Phorum vs SMF
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted forums & community options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Phorum
Lightweight, mature PHP message board software
VS
SMF
Simple Machines Forum community bulletin board
| Feature | Phorum | SMF |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Forums & Community | Forums & Community |
| License | PHP-3.01 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 67 | ★ 745 |
| First released | 1998 | 2004 |
| Replaces | phpBB | vBulletin, phpBB |
Why pick each one
Choose Phorum if…
- Released under the PHP-3.01 license
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Phorum or SMF better?
SMF is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Phorum if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Phorum and SMF free and open-source?
Yes. Phorum is licensed under PHP-3.01 and SMF under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Phorum and SMF with Docker?
Phorum: check the project docs for container support. SMF: yes.