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Head-to-head · Community Building Platforms

Discourse vs Salesforce Experience Cloud

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 2 checks side by side
Higher score Discourse #1 in Community Building Platforms 9.3/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Discourse
Salesforce Experience Cloud #5 in Community Building Platforms 8.6/10 Paid ✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Salesforce

Discourse leads on 1 check, Salesforce Experience Cloud on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 2 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreDiscourse · 9.3/10
  • Free planonly Discourse
  • Free trialonly Discourse

Discourse scores higher on our rubric for community building platforms: 9.3 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #5.

Discourse offers free plan; Salesforce Experience Cloud doesn't.

Discourse is the better fit for searchable communities needing broad control. Salesforce Experience Cloud is the better fit for salesforce teams building customer self-service portals.

  • Discourse fits best

    Searchable communities needing broad control

  • Salesforce Experience Cloud fits best

    Salesforce teams building customer self-service portals

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Discourse 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Salesforce Experience Cloud 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 8.6
Ranking #1 in Community Building Platforms #5 in Community Building Platforms
Best for Searchable communities needing broad control Salesforce teams building customer self-service portals
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $100/mo $2/unit/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial 14 days —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile Cloud
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web
Support Email, Community, Docs Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Discourse 1/3 · Salesforce Experience Cloud 1/3
Custom domain ✓ ✓
Branded mobile app Not checked yet Not checked yet
Events tools Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Member limit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Member monetization Not checked yet Not checked yet
Community formats Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Structured, searchable discussions sit alongside real-time chat.
  • Free plan includes unlimited members and chat, plus moderation tools.
  • Cloud hosting, self-hosting, mobile apps, and an official plugin ecosystem.
  • Branded portals with templates, custom domains, and Experience Builder
  • Case management, service requests, knowledge articles, and FAQs
  • SAML authentication plus CRM records, files, reports, and dashboards
Cons
  • Custom domains and API access start with the $100/month Pro plan.
  • Events, automation, analytics, and priority support require Business at $500/month.
  • Self-hosting gives teams more control but requires managing their own deployment.
  • Annual contracts are required for the listed plans
  • Login-based pricing starts at $2 per login per month, billed annually
  • Focused on customer self-service rather than broad social-community features
Our verdict

Discourse brings long-form, searchable discussions and real-time chat together in an open-source community platform. It is aimed at organizations, companies, teams, and projects building customer communities, internal collaboration spaces,…

Read the review →

Salesforce Experience Cloud helps organizations create branded websites, customer portals, partner portals, support communities, and web applications connected to Salesforce data. It suits teams that need authenticated external users to…

Read the review →
  1. DiscourseCommunity Building Platforms 9.3Free plan · 14-day trial
  2. Salesforce Experience CloudCommunity Building Platforms 8.6Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Discourse — where it wins

    • Structured, searchable discussions sit alongside real-time chat.
    • Free plan includes unlimited members and chat, plus moderation tools.
    • Cloud hosting, self-hosting, mobile apps, and an official plugin ecosystem.

    Where it doesn't

    • Custom domains and API access start with the $100/month Pro plan.
    • Events, automation, analytics, and priority support require Business at $500/month.
    • Self-hosting gives teams more control but requires managing their own deployment.

  • Salesforce Experience Cloud — where it wins

    • Branded portals with templates, custom domains, and Experience Builder
    • Case management, service requests, knowledge articles, and FAQs
    • SAML authentication plus CRM records, files, reports, and dashboards

    Where it doesn't

    • Annual contracts are required for the listed plans
    • Login-based pricing starts at $2 per login per month, billed annually
    • Focused on customer self-service rather than broad social-community features

More comparisons

All community building platforms comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update