https://www.communiteq.com/ is an example I had in mind. They are listed on Discourse partners | Discourse - Civilized Discussion. It’s probably still more expensive than self-hosting - but also means you don’t need to take care of the sysadmin tasks like updates and backups.
I have seen lots of people being able to self-host Discourse. The install guide says it takes you 10 minutes to install:
discourse/docs/INSTALL-cloud.md at main · discourse/discourse · GitHub
Set up Discourse in about 10 minutes with zero knowledge of Rails or Linux shell. Works on any Docker-compatible cloud provider or local server.
Self-hosting doesn’t mean you get less. As the website once said:
There is only one version of Discourse – the awesome open source version. There’s no super secret special paid commercial version with better or more complete features.
Usually you can update Discourse with the update button right in the admin interface.
So in some way, you don’t get less—you get more. For example, you can use all the features blocked on the free plan and install any plugin you want. But you are also responsible for backups, and since you don’t pay someone for their support, when you need help, you don’t get guaranteed fast help from someone. Though, of course, a lot of people provide help for self-hosters on this forum.
Ultimately, you have to find the right solution for your budget, technical skills, available time, and willingness to take on operational responsibility.