MyBB 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 | MyBB | FUDforum |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Forums & Community | Forums & Community |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,242 | ★ 80 |
| First released | 2005 | 2001 |
| Replaces | vBulletin, phpBB | phpBB, vBulletin |
What are MyBB and FUDforum?
MyBB
MyBB is a free, open-source forum software focused on being easy to use, customizable, and extensible. It provides a powerful moderation suite and a plugin and theme system.
- Easy administration panel
- Plugin and theme system
- Powerful moderation tools
- Lightweight footprint
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
MyBB vs FUDforum: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for MyBB versus GPL-2.0 for FUDforum. FUDforum is the more established project (first released 2001), while MyBB arrived in 2005. MyBB has the considerably larger community, at 1,242 GitHub stars versus 80. MyBB lists first-class Docker deployment; FUDforum does not.
Why pick each one
Choose MyBB if…
- Simple to install and run
- Good customization
Watch out for
- Classic forum styling
- No native real-time features
Choose FUDforum if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is MyBB or FUDforum better?
MyBB 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 MyBB and FUDforum free and open-source?
Yes. MyBB is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and FUDforum under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MyBB and FUDforum with Docker?
MyBB: yes. FUDforum: check the project docs for container support.