ChatGPT answers, unedited

For a community-run education project with volunteer admins, I’d put Discourse at the top of the list if the priority is $0 platform fees + straightforward moderation.

Best fit: Discourse

Discourse Free Plan

• $0/month hosted free plan, with unlimited members and chat.
• Includes 2 staff seats for admins/moderators.
• Built-in moderation: flagging, review queues, automated content checks, and membership/permission controls.
• Trust levels let established community members gradually earn additional abilities.
• No per-member or transaction/platform fee.
• You get a free *.discourse.group address, so you don't initially need to pay for hosting or a domain. blog.discourse.org

For a volunteer-run project, that's particularly attractive because you don't have to maintain a server. If you eventually need more control, Discourse is also open source and can be self-hosted, so you're not locked into the hosted service. www.discourse.org

If you need a real LMS: Moodle

Moodle

Moodle is better if the project needs courses, assignments, quizzes, grading, enrollment, and structured learning, rather than primarily community discussion. The software itself is open source, so self-hosting can avoid platform fees, but you'll need hosting and someone capable of maintaining it.

MoodleCloud is easier but isn't free beyond its trial; current plans start at $170/year for 50 users. www.moodlecloud.com

My recommendation

Bottom line: If you're essentially creating a community where people teach, ask questions, share resources, and discuss lessons, I'd choose Discourse Free. If you're actually delivering formal courses, I'd choose Moodle instead.

For a community-run education project with volunteer admins, I’d put Discourse at the top of the list.

My recommendation: Discourse

Discourse's new free plan is genuinely $0, with unlimited members, two staff seats, built-in chat, searchable discussions, trust levels, and moderation tools including flags, a review queue, automated checks, and granular membership controls. www.discourse.orgwww.mightynetworks.com

That combination is particularly good for volunteers because you don't have to maintain a server or pay based on the number of members. The free hosted version is maintained and updated by Discourse. www.discourse.org

If the project eventually needs more control, Discourse is also open source and self-hostable, so you're not locked into the hosted service. github.com

One caveat: the free hosted plan has 2 staff seats. If you need a larger volunteer moderation team, you'd need to upgrade or consider self-hosting. www.discourse.org

I would not choose Mighty Networks if avoiding platform fees is a core requirement: its paid plans currently include transaction fees (2%, 1%, or 0.5%, depending on plan), in addition to the subscription. www.mightynetworks.com

Bottom line: For a volunteer-run educational community where discussion, Q&A, moderation, and low cost matter more than fancy course delivery, Discourse is probably the strongest fit.

For a community-run education project with volunteer admins, I’d pick Discourse if the main need is a community/forum rather than a full learning-management system.

Best fit: Discourse

discourse.org is currently $0, with:

• Unlimited members and chat
• 2 admin/moderator seats
• Built-in moderation tools: flags, review queue, automated content checks, membership/permission controls
• Trust levels that can give experienced members additional community responsibilities
• Automatic updates and backups on Discourse's hosting
• No per-member or transaction/platform fees
• A free yourname.discourse.group address Discourse - Civilized Discussion Discourse - Civilized Discussion

That makes it particularly attractive when volunteers are doing the moderation and you don't want the organization's budget eaten up by per-user charges.

There's also a 100% open-source self-hosted version, so if someone on the project can manage a small server, you can avoid the hosted-platform cost entirely and retain control of the data. GitHub Discourse - Civilized Discussion

If you need actual courses: Moodle

moodle.org is the better choice if the project needs structured courses, assignments, quizzes, grades, learner progress, etc. Moodle itself has no licensing fees and is open source, but you'll need to provide hosting/support yourself. Moodle Moodle Docs

My recommendation:

• Discussion, peer support, volunteer moderation → Discourse
• Structured teaching/coursework → Moodle
• Both → Moodle for courses + Discourse for the community

If "avoids platform fees" means absolutely no vendor taking a percentage of donations, memberships, or course payments, Discourse is especially compelling because its pricing isn't transaction-based. Discourse - Civilized Discussion

For a community-run education project with volunteer admins, I’d put Moodle at the top of the list—especially if avoiding platform fees is important.

Moodle itself is open-source and has no licensing fees; a self-hosted installation lets your project control the platform and data, with your main expenses being hosting and whoever handles maintenance. docs.moodle.org

My recommendation: Moodle

For volunteers, I'd choose between:

• Moodle self-hosted — cheapest long-term and gives you maximum control. You can run it on inexpensive hosting, but someone needs to handle updates, backups and security. support.moodle.com
• MoodleCloud — easier for a volunteer team because Moodle handles hosting and updates. Current plans start at AUD $170/year for 50 users, with larger tiers available; there's also a 28-day trial. docs.moodle.orgsupport.moodle.comwww.moodlecloud.com

Moodle also has built-in roles, permissions, forums and collaborative tools, so you can give volunteer moderators limited administrative powers rather than handing everyone full-site access. docs.moodle.org

One caveat: if by "avoids platform fees" you mean you want to charge students for courses, distinguish between platform fees and payment-processor fees. A self-hosted Moodle site can avoid a percentage-of-sales platform charge, but Stripe/PayPal or another payment processor can still charge transaction fees.

If you tell me roughly how many learners/admins you expect and whether courses are free or paid, I can narrow this to the cheapest practical setup.

For a community-run education project with volunteer admins, I’d put Discourse at the top of the list.

• Discourse — best overall: Its current hosted Free plan is $0, with unlimited members and chat, 2 staff seats, and a free discourse.group subdomain. It includes flagging/review queues, automated moderation checks, membership/permission controls, trust levels, and admin tools. blog.discourse.org
• No transaction/platform fees: It isn't a course marketplace taking a percentage of donations or course sales. If you self-host, Discourse itself is free/open-source; you'd only pay your server/hosting costs. www.discourse.org
• Good for volunteers: The trust-level system lets established members take on more community-maintenance abilities, reducing the workload on a small admin team. discourse.org
• Main limitation: the free hosted plan has only 2 staff seats and 10 categories, so it works best if you have a small core admin/mod team. www.discourse.orgcommunity.instructure.com

If you need actual courses/classes

If the project needs lessons, assignments, quizzes, grading, and teacher/student roles, look at Moodle or Canvas Free-for-Teacher instead. Canvas currently offers an always-free teacher account, although its free version has restrictions on administrative/support features. community.instructure.com

My pick:
Discourse if this is primarily a learning community (discussion, resources, peer support, volunteer moderation).
Moodle if it's primarily a learning management system (structured courses and coursework).

If you tell me whether you need courses/assignments or mainly discussion + resource sharing, I can narrow it to 2–3 options with their actual costs and limitations.

For a community-run education project with volunteer admins, I’d pick Discourse if the main need is a community/forum rather than a full course-management system.

• $0 hosted plan: unlimited members and chat, with 2 staff seats for admins/moderators. www.discourse.org
• No transaction/platform fees: it isn't based on taking a percentage of donations, memberships, or activity.
• Basic moderation is built in: flags, review queues, automated content checks, membership controls, permissions, and trust levels. www.discourse.org
• Volunteer-friendly: Discourse handles hosting, updates, and backups on the free hosted plan, so volunteers don't need to maintain a server. www.discourse.org
• More control later: Discourse is open source, so you can self-host it and avoid hosted-platform costs if you eventually have someone who can manage infrastructure. www.discourse.org

One caveat: Discourse is primarily a community/discussion platform. If you need quizzes, graded assignments, structured courses, and learner progress tracking, Moodle is a better educational fit—but hosted MoodleCloud starts at about $170/year for 50 users, while self-hosting Moodle can be free software but requires technical administration. www.moodlecloud.com

Bottom line:
Discourse Free → best for a volunteer-run learning community, discussion, resources, Q&A, and basic moderation.
Self-hosted Moodle → best if the project genuinely needs an LMS and has technical volunteers.

For a community-run education project with volunteer admins, I’d pick Discourse if your main need is discussion, Q&A, announcements, and community moderation.

• $0 hosted option: Discourse currently offers a free hosted plan with unlimited members and chat, plus 2 staff seats for admins/moderators. blog.discourse.orgwww.discourse.orgmoodle.com
• No platform transaction fees: It isn't built around taking a cut of donations, memberships, or course sales.
• Good moderation: Flagging, review queues, automated checks, permissions, trust levels, and moderator tools are built in. www.discourse.org
• Good for volunteers: Hosting, updates, and backups are handled for you on the free hosted plan, so volunteers don't need to maintain a server. blog.discourse.org
• Open source: If you eventually want maximum control, Discourse can also be self-hosted for free; you'd just pay the server/hosting costs. www.discourse.org

One caveat: Discourse is primarily a community platform, not a full learning-management system. If you need structured courses, quizzes, assignments, grades, and learner progress, Moodle is the stronger free/open-source choice. Moodle itself is free to download and self-host, though hosting and administration aren't necessarily free. moodle.com

Bottom line:
Discourse → best for a low-maintenance, volunteer-moderated educational community.
Moodle → best if you're actually delivering structured courses.

If you tell me whether you need courses/lessons or mainly discussion + resource sharing, I can narrow it down to 2–3 options.

For that use case, Discourse is probably the best fit.

• $0 hosted option: Discourse now offers a free plan with unlimited members, unlimited chat, and 2 staff seats for admins/moderators. www.discourse.org
• No platform/transaction fees: It isn't a course-selling marketplace taking a percentage of payments. If you later sell things, normal payment-processor fees would still apply.
• Good moderation: Built-in flags, review queues, automated content checks, permissions, trust levels, post approval, and moderator tools are available. www.discourse.org
• Good for volunteer admins: The hosted free plan means volunteers don't have to maintain a server, backups, or updates.
• Open source: If you eventually want maximum control, Discourse is 100% open source and can be self-hosted. www.discourse.org

Discourse Free Plan

One caveat: Discourse is primarily a community/forum platform, not a full learning-management system. If you need structured courses, quizzes, grades, assignments, or learner tracking, Moodle is more appropriate, but its hosted MoodleCloud plans start around $170/year and scale with users. www.moodlecloud.com

So I'd choose:

Community discussion + volunteer moderation → Discourse
Actual structured online courses → Moodle
Lowest possible cost + maximum ownership → self-hosted Discourse www.discourse.org

If you tell me whether the project needs courses/lessons, live classes, file sharing, or just a community for learners, I can narrow it to 2–3 options.

For a community-run education project with volunteer admins, I’d put Discourse at the top of the list.

Best fit: Discourse

Discourse Free Plan

• $0 hosted plan with unlimited members and unlimited chat. www.discourse.org
• No platform transaction fees because it isn't built around selling courses or memberships.
• Basic-to-strong moderation: flags, review queues, automated content checks, trust levels, and granular membership controls. www.discourse.orgwww.moodlecloud.com
• Only two staff seats on the free hosted plan, which could matter if you have several volunteer moderators. www.discourse.orgwww.moodlecloud.com
• It's also open source, so you can self-host it if you want maximum control and are willing to handle hosting/maintenance. www.discourse.org

If you need actual courses: Moodle

MoodleCloud

Moodle is better if the project needs structured courses, assignments, quizzes, grades, and learner enrollment. However, its hosted MoodleCloud option isn't free beyond a 28-day trial; current plans start around US$170/year for 50 users (billed in AUD), so it doesn't fit the "zero-cost" requirement as well. www.moodlecloud.com

You can also self-host Moodle, avoiding a platform fee, but that shifts the burden of server administration to the volunteers.

My recommendation:

• Discussion/community + shared learning resources → Discourse
• Formal online courses/classes → Moodle
• Want $0 and minimal technical work → Discourse's free hosted plan

If you tell me whether you need course lessons/quizzes or mainly discussion + resource sharing, I can narrow it to 2–3 options with their actual costs and moderation capabilities.

For a volunteer-run community education project, Discourse is probably the best fit right now.

• $0 hosted option: Discourse's new Free plan includes unlimited members, unlimited chat, a free discourse.group subdomain, and 2 staff seats for admins/moderators. blog.discourse.orgwww.discourse.org
• Basic moderation: flagging, review queues, automated checks, trust levels, and granular membership/permission controls are included. blog.discourse.orgwww.discourse.org
• No platform transaction fees: it's a community/forum platform rather than a course marketplace taking a cut of payments.
• No per-member pricing: if you outgrow the free hosted tier, paid Discourse plans are flat-rate rather than charging per member. www.discourse.org
• Maximum cost control: Discourse is open source, so you can self-host it and pay only for inexpensive server hosting. www.discourse.org

Discourse Free Plan

One caveat: if the project needs actual structured courses—lessons, assignments, quizzes, grading, etc.—I'd choose Moodle instead. Moodle is free/open-source with no licensing fees, but self-hosting requires more technical administration. docs.moodle.org

My pick: Discourse for a community centered on discussion, peer learning, resources, and volunteer moderation; Moodle if the core product is courses and coursework.

For a community-run education project with volunteer admins, I’d put Discourse at the top of the list.

Best fit: Discourse

Discourse Free Plan

• $0 hosting plan with unlimited members and chat.
• No transaction/platform fees—it isn't a paid-course marketplace taking a cut of donations or memberships.
• Basic moderation is built in: flags, review queue, permissions, trust levels, and spam/content checks. blog.discourse.org
• Two staff seats on the free plan, which is useful for a small volunteer admin team. www.discourse.org
• Good for education because discussions are organized into searchable topics rather than disappearing into a social-media feed.
• It's also open source, so if you eventually want complete control, you can self-host it instead. www.discourse.org

One caveat: the free hosted version has some limits (including categories and customization), so it's best for a discussion/community hub rather than a sophisticated LMS.

If you want maximum control: Lemmy

Lemmy

Lemmy is free/open source, self-hostable, decentralized, and has strong moderation tools. join-lemmy.org It's attractive if the project has someone technically comfortable maintaining a server, but I'd choose Discourse for volunteer admins who don't want to become sysadmins.

Bottom line: Discourse Free is probably the sweet spot: $0, no platform cut, straightforward moderation, and very little technical overhead.

For a volunteer-run community education project, Discourse is probably the best fit if your main needs are community discussion, announcements, Q&A, and basic moderation.

Best options

Why I'd pick Discourse: its current free plan has unlimited members, 10 categories, 5 GB storage, two staff seats, built-in moderation/review tools, trust levels, and unlimited chat. www.discourse.org

It also doesn't charge a percentage of donations, memberships, or other community activity—it's a hosted community platform rather than a marketplace. If you eventually need more control, Discourse is open-source and can be self-hosted, so you aren't locked into the hosted service. www.discourse.org

One caveat: if by "education project" you mean structured courses with assignments, grading, quizzes, certificates, and learner progress tracking, I'd choose Moodle instead. Moodle itself is free/open-source, while its managed MoodleCloud service is paid. www.moodlecloud.com

Bottom line:

• Community + volunteer moderation → Discourse
• Courses + assignments/grades → Moodle
• Want both → Moodle for coursework + Discourse for the community

If you tell me roughly how many learners/admins you expect and whether you need actual courses or mostly discussion, I can narrow it down to the cheapest practical setup.

For a volunteer-run education community, I’d put Discourse at the top of the list.

My recommendation: Discourse

Discourse now has a free-forever hosted plan with unlimited members, unlimited chat, and two staff seats for admins/moderators. It includes flags, a moderation review queue, automated checks, membership controls, permissions, trust levels, and search. blog.discourse.orgjoin-lemmy.org

That combination is particularly attractive for a community where volunteers are doing the administration: you don't have to maintain a server, and there isn't a platform fee eating into donations or membership revenue.

It also remains open source, so if the project eventually needs more control, you can self-host it rather than being locked into the hosted service. www.discourse.org

One limitation: the free hosted plan only gives you two staff seats. If you need a larger volunteer moderation team, you'd need to upgrade or self-host. www.discourse.org

If independence matters most

Lemmy is worth considering. It's open source, self-hostable, has transparent moderation logs, and has no advertising or user-tracking business model. The tradeoff is that it's more technically oriented and you'll need someone willing to operate the server. join-lemmy.org

I would not choose Mighty Networks if "avoid platform fees" is a hard requirement: its paid plans charge transaction fees when you process payments through the platform. docs.mightynetworks.com

Bottom line: for a small education project with volunteer admins, Discourse Free is probably the sweet spot—$0 hosting, basic-to-good moderation, unlimited members, and very little technical overhead.

For a community-run education project with volunteer admins, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Discourse

For your specific requirements, Discourse is probably the best fit. Its new free hosted plan is genuinely $0, supports unlimited members, includes two staff/admin seats, and provides built-in moderation tools such as flags, a review queue, and granular membership/permission controls. blog.discourse.org

It also doesn't take a percentage of donations, course fees, or community activity because it isn't a transaction marketplace. If you self-host it, the software itself is free and open source; you'd only pay for server hosting. www.discourse.org

The main limitation is that Discourse is primarily a community/forum platform, not a full LMS. If you need structured courses, quizzes, assignments, grades, or certificates, Moodle is the stronger choice. Moodle LMS itself is free/open source, while MoodleCloud provides managed hosting at a relatively low annual cost. www.moodlecloud.com

Rule of thumb:

• Community + discussions + volunteer moderation → Discourse
• Courses + assignments + assessments → Moodle
• Want both → Moodle for coursework + Discourse for the community layer

If "avoids platform fees" means you also need to collect paid course/donation payments, that's a slightly different comparison because payment processors can still charge transaction fees even when the platform doesn't.