A online forum or sometimes called a bulletin board, is a great way to create a community of like-minded people. Running a self-hosted bulletin board, as opposed to one managed by a third party, has many benefits: You are in total control of your data, you are not forced to display adverts or pay for features you do not need, and can often customize them much more too. Online bulletin boards are packed with features and their interface is designed to encourage chatter. They can be edited by using any web browser without extra add-ons or extensions.
People in general love to participate in online communities to discuss the topics they are most interested in. This is why so many of us turn to Bulletin Boards and Community Forums when they need information or support.
There are several scripts that stand out as the best forum software because they are reliable and have the features you need in a forum program.
Softaculous revolutionizes web management with its lightning-fast, one-click installer for over 380 apps, including WordPress and Joomla. Seamlessly integrated with top control panels, it empowers users to effortlessly install, update, and secure websites. With features like staging sites and templates, it’s the ultimate tool for agencies, developers, and bloggers aiming to streamline their online presence.
With this script which is available with any of our hosting plans. You can install, try out, uninstall as many apps as you like. It is just that simple. With hundreds of amazing scripts for Image galleries, E-commerce, blogs, Forums, Wikis, social networking.
Take the Softaculous demo for a spin, see reviews and more.
phpBB is used by millions of people on a daily basis, making it the most widely used open-source bulletin board system in the world. Whether you want to stay in touch with a small group of friends or are looking to set up a large multi-category board for a corporate website, phpBB has the features you need built in.
phpBB Hosting
SMF in short is a free, professional grade software package that allows you to set up your own online community within minutes. Its powerful custom made template engine puts you in full control of the lay-out of your message board and with our unique SSI - or Server Side Includes - function you can let your forum and your website interact with each other.
Simple Machines Forum Hosting
MyBB is a free bulletin board system software package developed by the MyBB Group. A lot of thought has gone into the MyBB interface to make it easy to use. MyBB uses a standard discussion board structure, so your visitors will feel familiar with the way MyBB works.
MyBB Hosting
PunBB is a fast and lightweight PHP-powered discussion board. Its primary goals are to be faster, smaller and less graphically intensive as compared to other discussion boards. PunBB has fewer features than many other discussion boards, but is generally faster and outputs smaller, semantically correct XHTML-compliant pages.
PunBB Hosting
bbPress is forum software from the creators of WordPress. Quickly setup a place for asyncronous discussion, subscriptions, and more! bbPress is focused on simplicity, flexibility, a deep integration withWordPress, web standards, and speed. bbPress is lean, mean, and ready to take on any job you throw at it.
bbPress Hosting
XMB is a lightweight PHP forum software with all the features you need to support a growing community. Unlock the potential of your online community with a time-tested forum platform, renowned for its flexibility and ease of use. Paired with seamless one-click installation through a leading software installer, this solution offers powerful features to foster engagement, streamline management, and adapt to diverse needs, perfect for building a connected, dynamic digital hub
XMB Hosting
ElkArte is a modern, powerful community building forum software. It is created by volunteers who believe in freedom of software. Initially based on Simple Machines Forum (SMF), it began with a complete overhaul of the code in order to modernize, implement new features and make a forum software be relevant in a time of unprecedented social interaction. It has grown to become a modern, feature rich forum package to meet the demands of today's discussion groups.
ElkArte Hosting
Flarum is a delightfully simple discussion platform for your website. Transform your online community with a sleek, modern forum platform that redefines digital conversation. Engineered for speed and simplicity, it delivers a responsive, intuitive experience across devices, blending elegant design with powerful features. Ideal for fostering engagement, it empowers users and administrators alike to create a vibrant, future-ready discussion space.
Flarum Hosting
miniBB is a standalone, open source program for building your own Internet forum. If you want a lite, simple and stable message board attached to your existing website at the very high integration level, which may include the full customization of the layout to the look of your website, or even synchronizing with the existing membership system, you've just came across to the best forum solution for such purpose available worldwide.
miniBB Hosting
my little forum is a simple PHP and MySQL based forum that displays the messages in classical threaded view. Open Source licensed under the GNU General Public License. The main claim of this web forum is simplicity. It is easy to install and run on a standard server configuration with PHP and MySQL.
my little forum Hosting
Flatboard is a Simple, Lightweight, Modern and fast Flat-File Forum, using Json and Markdown or BBcode. Carefully designed elements and components. User interface is clean and intuitive. New concept blending blog and forum for dynamic comments.
Flatboard Hosting
Advanced Electron Forum. AEF is written in MySQL and PHP. It has a very simple and easy to use Admin Panel. This Bulletin board or forum software has all the general features that a forum software should have. It is very easy to install and runs on any web server
AEF Hosting
FluxBB, an open-source marvel hosted on GitHub, delivers a feather-light, high-speed forum experience under the GNU license. Engineered for efficiency, it skips bloated extras while preserving core usability—perfect for developers craving a lean, extensible platform. With a vibrant community and easy setup via PHP and MySQL, it’s the minimalist’s choice for crafting dynamic online discussions.
FluxBB Hosting
The original message board software that is designed to meet different needs of different web sites while not sacrificing performance or features. Phorum gives the web designers the power to rearrange the data in any shape, form or fashion they could want.
Phorum Hosting
Carbon Forum, a high-octane open-source platform coded in PHP, ignites online discussions with its Quora-meets-StackOverflow vibe. Boasting real-time notifications, tag-driven threads, and a sleek asynchronous design, it delivers top-tier performance and SEO mastery. With mobile-ready sitemaps and a modern notification hub, it’s the go-to for developers crafting vibrant, scalable communities.
Carbon Forum Hosting
TidyBB powers online communities with its lightweight, open-source forum software, blending sleek design with robust functionality. Built for simplicity, it offers customizable themes, an intuitive admin panel, and seamless updates, all installable in moments. Ideal for hobbyists and pros alike, its active development community ensures a fresh, reliable platform for fostering vibrant discussions.
TidyBB Hosting
Beehive Forum, a free PHP/MySQL-powered platform, redefines online discussions with its unique frame-based layout, titles on the left, content on the right. Packed with features like targeted replies, safe HTML posting via a WYSIWYG editor, and a robust relationship system to ignore disruptive users, it’s highly configurable. With powerful admin tools and a "light mode" for mobile access, it’s ideal for dynamic, secure communities.
Beehive Hosting
FUDforum stands out as a blazing-fast, open-source forum solution, perfect for communities of any size. With unmatched scalability, it supports limitless members, posts, and forums, while offering deep customization through templates and over 50 languages. Syncing seamlessly with USENET and mailing lists, it delivers a robust platform for developers and admins seeking a dynamic, feature-rich discussion space.
FUDforum Hosting
Vanilla Forums, available via Softaculous, delivers a sleek, open-source solution for building vibrant online communities. With one-click installation, it offers customizable themes, rich plugins, and seamless integration into websites. Ideal for businesses and enthusiasts, its modern interface and moderation tools foster engagement, making it a top choice for creating dynamic, user-driven discussion spaces effortlessly.
Vanilla Hosting
TangoBB, an open-source gem on GitHub, offers a sleek, simple bulletin board platform under the MIT License. Tailored for customization, its flexible design invites amateur developers to craft unique themes while supporting limitless forums and users. Though development has paused, its vibrant community endures, making it a timeless choice for lightweight, scalable discussion hubs.
TangoBB Hosting
Unclassified NewsBoard (UNB) is a pioneering open-source forum crafted in PHP, blending simplicity with innovation. Born from a student’s vision in 2003, it offers intuitive controls, detailed access management, and unique features like Jabber notifications. Though no longer actively developed, its elegant design and multilingual support make it a timeless choice for streamlined, user-friendly community building.
Unclassified NewsBoard Hosting
Asgaros Forum is the perfect WordPress plugin if you want to extend your website with a lightweight and feature-rich discussion board. It is easy to set up, super fast and perfectly integrated into WordPress.
Asgaros Home Page
Use Toolbox for Asgaros Forum to customize your Forum without the struggle to write some code. You can easily create
some custom menu entries or change the url to the User Profile.
Toolbox for Asgaros Home Page
wpForo Forums is the best WordPress forum plugin. Full-fledged yet easy and light forum solution for your WordPress website. Comes with modern and responsive forum layouts and styles. This WordPress forum plugin brings everything you need to run an efficient and professional community
wpForo Home Page
Discussion Board is an easy way to add a forum to your WordPress site. It has a one-click installation and stacks of essential features that make it the leading WordPress forum plugin. In brief:
Discussion Board Home Page
an all-in-one, feature-rich forum plugin designed to seamlessly integrate with your WordPress site. With a focus on performance and user experience, it offers an extensive range of free and premium features to meet all your forum needs.
Simple Press Home Page
Are you looking for a timeless, elegant, and streamlined discussion board? bbPress is easy to integrate, easy to use, and is built to scale with your growing community. bbPress is intentionally simple yet infinitely powerful forum software, built by contributors to WordPress.
bbPress Home Page
This Plugin lets you style bbPress, and add display features. You can change the forum styling for elements, letting you match (or contrast!) bbPress to your theme. Many features are available at the click of a button, such as creating vertical lists, adding create new topic links, hiding counts and much more.
bbp style Home Page
Expertly crafted, ForumWP is the next generation forum solution for WordPress. Say goodbye to outdated forum software forever. Build your online community with ForumWP. ForumWP provides you with all the tools to create a thriving online community on your website
ForumWP Home Page
Vanilla allows you to create a customized community that rewards positive participation, automatically curates content and lets members drive moderation.
Vanilla Home Page
Advanced Forms is a WordPress plugin for creating front-end forms using Advanced Custom Fields. It supports all ACF field types, including repeaters and flexible content fields, and provides the same field editing interface you are already familiar with.
Advanced Forms Home Page
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital interaction, selecting the ideal forum or bulletin board software is more than a technical decision, it’s a commitment to fostering vibrant, connected communities. Whether you’re exploring versatile programs, scripting custom solutions, or evaluating user-friendly apps, the right platform empowers meaningful dialogue and collaboration.
By prioritizing intuitive design, robust functionality, and scalability, you can build an online ecosystem that not only meets today’s needs but adapts seamlessly to tomorrow’s opportunities. Ultimately, the success of your community hinges on a foundation that amplifies voices, bridges perspectives, and transforms casual visitors into engaged contributors.
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