What Do You Think is the Best Open Source Community Sofware

[Maria]

It is true that people like to use premium software to build online communities because it comes with a lot of features and functionality. However, there are also people who like using Open Source community software as they are completely free. Do you use open source community software? Have you used open source community software? What do you think is the best open-source community software? How do you compare this open source software with premium options?

[JoelR]

One of my personal favorites for open source software right now is HumHub.  It's not the traditional forum (SMF, MyBB) but it's community software.  The layout is very much a user feed, and you create "spaces" which are similar to channels.  Joined a small group hosted on HumHub.  For admins who are looking for a more social media / community feel thats not a forum, this can be a newer alternative. The one downside is that it's third party ecosystem is still very new and small. 

https://www.humhub.com/

[Kane]

I have used forums built on SMF, phpBB, and MyBB. SMF is easy to use, phpBB has a responsive design and looks very good on mobile devices, and MyBB has a nice interface. I believe it is not easy to give an accurate answer to this question as people have their own expectations and reasons for using certain software. The one that is best for me might not be the best option for you.

[MissB]

The best free forum imo is Smf. It has all the main features that most paid forums have and they do have a rich mods section too to suplement your forum with additional features.

[Nomad]

I have used SMF, MyBB, and phpBB. In fact, I am running three forums on these three open-source platforms. phpBB has a great mobile version but it might be quite tricky to use it as in my experience it is not beginner friendly. SMF is pretty much like WordPress, everything can be done through a dashboard. MyBB is easy to use, it has a good design but does not look on mobile devices.

[dismalbliss]

This is hard for me to answer since I haven't used free forum software in 10-15 years. But I have fiends who use SMF, MyBB, and phpBB, and Discourse. They all get the job done and as a user it probably doesn't matter. I do think the forum experience improves when you move onto paid software though.

[Shortie]

In the past when I have used Open Source Forum Software, I have used phpBB, MyBB, and SMF.

Out of all the ones above that I have used both as an admin and as a community member, MyBB has always been my preferred open-source software to choose from. 

I found MyBB to be similar in a way to Xenforo and vBulletin with the admin panel and I believe that is why that became my favourite. 

[MissB]

Is MyBB still being developed? Their official forum seemed dead to me with 0 activity.

[Destiny]

On 12/6/2023 at 5:38 PM, MissB said:

Is MyBB still being developed? Their official forum seemed dead to me with 0 activity.

I wondered this too, I still see people using MyBB but their support forum does seem quite dead which is worrying. 

I have not used MyBB in a long time but I am curious to know if it is still being worked on and how popular it is still. 

[MissB]

On 12/8/2023 at 11:20 PM, Destiny said:

I wondered this too, I still see people using MyBB but their support forum does seem quite dead which is worrying. 

I have not used MyBB in a long time but I am curious to know if it is still being worked on and how popular it is still. 

I browsed through their official forum and it seemed pretty much dead to me. It's a shame imo as it is a decent script with a lot of potential.

[Toni]

MyBB for me is the best open source community software. I love the look of the software and also using it as a community admin is great and very straightforward.

It is a shame that the MyBB official forum is as dead as it is because I do agree, that the script and the MyBB software as a whole do have a lot of potential it just needs time and dedication. 

Edited December 11, 2023 by Toni

[Dilip]

phpBB with a good theme can go miles. There is nothing as good as that yet in the PHP segment at the moment.