I work with a TownSq HOA site, so as they are propitiatory, the installation cannot start there. I see the pricing, but wonder what else I need to purchase to get started. Does the $100 a month include a hosting site or is that an additional cost I need to consider? I assume I can provide a link in their external website to the Discourse location. Once I have determined the requirements I can proceed to provide an estimate of the monies involved if they want to move forward. If Discourse does not provide hosting, who do they recommend.
AI-generated summary
In a discussion about Discourse hosting basics, BobS inquires whether the $100/month plan includes hosting or if additional costs apply, especially since they work with a proprietary TownSq HOA site. ToddZ clarifies that Discourse hosting plans (including the $100/month tier) provide complete hosting — forums default to a *.discourse.group URL, but can be connected to a custom domain (e.g., forum.TownSqHOA.com) with DNS access. Falco notes that even the $20 plan includes hosting but suggests upgrading for better performance. BobS confirms interest in AI features, prompting NateDhaliwal to confirm that AI tools (like the AI Bot) are included in Pro ($100/month) and higher plans. BobS thanks the team for the clarification. The thread confirms that Discourse’s hosted plans are turnkey, with domain customization and AI features available on Pro and above, and emphasizes that no additional hosting purchase is needed — software is self-hosted by Discourse.
Even though the $20 plan includes hosting, you may want to start there and upgrade when your site gets traction.
The Discourse.org hosting plans are exactly that – complete hosting of your Discourse forum. Open an account and you’re up and running. You’d then add links to the forum on the organization site.
By default the new forum will live at an address like TownSqHOA.discourse.group.
The $100/mo plan allows you to optionally connect the new site to the organization’s domain (working with someone with access to the organization’s DNS settings) so you’d have forum.TownSqHOA.com or similar.
The software can be self-hosted by those with technical interests and knowledge, but the paid hosting plans are turn-key easy.
Configuring and administering a forum does take some study and work, though. A lot can be learned here in topics like:
If you prefer to hire someone to help with setup and administration, you can post in:
This is good news. Thank you. I am interested in the AI monitoring tools. Those would require the $100 package correct?
Hi there, are you referring to the ai plugin and features? That is included on Pro ($100 a month) and up.
Yes. Thank you for clarifying this.