.js. You can download it free and run it on your own server, or pay NodeBB for managed hosting priced by monthly pageviews and storage. Larger organizations can ask for custom features, single sign-on and migration from an older forum. - **Category:** Courses & Communities - **Made by:** NodeBB Inc. - **Website:** https://nodebb.org - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Tight if you grow, as hosted tiers jump from $20 to $100, $250 and $750. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, NodeBB has a free plan, and paid plans start at $20 per month for hosting; self-hosting is free. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** The open-source software is free to install on your own server under the GPLv3; you pay for the server. - **Free trial:** 14-day free trial on hosted plans, credit card required. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Self-hosted (open source) | $0 | Free to download under the GPLv3. You install and maintain it on your own server. | | Starter | $20 per month, up to 50,000 pageviews | Hosted. 5 GB storage, weekly backups, custom domain, SSL and custom plugins. | | Hamlet | $100 per month, up to 500,000 pageviews | Hosted. 20 GB storage and daily backups. | | Village | $250 per month, up to 2,000,000 pageviews | Hosted. 100 GB storage and daily backups. | | City | $750 per month, up to 10,000,000 pageviews | Hosted. 300 GB storage and daily backups. | Read from https://nodebb.org/pricing on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with NodeBB before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Special pricing for nonprofits and startups** (Nonprofit): NodeBB says it offers special pricing for non-profits and start-up companies; ask the company for terms. Source: https://nodebb.org/pricing - **Free hosting for open-source projects** (Other savings): Public open-source projects that show a clear need can ask for free Starter-level hosting, at the company's discretion. Source: https://nodebb.org/pricing ## Key features - **Forum software you can host yourself:** The code is on GitHub under the GPLv3, with installation instructions in the documentation portal. - **Managed hosting:** Hosted plans include SSL, a custom domain, unlimited staff users, custom plugins and priority support. - **Pageview-based tiers:** Hosted plans step from 50,000 to 10,000,000 pageviews a month, with storage from 5 GB to 300 GB. - **Enterprise services:** Custom feature development, theme customization, single sign-on, migration from an existing forum and self-hosting options. - **Free hosting for open-source projects:** Qualifying public open-source projects can ask for a free Starter-level forum on a project.nodebb.com address. ## Good for - Developers who want to run a forum on their own Node.js server - Brands and groups that want a hosted forum on their own domain - Open-source projects looking for a contributor forum ## Worth knowing - Hosted plans are limited by monthly pageviews and storage, and the next tier up costs several times more. - The free trial for hosted plans requires a credit card. - Self-hosting means you provide, secure and update the server yourself. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. NodeBB is forum software you can host yourself under the GPLv3 or rent from $20 a month. The hosted plans are capped by pageviews and storage, and each step up costs several times more. - **Value for money: B.** Hosted Starter is $20 a month, the cheaper-quarter line for the category, and self-hosting is free but needs your own server. - **Free plan and trial: C.** Self-hosting costs nothing but a server; the hosted 14-day trial needs a card. - **Features: B.** Forum software with plugins, hosting, SSO and migration on offer. The listing shows no gap in the core work. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. Hosted is easy, but self-hosting needs a server you run. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only, and no integrations are listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from NodeBB'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 - NodeBB's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 66 of the 98 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 16. - It stands best on value for money (B, above 79 of 98) and worst on platforms and integrations (C, above 0). - Its paid plans start at $20 a month, against a middle price of $36 for the category: 16 of the 65 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/courses-communities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Your call.** NodeBB sits between: not beyond making, and not a weekend's work either. What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call. It costs $240 a year. NodeBB is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself. - You could make: It runs in a browser, which is where something home-made would run too. - You could not: A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on. - 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, Self-hostable ## Alternatives - [Discourse](https://toolgpa.com/tools/discourse): Open-source discussion forum software with hosted plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/discourse-vs-nodebb) - [Flarum](https://toolgpa.com/tools/flarum): Free open-source forum software you host yourself. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/flarum-vs-nodebb) - [Vanilla Forums](https://toolgpa.com/tools/vanilla-forums): Customer community software, now sold as Higher Logic Vanilla. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/nodebb-vs-vanilla-forums) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://nodebb.org/ - https://nodebb.org/pricing Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/nodebb Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).