Phorum vs Laravel.io
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted forums & community options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Phorum | Laravel.io |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 68 · Good |
| Category | Forums & Community | Forums & Community |
| License | PHP-3.01 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 67 | ★ 2,501 |
| First released | 1998 | 2014 |
| Replaces | phpBB | phpBB |
What are Phorum and Laravel.io?
Phorum
Phorum is one of the oldest PHP-based forum applications, designed to be fast and lightweight. It supports modules, custom templates, and email integration for discussions.
- Lightweight and fast
- Module and template system
- Email-to-forum integration
- Long-established codebase
Laravel.io
Laravel.io is a clean, modern discussion forum built with the Laravel PHP framework, offering threads, tags, and user reputation. It is the software that powers the official Laravel community forum.
- Built on Laravel
- Threads and tags
- Developer friendly
- Powers the laravel.io community
Phorum vs Laravel.io: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — PHP-3.01 for Phorum versus MIT for Laravel.io. Phorum is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Laravel.io. Phorum is the more established project (first released 1998), while Laravel.io arrived in 2014. Laravel.io has the considerably larger community, at 2,501 GitHub stars versus 67.
Why pick each one
Choose Phorum if…
- Released under the PHP-3.01 license
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Development largely dormant
- Dated interface
Choose Laravel.io if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Phorum or Laravel.io better?
Neither is universally better. Laravel.io has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Phorum and Laravel.io free and open-source?
Yes. Phorum is licensed under PHP-3.01 and Laravel.io under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Phorum and Laravel.io with Docker?
Phorum: check the project docs for container support. Laravel.io: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Phorum or Laravel.io?
Phorum has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Laravel.io. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.