Discourse vs Mattermost Pricing (2026)

How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.

Discourse pricing Mattermost pricing
Starts at $100/mo Custom
Number of plans 3 3
Free plan — —
Free trial —
Pricing model flat-rate custom

Price is one row. To weigh the features too, use our feature comparison template →

Discourse pricing

Official page

Pro

$100/mo
  • Unlimited members & chat
  • Unlimited public & private categories
  • Unlimited tags
  • Custom groups
  • Email support
  • Custom & community themes
  • Custom domain
  • API and Webhook access
  • 15+ plugins
  • 5 staff seats

Business

$500/mo
  • Advanced reporting & analytics
  • Automation
  • Events
  • Gamification
  • SSO (Open ID & OAuth2)
  • 20+ additional plugins
  • 15 staff seats
  • Priority support
  • Standard migration services

Enterprise

Custom
  • Expert design & development services
  • 99.9% uptime guarantee
  • Custom migration services
  • GDPR & CCPA compliant hosting
  • 50+ additional plugins
  • Unlimited staff seats

Mattermost pricing

Official page

Professional

Custom
  • Messaging, File Sharing, and Link and File Previews across Device Platforms
  • 1:1 Audio Calls and Screen Sharing
  • Threaded Discussions
  • Core Search up to 3 Million Posts
  • Custom Branding, Themes, and Emojis
  • Hashtags
  • Channel Categorization
  • Available in 20 Languages
  • Multi-Window Desktop
  • Compact View
  • Markdown Compatibility
  • Message Priority
  • Persistent Notifications
  • Group Calling and Screen Share
  • Guest Accounts
  • Custom User Groups
  • System-Wide Notifications
  • Multifactor Authentication
  • Single Sign-On
  • AD/LDAP User Sync
  • Advanced Access Controls
  • Interactive AI Bot Support
  • Bring-Your-Own & Multi-LLM Integration
  • Multiplayer Tool Calling
  • Operational and DevOps Integrations
  • Community Support
  • Professional Support

Enterprise

Popular
Custom
  • Sovereign AI
  • Contextual Summarization and Composition
  • Real-Time Channel Briefing
  • Universal Connector with Model Context Protocol (MCP)
  • Agents Enhanced Search
  • Enterprise LLM Management
  • Sovereign Agentic Web Search
  • Channel-Context Summarization
  • Agents Token Accounting
  • Tool Policy Editor
  • Agent Creation
  • Calls with Live-Text Transcription & AI Summaries
  • Video Integrations
  • Microsoft Teams Messaging Integration
  • Shared Channels
  • Federation (Matrix Protocol Interoperability)
  • FIPS 140-3 Compliant
  • STIG-Hardened Image for DoD Information Assurance Standards
  • Collaborative Playbooks
  • Workflow Dashboards
  • Mobile Playbooks
  • Enhanced Run Reports
  • Channel Checklists
  • AI-Assisted Summaries and Retrospectives
  • Granular Role-Based Access Controls
  • AD/LDAP Group, Channel, and Team Sync
  • Delegated Granular Administration
  • Data Retention Policy
  • Legal Hold
  • Compliance Export and eDiscovery Automation
  • Channel Export
  • Custom End User Terms of Service
  • High Availability Cluster-Based Deployment
  • Horizontal Scalability Architecture
  • Enterprise Search (3M+ Posts)
  • Performance Monitoring
  • Advanced Logging
  • High Availability, Horizontally Scalable Calls and Screen Share
  • Supported Kubernetes Deployment
  • Scale to 50,000 Concurrent Users
  • Boards: Kanban-Style Project Management
  • Enterprise Mobility Management (AppConfig) Support

Enterprise Advanced

Custom
  • Mobile Biometrics
  • Mobile Data-at-Rest Encryption

Discourse vs Mattermost FAQ

Which one is cheaper?
One or both use custom pricing, so it depends on your specific needs.
Can I use either one for free?
Neither has a free plan. But Discourse offers a free trial.
How do they charge?
Different approach here. Discourse uses flat-rate pricing, while Mattermost goes with custom. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
Which one is a better deal?
Depends on what you need. Discourse: At $100-500/mo flat, Discourse undercuts enterprise community platforms like Khoros or Vanilla that price on usage or seats and can run into five figures monthly, but it's pricier than free/open-source alternatives since you're paying for hosting and support rather than the software itself. They're clearly courting mid-market teams who want a polished, maintained forum without either the DIY hosting hassle or enterprise-tier contracts. Mattermost: Mattermost plays in the on-prem/self-hosted-friendly corner of team chat, going after Slack and Microsoft Teams refugees who need data sovereignty — government, defense, and regulated industries. Hiding all pricing behind a sales call signals they're positioning as a premium, high-touch enterprise sell rather than competing on transparent self-serve pricing.

Still deciding? See the best Discourse alternatives or the best Mattermost alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.

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