ElkArte vs FUDforum
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted forums & community options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ElkArte | FUDforum |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Forums & Community | Forums & Community |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 188 | ★ 80 |
| First released | 2013 | 2001 |
| Replaces | SMF, phpBB, vBulletin | phpBB, vBulletin |
What are ElkArte and FUDforum?
ElkArte
ElkArte is a modern, free, and open-source community forum platform derived from SMF. It emphasizes a clean interface, drag-and-drop posting features, and a flexible permission system.
- Drag-and-drop attachments
- Granular permissions
- Mention and notification system
- Theme support
FUDforum
FUDforum is a fast, scalable, and highly customizable open-source bulletin board with an integrated mail and news gateway. It handles large user bases and supports multiple database backends.
- Mail and news gateway
- Scales to large user bases
- Multiple database support
- Theme customization
ElkArte vs FUDforum: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for ElkArte versus GPL-2.0 for FUDforum. FUDforum is the more established project (first released 2001), while ElkArte arrived in 2013. ElkArte has the considerably larger community, at 188 GitHub stars versus 80.
Why pick each one
Choose ElkArte if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose FUDforum if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ElkArte or FUDforum better?
ElkArte is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider FUDforum if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are ElkArte and FUDforum free and open-source?
Yes. ElkArte is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and FUDforum under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ElkArte and FUDforum with Docker?
ElkArte: check the project docs for container support. FUDforum: check the project docs for container support.