vBulletin vs Discourse

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

vBulletin is a Social & Communications solution with tags like forum, community, discussion, messaging, moderation, reputation.

It boasts features such as User profiles, Private messaging, Reputation systems, Content moderation tools, Integration options and pros including Robust platform for building online communities, Wide range of features, Active developer community, Customizable and extensible.

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.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

vBulletin

vBulletin

vBulletin is a popular Internet forum software package that provides a robust platform for building online communities. It includes features like user profiles, private messaging, reputation systems, content moderation tools, and integration options.

Categories:
forum community discussion messaging moderation reputation

VBulletin Features

  1. User profiles
  2. Private messaging
  3. Reputation systems
  4. Content moderation tools
  5. Integration options

Pricing

  • Subscription-Based

Pros

Robust platform for building online communities

Wide range of features

Active developer community

Customizable and extensible

Cons

Can be complex for novice users

Requires technical expertise to fully customize

Vulnerable to exploits if not updated regularly


Discourse

Discourse

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.

Categories:
opensource discussion communities organizations conversations teams categories tags private-messages notifications

Discourse Features

  1. Topic-focused discussions
  2. Real-time notifications
  3. Private messaging
  4. User roles and permissions
  5. Mobile app
  6. Categories and tags
  7. Search
  8. Moderation tools
  9. Custom theming
  10. Plugins and integrations

Pricing

  • Open Source

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