Price12 of 18
Members and access13 of 23
Moderation and answers8 of 13
Connections8 of 19
Your data13 of 13
Security0 of 14
customer community platform · Flarum Foundation
Flarum
Free, MIT-licensed forum software that you install on your own server.
In short
- The software is free and released under the MIT licence1,9.
- You install it yourself with Composer on a PHP 8.3+ server; no member limit is mentioned2.
- The documented REST API follows the JSON:API standard, though the page says its endpoint documentation is still in progress4.
- Bundled extensions cover member suspension, Akismet spam checks and GDPR data exports3,5,6,7.
- The home page and docs do not mention single sign-on, webhooks, SOC 2 or ISO 270011,3,12.
Flarum suits teams that can run their own PHP server and want a free forum with groups, moderation and an API1,2,4. There is no hosted plan to buy, so uptime, security and upgrades are yours to handle1,2. Single sign-on, webhooks and compliance certificates are not described in Flarum's published pages1,3,12.
Best for: Teams with a web host who want a free, lightweight forum they control.
Where the points come from
Price 12 of 18 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not publishedFlarum is software you install yourself; the home page and install docs do not describe any hosted plan, free or paid1,2. | 0 / 6 |
| Cheapest paid plan with a custom domain | $0No hosted plan; the software is free under the MIT licence, so counted as $01,9. | 12 / 12 |
Members and access 13 of 23 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited members | YesSelf-hosted software; the install docs mention no member limit2. | 6 / 6 |
| Custom domain | YesYou run it on your own server; the config file's url setting is changed if you change domains2,10. | 3 / 3 |
| Single sign-on | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's home page, docs index or extensions page1,3,12. | 0 / 10 |
| Groups with their own permissions | YesAdmins assign permissions to groups and configure global and specific scopes1,8. | 4 / 4 |
Moderation and answers 8 of 13 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Moderation tools | Report queue, Approve before posting, Ban or suspend members, Spam or word filtersFlagging1; Approval extension makes posts and discussions need moderator approval14; Suspend6; Akismet7. Audit docs log flags13. | 8 / 8 |
| Accepted answers | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's home page, docs or bundled extension list1,3,12. | 0 / 5 |
Connections 8 of 19 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Named integrations | Not publishedNot published: Slack, Salesforce, Zendesk and HubSpot are not named on Flarum's home page or docs1,3,12. | 0 / 8 |
| Public API | YesDocumented REST API following JSON:API, available to external scripts4. | 8 / 8 |
| Webhooks | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's docs index, extensions page or REST API page3,4,12. | 0 / 3 |
Your data 13 of 13 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Export your community data | YesGDPR extension: members export their data; staff with permission can start an export for another member. Not a full-site export5. | 6 / 6 |
| Open source | YesReleased under the MIT licence; source on GitHub1,9. | 4 / 4 |
| Self-hosting | YesInstall docs give Composer steps and server requirements for your own server2. | 3 / 3 |
Security 0 of 14 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's home page, docs index or GitHub page1,9,12. | 0 / 8 |
| Written uptime guarantee | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's home page or docs; no hosted service is described1,12. | 0 / 3 |
| Two-factor sign-in | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's admin docs or extension list3,8. | 0 / 3 |
The rule behind each line: how we score customer community platforms.
Plans and prices
As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.
| Plan | Price as listed | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flarum (self-hosted)Any size of community | Free1,2 | $0 | MIT-licensed software; you supply the server |
Flarum lists no hosted or paid plans; hosting costs are your own1.
Strengths
- Free under the MIT licence, with source on GitHub1,9.
- Admins set permissions for each member group1,8.
- Moderators can suspend members for set days or indefinitely6.
- Members and permitted staff can start personal data exports through the GDPR extension5.
- A bundled Approval extension can require moderator approval for posts and discussions14.
Limits
- No hosted plan is described, so you need your own server with PHP 8.3+ and a database1,2.
- The install page for version 2 uses a beta stability flag2.
- The REST API page says its endpoint documentation is still in progress4.
- Flarum's published pages do not describe single sign-on, webhooks, accepted answers or two-factor sign-in1,3,8,12.
- Flarum reported a breach of its own flarum.org server in 202311.
Concerns on record
- On 8 November 2023 Flarum announced that its flarum.org server had been breached; it could not confirm whether data was taken, and an old forum database backup from December 2021 was on the server11.
Other customer community platforms
- 1
DiscourseCompanies that want a moderated, open-source support forum on their own domain93/100$100/mocheapest paid plan with a custom domain - 2
NodeBBTeams that want a forum on their own domain with an API and the option to self-host64/100$20/mocheapest paid plan with a custom domain - 3
BettermodeCompanies that want a branded customer community with CRM and support-desk integrations63/100$149/mocheapest paid plan with a custom domain - 4
Mighty NetworksBrands that want a hosted community with courses and events, with an API on Scale and above62/100$79.17/mocheapest paid plan with a custom domain
Sources
- Flarum: free, open-source forum software, Flarum. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Installation, Flarum Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Extensions, Flarum Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Consuming the REST API, Flarum Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- GDPR extension, Flarum Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Suspend extension, Flarum Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Akismet extension, Flarum Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Admin dashboard, Flarum Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- flarum/framework, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Configuration file, Flarum Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Flarum.org Security Breach - What it means for you, Flarum Community. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Flarum documentation, Flarum Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Audit extension, Flarum Docs. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- flarum/approval extension (composer.json), GitHub (Flarum). Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Website: flarum.org · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Flarum Foundation.