Discourse vs Skool

Discourse9.4Visit Skool8.6Visit

Higher score Discourse #1 in Online Community Platforms 9.4/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Discourse

vs

Skool #7 in Online Community Platforms 8.6/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Skool

• Discourse fits best

  Flexible communities needing strong moderation

• Skool fits best

  Low-cost course-led communities

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 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Skool 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.6
Ranking	#1 in Online Community Platforms	#7 in Online Community Platforms
Best for	Flexible communities needing strong moderation	Low-cost course-led communities
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$100/mo	$9/mo (best)
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	Docs
Integrations	11 integrations	2 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Discourse 1/3 · Skool 0/3
Private groups	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Direct messaging	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Custom domain	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Member limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Moderation tools	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Mobile apps	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Searchable discussions, chat, private spaces, and event capabilities Detailed moderation with flagging, review queues, and trust levels Open source with web, mobile, API, and self-hosted options	Unlimited members, courses, videos, and live calls on both plans Native events, live calls, chat, courses, and community discussions Private access, moderation, mobile apps, Zapier, and API-key integration
Cons	The cheapest paid hosted plan is $100 per month Advanced reporting, analytics, and automation require Business Broad functionality may exceed the needs of chat-only communities	No free plan is available Hobby charges a 10% transaction fee Integrations and customization are comparatively limited
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 →	Skool is a hosted community platform for creators, educators, experts, hobbyists, and artists. It combines community posts, courses, events, live calls, direct messaging, membership payments, and gamification in one service. Owners can… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Discourse — where it wins

  • Searchable discussions, chat, private spaces, and event capabilities
  • Detailed moderation with flagging, review queues, and trust levels
  • Open source with web, mobile, API, and self-hosted options

  Where it doesn't

  • The cheapest paid hosted plan is $100 per month
  • Advanced reporting, analytics, and automation require Business
  • Broad functionality may exceed the needs of chat-only communities

• Skool — where it wins

  • Unlimited members, courses, videos, and live calls on both plans
  • Native events, live calls, chat, courses, and community discussions
  • Private access, moderation, mobile apps, Zapier, and API-key integration

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is available
  • Hobby charges a 10% transaction fee
  • Integrations and customization are comparatively limited

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

  A flexible discussion hub with chat, moderation, private spaces, and self-hosting.

  Visit DiscourseFull verdict →
• Skool8.6/10 · Paid

  A low-cost community platform with courses, events, payments, and gamification.

  Visit SkoolFull verdict →