Comparison

discourse vs Root

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

discourse

This platform facilitates organized online discussions and debates, offering a structured alternative to typical social media forums. Users can engage in moderated conversations, receive criteria-based feedback on their opinions, and compete to become the most popular panelist.

Highlights
  • Organized discussions
  • Limited panel size
  • Criteria-based feedback
  • Ranking and experience
  • Debate-style format
Features
Read full description

WHAT IS DISCOURSE? We're an online forum and debate platform that promotes deep, organized discussion. We're similar to platforms like Reddit and Clubhouse, but we approach online discussion from a modern perspective. ---------------------------------------------- WHAT MAKES DISCOURSE DIFFERENT? Online discussions on other apps and websites are disorganized, messy and 1-dimensional. You can spend an hour reading a discussion and not gain any real value: it's too easy to get lost in the crowd of voices yelling over each other. Discourse aims to solve this problem by organizing discussions more like formal debates. A limited panel participates in the topic while the audience rates their opinions on a variety of criteria instead of simple likes/dislikes. At the end of the discussion, we present the results and crown the most popular panelist. ---------------------------------------------- HOW CAN YOU BENEFIT FROM USING DISCOURSE? You go to the gym to improve your bodies, but what do you do to improve your minds? Reading books, watching documentaries and educating yourself is important. But without a platform to exercise what you've learned, you're losing half its value. Build and deepen your opinions by competing with conflicting perspectives on discourse. ---------------------------------------------- WHAT ARE OUR STANDOUT FEATURES? - Limited panel size - Criteria based feedback - Organized discussions (Opening, Comments, Closing) - Ranking and experience ---------------------------------------------- WHO BUILT DISCOURSE? Discourse is built by a solo-developer/founder. We're currently a company of 1 but are looking to grow into a team that can provide you with a valuable experience. Please support us on our journey.

About

Root

Connect with communities through text, voice, and video chat. Customize your profile and server with free themes and animated elements. Enhance your experience with integrated apps for collaborative activities.

Highlights
  • Text, voice, and video chat
  • Screen sharing
  • Free profile and theme customization
  • Integrated community apps
  • Server template import
  • Community discovery
Read full description

Root is community chat with voice and video calls, screen share, themes, and apps, all in one place. Chat in channels, hop into a call with your group, and add apps to enhance your community experience. FREE PROFILE AND THEME CUSTOMIZATION No paywalls on personality. Animated profile pictures, animated banners, custom emoji and themes are all free. Pick a theme or build your own. VOICE, VIDEO AND SCREEN SHARE Talk in voice channels, turn on video, and share your screen with sound. Move a call from your computer to your phone without hanging up. APPS IN YOUR COMMUNITY Add apps to your community. Draw together on one canvas, track tasks, or plan your next raid. BRING YOUR SERVER Import a server template and Root sets up your channels, categories and roles. FIND YOUR PEOPLE Browse Community Discovery to find a new group chat, or list your own community.

Screenshots

discourse4 screens
Root4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: discourse at 5.0 against Root's 4.2. Root's advantage is ratings volume (146 vs 1) and chart position (#179 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

discourse holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Root has 146 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
discourse versus Root: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterdiscourseRoot
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.2 (146 ratings)
Positive reviews—69.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1146 — better
Update frequency—Weekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#179 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB178 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperZainuddin QaziRoot Communications, Inc

Customer experience

discourse

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Root

All ratings146 ratings
Positive81.5%
Neutral4.8%
Negative13.7%
Written reviews113 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral9.7%
Negative20.4%

In-app purchases

None

discourse

No in-app purchases

None

Root

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is discourse free?
discourse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Root free?
Root is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, discourse or Root?
discourse is rated higher. discourse averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Root averages 4.2 from 146 ratings.
Do discourse or Root have ads?
Neither discourse nor Root shows ads.

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