# Discourse vs Mighty Networks: which do AI models recommend for community, October 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Community platforms. Zero of fourteen models named Discourse first on the direct prompt; zero named Mighty Networks. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/customer/community-platforms/discourse-vs-mighty-networks/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discourse | 18% | #2 of 11 | 6% | 49 | 13 of 14 |
| Mighty Networks | 3% | #6 of 11 | 23% | 31 | 11 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Bettermode) (alternatives: Circle, Discourse, Gainsight Customer Communities, Higher Logic Vanilla)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Bettermode) (alternatives: Circle, Discourse, Gainsight Customer Communities)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Bettermode, Circle, Discourse, Gainsight Customer Communities)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: Circle) (alternatives: Bettermode, Discourse)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Circle) (alternatives: Discourse, HubSpot Community)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Bettermode, Circle) (alternatives: Discourse, Gainsight Customer Communities, Higher Logic Vanilla)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Bettermode, Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Circle, Discourse)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither first, one named (first choices: Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Bettermode, Discourse)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Bettermode, Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Circle, Discourse)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Bettermode) (alternatives: Gainsight Customer Communities, Higher Logic Vanilla, Influitive, Zendesk Community)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Higher Logic Vanilla) (alternatives: Khoros Communities)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: Bettermode) (alternatives: Circle, Higher Logic Vanilla)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: Bettermode)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: Bettermode, Circle) (alternatives: Gainsight Customer Communities)

## What the models said about Discourse

- "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 Mighty Networks

- "“Platforms to Avoid (Unsuitable for most large enterprises): Circle, Mighty Networks, Bettermode (formerly Tribe)”" (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "explicitly listed as unsuitable for most large enterprises due to their limitations in scalability" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Avoid pricier ones like Circle ($89/mo) or Mighty Networks ($33+/mo) unless scaling fast" (Grok 4.1 Fast, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "starting with Discord (free) or Mighty Networks (affordable freemium tier)" (Claude Haiku 4.5, budget prompt, first choice)
- "For best value/features, I'd recommend Mighty Networks or Circle" (MiniMax M2.5, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Best for creators, coaches, and educators, offering integrated courses, monetization tools, and a mobile-friendly design." (Mistral Small, comparative prompt, alternative)

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. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.