Softwr

Dating · head to head

Clubhouse vs Khoros

Clubhouse logo

Clubhouse

Dating

Drop-in audio chat

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Khoros logo

Khoros

Social Media

Enterprise social media management and branded community platform, now owned by IgniteTech

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Clubhouse has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Clubhouse no pricing information available on public website or app download pages; Khoros igniteTech, part of ESW Capital, acquired Khoros in May 2025 and around 116 staff were made redundant within weeks, and ESW has a documented pattern of running acquired software on minimal cost bases, so support responsiveness and roadmap delivery are legitimate contract-negotiation issues rather than theoretical risks.
  • They diverge on capability: Clubhouse covers Audio Rooms, Khoros covers Branded communities.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clubhouse and Khoros actually diverge.

Attributes where Clubhouse and Khoros differ
AttributeClubhouseKhoros
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsIos, Android, WebWeb, iOS, Android, API
CategoryDatingSocial Media
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Clubhouse

  • Audio Rooms
  • Clubs
  • Replays
  • Chat
  • Spatial Audio
  • Creator Monetization
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Only in Khoros

  • Branded communities
  • Community gamification
  • Social publishing
  • Social customer care
  • Moderation tooling
  • Listening and analytics
  • Aurora and Iris AI
  • Knowledge deflection

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Clubhouse

  • Live voice chat social networknot Khoros
  • Audio-based discussion communitynot Khoros

Khoros

  • A telecommunications operator that wants a public support community whose accepted answers measurably deflect contact centre volumenot Clubhouse
  • A consumer brand consolidating a dozen regional social accounts under one publishing approval workflow with regional role permissionsnot Clubhouse
  • A games publisher running player forums where moderation load and volunteer moderator tooling matter more than publishing featuresnot Clubhouse
  • A bank that needs social service messages tracked against the same SLA framework as its email and chat queuesnot Clubhouse

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Clubhouse

  • No pricing information available on public website or app download pages
  • Pricing model not disclosed
  • Customers must access app or contact support for cost information

Khoros

  • IgniteTech, part of ESW Capital, acquired Khoros in May 2025 and around 116 staff were made redundant within weeks, and ESW has a documented pattern of running acquired software on minimal cost bases, so support responsiveness and roadmap delivery are legitimate contract-negotiation issues rather than theoretical risks.
  • Community migration is genuinely hard: moving years of threads, accepted solutions, member reputation and SEO-bearing URLs off Khoros later is a project measured in quarters, which makes the switching cost far higher than the annual licence suggests.
  • Pricing is not published and the platform is sold on annual enterprise contracts with substantial implementation and design services, so the first-year cost is materially higher than the recurring licence and hard to benchmark.
  • The publishing and listening side inherited from Spredfast has been outpaced by dedicated social suites, so social-first teams frequently find themselves keeping a second tool for scheduling and analytics and paying for overlapping capability.
  • The product is the result of merging two large codebases and has now changed private-equity owner twice, and reviewers consistently report that community administration and social management still feel like separate systems sharing a login rather than one product.
  • Khoros Community Classic is being sunset in favour of the new Aurora AI community platform, so existing customers face a forced migration of an already hard-to-move asset, on the acquirer timetable rather than their own.

Pricing, plan by plan

Clubhouse

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Join Rooms
    • Host Rooms
    • Follow Users

Khoros

On request
  • Khoros$undefined/year
    • Branded communities
    • Social publishing and governance
    • Social customer care queue

Which should you pick?

Choose Clubhouse if

  • You need audio rooms.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want clubs.
Clubhouse review

Choose Khoros if

  • You need branded communities.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want community gamification.
Khoros review

Questions people ask

Is Clubhouse or Khoros better?
Neither clearly leads. Clubhouse starts at Free and Khoros at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clubhouse or Khoros?
Clubhouse has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Clubhouse and On request for Khoros.
Does Clubhouse or Khoros run on more platforms?
Clubhouse runs on Ios, Android, Web. Khoros runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Can I use Clubhouse for free?
Yes. Clubhouse has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Khoros starts at On request.
What is Clubhouse best used for?
Clubhouse is most often used for live voice chat social network, audio-based discussion community. Of those, live voice chat social network and audio-based discussion community are not what Khoros is typically brought in for.
What can Clubhouse do that Khoros cannot?
Clubhouse covers Audio Rooms, Clubs, Replays, Chat. Khoros covers Branded communities, Community gamification, Social publishing, Social customer care.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Clubhouse: Does Clubhouse cost money?

Pricing information for Clubhouse is not published on their website or app store pages. You must access the app directly or contact support to learn whether there are any costs.

Source
Khoros: Who owns Khoros now?

IgniteTech, an ESW Capital company, acquired Khoros on 27 May 2025. Vista Equity Partners, which created Khoros by merging Lithium and Spredfast, is no longer the owner.

Clubhouse: Is Clubhouse free to download and use?

Clubhouse does not disclose pricing details online, making it unclear whether basic usage is free or whether premium features require payment. Download the app to determine access and cost terms.

Source
Khoros: Why does the website say khoros.ai?

The company moved its corporate domain from khoros.com to khoros.ai as part of an AI-first relaunch under IgniteTech, centred on its Aurora and Iris AI capabilities.

Clubhouse: How do I find Clubhouse's pricing information?

Clubhouse does not publish pricing on their website or app pages. You must join the app through the iOS or Android download, or contact their support team through the FAQ section.

Source
Khoros: Is pricing published?

No. Khoros quotes privately on annual enterprise contracts, and implementation services are a significant separate cost.

Khoros: Should the ownership change affect my decision?

It should affect your contract. Ask for written roadmap commitments, named support staffing and exit or data-export terms before signing a multi-year community deal.

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