phpBB vs Discourse

Struggling to choose between phpBB and Discourse? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

phpBB is a Development solution with tags like open-source, forum, discussion-board, php, free.

It boasts features such as Forum creation and management, User management and permissions, Private messaging, File attachments, Search engine, Themes and skins, Extensions and plugins, Multi-language support, Mobile support, Spam prevention and pros including Free and open source, Active development community, Highly customizable and extensible, Easy installation, Strong security features, Scales well for large forums, Large user base and resources.

On the other hand, Discourse is a Social & Communications product tagged with opensource, discussion, communities, organizations, conversations, teams, categories, tags, private-messages, notifications.

Its standout features include Topic-focused discussions, Real-time notifications, Private messaging, User roles and permissions, Mobile app, Categories and tags, Search, Moderation tools, Custom theming, Plugins and integrations, and it shines with pros like Open source and self-hosted, Active development community, Feature rich out of the box, Good performance at scale, Extensive theming and branding options, Robust moderation and admin tools.

Feature	phpBB	Discourse
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Social & Communications

Product Overview

phpBB

Description: phpBB is an open source forum software written in PHP. It allows you to set up an online community and discussion board on a website. It is free to use and allows for custom themes and extensions.

Discourse

Description: Discourse is an open-source discussion platform built for modern communities and organizations. It enables fluid conversations across teams with features like categories, tags, private messages, and real-time notifications.

Key Features Comparison

phpBB Features

• Forum creation and management
• User management and permissions
• Private messaging
• File attachments
• Search engine
• Themes and skins
• Extensions and plugins
• Multi-language support
• Mobile support
• Spam prevention

Discourse Features

• Topic-focused discussions
• Real-time notifications
• Private messaging
• User roles and permissions
• Mobile app
• Categories and tags
• Search
• Moderation tools
• Custom theming
• Plugins and integrations

Pros & Cons Analysis

phpBB

Pros

• Free and open source
• Active development community
• Highly customizable and extensible
• Easy installation
• Strong security features
• Scales well for large forums
• Large user base and resources

Cons

• Can be resource intensive for large forums
• Steeper learning curve than some forum software
• Requires technical expertise to customize
• Not as user friendly as some alternatives
• Upgrading between versions can be difficult

Discourse

Pros

• Open source and self-hosted
• Active development community
• Feature rich out of the box
• Good performance at scale
• Extensive theming and branding options
• Robust moderation and admin tools

Cons

• Can be resource intensive to self-host
• Steeper learning curve than some forums
• Limitations with native mobile apps
• Less flexible than custom developed solutions

Pricing Comparison

phpBB

• Open Source

Discourse

• Open Source