Discourse Alternatives

Discourse is described as 'open source discussion platform built for the next decade of the Internet. A modern forum, everything's been redesigned to be easy' and is a very popular app in the social & communications category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Discourse for a variety of platforms, including Online / Web-based, Self-Hosted solutions, Linux, Mac and Windows. The best alternative is Flarum, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Discourse are Kialo, Simple Machines Forum, NodeBB and MyBB.

Discourse alternatives are mainly Social Networks but may also be Q&A Services or Blog Publishing Tools. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Discourse.

This page was last updated

Discourse

133

Free Personal • Open Source

Online
Self-Hosted
Ruby
JavaScript
Cloudron
Docker

Discourse is an open source discussion platform built for the next decade of the Internet. A modern forum, everything's...

Learn more about Discourse

Flarum
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Self-Hosted
PHP
Apache HTTP Server
47 alternatives to Flarum
Flarum is free, open-source forum software with a focus on simplicity. You can use Flarum to easily set up a discussion forum for your website. Flarum is developed openly on GitHub.
Suggest and vote on features
Flarum Features
1. LightweightFlarum consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsFlarum can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
3. Support for ThemesYou can use themes and templates to change the look and feel of Flarum.
Visual design
Web Forms
Flarum vs Discourse
Almost everyone thinks Flarum is a great alternative to Discourse.
Guest
Works on more shared-hosting environments, and is more cleanly designed / easy to set up.
Positive comment• ago

5

yaoqb
Its fast lite-weight and easy, works with php and mariadb/mysql
Positive comment• ago

2
Kialo
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Online
15 alternatives to Kialo
Kialo is an easy to use, yet powerful tool to engage in thoughtful discussion, understand different points of view, and help with collaborative decision-making.
Suggest and vote on features
Kialo Features
1. Ad-freeKialo doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
Debate
Collaborative decision making
Argument mapping
Discussion lists
Team management
Add collaborators/moderators
Idea evaluation
Simple Machines Forum
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Self-Hosted
45 alternatives to Simple Machines Forum
Simple Machines Forum — SMF in short — is a free, professional grade software package that allows you to set up your own online community within minutes.
Suggest and vote on features
Simple Machines Forum Features
User friendly
Portal
NodeBB
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Open Source
Online
Self-Hosted
Sandstorm.io
MongoDB
Redis
Cloudron
Node.JS
44 alternatives to NodeBB
A community forum allows you to engage and retain customers, keeping them interested and up-to-date with your latest product or service.

NodeBB has no features, suggest some!
MyBB
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Self-Hosted
46 alternatives to MyBB
MyBB is the free and open source, intuitive, extensible, and incredibly powerful forum software you've been looking for.
Suggest and vote on features
MyBB Features
Integrated Spam Protection
ZeroTalk
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Self-Hosted
Python
JSON
JavaScript
ZeroNet
21 alternatives to ZeroTalk
Forum(s) built with JavaScript ( with CoffeeScript ) and alternativeto.net/software/json for the database distributed by the network .
Suggest and vote on features
ZeroTalk Features
1. DecentralizedZeroTalk is based on a decentralized infrastructure with no single entity controlling it.
Distributed
ZeroTalk vs Discourse
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
ZeroTalk requires Zeronet to run, while anyone with an internect connection can connect to discourse.
Negative comment• ago

-2
phpBB
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Self-Hosted
PHP
52 alternatives to phpBB
Since its creation in 2000, phpBB™ has become the most widely used Open Source forum solution. Like its predecessors, phpBB™ 3.2 “Rhea” has an easy to use administration panel and a user friendly installation process, which allows you to have a forum set up in minutes.

phpBB has no features, suggest some!

phpBB vs Discourse
Some users think phpBB is a great alternative to Discourse, some don't.
FluxBB
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
43 alternatives to FluxBB
FluxBB is a fast, light, user-friendly forum application for your website. FluxBB was designed as a lighter, faster alternative to some of the traditional feature heavy forum applications. It is easy to use and has a proven track record of stability and security making it an...
Suggest and vote on features
FluxBB Features
Website integration
Discontinued
since 2018 no commit
Add a screenshot
Get Satisfaction
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Customer Feedback Manager
Online
166 alternatives to Get Satisfaction
Get Satisfaction is a community platform that helps companies create engaging customer experiences by fostering online conversations about their products and services at every stage of the lifecycle.

Get Satisfaction has no features, suggest some!
Open Social
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Social Network
Online
Self-Hosted
Software as a Service (SaaS)
49 alternatives to Open Social
Open Social is a purpose-built community engagement platform. Developed on top of a powerful open-source Drupal technology framework, Open Social allows organizations to create a central online hub for their members.
Suggest and vote on features
Open Social Features
1. Privacy focusedOpen Social is considered a privacy friendly alternative.