Open Source Alternatives to XenForo

Forum software that enables the creation and management of online communities. The platform provides tools for user interaction, crowd-sourced support, and the assembly of knowledge bases from user discussions. It includes a detailed permission system for access control, customizable branding via HTML and CSS, and a REST API for extending functionality through custom integrations. The software is available as a fully managed cloud service or as a self-hosted license for those who prefer to manage their own data. Additional add-on products include a media manager for organizing video and images and a resource manager for hosting tutorials and downloads. The system also features a notification engine to keep users engaged via alerts and push notifications. It is designed for small to large communities requiring a structured environment for public or private discussion.

Whether you want to cut software costs or escape vendor lock-in, these open source alternatives to XenForo give you an option you fully own. You can self-host them, so your data stays on infrastructure you control. This page lists 7 open source alternatives to XenForo. The most popular are Discourse, Flarum and NodeBB. Most use the GPL-2.0 or BSD-3-Clause license, and 4 offer an official Docker image.