Flarum vs MyBB (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Flarum and MyBB share a 2.0 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Flarum if
- Fits if you can run a server and want a forum you control
- Works for communities that want extensions and themes
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you can't manage PHP, a database and SSH access
- Not for you if you want courses, memberships or payments, as it has none
- Watch out: support comes from the volunteer community forum, not a paid vendor
- Watch out: no official migration tool, only the third-party Nitro Porter
Pick MyBB if
- Fits if you can install a forum on your own hosting
- Works for communities that want themes and plugins
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you do not want to run a server, as the project sells no hosting
- Tight if you want paid support, as help comes from volunteers and forums
- Watch out: plugins and themes are community-made, and quality and upkeep vary
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAFlarumFair | 2.0GPAMyBBFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree software, but only if you host it yourself, and hosting is your cost. That puts it in the middle for value. | CThe software is free but you pay for hosting and run it yourself, which keeps it at the ordinary grade. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe whole software is free under the MIT license. You pay only for hosting. | BFree and open source with no plan caps, though you provide the server. |
| Features | CForums with groups, permissions, extensions, themes and notifications. It does that smaller job fully, and has no courses, memberships or payments. | CPlugins, a template editor, moderation tools, private messages and 30+ translations cover forum basics, but add-ons are community-made. |
| Ease of use | DIt needs PHP 8.3 or newer, a database and SSH access, which rules out much shared hosting. No store rating is on record. | DNo store rating on record, and it must be installed and kept up on your own server. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integrations listed on the vendor pages. | CWeb only, and no integrations are listed. |
| Best for | a free forum you host yourself | free forum software with plugins and themes |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Flarum and MyBB. How we grade
Price against what you get
Flarum has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MyBB has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, none scores higher than Flarum for less, and none scores higher than MyBB for less.
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
Where they differ
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostableCommunity
At a glance
| Flarum | MyBB | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The whole software is free under the MIT license; you pay only for your own hosting. | The software is free and open source; you pay only for your own web hosting. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Flarum Foundation | MyBB Group |
| Price read from | docs.flarum.org | mybb.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
MyBB
- You install and maintain it on your own server; the project sells no hosting.
- It is run by volunteers, so support comes from the community forums and documentation.
- Plugins and themes are community-made; their quality and upkeep vary.
Key features
Flarum
- Groups and permissions
- Assign permissions to groups, control member access across categories, and use built-in moderation and flagging.
- Extensions
- Hundreds of community-built extensions add features, and bundled ones include Tags, Messages, Realtime, Statistics and Markdown.
- Themes and styling
- Change the look through admin settings, install themes, or add custom CSS that applies across the whole forum.
- Editors
- Supports lightweight Markdown editors and full WYSIWYG editors, depending on the extensions you install.
- Notifications
- In-browser notifications and email digests, with real-time updates available through the bundled Realtime extension.
- Choice of database
- Flarum 2.0 runs on MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite or PostgreSQL, and search can be swapped to another engine through search drivers.
MyBB
- Plugins
- A plugin system adds features to a forum, and the project lists hundreds of plugins and themes to install in a few clicks.
- Themes and templates
- A built-in template and theme editor gives control over the forum's design.
- Moderation and administration
- Separate tools for moderators and staff, and an administration area for running the board.
- Private messaging
- Members can hold private conversations with several registered users at a time.
- Translations
- Community-maintained translations exist for more than 30 languages, including right-to-left ones.
- Merge System
- A separate tool converts from several other forum packages into MyBB, or combines several MyBB forums into one.
Plans
Flarum
Flarum$0
Free MIT-licensed software that you install and run on your own server.
MyBB
MyBB$0
Free download, currently version 1.8.41. You host and maintain it yourself.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Flarum or MyBB?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Flarum and MyBB are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Flarum or MyBB?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Flarum and MyBB have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.