Why Forums Still Matter: A Complete Guide to Community Building Software in 2024

Welcome back to another edition of the Independent Creator Podcast. Tonight we're taking a break from our usual live streaming topics to dive deep into something I'm genuinely passionate about: forum software. Specifically, we're looking at open source and free community building tools that can help you create thriving online spaces.

Let me get straight to the meat and potatoes here. One thing a lot of people are forgetting is that forums are incredible places to gather information that's easily searchable and doesn't get lost to the annals of time, unlike places like Discord, which I call "gravity wells" or "black holes."

The Discord Problem

Now, I know a lot of people are gravitating to Discord because it's free, it's easy, and everyone else is using it. Sure, those are positives, but there are serious problems with this approach. Any information in Discord is completely siphoned off and blocked behind a gate from the rest of the world. Even if you do find your way into a particular server, good luck trying to find anything through search because Discord's search functionality is really not that great.

Discord isn't open to the wider internet. It's a black hole, and unfortunately, a lot of companies and game publishers are starting to abandon their forums to move to Discord. Some bean counter on the payroll says, "Oh, we're spending a couple thousand dollars a month on hosting our forum, and we can use Discord for free!" But they're losing sight of the fact that all that information and knowledge is being lost forever.

Take RuneScape as an example. They're transitioning from forums they've been running for decades to a Discord format. All that information from old guides, walkthroughs, power builds, and character sheets is going to essentially disappear from the internet. You can save your old posts and threads, but what would be even nicer is keeping that information accessible on the internet where people can actually find it.

I've been shouting from the rooftops about this to what feels like an empty audience because everyone thinks forums are "dead technology" or "old boomer stuff." But forums are still around and actively used, and they serve a vital purpose for community building.

The Free and Open Source Options

Let me walk you through some solid options that won't cost you anything upfront.

Simple Machines Forum (SMF)

Simple Machines Forum has been around since the early 2000s, around 2001, and believe it or not, it's still being actively developed. These developers are volunteers doing this work because they love the software, not for monetary gain.

SMF runs on a typical LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) and has plenty of themes and plugins available. Sure, these themes aren't going to win best in show, but some actually look quite nice. There are gaming-related themes available too, which makes sense because not everyone has the budget to spend hundreds of dollars on premium software like Xenforo or Invision Community when they're just starting out.

The platform includes essential features like stop forum spam protection, which is crucial because free boards often get hit with spam unless your admin and mod staff are really on the ball.

MyBB

MyBB is another free, open source option with the tagline "the free and open source forum software powering thousands of engaging, vibrant and unique communities across the Internet." It has been on a slow development cycle, but they recently released a security and maintenance update and redesigned their installer with a much better web interface.

MyBB was probably the easiest to work with when I first started my forum adventures many years ago. There was a growing community of plugin developers and theme makers, so it felt like the early days of forums with lots of potential for customization.

PHPBB

PHPBB is probably the oldest of the three and definitely looks the most antiquated. It really looks like a forum from the 90s or early 2000s, and they haven't changed much visually. But they did have a maintenance release in October 2023 that increased the minimum required PHP version and added security hardening.

The advantage of PHPBB is that it's commonly available on shared hosting plans as a one-click install option in cPanel, right alongside WordPress. While it can be a pain to install custom themes compared to other options, there are some decent themes available that can help move away from that classic PHPBB look.

The Modern Approach: Discourse and Flarum

These platforms represent a newer generation of forum software that's still free and open source but requires a bit more involvement to set up and run.

Discourse

Discourse has really changed how forums look and function. Instead of the traditional category blocks, Discourse puts posts front and center. When you visit a Discourse forum, you see the most recent activity immediately rather than having to navigate through categories and subcategories to find actual content.

Big companies use Discourse, including Unreal Engine and Asana. While they offer hosting for $50 a month if you don't want to manage your own server, the software itself is completely free if you want to self-host.

The hosted option gives you 50,000 page views per month and 10 gigs of storage, plus mobile app support and global CDN. However, you don't get custom themes, custom domains, or some advanced features on the basic plan.

If you're using blogging software like Ghost, Discourse has great integrations where your blog posts and newsletters can use Discourse as the comment system, creating a seamless experience between your content and community.

Flarum

Flarum is similar to Discourse but less well-known. They don't offer hosting, so you're on your own for server management. The interface looks very similar to Discourse with the same front-and-center post approach and history slider functionality.

They did have a security breach recently, which they handled transparently by notifying users immediately. That's actually a good sign because security issues will happen, and the important thing is how they're handled.

The Premium Options

If you're ready to invest in paid software, you have some excellent options that generally offer better support and more frequent updates.

Xenforo

Xenforo was created by two former vBulletin developers who struck out on their own. Internet Brands (which owns vBulletin) actually sued them claiming Xenforo copied vBulletin, but they lost the case. This created a great awakening in the forum community because, at the time, vBulletin was pretty much the only game in town for large forums.

Xenforo offers cloud hosting starting at around $60 per month, which includes their complete suite with media gallery, resource manager, and enhanced search. They've been a bit slow with updates lately, but they're picking up momentum again.

Invision Community

This is what I use for the Independent Creator community. Invision Community evolved from the free Invision Powerboard software and offers incredible integration options. They have blogging capabilities, integrated calendar, e-commerce features, galleries, clubs, and a custom CMS.

Their upcoming version 5 introduces a hybrid approach that combines traditional forum categories with the conversation-focused approach of platforms like Discourse. It's pretty innovative.

Pricing starts at $54 per month for basic forums, or $100 per month for the full suite including blogs, galleries, and live chat features. They also offer courses and lessons functionality at higher tiers.

WoltLab

WoltLab is a German option that's very similar to Invision Community. Their cloud hosting starts at $40 per month and includes forums, blog, calendar, and file-based gallery. The interface looks similar to Xenforo but can be customized to match different styles.

My Recommendations

If you're thinking about starting a forum, here's my advice: start with the free options first. Don't put too much of your budget at risk when you don't know if your community will succeed or fail.

I'd specifically recommend starting with Discourse if you're going the free route. It has much better support than SMF, PHPBB, or MyBB, and the modern interface approach tends to be more engaging for users who are used to social media platforms.

The key is to focus on building your community first, then worry about upgrading your software later if needed. All of these platforms can be customized extensively with enough CSS knowledge, and the most important factor in community success isn't the software you choose but the value you provide to your members.

Forums aren't dead technology. They're still one of the best ways to build lasting, searchable, and valuable online communities. Don't let the Discord hype fool you into thinking otherwise.

What platform would you choose to start your community? Let me know in the comments, and if you want to see our community in action, check out indiecreator.community

Thanks for reading, and remember: be good to your community, and they'll be good to you.

The Independent Creator