# Simple Machines Forum review (2026): is it any good? > Free open-source community forum software (SMF) Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Simple Machines Forum, usually called SMF, is free and open-source community forum software written in PHP. You install it on your own web server and it stores its data in a database such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. The project describes it as a way to set up an online community within minutes. - **Category:** Courses & Communities - **Made by:** Simple Machines - **Website:** https://www.simplemachines.org - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you want hosting included, as the project does not offer hosted plans on the pages read. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Simple Machines Forum is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** The software is free and open source under a BSD 3-clause license; you pay only for your own web hosting. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | SMF | $0 | Free download. You host and maintain it yourself. | Read from https://github.com/SimpleMachines/SMF on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Simple Machines Forum before buying. ## Key features - **Open-source license:** The software is licensed under the BSD 3-clause license, and its development repository is public on GitHub. - **PHP with MySQL or PostgreSQL:** The project's repository lists PHP, MySQL and PostgreSQL as its stack, so it runs on common shared and virtual hosting. - **Quick setup:** The project says you can set up your own online community within minutes of getting the software. - **Project wiki and forum:** The project runs a community forum and a wiki for documentation and help. ## Good for - Small communities that want a free forum on their own host - Admins who prefer a permissive BSD license ## Worth knowing - You install and maintain it yourself; the project's site does not offer hosted plans on the pages read. - The project's own website could not be read during research, so details come from its GitHub repository. - Support comes from the project's community forum and wiki. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Simple Machines Forum is free forum software under a BSD licence on PHP with MySQL or PostgreSQL. You run it yourself, and its listing is thin because the project's own site could not be read. - **Value for money: C.** The software is free but you pay for hosting and run it yourself, which keeps it at the ordinary grade. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Free and open source with no caps, though you provide the server. - **Features: C.** The listing shows a basic forum with a wiki and community forum for help, but little about its features. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record, and it must be installed and maintained on your own server. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only, and no integrations are listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Simple Machines's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among course and community platforms - Simple Machines Forum'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). - Simple Machines Forum 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. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/courses-communities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Simple Machines Forum 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. - You could not: A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Community, Open source, Self-hostable ## Alternatives - [phpBB](https://toolgpa.com/tools/phpbb): Free open-source bulletin board software written in PHP. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/phpbb-vs-simple-machines-forum) - [MyBB](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mybb): Free open-source forum software with plugins and themes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mybb-vs-simple-machines-forum) - [Flarum](https://toolgpa.com/tools/flarum): Free open-source forum software you host yourself. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/flarum-vs-simple-machines-forum) - [NodeBB](https://toolgpa.com/tools/nodebb): Open-source forum software with managed hosting plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/nodebb-vs-simple-machines-forum) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://github.com/SimpleMachines/SMF Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/simple-machines-forum Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).