Discourse vs Vanilla Forums:Which is searched more?
In August 2026, Discourse had more branded searches than Vanilla Forums among customer community platforms worldwide. Discourse was estimated to have 2.9K branded searches compared to Vanilla Forums’ 590, and held a 12.5% Share of Search versus Vanilla Forums’ 2.5%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which is more popular in search, Discourse or Vanilla Forums?
Compare the platforms brands host customer communities on. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of Search by month for Discourse, Vanilla Forums. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Discourse | Vanilla Forums |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 8.1% | 4.4% |
| Nov 2025 | 9.3% | 5% |
| Dec 2025 | 10.8% | 4.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 10.2% | 3.5% |
| Feb 2026 | 12.9% | 3.6% |
| Mar 2026 | 10.5% | 3.6% |
| Apr 2026 | 11.1% | 3.4% |
| May 2026 | 11.8% | 2.9% |
| Jun 2026 | 10% | 3% |
| Jul 2026 | 10.4% | 2.6% |
| Aug 2026 | 12.5% | 2.5% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — |
How has the Discourse and Vanilla Forums comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Discourse was ahead of Vanilla Forums in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Discourse’s estimated Share of Search among customer community platforms worldwide moved from 8.1% to 12.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.4K to 2.9K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Vanilla Forums’ estimated Share of Search among customer community platforms worldwide moved from 4.4% to 2.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.3K to 590.
How did search popularity change for customer community platforms worldwide in August 2026?
2 changes
In August 2026, Discourse overtook Khoros to rank 2nd among customer community platforms worldwide, at 12.5%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Vanilla Forums worldwide fell 54.6% over 11 measured months, from 1.3K to 590 in August 2026.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Discourse’s and Vanilla Forums’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Discourse
1 branded search term
- discourse forum
Vanilla Forums
1 branded search term
- vanilla forums
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.