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Discourse Online Community Management Software logo
Discourse
Foster Vibrant Online Communities
4.0

( 63 )

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Discourse Reviews: 4.0/5 — Solid Choice

Discourse Overview
What is Discourse?

Discourse is a great tool for creating online forum experiences. The Discourse ecosystem is designed to be easy to use and user-friendly, with a range of features like spam blocking, moderation, and notifications. The open-source environment also integrates with tools like Slack, Zendesk, and WordPress. The platform supports convenient forum design and provides a range of native integrations, automatic trust systems, and a comprehensive reporting dashboard where users learn more forum trends to help them learn more about the audience and drive more insightful discussions.

Company Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc.
Year founded 2013
Company size 11-50 employees
Headquarters New York, NY, USA
Social Media
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Ask Questions about Discourse
What Discourse is best for?
How does Discourse compare to Bettermode?
What are the pros and cons of Discourse?
Discourse Product Details
Capabilities
API
CLI
OSS
Segment
Small Business
Mid Market
Enterprise
Deployment Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based, On-Premise Linux
Training Documentation
Languages English
Discourse Pros and Cons
Pros
  • Open source environment gives users more control
  • Simple user interface for creators and forum users
  • Automatic trust system minimizes spam
Cons
  • Limited to only forum functionality
  • Open source environment requires coding knowledge.
Discourse Features
API Access
Activity Feed
Analytics and Reporting
Automated Workflows
Branding Customization
Content Library
Content Moderation
Content Scheduling
Customizable Profiles
Discussion Forums
Event Management
File Sharing
Discourse Media
Discourse 0
Discourse 1
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Discourse 3
Discourse Screenshots
Discourse screenshot 1
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Discourse screenshot 4
Disclaimer
Our research is curated from diverse authoritative sources and meant to offer general advice. We don’t guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each use-case, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services. Feel free to share your feedback.
Last updated: July 26, 2026
Discourse Online Community Management Software logo
63 Discourse Reviews
4.0 out of 5
Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Jan 29, 2019
 Source
Overall Rating:
3.5
AG
Verified Reviewer
Founder
Share
"Great way to email clients"
What do you like best about Discourse?

I like that you can use it for email distributing .

What do you dislike about Discourse?

There is not much that I do not like about the software.

What problems is Discourse solving and how is that benefiting you?

I am able to get more emails out and interact with our customers more efficiently.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Jan 28, 2019
 Source
Overall Rating:
3.5
AG
Verified Reviewer
Founder
Share
"Great for communication"
What do you like best about Discourse?

I use this to communicate with my colleagues.

What do you dislike about Discourse?

I've used other programs for this, which I like better.

What problems is Discourse solving and how is that benefiting you?

Easy to use for communication.

Small Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Jan 28, 2019
 Source
Overall Rating:
3.5
AG
Verified Reviewer
Founder
Share
"Good open source discussion software"
What do you like best about Discourse?

Open source, simplistic and streamlined.

What do you dislike about Discourse?

Limitations on installation of the discourse.

What problems is Discourse solving and how is that benefiting you?

Cheap alternative that is open source. Easy to save money using it while maintaining communication.

Mid Market (51-1000 emp.)
Jan 28, 2019
 Source
Overall Rating:
3.5
AG
Verified Reviewer
Founder
Share
"Great Communication Software"
What do you like best about Discourse?

Discourse is a great plateforme for discussion among group members and professionals. The group members can be assigned certain roles which allows for good moderation and identification of leadership. Topics of discussion can be easily organized as well. The application is very flexible and allows customization of discussion forums.

What do you dislike about Discourse?

Sometimes the discussion can get easily disorganized because replies to conversation build up. So it can be hard to separate the topic of discussion and tangents. The application also takes used to navigating.

What problems is Discourse solving and how is that benefiting you?

Discourse is being used as the main platform for discussion and communication among team members. A benefit is that everything is all in one place and very organized.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Jan 28, 2019
 Source
Overall Rating:
3.5
VT
Victor T.
Técnico Senior Tech Center
Share
"One of the best open source softwares to inet forums."
What do you like best about Discourse?

Its strengths are that it innovates in the field of existing forums software by including features popularized recently by large social networks, such as infinite scrolling, live updates, link expansion, and drag-and-drop attachments.

What do you dislike about Discourse?

The truth is... I do not know what to put as dislike... Because both administration and the actual update are solid and improved in each version. Truthfully, I would say that your support could be better. But the tutorials and help in the app are gorgeous.

What problems is Discourse solving and how is that benefiting you?

I use to test it only.

Mid Market (51-1000 emp.)
Jan 28, 2019
 Source
Overall Rating:
3.5
KL
Krys L.
Product Manager
Share
"Great Forum Software!!!"
What do you like best about Discourse?

The ability to have both private and public threads make it possible to have as much privacy as you would like.

What do you dislike about Discourse?

The tags are a bit confusing, could be more user friendly. Also, private messages are not private to admins.

What problems is Discourse solving and how is that benefiting you?

Open source is a huge plus. Speaking to the discussion side, community members are more prone to engage here as well. You can easily track conversations and not be bogged down with hundreds of messages since posts are written more fluidly here.

Mid Market (51-1000 emp.)
Jan 28, 2019
 Source
Overall Rating:
3.5
SV
Sonya V.
Mortgage Broker
Share
"Excellent!"
What do you like best about Discourse?

Ease of communication. This makes communication among our group of Experts really easy. The software is initiative and easy to access,. You can organize and customize messages, inbox, and the communication means to your standard.

What do you dislike about Discourse?

There is still a lot of understanding left, we are still struggling to understand the software.

What problems is Discourse solving and how is that benefiting you?

Discourse is not very expensive, turned out pretty handy for us, would recommend.

Mid Market (51-1000 emp.)
Jan 28, 2019
 Source
Overall Rating:
3.5
SV
Sahil V.
Business System Analyst Ii
Share
"Best for online forums "
What do you like best about Discourse?

It’s one of the easiest way to create forum online. The best part is we can assign n number of admins to any forum and The interface is very simple and modern.

What do you dislike about Discourse?

So far this software works fine for me but when it comes to customisations or to edit any existing forum. It doesn’t perform well

What problems is Discourse solving and how is that benefiting you?

I am using this in my organisation for taking opinions of my other colleagues.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Jan 28, 2019
 Source
Overall Rating:
3.5
KK
Kensei K.
Service Desk Analyst
Share
"Perfect for forums"
What do you like best about Discourse?

Easy to use and has the functionalities I need

What do you dislike about Discourse?

The minimum requirements to use are a bit high so if you have old devices it’s sometimes not comaptible

What problems is Discourse solving and how is that benefiting you?

We have been able to utilize the forum aspect very well and also make sure all our users can use the forums easily

Mid Market (51-1000 emp.)
Jan 28, 2019
 Source
Overall Rating:
3.5
BK
Briana Amirsharafi K.
Teacher
Share
"Worth Your Exploration "
What do you like best about Discourse?

This platform,does as promised.It allows you to participate in online forums and discussions,with ease.

What do you dislike about Discourse?

I don’t have anything negative to say about the app.

What problems is Discourse solving and how is that benefiting you?

With access to various forums,I’m able to seek the input of other educators.It has put me in contact with those that I wouldn’t have met before.