shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Ubuntu Community Hub?

The meeting point for the Ubuntu community. - discourse.ubuntu.com

Worth it. This is Ubuntu's free community forum, not a product you buy — use it freely for peer support. Enterprises needing guaranteed, private vendor help should pay for Ubuntu Pro instead.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 30+ public sources (forum threads, news, Reddit). No product reviews exist — this is a free community forum, not a commercial product.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo direct evidence in sources.
  • Feature depthForum, not software; no feature evidence.
  • Support quality
  • Security postureNo findings about the forum itself.

Pricing

Free

Community participation

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Ubuntu users troubleshooting installs and drivers
  • Open-source community discussion and release feedback
  • Zero-budget self-support

Not for

  • Buyers shopping for software — it's a forum, nothing to purchase
  • Enterprises needing SLA-backed, private support
  • Anyone with confidential issues; all posts are public
  • Non-Ubuntu distro users

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

No response-time guarantees; urgent production issues need paid Ubuntu Pro support.

medium

Everything is public and search-indexed — never post keys, configs, or customer data.

low

OS CVE threads live here; fixes arrive via Ubuntu updates, not the forum.

low

Legacy-forum migration still confuses some longtime Ubuntu users.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free, official venue where Ubuntu support happens in the open.
  • Active, specific troubleshooting threads — drivers, installs, upgrades.
  • Security advisories, like snapd fixes, posted with fix details.
  • Derivative communities like Ubuntu MATE are consolidating onto it.

Cons

  • Not software you buy — no SLA, dashboard, or vendor contract.
  • Public moderation complaints sit unresolved in site feedback.
  • Some users ask where else to find tech support.
  • Retiring the legacy forums caused visible community friction.

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/21/2026 - 10 sources - No vulnerabilities for the forum itself; reviewed sources cover Ubuntu OS CVEs instead.

official x4review x1security x2news x3
  • Snapd privilege escalation (CVE-2026-3888), Affects Ubuntu systems running snapd; fix available. OS issue, not a forum issue.
  • Ubuntu 26.04 kernel security update delay, Kernel CVE fixes delayed; tracked in a forum thread. OS issue, not a forum issue.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free; nothing to pay.
  • Ease of use. No direct evidence in sources.
  • Feature depth. Forum, not software; no feature evidence.
  • Support quality: 3/5. Active volunteer answers; moderation complaints exist.
  • Security posture. No findings about the forum itself.
  • Free Price No paid tier for the forum itself
  • 2017 Launched Proposed by Alan Pope, adopted by Canonical
  • Discourse Platform Open-source forum software

Pricing

Community participation

Free

  • Read, post, and get peer support
  • Ubuntu donations are a separate, optional thing

Security

No vulnerabilities for the forum itself; reviewed sources cover Ubuntu OS CVEs instead.

  • Snapd privilege escalation (CVE-2026-3888)Affects Ubuntu systems running snapd; fix available. OS issue, not a forum issue.
  • Ubuntu 26.04 kernel security update delayKernel CVE fixes delayed; tracked in a forum thread. OS issue, not a forum issue.⁵

What users say

No formal product reviews exist; community threads show users rely on it for driver, install, and upgrade help while some debate moderation and forum consolidation.

“Default Ubuntu is a goated aesthetic.”
Reddit, r/Ubuntu
“What is the first advice you would give to a new Ubuntu user?”
Reddit, r/Ubuntu
“Is Ubuntu Pro really needed?”
Ubuntu MATE Community

Companies that could

  • Ubuntu MATE⁶ Uses Own forum (now merging into Ubuntu Discourse) instead
  • Zorin OS Uses Self-hosted Zorin Forum instead
  • It's FOSS Uses Self-hosted Discourse community instead
Full analysis

Based on 30+ public sources (forum threads, news, Reddit). No product reviews exist — this is a free community forum, not a commercial product.

Free official Ubuntu forum — great peer support, no SLAs or privacy; enterprises need paid Ubuntu Pro.

Methodology

Based on 30+ public sources (forum threads, news, Reddit). No product reviews exist — this is a free community forum, not a commercial product.

Sources

  1. Ubuntu Community Hubdiscourse.ubuntu.com
    official
  2. Welcome To Support And Help - Start Herediscourse.ubuntu.com
    official
  3. Ubuntu Pro - FAQdiscourse.ubuntu.com
    official
  4. Snapd - multiple vulnerabilities fixeddiscourse.ubuntu.com
    security
  5. Ubuntu 26.04 Kernel Security Updates Delaydiscourse.ubuntu.com
    security
  6. Ubuntu MATE Community is moving to Ubuntu Discourseubuntu-mate.community
    news
  7. ubuntu's official forums going downlinux.org
    news
  8. Ubuntu Community Hub Proposalblog.popey.com
    news
  9. Get to know these 5 Ubuntu community resourcescanonical.com
    official
  10. Default Ubuntu is a goated aestheticreddit.com
    review

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