A List of Open Source Community Platforms

phpBB

phpBB debuted in 2000 when James Atkinson wanted an easy way to add forums to his website. A few months later, a team formed the phpBB Group to manage growth. phpBB shines with its mature plugin system and strong moderation tools.

It suits large communities that need robust permission controls. You’ll find thousands of free styles and extensions. phpBB keeps improving under a clear roadmap and an active volunteer team.

2. MyBB

Chris Boulton launched MyBB (originally DevBB) in 2002 to simplify forum setup. He aimed to match phpBB’s power while cutting extra steps. Today a dedicated community drives MyBB, delivering regular updates and security fixes.

MyBB offers a flexible template engine and plugin framework. It includes built‑in moderation features like warning points and user promotions. Administrators praise its user‑friendly dashboard and responsive themes.

3. Discourse

Jeff Atwood, Robin Ward, and Sam Saffron released Discourse in 2013 with a focus on modern web tech. They built it on Ruby on Rails and Ember.js to make discussions feel alive. Discourse delivers real‑time notifications and seamless mobile views.

You get features like “trust levels” that reward active members and built‑in spam defenses. Its plugin API lets you add polls, integrations, or custom badges. Discourse Cloud or self‑hosted options suit small groups and massive communities alike.

4. Flarum

Toby Zerner and Franz Liedke began Flarum in 2015 as a successor to FluxBB and esoTalk. They wanted a forum that stayed fast even as it grew. Flarum uses PHP and Mithril.js to deliver a clean, two‑pane interface that feels snappy.

You can install extensions in seconds and switch themes without fuss. Flarum keeps its code modular so developers can build custom features. The core team releases frequent beta updates and monitors feedback on GitHub.

5. NodeBB

NodeBB started in 2013 when Brandon Downey and Justin Tabb saw Node.js as a way to speed up forums. They built a real‑time engine that pushes updates instantly. NodeBB uses MongoDB or Redis for fast data handling at scale.

Its plugin ecosystem runs on npm, letting you tap into thousands of JavaScript modules. Live chat, social logins, and gamification plugins work out of the box. NodeBB’s active company behind it also offers hosted plans.

6. Vanilla Forums (Community Edition)

Mark O’Sullivan launched Vanilla in 2006 to uncloak forums from bulky code. He stripped features down to the essentials so communities could add what they needed. Vanilla Community Edition runs on PHP and offers a simple API for plugins.

You’ll find social features like reactions, badges, and discussions organized in categories. Helpers maintain dozens of free plugins that handle everything from polls to SEO. Vanilla Labs also maintains the paid, hosted version for larger teams.

Update: Vanilla Forums Shut Down

7. Elgg

Ben Werdmuller and Dave Tosh created Elgg in 2004 as a social network framework. They wanted to give sites “Facebook‑style” features without vendor lock‑in. Elgg runs on PHP and uses plugins called “views” to shape the user experience.

You can add blogs, groups, notifications, and file sharing with single installs. Its granular permissions system powers educational and nonprofit networks. Developers appreciate its clear hooks and object model for customizing behavior.

8. HumHub

HumHub emerged in 2015 from zeros+ones GmbH as a modular social network kit. They built it on the Yii framework to keep performance high. HumHub divides features into “modules” so you only install what you need.

Modules cover events, wikis, dashboards, and user badges. It supports multiple languages and offers responsive themes. Administrators can tweak permissions per user and group. A paid marketplace adds official support and extra modules.

9. BuddyPress

Andy Peatling launched BuddyPress in 2005 as a plugin for WordPress. He saw a need to turn blogs into community hubs. BuddyPress adds profiles, activity streams, and private messaging right inside your WordPress site.

You can extend it with hundreds of plugins and themes from the WordPress ecosystem. It links tightly to WordPress users and roles, so you get single sign‑on out of the box. Many universities and businesses use it to power intranets.

10. Oxwall

Oxwall began in 2010 when a group of Russian developers at Skalfa built a PHP social networking engine. They aimed for an app store‑style approach to features. Oxwall offers plugins for blogs, events, media shares, and more.

You’ll find a theme marketplace and built‑in mobile support for modern devices. Oxwall’s permission system handles user roles and privacy at a fine‑grained level. A small company continues to offer both free and paid plugins.

11. Rocket.Chat

Gabriel Engel released Rocket.Chat in 2015 to give teams an open Slack alternative. He built it on Meteor.js and MongoDB for real‑time messaging. Rocket.Chat handles group chat, direct messages, and video calls in one app.

You can integrate bots, connect to third‑party services, and host everything on your own servers. Administrators set up rich permission schemes and audit logs to stay secure. A thriving developer community ships apps for everything from Zoom to GitHub.

12. bbPress

Matt Mullenweg launched bbPress in 2004 to bring lightweight forums into WordPress. It runs on PHP and uses the same database tables as your blog, so setup feels familiar. You get tight integration with themes and plugins from the WordPress ecosystem. Key highlights:

• Easy single sign‑on with your WordPress users
• Lean codebase that loads fast under heavy traffic
• Hundreds of extensions for features like member ratings and spam protection

##. 13 Simple Machines Forum (SMF)

The SMF Team released SMF in 2003 as a powerful, free forum solution. It uses PHP and MySQL, and ships with a built‑in package manager that installs mods in one click. Admins love its role‑based permissions and detailed post moderation tools. Top features:

• Theme editor for custom look and feel
• Automatic user pruning and spam killer
• Integrated statistics and search optimization