Flarum vs phpBB (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Flarum and phpBB 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 phpBB if
- Fits if you are comfortable running a PHP server
- Works for communities that want full control of their forum
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you do not want to manage a server, as the project sells no hosting
- Tight if you need paid support, as help is documentation, a knowledge base and community forums
- Watch out: extensions that change the database can complicate upgrades
- Watch out: the permission system can daunt new users, per the project's own readme
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAFlarumFair | 2.0GPAphpBBFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 outright under GPL-2.0, with no trial or 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. | CAdmin and moderator panels, styles, language packs, permissions and extensions cover forum basics. Extensions that touch the database can make upgrades harder. |
| 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 maintained on a PHP 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 | classic open-source forum software |
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 phpBB. 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. phpBB 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 phpBB 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 | phpBB | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 whole software is free under the GPL-2.0 license; you pay only for your own web hosting. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Flarum Foundation | phpBB Limited |
| Price read from | docs.flarum.org | github.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.
phpBB
- It must be installed and maintained on your own PHP web server; the project does not sell hosting.
- Support comes from documentation, a knowledge base and community forums, not a paid support plan.
- Extensions that change the database can make upgrades harder, according to the project's readme.
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.
phpBB
- Administration and moderator panels
- Once installed, the board is managed through an Administration Control Panel and a Moderator Control Panel.
- Language packs
- The project offers official language packs, each with localized styles, installed by copying files to the board.
- Switchable styles
- Styles can be installed from the Customise tab in the admin panel and switched without touching the forum content.
- Extensions
- Third-party extensions add capabilities to the standard software and are listed in the project's Customisation Database.
- Permission system
- A detailed permission system controls who can do what on the board, which the project's own readme says can daunt new users.
Plans
Flarum
Flarum$0
Free MIT-licensed software that you install and run on your own server.
phpBB
phpBB$0
Free open-source download. You host and maintain it yourself.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Flarum or phpBB?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Flarum and phpBB are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Flarum or phpBB?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Flarum and phpBB 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.