Community platforms · October 2026 Edition
Discourse vs Circle
Zero of fourteen models named Discourse first on the direct prompt; four named Circle. Discourse was named by thirteen of the fourteen models and Circle by fourteen and Discourse carries 49 labels and Circle 53, so the shares are not directly comparable.
founded 2013. Named in two categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share18%11%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate6%13%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#2#4A position in a field of 11; printed, not drawn.
Labels4953A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Discourse reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Bettermode was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. Bettermode vs Discourse · Bettermode vs Circle · Discourse vs Higher Logic Vanilla
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the community platforms page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
DiscourseFirst choices, of fourteen modelsCircle
Direct041 against Discourse
Paraphrase011 against Circle
Comparative021 against Circle
Budget-constrained1022 against Circle
Scale-constrained102 against Discourse
Negative303 against Circle
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, Discourse and Circle were named in the same answer 103 times, of the 131 answers naming Discourse and the 143 naming Circle. In those answers Circle took the first choice thirty times and Discourse twenty-four.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Discourse and Circle stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | |||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | ||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | ||||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | | | | |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | | |
| Kimi K2 | | | | |||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | |||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | ||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | |||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | | |
Discourse Circle first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Discourse on the left and Circle on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Discourse and Circle stood in it.
Circle first, Discourse an alternative
4 of 14 modelsDiscourse was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Mistral SmallCircle alternatives: Bettermode, Discourse
Qwen 3.7 FlashCircle alternatives: Discourse, HubSpot Community
Kimi K2Bettermode, Circle alternatives: Discourse, Gainsight Customer Communities, Higher Logic Vanilla
GLM 4.7 FlashXBettermode, Circle alternatives: Gainsight Customer Communities
Neither was the first choice, one was named
7 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Gemini 3.5 FlashBettermode alternatives: Circle, Discourse, Gainsight Customer Communities, Higher Logic Vanilla
Perplexity SonarBettermode alternatives: Circle, Discourse, Gainsight Customer Communities
Grok 4.1 FastHigher Logic Vanilla alternatives: Bettermode, Circle, Discourse, Gainsight Customer Communities
DeepSeek V4 FlashBettermode alternatives: Circle, Higher Logic Vanilla
MiniMax M2.5Bettermode, Higher Logic Vanilla alternatives: Circle, Discourse
GPT-6 LunaHigher Logic Vanilla alternatives: Bettermode, Discourse
Muse Glimmer 30BBettermode, Higher Logic Vanilla alternatives: Circle, Discourse
Neither was named
3 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Bettermode alternatives: Gainsight Customer Communities, Higher Logic Vanilla, Influitive, Zendesk Community
GPT-5.4 miniHigher Logic Vanilla alternatives: Khoros Communities
Llama 4 MaverickBettermode
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Circle leads by twenty-eight points.
Circle43%#1 of 14Discourse16%#3 of 14Mid-marketThe figures above
The order flips: Discourse leads at mid-market.
Discourse18%#2 of 11Circle11%#4 of 11Enterprise
What the models said about Discourse
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Highly extensible, lower cost ... but requires more technical resources” DeepSeek V4 Flash · scale prompt · soft negative
“Discourse (open source, requires technical maintenance)” Qwen 3.7 Flash · scale prompt · soft negative
“Self-hosted option is free but requires DevOps expertise” DeepSeek V4 Flash · direct prompt · soft negative
“Discourse (especially if self-hosted) and Bettermode (depending on the plan) are highly recommended for budget-conscious organizations” Mistral Small · budget prompt · first choice
“the best choice is usually Discourse... If your budget is very tight, the best value answer is Discourse” Perplexity Sonar · budget prompt · first choice
“If you need a truly free, owned community today, self-hosted Discourse is the most mature open-source option.” Muse Glimmer 30B · budget prompt · first choice
What the models said about Circle
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
““Platforms to Avoid (Unsuitable for most large enterprises): Circle, Mighty Networks, Bettermode (formerly Tribe)”” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · hard negative
“Circle and Mighty Networks are explicitly listed as unsuitable for most large enterprises” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“Avoid pricier ones like Circle ($89/mo)” Grok 4.1 Fast · budget prompt · hard negative
“Highly regarded for its user-friendly interface, strong engagement features, and seamless integration of memberships, courses, and community spaces.” Mistral Small · comparative prompt · first choice
“Circle - a comprehensive online community platform that offers a range of features, including community, events, courses, and mobile apps.” Llama 4 Maverick · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“1. Circle - Best All-Rounder ... Most mid-market B2B companies find that Circle or Bettermode provide the best balance” GLM 4.7 FlashX · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
Bettermode vs DiscourseBettermode vs CircleDiscourse vs Higher Logic VanillaDiscourse vs Gainsight Customer CommunitiesDiscourse vs Mighty NetworksDiscourse vs DiscordDiscourse vs Higher LogicHigher Logic Vanilla vs CircleCircle vs Gainsight Customer CommunitiesCircle vs Mighty NetworksCircle vs DiscordCircle vs Higher LogicAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full community standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.