Discourse is open-source forum software for community discussion, support, and knowledge sharing, with moderation tools, customization, and built-in chat.
47.7k stars9k forksGPL-2.0last commit Actively maintained
12 self-hosted Skool alternatives
Skool is a SaaS platform for creators and educators to build and run online communities with integrated course hosting, discussion forums, events, member management, and payment/subscription handling.
Alternatives to Skool
#2
NodeBB is a modern forum platform with real-time discussions, built-in chat, SSO options, plugins, and flexible theming, backed by Redis, MongoDB, or PostgreSQL.
15.2k stars3k forksGPL-3.0last commit Actively maintained
#3
Open-source intranet and enterprise social network for communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing with a modular, extensible design.
6.7k stars1.7k forkslast commit Actively maintained
#4
Misago is a modern, fast forum application built with Python, Django, and React, featuring moderation tools, permissions, private threads, polls, and API integrations.
2.8k stars555 forksGPL-2.0last commit Actively maintained
#5
Loomio is a collaborative decision-making tool for group discussions, proposals, and polls, helping teams make transparent decisions asynchronously with a clear record.
2.6k stars703 forksAGPL-3.0last commit Actively maintained
#6
Self-hostable community discussion platform combining Q&A, forums, team chat, ideation/upvoting, and Disqus-style embedded blog comments.
1.8k stars129 forksAGPL-3.0last commit Actively maintained
#7
Elgg is a modular open source platform for building social networks and collaborative communities with plugin-based extensions.
1.7k stars667 forkslast commit Actively maintained
#8
MyBB is a PHP-based, open-source forum platform with plugins, themes, moderation tools, private messaging and multi-database support.
1.2k stars438 forksLGPL-3.0last commit Actively maintained
Modern Node.js-based BBS server with Telnet/SSH/WebSocket access, theming and mods, message networks, file areas, doors, and strong authentication options.
666 stars125 forksBSD-2-Clauselast commit Actively maintained
#10
A modern forum, wiki, and community hub for discussions, curated lists, and knowledgebases. Extensible, secure platform built with TypeScript and Go.
332 stars36 forksMPL-2.0last commit Actively maintained
#11
Mobilizon is a federated platform to create and discover events and groups, manage attendance, and publish event pages without relying on major social networks.
Activity unknown
#12
Open source ActivityPub-powered federated forum and link aggregator for running and joining community discussions across the Fediverse.
Activity unknown
What replacing Skool actually involves
Every option on this page is open source and free to run on your own hardware, so you own the data and there is no subscription to cancel. 10 of 12 shipped a commit in the last six months. Licences in this list: GPL-2.0, GPL-3.0, AGPL-3.0, LGPL-3.0, BSD-2-Clause. In exchange you take on hosting, backups and updates yourself.
Browse everything in Forums & Discussion Boards.
