Khoros Communities vs Simple Machines Forum
Khoros Communities
khoros.comSimple Machines Forum
simplemachines.orgSide by side
| Figure | Khoros Communities | Simple Machines Forum |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Forum Software | 8.2 (#5) | 7.2 (#14) |
| Security | Khoros's security overview says its applications use role-based permissions, CSRF protections, and activity logging, and that it conducts annual third-party application penetration tests. | SMF 2.1 upgrades password hashing to bcrypt and uses unique form tokens to help prevent CSRF attacks. |
| Support | Khoros provides separate support knowledge bases for Community Classic and Community Aurora, with support resources accessed by signing in or signing up. | The support site directs users to FAQs, community forum search, community questions, and the online manual. |
Plans
In their own words
Khoros Communities
Khoros Communities gives brands a space for customers to find answers, collaborate, and engage with one another. Communities can take the form of forums, blogs, knowledge bases, events, idea spaces, private messaging, and contests. Templates support initial setup, while no-code drag-and-drop tools let teams adjust page design and navigation. Operators can create private spaces, use a custom domain, and moderate activity with workflow automation and AI-driven content filters.
A rank and reputation engine scores activity across more than 80 triggers. Customizable analytics dashboards, widgets, and a bulk-data API support reporting. Khoros describes the product as API-first, with a GraphQL layer. Aurora early-access capabilities include AI moderation, appeals, generated answers for unanswered posts, and event-driven workflow automation; these require enablement. The Aurora Salesforce connector can escalate threads to cases, provide a private case portal, and support federated search, but requires a full Salesforce license. The product is available on web, Android, and iOS. Pricing is on request.
Simple Machines Forum
Simple Machines Forum has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.