Flarum vs XenForo
Flarum
flarum.orgXenForo
xenforo.comSide by side
| Figure | Flarum | XenForo |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $60/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 5 |
| Spec score · Discussion Forum Software | 7.9 (#4) | 7.1 (#9) |
| Spec score · Forum Software | 7.9 (#6) | 7.1 (#15) |
| Spec score · Customer Community Software | 7.9 (#13) | 7.2 (#30) |
| Spec score · Community Building Platforms | 7.8 (#13) | 7.1 (#22) |
| Spec score · Online Community Platforms | 7.8 (#29) | 7.1 (#48) |
| Integrations | Flarum's documentation describes a REST API for consuming forum data. | Built-in payment processor options include PayPal, credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, with add-ons available for custom processors. |
| Purpose | Flarum is a free, open-source discussion platform for websites and online communities. | XenForo is a community platform whose primary application is a forum system for creating and replying to discussion threads. |
| Security | The installation guide says Flarum's default public directory keeps sensitive source code files inaccessible from the web root. | Security features include two-factor authentication, automatic account lockouts, CAPTCHA integrations, one-way password hashing, and input filtering. |
| Support | Flarum directs users with questions to its community forum, where users can get help with their instances. | The Cloud Starter and Standard plans list lifetime support, while Business lists lifetime priority support. |
Plans
XenForo
- XenForo Cloud Starter$60 a month
- XenForo Cloud Standard$100 a month
- XenForo Self-hosted$195, paid once
- XenForo Cloud Business$250 a month
- XenForo Cloud EnterprisePriced on request
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.