MyBB vs SMF
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted forums & community options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | MyBB | SMF |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 78 · Good |
| Category | Forums & Community | Forums & Community |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,242 | ★ 749 |
| First released | 2005 | 2004 |
| Replaces | vBulletin, phpBB | vBulletin, phpBB |
What are MyBB and SMF?
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
SMF
SMF, or Simple Machines Forum, is a free, professional-grade forum package that lets you run an online community. It is known for stability, a strong permission system, and broad customization.
- Granular permission system
- Mods and themes support
- Strong moderation features
- Multilingual support
MyBB vs SMF: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for MyBB versus BSD-3-Clause for SMF.
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 SMF if…
- Reliable and well established
- No licensing fees
Watch out for
- Dated default appearance
- Slower modern development
Frequently asked questions
Is MyBB or SMF better?
Neither is universally better. MyBB has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MyBB and SMF free and open-source?
Yes. MyBB is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and SMF under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MyBB and SMF with Docker?
MyBB: yes. SMF: yes.