Flarum
Free MIT-licensed forum software governed by a Dutch non-profit foundation
Quick Overview
| Company | Stichting Flarum (Flarum Foundation) |
|---|---|
| Category | Community Platform Software |
| Headquarters | Netherlands |
| EU Presence | EU (Netherlands) |
| Data Location | Wherever you host it |
| Open Source | Yes |
| Pricing | Free and open source under the MIT licence; self-hosted, no vendor price list |
| Replaces | Discourse, phpBB, Vanilla Forums |
Detailed Review
Flarum is open-source forum software governed by Stichting Flarum, the Flarum Foundation, a Dutch non-profit registered with the Chamber of Commerce under KvK number 75601745 and established in August 2019. It is MIT licensed, built on Laravel, and version 2.0 has been released. The foundation describes its role as keeping the project free, open source and community driven.
There is no price list because there is no product to buy: you download it and host it yourself. Features include groups and permissions, moderation and flagging, Markdown or WYSIWYG editing, themes, and hundreds of community-built extensions.
That is both the appeal and the limit. There is no vendor-run cloud listed on flarum.org and no SLA published, so you need your own hosting, backups and someone able to manage PHP and extensions. It has no membership, dues or app layer. For a free forum under a permissive licence it is the cleanest option, and for anything beyond a forum it is not a platform.
What Flarum does well
- MIT licence, free forever, with source under your control
- Dutch non-profit foundation with a KvK registration
- Modern interface with groups, permissions and moderation tooling
- Extension ecosystem built by the community
- No per-user or per-page-view fees
Where Flarum falls short
- No vendor-hosted plan listed on flarum.org
- No commercial SLA published
- Many features depend on community-built extensions
- No membership, dues or mobile app layer
Standout feature. A free MIT-licensed forum maintained by a non-profit foundation, with no commercial tier to upsell.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- MIT licence, free forever, with source under your control
- Dutch non-profit foundation with a KvK registration
- Modern interface with groups, permissions and moderation tooling
- Extension ecosystem built by the community
- No per-user or per-page-view fees
Cons
- No vendor-hosted plan listed on flarum.org
- No commercial SLA published
- Many features depend on community-built extensions
- No membership, dues or mobile app layer
Alternatives to Flarum
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Flarum?
Flarum is open-source forum software governed by Stichting Flarum, the Flarum Foundation, a Dutch non-profit registered with the Chamber of Commerce under KvK number 75601745 and established in August 2019. It is MIT licensed, built on Laravel, and version 2.0 has been released. The foundation describes its role as keeping the project free, open source and community driven.
Where is Flarum based?
Flarum operates from Netherlands, which places it under EU (Netherlands).
What does Flarum cost?
Free and open source under the MIT licence; self-hosted, no vendor price list.
Who is Flarum best for?
Small communities that want free, modern forum software. A free MIT-licensed forum maintained by a non-profit foundation, with no commercial tier to upsell.
What are the drawbacks of Flarum?
No vendor-hosted plan listed on flarum.org. No commercial SLA published. Many features depend on community-built extensions. No membership, dues or mobile app layer.
Is Flarum a good alternative to Discourse?
Flarum is built as a European alternative to Discourse: Free MIT-licensed forum software governed by a Dutch non-profit foundation. It will not be a like-for-like feature match in every respect, so check the review above for where the two genuinely differ before switching.
How does Flarum compare to other Community Platform Software?
Flarum is one of several European Community Platform Software we cover. It is most often compared with Discourse, phpBB, Vanilla Forums.