---
title: Discourse vs Heartbeat Chat
products:
- discourse
- heartbeat-chat
updated_at: '2025-03-04T14:19:39Z'
---

# Discourse vs Heartbeat Chat

Side-by-side comparison of Discourse and Heartbeat Chat.

## Quick comparison

| Attribute | Discourse | Heartbeat Chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Category | Online Community Management Software | Online Community Management Software |
| Rating | 4.0/5 (63) | 4.9/5 (20) |
| Starting price | from $25.0 per month | — |
| Free plan | No | No |
| API | Yes | No |
| AI features | No | No |
| Open source | Yes | No |

## Unique strengths

**Discourse:** Activity Feed, Analytics and Reporting, Branding Customization, Content Moderation, Customizable Profiles, Discussion Forums, Live Chat, Member Directory

## Discourse

> Foster Vibrant Online Communities

- **Category:** Online Community Management Software
- **Vendor:** Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc.
- **Website:** https://www.discourse.org/
- **Rating:** 4.0/5 (63 reviews)
- **Capabilities:** API, CLI, open source

Discourse is a great tool for creating online forum experiences. The Discourse ecosystem is designed to be easy to use and user-friendly, with a range of features like spam blocking, moderation, and notifications. The open-source environment also integrates with tools like Slack, Zendesk, and WordPress. The platform supports convenient forum design and provides a range of native integrations, automatic trust systems, and a comprehensive reporting dashboard where users learn more forum trends to help them learn more about the audience and drive more insightful discussions.

**Pros:** - Open source environment gives users more control
- Simple user interface for creators and forum users
- Automatic trust system minimizes spam

**Cons:** - Limited to only forum functionality
- Open source environment requires coding knowledge.

**Pricing:**
- Basic: $25.0 per month
- Standard: $100.0 per month
- Business: $300.0 per month
- Enterprise: Custom

**Reviewer segments:** Small Business 44.4%; Mid Market 38.1%; Enterprise 17.5%

**Deployment:** Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based, On-Premise Linux

**Training:** Documentation

**Integrations (15):** Algolia, DigitalOcean, DigitalOcean Droplets, Dropbox, GitLab, Google Analytics, Intercom, KeyCDN, Patreon, Sentry, Short Pixel, Slack, Trello, Zapier, Zoom

**Vendor:** Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc. · New York, NY, USA · founded 2013

## Heartbeat Chat


- **Category:** Online Community Management Software
- **Website:** https://heartbeat.chat
- **Rating:** 4.9/5 (20 reviews)

Heartbeat.chat is a comprehensive platform designed for building and managing online communities. It offers a suite of features that facilitate real-time communication, event management, and content sharing, making it suitable for various groups such as educational institutions, support networks, and professional organizations.

**Reviewer segments:** Small Business 85.0%; Mid Market 10.0%; Enterprise 5.0%

**Deployment:** Cloud / SaaS / Web-Based

**Support:** Email/Help Desk

**Training:** Documentation