Ask David
Can you rank the various forum software I can choose from, like a top ten list?
There are quite a few forum software options available, from long-established open-source projects to newer community platforms and full website-building systems with forums built in.
Here are the 10 forum software options I would consider, with UltimateWB’s Built-In Forum App at the top of my list.
#1: UltimateWB’s Built-In Forum App
My top choice is UltimateWB’s Built-In Forum App.
It is a full-featured forum with extensive control over forum structure, permissions, moderation, member access, spam protection, polls, attachments, ratings, likes, topic management, search, and more.
You can create unlimited forum categories and sub-categories, control exactly who can view and post, allow guest posting if you want, tie forum access and posting permissions to member groups or subscriptions, and configure different moderation and post-approval rules.
There are also features for member rank titles based on post counts, post icons, topic ratings, individual post likes/unlikes, related topics, Quick Search, Advanced Search, and social sharing.
The forum is also integrated with the rest of the UltimateWB website-building platform. That means you can build other parts of your website around the community rather than having to treat the forum as a completely separate application.
For example, UltimateWB’s Rewards App can be used with the forum to reward members for activity with points or credits. You can configure rewards for actions such as posting, viewing, commenting, liking, and sharing, and display a member points leaderboard.
The rewards system can also work across other user-generated-content apps on the website, so the community isn’t limited to earning rewards only for forum activity.
UltimateWB also has built-in SEO tools as part of the overall website builder, rather than requiring a separate SEO system for the rest of the website.
One reason I have a particularly strong opinion about the forum is that UltimateWB actually used phpBB in its earlier versions. We eventually replaced the integrated phpBB forum with our own custom forum application because we wanted to address spam problems and add more features and control.
If you want a forum that can also serve as the foundation for a larger website, that’s a major advantage.
Explore the UltimateWB Social and Forum App features
#2: XenForo
XenForo is a commercial forum and community platform with a strong emphasis on community management. It was founded by Kier Darby and Mike Sullivan, former lead developers of vBulletin, which helps explain its roots in traditional forum software.
It provides extensive tools for user groups and permissions, moderation, reactions, conversations, notifications, search, and other aspects of running an online community.
It also has substantial built-in SEO functionality, including search-engine-friendly URLs, structured data, XML sitemaps, and other features intended to make forum content accessible to search engines.
XenForo has a polished, modern approach to traditional forum software and is a capable choice for running a dedicated online community.
The main limitation is that XenForo is primarily forum and community software. If you want substantial website functionality outside the forum, you’ll need to build or integrate those parts separately. It is also commercial software, so licensing costs are another consideration.
#3: Discourse
Discourse is a modern community discussion platform that takes a somewhat different approach from traditional message boards. Discussions are organized into categories, with each topic belonging to one category. Categories are more like broad sections of the community – for example, “General Discussion,” “Support,” or “Announcements.”
Discourse also makes extensive use of tags. Unlike categories, which provide the main structure for the forum, tags can be applied across categories to further describe and group related topics. A topic can have multiple tags, so they can be used to connect discussions that don’t necessarily belong in the same category.
Within those categories, discussions are organized as topics, with the original post followed by replies in chronological order. So instead of building a very deep hierarchy of forums and sub-forums, Discourse generally encourages a relatively broad category structure and uses tags to provide additional organization.
Discourse also puts a strong emphasis on ongoing community participation, with features such as trust levels, moderation, notifications, search, polls, groups, attachments, and chat.
It has strong SEO capabilities as well, including features designed to make public discussions accessible to search engines.
That approach may work well for some communities, but if you want a more traditional message-board structure with a larger hierarchy of forums and sub-forums, Discourse would not be the best fit.
It also primarily focuses on community discussion rather than being a general-purpose website builder.
#4: phpBB
phpBB is one of the longest-running open-source forum platforms and remains a major name in forum software.
It provides the core functionality you’d expect from established forum software, including forums and sub-forums, user accounts, permissions, moderation, attachments, polls, ranks, and customization options.
It’s free and open source, which makes it attractive if you want to run the forum yourself without paying for a commercial forum license.
The tradeoff is that you’re managing a separate forum application. Depending on how extensively you customize it, you may also need to deal with extensions, themes, updates, compatibility, and the technical work involved in maintaining the software.
As I mentioned above, UltimateWB actually used an integrated phpBB forum in its earlier versions. We eventually replaced it with our own forum application because we wanted to address spam issues and add features and control.
If you’re specifically comparing phpBB with UltimateWB, you can also read our more detailed Which forum software is the best? phpBB vs vBulletin vs SMF vs UltimateWB.
#5: vBulletin
vBulletin is one of the longstanding names in forum software and was once one of the dominant platforms for large online forums.
It provides a substantial collection of forum and community features, including user management, permissions, moderation, private messaging, member profiles, reputation and social features, attachments, search, and other tools for running a large discussion community.
Its long history also means there is a lot of experience and documentation surrounding traditional forum management.
The drawback is that vBulletin is an older platform that has had to compete with newer forum and community software that has taken a more modern approach to design and development. If you’re starting a new forum today, there are newer options that may provide a more modern overall experience.
It’s also commercial software, so cost is another consideration.
#6: Vanilla
Vanilla, now part of Higher Logic, is more of a customer community platform than traditional forum software.
Along with regular discussions, it includes features for Q&A, knowledge bases, customer support, product feedback and idea voting, groups, events, gamification, and community analytics.
For example, a company could use it to let customers ask questions, find answers from other customers, submit product ideas, vote on those ideas, and earn points or badges for participating. It also integrates with customer-support tools such as Zendesk.
The drawback is that this broader, customer-community focus may not be what you want if you’re looking for straightforward forum software for a general discussion community. It’s designed particularly around businesses using their community for customer engagement, support, feedback, and related purposes.
#7: MyBB
MyBB is another long-established open-source forum platform.
It provides the traditional forum structure many people expect, with forums and sub-forums, topics, posts, user accounts, permissions, moderation, private messaging, polls, attachments, and other standard forum features.
One of its advantages is its flexibility. MyBB has an extension and theme ecosystem, allowing administrators to add functionality and customize the appearance of their forums.
The drawback is that getting the exact functionality and appearance you want may involve relying on third-party plugins and themes. As with other open-source forum software, that can introduce additional considerations around compatibility, updates, and maintenance.
#8: bbPress
bbPress is a forum plugin for WordPress.
Its biggest advantage is obvious: if your website is already built on WordPress, bbPress lets you add forum functionality within the WordPress environment.
bbPress is relatively lightweight because it focuses on the core building blocks of a forum rather than trying to be a large, all-in-one community system. It uses WordPress’s existing user accounts, themes, administration area, and database, rather than introducing a separate forum application with its own full administrative system.
That makes bbPress a straightforward way to add a basic discussion area to an existing WordPress website without adding a large, separate community platform.
The tradeoff is that if you want more advanced community functionality, you may need to add other WordPress plugins or extensions. For example, you might want features such as member profiles, private messaging, reactions or likes, polls, gamification and rewards, advanced moderation, or more sophisticated membership and access controls. Depending on how much you add, that can mean more components to install, configure, update, and keep compatible.
#9: WoltLab Suite
WoltLab Suite is a full community platform rather than just a basic forum. Its ecosystem includes the WoltLab Forum along with applications for things such as blogs, galleries, calendars, databases, and file management.
The forum includes features such as discussions, polls, attachments, subscriptions, moderation, search, reactions, notifications, and customizable user permissions.
It’s a particularly interesting option if you want a more complete community platform rather than forum software alone.
The biggest drawback is the cost. The self-hosted version requires a paid license, and continued updates and support are an additional cost after the included period. If you want additional applications such as the Blog, Gallery, Calendar, Filebase, or Database, those are purchased separately, so the total cost can add up quickly. WoltLab also offers a cloud version on a monthly subscription.
WoltLab is a substantial and capable community platform, but the modular licensing model is something to consider carefully if you want several different parts of the suite.
#10: Simple Machines Forum (SMF)
Simple Machines Forum, usually called SMF, is another long-running open-source forum platform.
Like phpBB and MyBB, it follows the traditional message-board model, with forums, topics, posts, user groups, permissions, moderation, attachments, polls, and other standard forum functionality.
One of its advantages is that it is free, open source, and designed specifically for running forums rather than trying to turn the forum into something else.
The main drawback is that its overall interface and experience can feel more dated than some of the newer commercial community platforms. If you’re starting a new community today and want a particularly modern-looking interface out of the box, that may be a consideration.
If you’re specifically deciding between SMF and phpBB, I’d go with phpBB. I discuss that comparison in more detail in What would you recommend for forum software between SMF and phpBB – or something else?.
Choosing the Ultimate Forum Solution
After looking at all of these options, UltimateWB’s Built-In Forum App is my top choice.
What puts it at the top for me is the combination of its forum capabilities, the amount of control you have over how the community works, and the fact that the forum is part of a larger website-building platform. You can build a website around the community, rather than having to figure out how to connect a separate forum platform to everything else.
And if your main goal is the forum itself, that works too. You don’t have to build a large website around it to take advantage of the forum. You can make the forum the central part of the site and add other features as your community grows.
That flexibility is ultimately why I would choose UltimateWB over the other options on this list.
Related Forum Resources
If you’re researching forum software or planning to build a forum website, these related guides may also help:
- What would you recommend for forum software between SMF and phpBB – or something else?
- What is the best forum software that is not only mobile responsive, but designed for mobile?
- What is the best way to create a forum website?
- What is the best way to add a forum to my current website?
- How to Start a New Online Forum and Make It Successful
- Technical Considerations for Setting Up a Forum Website: Size Matters
- How to Create a Forum with a Membership Paywall: Platform Comparison
Ready to design & build your own customized forum website? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
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