Discourse vs Invision Community
Please select two different options.
Discourse and Invision Community are both popular online community platforms, offering a range of features for managing discussions and interactions. Discourse focuses on modern design and user experience, while Invision Community offers a more traditional forum setup with extensive customization options.
General information
Discourse
Invision Community
Introduction :
Discourse is a modern, open-source platform for online community discussions. Launched in 2013, it has gained popularity for its user-friendly interface, robust features, and active community support. With a focus on fostering meaningful conversations and promoting user engagement, Discourse is a preferred choice for many organizations and websites looking to build vibrant online communities.
Discourse is a modern, open-source platform for online community discussions. Launched in 2013, it has gained popularity for its user-friendly interface, robust features, and active community support. With a focus on fostering meaningful conversations and promoting user engagement, Discourse is a preferred choice for many organizations and websites looking to build vibrant online communities.
Introduction :
Invision Community is a robust platform that offers a comprehensive suite of community building tools, including forums, blogs, and galleries. Launched in 2002, it has a strong reputation for being user-friendly and highly customizable. Invision Community is popular among online communities for its extensive features, active support community, and regular updates to keep pace with evolving online trends.
Invision Community is a robust platform that offers a comprehensive suite of community building tools, including forums, blogs, and galleries. Launched in 2002, it has a strong reputation for being user-friendly and highly customizable. Invision Community is popular among online communities for its extensive features, active support community, and regular updates to keep pace with evolving online trends.
Advantages :
- Easy to use interface for beginners
- Strong community support for troubleshooting
- Customizable with various plugins and themes
- Regular updates for security and performance
- Integration with popular third-party tools and services
Advantages :
- Easy to use and navigate interface
- Active and supportive community
- Regular updates and improvements
- Customizable design and functionality
- Integrated tools for engagement and analytics
Disadvantages :
- Limited customization options
- Steep learning curve for beginners
- Lack of built-in SEO features
- Limited plugin and theme options
- Higher cost compared to some competitors
Disadvantages :
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
- Limited customization options compared to others
- Higher cost for advanced features
- Limited third-party integrations
- Requires regular maintenance and updates
Website users : Over 30% of websites
Discourse is a popular platform used by a significant portion of websites, making it a widely adopted choice for online discussions.
Discourse is a popular platform used by a significant portion of websites, making it a widely adopted choice for online discussions.
Website users : Thousands
Invision Community is used by thousands of websites worldwide, making it a popular choice for online communities and forums.
Invision Community is used by thousands of websites worldwide, making it a popular choice for online communities and forums.
🟢 Difficulty : Easy.
Discourse has a user-friendly interface and clear documentation, making it easy for beginners to get started without needing advanced technical skills.
Discourse has a user-friendly interface and clear documentation, making it easy for beginners to get started without needing advanced technical skills.
🟡 Difficulty : Average.
Invision Community has a moderate learning curve, requiring some technical skills to set up and customize, but resources are available for assistance.
Invision Community has a moderate learning curve, requiring some technical skills to set up and customize, but resources are available for assistance.
Year launched : 2013
Discourse was launched in 2013, positioning it as a relatively newer platform compared to others in the content management system market.
Discourse was launched in 2013, positioning it as a relatively newer platform compared to others in the content management system market.
Year launched : 2002
Invision Community was launched in 2002, making it one of the earlier content management systems available in the market.
Invision Community was launched in 2002, making it one of the earlier content management systems available in the market.
Official website :
https://www.discourse.org/
Official website :
https://invisioncommunity.com/
Commercial details
Discourse
Invision Community
🟡 Open source : Partially.
Discourse is partially open source, with the core software being open but some features requiring a paid license for full access.
Discourse is partially open source, with the core software being open but some features requiring a paid license for full access.
🟡 Open source : Partially.
Invision Community is partially open source, with limited access to the source code for customization and development purposes.
Invision Community is partially open source, with limited access to the source code for customization and development purposes.
🟢 Free option : Yes.
Discourse offers a free, self-hosted option with limited features compared to paid plans, making it a cost-effective choice for smaller communities.
Discourse offers a free, self-hosted option with limited features compared to paid plans, making it a cost-effective choice for smaller communities.
🟢 Free option : Yes.
There is a free option available for Invision Community, but it may have limited features compared to paid plans. It is a self-hosted platform.
There is a free option available for Invision Community, but it may have limited features compared to paid plans. It is a self-hosted platform.
🟢 Paid option : Yes.
Discourse offers a paid option for additional features and support, providing users with more customization and assistance options.
Discourse offers a paid option for additional features and support, providing users with more customization and assistance options.
🟢 Paid option : Yes.
Invision Community offers a paid option with additional features and support, providing more value for users looking for advanced capabilities.
Invision Community offers a paid option with additional features and support, providing more value for users looking for advanced capabilities.
Platform details
Discourse
Invision Community
⚪ Hosted : Unknown.
Hosted options may vary depending on the platform, with some offering both free and paid hosting services through different vendors.
Hosted options may vary depending on the platform, with some offering both free and paid hosting services through different vendors.
🟢 Hosted : Yes.
Invision Community offers a hosted option, providing users with the convenience of a managed service for their online community platform.
Invision Community offers a hosted option, providing users with the convenience of a managed service for their online community platform.
🟢 Self host : Yes.
Self-hosting is possible with Discourse through various third-party vendors, offering flexibility and control over hosting options.
Self-hosting is possible with Discourse through various third-party vendors, offering flexibility and control over hosting options.
🟢 Self host : Yes.
Invision Community offers a self-host option, allowing users to host the platform on their own servers or through third-party vendors.
Invision Community offers a self-host option, allowing users to host the platform on their own servers or through third-party vendors.
⚪ Headless CMS : Unknown.
Discourse does not have native headless support, but it may offer headless features through its API. Further investigation is needed.
Discourse does not have native headless support, but it may offer headless features through its API. Further investigation is needed.
⚪ Headless CMS : Unknown.
Invision Community does not have native headless support, but it may offer headless features through its API. Further research is recommended.
Invision Community does not have native headless support, but it may offer headless features through its API. Further research is recommended.
🟡 Static content generation : Supported via plugin.
Discourse does not natively support static content generation but can potentially achieve this functionality via a popular plugin.
Discourse does not natively support static content generation but can potentially achieve this functionality via a popular plugin.
🟡 Static content generation : Supported via plugin.
Static content generation is possible in Invision Community through third-party plugins, offering flexibility and customization options for users.
Static content generation is possible in Invision Community through third-party plugins, offering flexibility and customization options for users.
Key features
Discourse
Invision Community
🟡 Content management : Supported via plugin.
Discourse offers content management capabilities through plugins, providing additional functionality for managing content on the platform.
Discourse offers content management capabilities through plugins, providing additional functionality for managing content on the platform.
🟢 Content management : Support natively.
Invision Community offers robust native content management tools, making it a strong platform for efficiently managing and organizing content.
Invision Community offers robust native content management tools, making it a strong platform for efficiently managing and organizing content.
🔴 Blogging : Not supported.
Discourse is primarily a forum platform, lacking key features for traditional blogging such as customizable themes and SEO optimization.
Discourse is primarily a forum platform, lacking key features for traditional blogging such as customizable themes and SEO optimization.
🟡 Blogging : Supported via plugin.
Invision Community offers basic blogging capabilities, but it is enhanced by third-party plugins for more advanced features and customization.
Invision Community offers basic blogging capabilities, but it is enhanced by third-party plugins for more advanced features and customization.
🔴 E-commerce : Not supported.
Discourse is not specifically designed for e-commerce, lacking native features for product listings, transactions, and order management.
Discourse is not specifically designed for e-commerce, lacking native features for product listings, transactions, and order management.
🟡 E-commerce : Supported via plugin.
Invision Community can be used for e-commerce with plugins like Commerce, offering robust features for online stores.
Invision Community can be used for e-commerce with plugins like Commerce, offering robust features for online stores.
🟡 Community forum : Supported via plugin.
Discourse offers robust community features but may require additional plugins for specific functionalities compared to other platforms.
Discourse offers robust community features but may require additional plugins for specific functionalities compared to other platforms.
🟢 Community forum : Support natively.
Invision Community offers a robust set of community features out of the box, making it a strong platform for building forums and communities.
Invision Community offers a robust set of community features out of the box, making it a strong platform for building forums and communities.
🟡 Content subscription : Supported via plugin.
Discourse does not natively support content subscriptions/paywalls but can be enhanced by popular plugins/extensions for this functionality.
Discourse does not natively support content subscriptions/paywalls but can be enhanced by popular plugins/extensions for this functionality.
🟡 Content subscription : Supported via plugin.
Content subscriptions/paywalls can be implemented through third-party plugins/extensions, offering flexibility and customization options within Invision Community.
Content subscriptions/paywalls can be implemented through third-party plugins/extensions, offering flexibility and customization options within Invision Community.
Other features
Discourse
Invision Community
🟡 Multi-site : Supported via plugin.
Discourse does not support multi-site natively but can be enabled through third-party plugins for enhanced functionality.
Discourse does not support multi-site natively but can be enabled through third-party plugins for enhanced functionality.
🟡 Multi-site : Supported via plugin.
Multi-site functionality can be achieved via third-party plugins, offering flexibility and customization options for managing multiple sites within Invision Community.
Multi-site functionality can be achieved via third-party plugins, offering flexibility and customization options for managing multiple sites within Invision Community.
🟢 Multi-language : Support natively.
Discourse supports multi-language natively, allowing for seamless content translation and localization without the need for additional plugins or extensions.
Discourse supports multi-language natively, allowing for seamless content translation and localization without the need for additional plugins or extensions.
🟢 Multi-language : Support natively.
Invision Community supports multi-language natively, making it easy for users to create and manage content in multiple languages without the need for additional plugins.
Invision Community supports multi-language natively, making it easy for users to create and manage content in multiple languages without the need for additional plugins.
🟡 XML Sitemaps : Supported via plugin.
Discourse does not support XML sitemaps natively but can be enhanced by popular third-party plugins for this functionality.
Discourse does not support XML sitemaps natively but can be enhanced by popular third-party plugins for this functionality.
🟡 XML Sitemaps : Supported via plugin.
Supports XML sitemaps through popular third-party plugins/extensions, enhancing SEO capabilities for better search engine visibility.
Supports XML sitemaps through popular third-party plugins/extensions, enhancing SEO capabilities for better search engine visibility.
When choosing between Discourse and Invision Community, consider your specific needs for community engagement and customization. Discourse is ideal for those looking for a sleek and user-friendly platform, while Invision Community may be better suited for those who prefer a more traditional forum layout with advanced customization capabilities.