Flarum vs Vanilla Forums
Please select two different options.
Flarum and Vanilla Forums are both popular forum software options for online communities. Flarum is known for its modern and sleek design, while Vanilla Forums offers a more traditional forum experience with a focus on customization and scalability.
General information
Flarum
Vanilla Forums
Introduction :
Flarum is a modern, open-source forum platform that was launched in 2015. It has gained popularity for its sleek design, user-friendly interface, and extensive customization options. Flarum is known for its active community and regular updates, making it a top choice for those looking to create engaging online forums. Its focus on simplicity and performance sets it apart from other forum platforms on the market.
Flarum is a modern, open-source forum platform that was launched in 2015. It has gained popularity for its sleek design, user-friendly interface, and extensive customization options. Flarum is known for its active community and regular updates, making it a top choice for those looking to create engaging online forums. Its focus on simplicity and performance sets it apart from other forum platforms on the market.
Introduction :
Vanilla Forums is a popular online community platform that was launched in 2005. It is not open source but is known for its user-friendly interface, robust features, and customization options. Vanilla Forums is widely used by businesses and organizations to create engaging online communities and foster customer engagement. Its popularity stems from its ease of use, scalability, and ability to integrate with other tools and platforms.
Vanilla Forums is a popular online community platform that was launched in 2005. It is not open source but is known for its user-friendly interface, robust features, and customization options. Vanilla Forums is widely used by businesses and organizations to create engaging online communities and foster customer engagement. Its popularity stems from its ease of use, scalability, and ability to integrate with other tools and platforms.
Advantages :
- Easy to use and customize
- Fast and lightweight performance
- Active community for support and plugins
- Modern and responsive design
- Secure and reliable platform
Advantages :
- Easy to customize with themes and plugins
- Strong community support and resources
- User-friendly interface for both admins and users
- Built-in gamification features to increase engagement
- Robust security measures to protect user data
Disadvantages :
- Limited number of available plugins and extensions
- Relatively smaller community support compared to others
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
- Less flexibility in customization options
- Limited themes and design options available
Disadvantages :
- Limited customization options
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
- Lack of built-in SEO features
- Limited integrations with third-party apps
- Higher cost compared to some competitors
Website users : Thousands
Flarum is used by thousands of websites, making it a popular choice among online platforms for forum communities.
Flarum is used by thousands of websites, making it a popular choice among online platforms for forum communities.
Website users : Thousands
Vanilla Forums is used by thousands of websites worldwide, making it a popular choice for online community building and engagement.
Vanilla Forums is used by thousands of websites worldwide, making it a popular choice for online community building and engagement.
🟡 Difficulty : Average.
Getting started with Flarum may require some technical knowledge, but with the right resources, users can navigate the platform effectively.
Getting started with Flarum may require some technical knowledge, but with the right resources, users can navigate the platform effectively.
🟡 Difficulty : Average.
Getting started with Vanilla Forums requires basic technical skills and familiarity with forum platforms, making it an average level of difficulty.
Getting started with Vanilla Forums requires basic technical skills and familiarity with forum platforms, making it an average level of difficulty.
Year launched : 2015
Flarum was launched in 2015, positioning it as a relatively newer option compared to other established content management systems.
Flarum was launched in 2015, positioning it as a relatively newer option compared to other established content management systems.
Year launched : 2005
Vanilla Forums was launched in 2005, making it one of the earlier platforms in the content management system landscape.
Vanilla Forums was launched in 2005, making it one of the earlier platforms in the content management system landscape.
Official website :
https://flarum.org/
Official website :
https://vanillaforums.com/
Commercial details
Flarum
Vanilla Forums
🟢 Open source : Fully.
Flarum is fully open source, written in PHP. The entire platform is available for modification and customization by the community.
Flarum is fully open source, written in PHP. The entire platform is available for modification and customization by the community.
🟡 Open source : Partially.
Vanilla Forums is partially open source, with the core platform being open source but some features and plugins being proprietary.
Vanilla Forums is partially open source, with the core platform being open source but some features and plugins being proprietary.
🟢 Free option : Yes.
Flarum offers a free, open-source option with basic features. However, additional features and support may require paid extensions or services.
Flarum offers a free, open-source option with basic features. However, additional features and support may require paid extensions or services.
🟢 Free option : Yes.
Vanilla Forums offers a free option with limited features, making it a good choice for those on a tight budget or looking to test the platform.
Vanilla Forums offers a free option with limited features, making it a good choice for those on a tight budget or looking to test the platform.
⚪ Paid option : Unknown.
Flarum offers extensions and premium support services, but it is unclear if there is a paid option for the core platform.
Flarum offers extensions and premium support services, but it is unclear if there is a paid option for the core platform.
🟢 Paid option : Yes.
Vanilla Forums offers a paid option with additional features and support, providing users with more customization and advanced functionalities.
Vanilla Forums offers a paid option with additional features and support, providing users with more customization and advanced functionalities.
Platform details
Flarum
Vanilla Forums
⚪ Hosted : Unknown.
Hosted options may be available through third-party vendors, but direct hosting by Flarum is unclear. Further research is needed.
Hosted options may be available through third-party vendors, but direct hosting by Flarum is unclear. Further research is needed.
🟢 Hosted : Yes.
Vanilla Forums offers a hosted option for users, providing a convenient and hassle-free solution for managing online forums.
Vanilla Forums offers a hosted option for users, providing a convenient and hassle-free solution for managing online forums.
🟢 Self host : Yes.
Self-hosting is possible with Flarum, allowing users to have full control over their hosting environment and data privacy.
Self-hosting is possible with Flarum, allowing users to have full control over their hosting environment and data privacy.
🟢 Self host : Yes.
Self-hosting option available through third-party vendors, offering flexibility and control over hosting environment for Vanilla Forums users.
Self-hosting option available through third-party vendors, offering flexibility and control over hosting environment for Vanilla Forums users.
🟡 Headless CMS : Supported via plugin.
Flarum does not natively support headless functionality but can be extended with plugins to enable headless features via API.
Flarum does not natively support headless functionality but can be extended with plugins to enable headless features via API.
⚪ Headless CMS : Unknown.
Vanilla Forums does not have native headless support, but it may offer headless features through its API. Further investigation is needed for clarity.
Vanilla Forums does not have native headless support, but it may offer headless features through its API. Further investigation is needed for clarity.
🟡 Static content generation : Supported via plugin.
Flarum does not natively support static content generation but can potentially achieve this functionality via a popular plugin.
Flarum does not natively support static content generation but can potentially achieve this functionality via a popular plugin.
🟡 Static content generation : Supported via plugin.
Static content generation is possible in Vanilla Forums through the use of a popular plugin, offering flexibility and customization options.
Static content generation is possible in Vanilla Forums through the use of a popular plugin, offering flexibility and customization options.
Key features
Flarum
Vanilla Forums
🟡 Content management : Supported via plugin.
Flarum offers basic content management capabilities but relies on plugins for more advanced features, making it suitable for content management with additional customization.
Flarum offers basic content management capabilities but relies on plugins for more advanced features, making it suitable for content management with additional customization.
🟡 Content management : Supported via plugin.
Vanilla Forums offers content management through plugins, making it versatile but requiring additional setup compared to platforms with native content management features.
Vanilla Forums offers content management through plugins, making it versatile but requiring additional setup compared to platforms with native content management features.
🟡 Blogging : Supported via plugin.
Flarum can be used for blogging with the help of third-party extensions, offering a customizable and feature-rich platform for content creation.
Flarum can be used for blogging with the help of third-party extensions, offering a customizable and feature-rich platform for content creation.
🟡 Blogging : Supported via plugin.
Vanilla Forums can be used for blogging with the help of third-party plugins, offering additional features and customization options.
Vanilla Forums can be used for blogging with the help of third-party plugins, offering additional features and customization options.
🔴 E-commerce : Not supported.
Flarum does not have native e-commerce capabilities. However, it can potentially be enhanced by third-party plugins for e-commerce functionality.
Flarum does not have native e-commerce capabilities. However, it can potentially be enhanced by third-party plugins for e-commerce functionality.
🟡 E-commerce : Supported via plugin.
Vanilla Forums can be used for e-commerce with the help of third-party plugins, offering enhanced functionality for online stores.
Vanilla Forums can be used for e-commerce with the help of third-party plugins, offering enhanced functionality for online stores.
🟡 Community forum : Supported via plugin.
Flarum offers basic forum functionality but can be enhanced by popular third-party extensions for additional features and customization.
Flarum offers basic forum functionality but can be enhanced by popular third-party extensions for additional features and customization.
🟡 Community forum : Supported via plugin.
Vanilla Forums offers a solid platform for community building, but may require additional plugins for enhanced functionality compared to other platforms.
Vanilla Forums offers a solid platform for community building, but may require additional plugins for enhanced functionality compared to other platforms.
🟡 Content subscription : Supported via plugin.
Content subscriptions and paywalls can be supported through popular third-party extensions, enhancing Flarum's capabilities in this area.
Content subscriptions and paywalls can be supported through popular third-party extensions, enhancing Flarum's capabilities in this area.
🟡 Content subscription : Supported via plugin.
Content subscriptions and paywalls can be implemented through third-party plugins/extensions, offering flexibility and customization options for users.
Content subscriptions and paywalls can be implemented through third-party plugins/extensions, offering flexibility and customization options for users.
Other features
Flarum
Vanilla Forums
🟡 Multi-site : Supported via plugin.
Multi-site functionality is not supported natively in Flarum but can be achieved through the use of third-party plugins/extensions.
Multi-site functionality is not supported natively in Flarum but can be achieved through the use of third-party plugins/extensions.
🟡 Multi-site : Supported via plugin.
Vanilla Forums does not support multi-site natively but can be enabled through third-party plugins for enhanced functionality.
Vanilla Forums does not support multi-site natively but can be enabled through third-party plugins for enhanced functionality.
🟡 Multi-language : Supported via plugin.
Multi-language support in Flarum is primarily achieved through third-party extensions, offering flexibility and customization for different language requirements.
Multi-language support in Flarum is primarily achieved through third-party extensions, offering flexibility and customization for different language requirements.
🟡 Multi-language : Supported via plugin.
Vanilla Forums does not natively support multi-language but can be enhanced with popular third-party plugins for multi-language functionality.
Vanilla Forums does not natively support multi-language but can be enhanced with popular third-party plugins for multi-language functionality.
🟡 XML Sitemaps : Supported via plugin.
Flarum does not natively support XML sitemaps but can be enhanced by popular third-party plugins/extensions for this functionality.
Flarum does not natively support XML sitemaps but can be enhanced by popular third-party plugins/extensions for this functionality.
🟡 XML Sitemaps : Supported via plugin.
XML sitemap functionality can be added through a popular 3rd party plugin or extension for enhanced SEO capabilities on Vanilla Forums.
XML sitemap functionality can be added through a popular 3rd party plugin or extension for enhanced SEO capabilities on Vanilla Forums.
When deciding between Flarum and Vanilla Forums, consider the specific needs of your community. If you value a contemporary design and user-friendly interface, Flarum may be the better choice. On the other hand, if customization and scalability are top priorities, Vanilla Forums could be the ideal platform for your online community.