Discourse vs Hivebrite
Discourse and Hivebrite are both community platforms tools. Discourse is aimed at developers and enterprise, while Hivebrite is aimed at enterprise and small businesses. Discourse costs less, from $100/mo versus $895/mo for Hivebrite. Only Discourse has a free plan.
Modern open-source forum software
Branded community platform for alumni, associations and nonprofits
| Pricing | Open source · $100 | Paid · $895 |
| Starting price | $100/mo | $895/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers, Enterprise | Enterprise, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web | web, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2013 | FR |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Discourse if
Companies and projects that want durable, searchable community knowledge.
- Searchable, SEO-friendly knowledge
- Open source and self-hostable
- Mature moderation
Look elsewhere if: Casual real-time chat communities (Discord).
Choose Hivebrite if
Universities, associations and nonprofits that need a branded, governed member community integrated with their CRM or AMS.
- Purpose-built for alumni, associations and institutional communities
- Unlimited users on every plan
- Strong governance for chapters and regional sub-communities
Look elsewhere if: Creators and small startups that want a quick, low-cost community with self-serve pricing (Circle or Mighty Networks).
Discourse vs Hivebrite pricing
Discourse
- Self-hosted$0Open source (GPL), run on your own servers
- Free$0Hosted; 2 staff seats, 500k page views, 5 GB storage
- Pro$100/mo5 staff seats, 20 GB storage, 15+ plugins
- Business$500/mo15 staff seats, 100 GB storage, priority support
- EnterpriseCustomUnlimited staff, 1M+ page views, 99.9% uptime
Hivebrite
- Core$895/moBilled annually; unlimited users, 2 admins, 5 groups
- Flex$1,995/moBilled annually; 5 admins, 5 group admins, 10 groups
- PrimeCustomQuoted after discovery; 10 admins, 25 groups, sub-communities
- Custom FitCustomCustom limits, workflows and integrations
Discourse · Key features
- Threaded discussions with categories and tags
- Trust levels and moderation tools
- Real-time chat channels
- Discourse AI: summaries, search, related topics
- SSO and API
- Plugins and themes
Cons
- Less real-time feel than Discord
- Self-hosting requires maintenance
- Hosted plans pricey at scale
Hivebrite · Key features
- Searchable member directory with custom profile fields
- Events with registration, ticketing and virtual or in-person formats
- Memberships, dues and donations with payment gateways like Stripe
- Groups, chapters and sub-communities with their own admins
- Mentoring programs with AI-based matching from Orbiit
- Email campaigns, automations and member journeys
Cons
- No self-serve trial, and Prime and Custom Fit are quote-only
- Costly for small or creator-led communities
- Mobile app, languages and connectors are paid extensions
Discourse vs Hivebrite: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Discourse or Hivebrite?
Discourse starts at $100/mo and Hivebrite at $895/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Discourse and Hivebrite have a free plan?
Discourse has a free plan. Hivebrite has no free plan.
Which is better for small businesses, Discourse or Hivebrite?
Hivebrite lists small businesses as a core audience, while Discourse is aimed more at developers and enterprise.