Flarum vs MyBB
Flarum
flarum.orgMyBB
mybb.comSide by side
| Figure | Flarum | MyBB |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Forum Software | 7.9 (#6) | 7.7 (#11) |
| Spec score · Online Community Platforms | 7.8 (#29) | 7.5 (#38) |
| Customization | Flarum's extension-based design lets administrators disable unneeded features and add extensions. | MyBB includes a plugin system and built-in template and theme editor, with community plugins and themes available. |
| Founded | 2014 | 2002 |
| Intended users | Flarum describes itself as suitable for communities ranging from small hobby groups to large enterprise forums. | MyBB is presented as software for hosting a community discussion forum. |
| Migration | The installation guide says there are no official importers and lists several unofficial community importers without guaranteeing they work or offering support for them. | The Merge System can convert from several forum software products and combine multiple MyBB forums. |
| Purpose | Flarum is a free, open-source discussion platform for websites and online communities. | MyBB is free, open source forum software for building online communities. |
| Support | Flarum directs users with questions to its community forum, where users can get help with their instances. | Support resources include documentation, community forums, and a Discord server; the documentation says community forum support is free and available to anyone using MyBB. |
Plans
In their own words
Flarum
Flarum is free, open-source forum software for running discussions on websites and online communities. It provides group permissions, category access controls, moderation and flagging. Administrators can adjust settings, themes, CSS and extensions, and disable unneeded features. Members can write with lightweight Markdown or WYSIWYG editors. Notifications include in-browser alerts and email digests, while extensions can provide real-time notifications. A REST API lets external scripts interact with the forum and follows JSON:API practices. The extension manager discovers and installs add-ons, most of which are open source and free. Self-hosting requires Apache or Nginx, PHP 8.3 or later, a supported database and SSH access for some maintenance. Flarum is MIT-licensed and directs support questions to its community forum. Its documentation describes version 2.0 as a release candidate, not a final stable release. The project serves communities from small hobby groups to large enterprise forums.