Open Source Discourse Alternatives

The best open source alternative to Discourse is Flarum. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Discourse and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Discourse are Simple Machines Forum, NodeBB, MyBB and ZeroTalk.

Discourse alternatives are mainly Social Networks but may also be Customer Feedback Managers or Blog Publishing Tools. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Discourse.

This page was last updated

Discourse

134

Free Personal • Open Source

Online
Self-Hosted
Ruby
JavaScript
Cloudron
Docker

Discourse is an open source discussion platform built for the next decade of the Internet. A modern forum, everything's...

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Flarum
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Self-Hosted
PHP
Apache HTTP Server
49 alternatives to Flarum
Flarum is free, open-source forum software with a focus on simplicity. You can use Flarum to easily set up a discussion forum for your website. Flarum is developed openly on GitHub.
Suggest and vote on features
Flarum Features
1. LightweightFlarum consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsFlarum can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
3. Support for ThemesYou can use themes and templates to change the look and feel of Flarum.
Visual design
Web Forms
Flarum vs Discourse opinions
Almost everyone thinks Flarum is a great alternative to Discourse.
Guest
Works on more shared-hosting environments, and is more cleanly designed / easy to set up.
Positive comment•
5

yaoqb
Its fast lite-weight and easy, works with php and mariadb/mysql
Positive comment•
2
Simple Machines Forum
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Self-Hosted
46 alternatives to Simple Machines Forum
Simple Machines Forum — SMF in short — is a free, professional grade software package that allows you to set up your own online community within minutes.
Suggest and vote on features
Simple Machines Forum Features
User friendly
Portal
Simple Machines Forum vs Discourse opinions
NodeBB
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Open Source
Online
Self-Hosted
Sandstorm.io
MongoDB
Redis
Cloudron
Node.JS
45 alternatives to NodeBB
A community forum allows you to engage and retain customers, keeping them interested and up-to-date with your latest product or service.

NodeBB has no features, suggest some!

NodeBB vs Discourse opinions
MyBB
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Self-Hosted
47 alternatives to MyBB
MyBB is the free and open source, intuitive, extensible, and incredibly powerful forum software you've been looking for.
Suggest and vote on features
MyBB Features
Integrated Spam Protection
ZeroTalk
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Self-Hosted
Python
JSON
JavaScript
ZeroNet
21 alternatives to ZeroTalk
Forum(s) built with JavaScript ( with CoffeeScript ) and alternativeto.net/software/json for the database distributed by the network .
Suggest and vote on features
ZeroTalk Features
1. DecentralizedZeroTalk is based on a decentralized infrastructure with no single entity controlling it.
Distributed
ZeroTalk vs Discourse opinions
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
ZeroTalk requires Zeronet to run, while anyone with an internect connection can connect to discourse.
Negative comment•
-2
phpBB
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Self-Hosted
PHP
53 alternatives to phpBB
Since its creation in 2000, phpBB™ has become the most widely used Open Source forum solution. Like its predecessors, phpBB™ 3.2 “Rhea” has an easy to use administration panel and a user friendly installation process, which allows you to have a forum set up in minutes.

phpBB has no features, suggest some!

phpBB vs Discourse opinions
Some users think phpBB is a great alternative to Discourse, some don't.
FluxBB
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
44 alternatives to FluxBB
FluxBB is a fast, light, user-friendly forum application for your website. FluxBB was designed as a lighter, faster alternative to some of the traditional feature heavy forum applications. It is easy to use and has a proven track record of stability and security making it an...
Suggest and vote on features
FluxBB Features
Website integration
Discontinued
since 2018 no commit
Add a screenshot
Open Social
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Social Network
Online
Self-Hosted
Software as a Service (SaaS)
50 alternatives to Open Social
Open Social is a purpose-built community engagement platform. Developed on top of a powerful open-source Drupal technology framework, Open Social allows organizations to create a central online hub for their members.
Suggest and vote on features
Open Social Features
1. Privacy focusedOpen Social is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
Vanilla
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free Personal • Open Source
Online
Self-Hosted
50 alternatives to Vanilla
Vanilla provides a standards-compliant, multi-lingual, theme-able and pluggablecommunity forum software that powers discussion forums on 800,000 sites.
Suggest and vote on features
Vanilla Features
1. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsVanilla can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
Vanilla vs Discourse opinions
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
Vanilla only supports open-source for Developers, they discourage use for non-profit or hobbyist purposes over a paid solution.
Negative comment•
2
bbPress
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Online
44 alternatives to bbPress
bbPress is forum software with a twist from the creators of WordPress. Its focused on web standards, ease of use, ease of integration, and speed. bbPress will try to keep things as small and light as possible while still allowing great add-on feature possibilities.

bbPress has no features, suggest some!