Alternatives · Courses
Flarum alternatives
As of Nov 13, 2026, the highest-graded Flarum alternative is Discourse (2.6 GPA). It's also the best free one.
Flarum compared with 7 alternatives: Discourse, Vanilla Forums, Bettermode, MyBB, NodeBB and 2 more.
Flarum is free to use. 5 of the 7 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.
Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| FlarumThis tool | Free | Free | Web |
| Discourse | Free plan · from $100/mo | Yes | Web, iOS, Android |
| Vanilla Forums | Paid | No | Web |
| Bettermode | Free trial · from $149/mo | Trial only | Web |
| MyBB | Free | Free | Web |
| NodeBB | Free plan · from $20/mo | Yes | Web |
| phpBB | Free | Free | Web |
| Simple Machines Forum | Free | Free | Web |
Price against what you get
Flarum has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. None of the 6 alternatives on this chart both scores higher and starts lower.
Discourse, Bettermode and NodeBB score higher without starting lower.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from Flarum
Discourse
Open-source discussion forum software with hosted plans
- Discourse starts at $100 per month.
- Discourse also lists iOS and Android apps.
- Discourse also covers team chat.
Suits: Public forums, support communities and product feedback boards
Vanilla Forums
Customer community software, now sold as Higher Logic Vanilla
- Vanilla Forums has no free plan, unlike Flarum.
- Vanilla Forums also covers chat assistant, workflow automation and reports.
Suits: Software companies that want customers to answer each other's support questions
Bettermode
Branded community platform with Q&A, events and AI search
- Bettermode starts at $149 per month, billed yearly ($199 billed monthly).
- Bettermode has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Flarum.
- Bettermode also covers AI search and team chat.
Suits: Companies building a customer or product community on their own domain
MyBB
Free open-source forum software with plugins and themes
- MyBB is free.
Suits: Hobby and fan communities that want a free forum they host
NodeBB
Open-source forum software with managed hosting plans
- NodeBB starts at $20 per month for hosting; self-hosting is free.
Suits: Developers who want to run a forum on their own Node.js server
phpBB
Free open-source bulletin board software written in PHP
- phpBB is free.
Suits: Groups that want a free forum on a server they control
Simple Machines Forum
Free open-source community forum software (SMF)
- Simple Machines Forum is free.
Suits: Small communities that want a free forum on their own host
Limits worth knowing in Flarum
- You run it yourself: the installer needs PHP 8.3 or newer, a supported database and SSH access, which rules out much shared hosting.
- No official migration tool; the docs point to Nitro Porter, a third-party import and export tool.
- It has no courses, memberships or payment features, only forums.
- Support comes from the volunteer community forum rather than a paid vendor.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Flarum?
The alternatives to Flarum in this directory are Discourse, Vanilla Forums, Bettermode, MyBB, NodeBB, phpBB and Simple Machines Forum. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Flarum.
Is there a free alternative to Flarum?
Yes. MyBB, phpBB and Simple Machines Forum are free to use. Discourse and NodeBB have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Which Flarum alternatives work on Android?
The Flarum listing does not include an Android app. Discourse lists one.
Which Flarum alternatives work on iOS?
The Flarum listing does not include an iOS app. Discourse lists one.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Nov 12, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.