--- title: phpBB canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/phpbb/ category: Customer Community Software points: 46 rank: 8 of 8 facts_checked: 2026-10-09 --- # phpBB Free open-source forum software that you install and run on your own server. 46 points out of 100. #8 of 8 customer community platforms. Vendor: phpBB Limited. Website: https://www.phpbb.com/ - The software is free and open source under GPL-2.0 [1]. - You install it on a web server or hosting account that runs PHP and a database [4]. - Moderators get a reported-posts queue, an approval queue for posts, and bans by user name, IP address or email [2][3]. - Authentication methods in the admin guide are LDAP, Apache and OAuth for social providers such as Google and Facebook [3]. - Backups made in the admin panel must be fetched from the server by FTP or SCP, since version 3.2.6 [3]. Verdict: phpBB suits teams that want a free forum they host themselves, with groups, permissions and moderation tools [1][2][3]. The software costs nothing and the documentation names no member cap [1][3]. The catch: you run the server yourself, and the admin guide describes no API or webhooks and no sign-in beyond LDAP, Apache and social OAuth [3][4]. Best for: Teams that want a free, self-run forum with solid moderation tools. ## Points | Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note | |---|---|---|---|---| | Price | Free plan | Not published | 0/6 | Not published: the documents describe self-installed software and no vendor-hosted plan [4]. | | Price | Cheapest paid plan with a custom domain | $0 | 12/12 | No hosted plan; the software is free under GPL-2.0, so $0 [1]. | | Members and access | Unlimited members | Yes | 6/6 | Self-hosted free software; the admin guide describes no cap on members [1][3]. | | Members and access | Custom domain | Yes | 3/3 | Server settings let you set the domain name the board runs on [3]. | | Members and access | Single sign-on | No | 0/10 | Admin guide lists LDAP, Apache and social OAuth logins only; no SAML, OpenID Connect or JWT [3]. | | Members and access | Groups with their own permissions | Yes | 4/4 | Admin guide covers user-defined groups and group forum permissions [3]. | | Moderation and answers | Moderation tools | Report queue, Approve before posting, Ban or suspend members, Spam or word filters | 8/8 | Moderator guide: reports and approval queue; bans by name, IP or email. Admin guide: word censoring and reCAPTCHA [2][3]. | | Moderation and answers | Accepted answers | Not published | 0/5 | Not published in the vendor's moderator or admin guides [2][3]. | | Connections | Named integrations | Not published | 0/8 | Not published in the vendor's admin guide; none of Slack, Salesforce, Zendesk or HubSpot is named [3]. | | Connections | Public API | Not published | 0/8 | Not published in the vendor's admin guide [3]. | | Connections | Webhooks | Not published | 0/3 | Not published in the vendor's admin guide [3]. | | Your data | Export your community data | Yes | 6/6 | Admin guide covers creating database backups in the admin panel; since 3.2.6 they are fetched from the server by FTP or SCP [3]. | | Your data | Open source | Yes | 4/4 | README names the GNU General Public License v2 [1]. | | Your data | Self-hosting | Yes | 3/3 | Quick start guide covers uploading the files and running the installer on your own server [4]. | | Security | SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 | Not published | 0/8 | Not published in the vendor's documentation or README [1][3]. | | Security | Written uptime guarantee | Not published | 0/3 | Not published in the vendor's documentation or README [1][3]. | | Security | Two-factor sign-in | Not published | 0/3 | Not published in the vendor's admin guide [3]. | ## Plans | Plan | Price | Per month (USD) | |---|---|---| | Free software | Free [1] | $0 | ## Strengths - Free software under GPL-2.0 [1]. - Reported-posts queue, post approval queue and bans are documented [2][3]. - Group-based permissions are covered in the admin guide [3]. - The board can run on your own domain, set in the server URL settings [3]. - Word censoring and reCAPTCHA are built in [3]. ## Limits - You must host and maintain it yourself; the install guide needs a web server or hosting account with PHP and a database [4]. - The admin guide describes no API or webhooks [3]. - Two-factor sign-in is not described in the admin guide [3]. - In December 2014 phpBB.com went offline after an intrusion that might have exposed user data [5]. ## Concerns - Nextgov reported on 19 December 2014 that phpBB.com went offline after an intrusion that might have exposed data of users registered on phpBB.com and area51.phpBB.com. The attackers had stolen a team member's login credentials. Passwords were encrypted, users were asked to change them, and installed boards were not affected [5]. ## Sources 1. [phpBB README](https://github.com/phpbb/phpbb/blob/master/README.md), GitHub (phpBB), accessed 2026-10-09 2. [phpBB moderator guide](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/phpbb/documentation/3.3.x/documentation/content/en/chapters/moderator_guide.xml), phpBB documentation, accessed 2026-10-09 3. [phpBB administration guide](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/phpbb/documentation/3.3.x/documentation/content/en/chapters/admin_guide.xml), phpBB documentation, accessed 2026-10-09 4. [phpBB quick start guide](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/phpbb/documentation/3.3.x/documentation/content/en/chapters/quick_start_guide.xml), phpBB documentation, accessed 2026-10-09 5. [Users must reset passwords following phpBB forum breach](https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2014/12/breach/143552/), Nextgov, accessed 2026-10-09