customer community platform · phpBB Limited

phpBB

Free open-source forum software that you install and run on your own server.

46/100

#8 of 8 customer community platforms
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

The software is free and open source under GPL-2.0¹.
You install it on a web server or hosting account that runs PHP and a database⁴.
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 Facebook³.
Backups made in the admin panel must be fetched from the server by FTP or SCP, since version 3.2.6³.

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.

Where the points come from

Price12 of 18

Members and access13 of 23

Moderation and answers8 of 13

Connections0 of 19

Your data13 of 13

Security0 of 14

Price 12 of 18 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free plan	Not publishedNot published: the documents describe self-installed software and no vendor-hosted plan⁴.	0 / 6
Cheapest paid plan with a custom domain	$0No hosted plan; the software is free under GPL-2.0, so $0¹.	12 / 12

Members and access 13 of 23 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Unlimited members	YesSelf-hosted free software; the admin guide describes no cap on members^1,3.	6 / 6
Custom domain	YesServer settings let you set the domain name the board runs on³.	3 / 3
Single sign-on	NoAdmin guide lists LDAP, Apache and social OAuth logins only; no SAML, OpenID Connect or JWT³.	0 / 10
Groups with their own permissions	YesAdmin guide covers user-defined groups and group forum permissions³.	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 filtersModerator guide: reports and approval queue; bans by name, IP or email. Admin guide: word censoring and reCAPTCHA^2,3.	8 / 8
Accepted answers	Not publishedNot published in the vendor's moderator or admin guides^2,3.	0 / 5

Connections 0 of 19 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Named integrations	Not publishedNot published in the vendor's admin guide; none of Slack, Salesforce, Zendesk or HubSpot is named³.	0 / 8
Public API	Not publishedNot published in the vendor's admin guide³.	0 / 8
Webhooks	Not publishedNot published in the vendor's admin guide³.	0 / 3

Your data 13 of 13 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Export your community data	YesAdmin guide covers creating database backups in the admin panel; since 3.2.6 they are fetched from the server by FTP or SCP³.	6 / 6
Open source	YesREADME names the GNU General Public License v2¹.	4 / 4
Self-hosting	YesQuick start guide covers uploading the files and running the installer on your own server⁴.	3 / 3

Security 0 of 14 points

Rule	What is published	Points
SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001	Not publishedNot published in the vendor's documentation or README^1,3.	0 / 8
Written uptime guarantee	Not publishedNot published in the vendor's documentation or README^1,3.	0 / 3
Two-factor sign-in	Not publishedNot published in the vendor's admin guide³.	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
Free softwareSelf-hosted board	Free¹	$0	Free open-source software; you provide the server

Strengths

Free software under GPL-2.0¹.
Reported-posts queue, post approval queue and bans are documented^2,3.
Group-based permissions are covered in the admin guide³.
The board can run on your own domain, set in the server URL settings³.
Word censoring and reCAPTCHA are built in³.

Limits

You must host and maintain it yourself; the install guide needs a web server or hosting account with PHP and a database⁴.
The admin guide describes no API or webhooks³.
Two-factor sign-in is not described in the admin guide³.
In December 2014 phpBB.com went offline after an intrusion that might have exposed user data⁵.

Concerns on record

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 affected⁵.

Other customer community platforms

1
DiscourseCompanies that want a moderated, open-source support forum on their own domain
93/100
$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-host
64/100
$20/mocheapest paid plan with a custom domain
3
BettermodeCompanies that want a branded customer community with CRM and support-desk integrations
63/100
$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 above
62/100
$79.17/mocheapest paid plan with a custom domain

All 8 customer community platforms

Sources

phpBB README, GitHub (phpBB). Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
phpBB moderator guide, phpBB documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
phpBB administration guide, phpBB documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
phpBB quick start guide, phpBB documentation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Users must reset passwords following phpBB forum breach, Nextgov. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: www.phpbb.com · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with phpBB Limited.