# Discourse vs Ning

| Attribute | Discourse | Ning |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 58.6 (42% (low)) | 65.2 (26% (low)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source, customizable community discussion platform combining forums, real-time chat, and AI-assisted moderation. Available as managed hosting or self-hosted, designed for organizations from startups to enterprises to build engaged communities. | Ning is a platform for creating branded online communities with drag-and-drop design, member management, discussion forums, events, and monetization features. It serves educators, nonprofits, enthusiasts, and businesses seeking to build engaged communities around shared interests. |
| integrations.count | 24 | 7 |
| integrations.list | `[{"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":"Google"},{"name":"Facebook"},{"name":"LinkedIn"},{"name":"YouTube"},{"name":"Vimeo"},{"name":"MailChimp"},{"name":"Twitter"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"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"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$12.50/month, billed annually","features":["Drag & Drop Builder","Photo & Video","Events & Posts","Activity Feed","Multiple Blogs & Forums","Custom Groups & Member Onboarding","Analytics & GA Tools","Referral Program","Broadcast Messages","Social Network Integration","Social Sharing","Social Login","SEO Tools","Community & Forum Support (24hr response)"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":12.5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Entry-level plan for testing platform features","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"up to 1000","storage":"10 GB","rss_feeds":"1"}},{"free":false,"name":"Basic","summary":"$27.95/month, billed annually","features":["Drag & Drop Builder","Photo & Video","Events & Posts","Activity Feed","Multiple Blogs & Forums","Custom Groups & Member Onboarding","Analytics & GA Tools","Referral Program","Broadcast Messages","Social Network Integration","Social Sharing","Social Login","SEO Tools","Custom Domain Mapping","Email Support (12hr response)"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":27.95,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For small communities, classrooms, nonprofits, and family groups","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"up to 1000","storage":"10 GB"}},{"free":false,"name":"Performance","summary":"$54.95/month, billed annually","features":["Drag & Drop Builder","Photo & Video","Events & Posts","Activity Feed","Multiple Blogs & Forums","Custom Groups & Member Onboarding","Analytics & GA Tools","Referral Program","Broadcast Messages","Social Network Integration","Social Sharing","Social Login","SEO Tools","Custom Domain Mapping","Custom HTML Design","API Access","E-commerce Platform","MailChimp Email Automation","Live Chat Support"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":54.95,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Design flexibility and customization for larger communities","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"up to 10000","storage":"50 GB","rss_feeds":"15"}},{"free":false,"name":"Ultimate","summary":"$107.95/month, billed annually","features":["Drag & Drop Builder","Photo & Video","Events & Posts","Activity Feed","Multiple Blogs & Forums","Custom Groups & Member Onboarding","Analytics & GA Tools","Referral Program","Broadcast Messages","Social Network Integration","Social Sharing","Social Login","SEO Tools","Custom Domain Mapping","Custom HTML Design","API Access","E-commerce Platform","MailChimp Email Automation","Personal Manager","24/7 Phone Support"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":107.95,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Premium tier with maximum features, bandwidth, and dedicated support","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"up to 100000","storage":"100 GB","rss_feeds":"25"}}],"summary":"From $12.50/month (annual billing). Free 14-day trial on all plans.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.ning.com/de/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T12:51:17.410Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":12.5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | high | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.9 | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |

## Capabilities (Community Platforms)

| Capability | Discourse | Ning |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **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 | - | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:02:34.398Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*