bbPress review (2026): is it any good?
Free, open-source forum plugin for WordPress
bbPress report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for a plain forum inside a WordPress site
bbPress is a free forum plugin that runs inside WordPress, with Akismet spam filtering and RSS feeds. It is deliberately bare, so profiles, attachments and most other things come from extra plugins that you choose and keep updated, on hosting you pay for.
Who bbPress is for
- Fits if you already run WordPress and want a simple board on your own domain
- Works for people who prefer small open-source software to a hosted platform
Who bbPress is not for
- Skip it if you don't run WordPress, as it works nowhere else
- Not for you if you want a hosted forum, because updates, backups and spam handling are yours
- Too light for member profiles or attachments out of the box, which need other plugins
- Watch out: hosting and any add-on plugins are costs the free price leaves out
Why bbPress gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyThe plugin is $0, but it only runs on a WordPress site you host yourself, so the real cost is that hosting. Software you must host sits at a C.
- BFree plan and trialThe whole plugin is free under the GPL with no caps. You still need your own WordPress hosting.
- CFeaturesForums, topics, replies, RSS and Akismet are built in. The listing says it is deliberately minimal and extra features come from other plugins.
- DEase of useIt needs a WordPress install, your own hosting, and you handle updates and backups.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, inside WordPress. Akismet is the one named integration.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from bbPress's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/bbpress#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/bbpress.svg" alt="bbPress: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where bbPress stands among course and community platforms
bbPress's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 23 of the 98 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 21.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 71 of 98) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
bbPress has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 99 course and community platforms we grade, cut by the letter each got. bbPress’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 17 of 98, level with 61
- BFree plan and trialAbove 71 of 98, level with 26
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 98, level with 54
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 98, level with 22
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 98, level with 24
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 78 course and community platforms. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep bbPress, or make your own?
Keep it
bbPress is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 54 of the 98 other course and community platforms grade higher.
What you could make
- RSS reader: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to.
What this rests on. bbPress’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is bbPress?
bbPress is forum software built by contributors to WordPress and installed as a WordPress plugin. It adds forums, topics, replies, user profiles and subscriptions to an existing WordPress site and shares its user accounts and admin area. It is GPL-licensed and free, and extra features come from WordPress plugins.
Worth knowing
- It runs only inside WordPress, so you need a WordPress site and your own hosting.
- It is deliberately minimal: many features come from separate plugins you choose and maintain.
- It has no hosted version, so updates, backups and spam handling are up to you.
Key features
- Forums inside WordPress
- Runs on the same user accounts and admin area as the rest of a WordPress site, with a one-click install.
- Multisite forums
- Can divide a site into sections and let users create content in them.
- Spam protection
- Supports Akismet for filtering spam posts.
- RSS feeds
- Provides feeds for forums, topics and replies.
- Customizable templates
- Forum templates can be restyled and overridden in a WordPress theme.
- Plugin extensions
- Extra features such as profiles or attachments come from WordPress's plugin system rather than the core plugin.
bbPress pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, bbPress is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- The whole plugin is free under the GPL; you pay only for your own WordPress hosting and any add-on plugins you choose.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| bbPress | $0 | Free GPL plugin that you host yourself on your own WordPress site. |
Read from bbpress.org on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with bbPress before you buy.
Works with
- Akismet
bbPress alternatives
- bbPress vs wpForo
Free plan · from $15/mo
- bbPress vs phpBB
Free
- bbPress vs MyBB
Free
- bbPress vs Discourse
Free plan · from $100/mo
Common questions
Does bbPress have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. bbPress is listed for Web.
Does bbPress have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. bbPress is listed for Web.
Is bbPress open source?
Yes. bbPress is open source, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.