# Bettermode vs Discourse

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Bettermode

| Attribute | Bettermode | Discourse |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 64.9 (73% (medium)) | 59.7 (55% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A SaaS platform that enables teams to build branded online communities for customer engagement, retention, and conversation management without relying on third-party services. It is indexed under Community Platforms.","source":"https://bettermode.com/pricing","question":"What is Bettermode?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Bettermode is a paid product; published pricing starts at $399 per month. It is sold across 3 plans (Starter, Growth and Enterprise). There is no free tier. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://bettermode.com/pricing","question":"How much does Bettermode cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Bettermode. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://bettermode.com/pricing","question":"What platforms does Bettermode support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Bettermode, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://bettermode.com/pricing","question":"Can Bettermode be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 22 integrations for Bettermode, including Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Intercom, Slack, Zapier, Mailchimp and Mixpanel, plus 14 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://bettermode.com/pricing","question":"What does Bettermode integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR for Bettermode. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Bettermode not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://bettermode.com/pricing","question":"What security certifications does Bettermode have?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"A free, open-source platform for building online communities that can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure or run on official Discourse hosting, with built-in real-time chat and customizable themes. It is indexed under Community Platforms.","source":"https://www.discourse.org","question":"What is Discourse?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Discourse offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $100 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.discourse.org/pricing","question":"Is Discourse free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Discourse supports the web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.discourse.org","question":"What platforms does Discourse support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Discourse can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.discourse.org","question":"Can Discourse be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 22 integrations for Discourse, including Slack, Telegram, Discord, Mattermost, Matrix, Zulip, Rocket.Chat and Gitter, plus 14 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.discourse.org/pricing","question":"What does Discourse integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Discourse. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Discourse not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.discourse.org/privacy","question":"What security certifications does Discourse have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Discourse is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://www.discourse.org/pricing","question":"Where is Discourse available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A SaaS platform for marketing and customer success teams to build customizable, white-labeled online communities. It provides spaces for Q&A, discussions, events, and member interaction with integrations to existing business tools. | A free, open-source platform for building online communities that can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure or run on official Discourse hosting, with built-in real-time chat and customizable themes. |
| features.capabilities | `{"iso_27001":true,"soc2_type_ii":true,"pricing_model":"monthly_subscription_tiered","custom_css_and_html_theme_editing":true,"mobile_app_ios_android_deployment":true,"event_calendar_and_rsvp_management":true,"salesforce_hubspot_crm_contact_sync":true,"gamification_badges_and_leaderboards":true,"custom_domain_cname_and_white_labeling":true,"member_directory_and_direct_messaging_dm":true}` | `{"pricing_model":"monthly_subscription_tiered","custom_css_and_html_theme_editing":true,"mobile_app_ios_android_deployment":true,"event_calendar_and_rsvp_management":true,"gamification_badges_and_leaderboards":true,"custom_domain_cname_and_white_labeling":true,"native_paywalls_and_paid_subscriptions":true,"member_directory_and_direct_messaging_dm":true}` |
| integrations.count | 13 | 12 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Salesforce"},{"name":"HubSpot"},{"name":"Zendesk"},{"name":"Intercom"},{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Zapier"},{"name":"Mailchimp"},{"name":"Mixpanel"},{"name":"Amplitude"},{"name":"Fullstory"},{"name":"Google Analytics"},{"name":"Segment"},{"name":"Notion"},{"name":"Google","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Facebook","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"LinkedIn","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Discord","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Auth0","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"WordPress","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Okta","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Google Tag Manager","native":true,"category":"analytics","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Teachable","native":true,"category":"education","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Thinkific","native":true,"category":"education","direction":"inbound"}]` | `[{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Telegram"},{"name":"Discord"},{"name":"Mattermost"},{"name":"Matrix"},{"name":"Zulip"},{"name":"Rocket.Chat"},{"name":"Gitter"},{"name":"Stride"},{"name":"Microsoft Teams"},{"name":"Basecamp"},{"name":"IRC Cloud"},{"name":"Flock"},{"name":"Webex"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Google Adsense"},{"name":"Google Ad Manager"},{"name":"Amazon Affiliates"},{"name":"Patreon"},{"name":"Google"},{"name":"Facebook"},{"name":"X"},{"name":"Apple"},{"name":"Mastodon"},{"name":"Amazon","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"LinkedIn","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Microsoft","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"OAuth2 and OpenID Connect","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"SAML","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Learning Management Systems (LTI 1.3)","native":true,"category":"education","direction":"inbound"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$149/month or $1,788/year","features":["Core apps: Q&A, Discussion, Events, Polls","Custom Domain","API access (limited)","Private messaging & chat","Social login (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Discord, Slack)","Basic Analytics","Chat & Email Support","Member Profile and Directory","In-app Notification","Theme customization"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":149,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":1788,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Launch a branded community you own, instead of another Slack or Discord group.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"10,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Growth","summary":"$1,500/month or $18,000/year","features":["All Starter features","Hands-on onboarding","Ask AI and Federated search","API, Webhooks, and Sandbox Environment","Sender email customization","OAuth2 and JWT","Custom Profile Fields","Advanced Analytics","Data Residency","MCP (AI connector)","Auth integration (Auth0, WordPress, Okta, Custom)"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1500,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":18000,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For teams scaling an established community, with AI search and deeper integrations.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"25,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["All Growth features","Dedicated Customer Success Manager","Custom invoicing, purchase orders and net terms","Custom CMS","SAML single sign-on","SOC 2 (Type II)","GDPR & CCPA","99.9% Uptime SLA","Audit log (90 days)","Data Encryption","Security and legal review"],"description":"Full design control, custom content models and enterprise-grade security.","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"members":"100,000+"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Toggy (AI community management)","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":750,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $149/month. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://bettermode.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-10-06T10:10:11.731Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":149,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free tier, 2 staff seats","features":["Unlimited members and chat","2 staff seats","Public and private categories","Community support"],"minSeats":2,"description":"Basic tier for exploring community features","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"storage":"5GB","max_categories":"10","monthly_emails":"20k","ai_daily_credits":"100k","monthly_page_views":"500k","translation_languages":"2"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$100/month, 5 staff seats","features":["Unlimited members and chat","Unlimited public and private categories","Unlimited tags","Custom groups","5 staff seats","Email support","Custom and community themes","Custom domain","API and Webhook access","15+ plugins"],"minSeats":5,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For growing communities needing scaling and brand customization","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"storage":"20GB","monthly_emails":"100k","ai_daily_credits":"500k","monthly_page_views":"1000000+","translation_languages":"4"}},{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"$500/month, 15 staff seats","features":["All Pro features plus:","Advanced reporting and analytics","Automation","Events","Gamification","15 staff seats","SSO (OpenID & OAuth2)","20+ additional plugins","Priority support","Migration services"],"minSeats":15,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":500,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For established communities requiring advanced features and integrations","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"storage":"100GB","monthly_emails":"300k","ai_daily_credits":"1000000","monthly_page_views":"1000000+","translation_languages":"5"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing, unlimited staff seats, enterprise SLA","features":["All Business features plus:","Unlimited staff seats","Expert design and development services","99.9% uptime SLA","50+ plugins","GDPR and CCPA compliant hosting","Dedicated infrastructure","Custom development and integrations","SAML and enterprise authentication","White-glove onboarding"],"description":"Custom infrastructure for mission-critical communities with dedicated support and deep customization","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"storage":"200GB+","staff_seats":"Unlimited","monthly_emails":"1500000+","ai_daily_credits":"5000000","translation_languages":"10"}}],"summary":"From $100/month. Free tier available.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.discourse.org/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T12:53:42.083Z","startingPrice":{"amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | high | high |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":149,"currency":"USD"}` | `{"amount":100,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.9 | 99.9 |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","level":"Type II","status":"active"}]` | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.trust_center | - | https://www.discourse.org/privacy |

## Capabilities (Community Platforms)

| Capability | Bettermode | Discourse |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Gamification badges and leaderboards | ✓ | ✓ |
| Native live video streaming | - | - |
| Native paywalls and paid subscriptions | - | ✓ |
| Event calendar and rsvp management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Member directory and direct messaging dm | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom domain cname and white labeling | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom css and html theme editing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Salesforce hubspot CRM contact sync | ✓ | - |
| Mobile app ios android deployment | ✓ | ✓ |
| SOC2 type ii | ✓ | - |
| ISO 27001 | ✓ | - |
| Pricing model | Monthly subscription tiered | Monthly subscription tiered |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:53:40.508Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*