It’s not as feature-rich as phpBB or other entries on this list.It makes it easy to use calendars to schedule events.Includes user-reputation systems out of the box.Offers gamification and communication plugins for better user engagement.With a broader selection of themes, MyBB forums tend to look a lot more modern. However, it has an advantage over phpBB when it comes to customization. The main difference is that MyBB doesn’t offer as many extensions. It comes with a feature-rich control panel that lets you view and moderate various aspects of your online forum, such as statistics, posts, users, and groups. This free and open-source software offers robust plugin and theme systems, has an active community, and is easy to use. MyBB shares a lot of features with phpBB. That includes the ability to set up message boards, enable user registration, and perform moderation. There is some functionality that you can expect to find among all of the best forum software options. With extensions, you get access to all the features you might need to start an online forum. Overall, phpBB is an easy recommendation if you’re looking for the most customizable forum software you can find. Offers access to plenty of moderation options.Enables users to customize their posts and profiles.Provides powerful forum software with multiple hierarchy options.Users also get plenty of options for customizing their profiles and posts.įinally, phpBB is open-source and benefits from having an active community. Moreover, phpBB includes a theme system, which you can use to change your forum’s overall look. Its design is responsive-ready, allowing you to provide the best experience across devices. There are hundreds of free extensions you can use to add almost any forum-related feature you might want. Once you have a forum set up, you can make as many internal message boards as you want.Īlong with some basic functionality, phpBB enables you to use extensions to add new functions to the forum. PhpBB is flexible free forum software that enables you to create boards where registered users can post messages. Let’s explore some of the best community forum software options in more detail: 1. Flarum – Free and paid plugins available.Discourse – Lots of free and paid plugins available.Codoforum – Free and paid plugins available.Simple Machines Forum – Large collection of modules available.Drupal – Lots of paid and free modules available.WordPress – A lot of paid and free plugins are available.Vanilla Forums – Some free add-ons, more paid extensions.phpBB – Hundreds of free extensions available.

The list below is a curated collection of the 12 best forum software tools we recommend for those who want to create their own forums.

Phpbb forum software