Discourse vs Hivebrite

Discourse9.4Visit Hivebrite8.1Visit

Higher score Discourse #1 in Community Platforms 9.4/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Discourse

vs

Hivebrite #17 in Community Platforms 8.1/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Hivebrite

• Discourse fits best

  Established communities needing deep discussion tools

• Hivebrite fits best

  Large organizations with high community budgets

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Side by side

Feature	Discourse 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Hivebrite 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.1
Ranking	#1 in Community Platforms	#17 in Community Platforms
Best for	Established communities needing deep discussion tools	Large organizations with high community budgets
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$100/mo	—
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	14 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Community
Compliance	ISO 27001, GDPR, SSO/SAML	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI DSS, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations	11 integrations	10 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Discourse 4/4 · Hivebrite 4/4
Event hosting	✓	✓
Private spaces	✓	✓
Custom domain	✓	✓
Moderation tools	✓	✓
Specs
Member limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Mobile apps	Both	Both
Our review
Pros	Threaded discussions, chat, messaging, and searchable topics Detailed moderation with flagging, review queues, and trust levels Hosted or self-hosted deployment with APIs and mobile apps	Covers directories, groups, events, memberships, messaging, and analytics Supports private spaces, moderation, AI features, and mobile apps Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom, SSO, and APIs
Cons	Free plan includes only 2 staff seats Events and advanced analytics start on the Business plan Enterprise features use custom pricing	Starts at $895 per month with annual billing Advanced tiers require discovery or custom pricing White-label mobile apps are an extension rather than a shared app
Our verdict	Discourse is an open-source community platform for technology companies, organizations, developer communities, support teams, and other groups. It brings together searchable, long-form discussions, real-time chat, private messaging, member… Read the review →	Hivebrite is a SaaS community management and engagement platform for higher-education institutions, associations, nonprofits, and commercial organizations. It brings together member directories, customizable profiles, groups,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Discourse — where it wins

  • Threaded discussions, chat, messaging, and searchable topics
  • Detailed moderation with flagging, review queues, and trust levels
  • Hosted or self-hosted deployment with APIs and mobile apps

  Where it doesn't

  • Free plan includes only 2 staff seats
  • Events and advanced analytics start on the Business plan
  • Enterprise features use custom pricing

• Hivebrite — where it wins

  • Covers directories, groups, events, memberships, messaging, and analytics
  • Supports private spaces, moderation, AI features, and mobile apps
  • Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom, SSO, and APIs

  Where it doesn't

  • Starts at $895 per month with annual billing
  • Advanced tiers require discovery or custom pricing
  • White-label mobile apps are an extension rather than a shared app

• Discourse9.4/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A mature choice for communities that need discussion, chat, moderation, and private spaces.

  Visit DiscourseFull verdict →
• Hivebrite8.1/10 · Paid

  A broad community platform for organizations that need extensive features and integrations.

  Visit HivebriteFull verdict →