Discourse

Discourse is a battle-tested open-source forum platform used by 22,000+ communities worldwide, from Figma and Epic Games to niche developer communities. Unlike SaaS platforms, Discourse is free to self-host or use managed hosting (~$100/mo), making it ideal for indie hackers valuing ownership and control. The platform emphasizes thoughtful conversation through trust levels, badges, and moderation tools, with mobile-first design and real-time chat features.\n\nFor indie hackers building technical communities or knowledge bases, Discourse offers unmatched customization through plugins and open-source control. You own your data, no vendor lock-in, and can modify the codebase if needed. The active community contributes hundreds of plugins, from AI integration to advanced analytics. While Discourse doesn't monetize memberships directly (you'd integrate Stripe separately), it's the best forum foundation for indie hackers building open-source communities or free knowledge bases that might scale to paid tiers.