Simple Machines Forum
Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is a free, open source forum software that allows you to set up and run an online community. It has features like member profiles, private messaging, search, custom themes, add-ons, spam prevention, and more.
forum
community
messaging
profiles
Simple Machines Forum (SMF)
Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is a free, open source forum software that allows you to set up and run an online community. It has features like member profiles, private messaging, search, custom themes, add-ons, spam prevention, and more.
What is Simple Machines Forum?
Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is a powerful, free, and open source forum software that enables you to set up and run an online community website. It has an extensive feature set that allows you to grow and manage an active member base.
Some key features of SMF include:
- Member profiles - Allow members to create detailed profiles with avatars, signatures, reputation, custom user titles and more. Profiles help build community.
- Messaging system - Private messaging between members and email notifications promote user interaction.
- Search engine - Fast site-wide search helps members easily find content.
- Themes and layout - Choose from hundreds of free themes or design your own unique style and layout.
- Modifications - Add new features and functions with the SMF modification system and community add-ons.
- Administration - Powerful admin tools let you monitor users, posts, manage permissions and content.
- Moderation - Spam prevention features and community moderation helps maintain site quality.
SMF powers over tens of thousands of active community forums. It has a reputation for being easy to use and extremely reliable at scale. With its focus on performance and security, SMF is a great choice for all forum website projects.
Simple Machines Forum Features
Features
- User profiles and private messaging
- Forum creation with categories and subforums
- Spam prevention tools
- Search engine optimization
- Custom themes and layouts
- Add-ons and plugins
- Moderation tools
- Email and digest notifications
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Free and open source
Easy to install and use
Active developer and user community
Highly customizable and extensible
Regular security updates
Scales well for large communities
Cons
Can be resource intensive for large forums
Steeper learning curve than some forum software
Limited native mobile support
Not as feature-rich as paid alternatives
Official Links
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