No. 6 of 54 ·Online Community Platforms

phpBB

Web · Self-hosted

Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.3

phpBB is ranked #6 of 54 in online community platforms on Freedom251. It runs on Self-hosted, Web. There is a free plan.

phpBB plans and pricing

phpBB Free Free and open source forum software · requires a PHP web server and SQL database phpbb.com · 4 Oct 2026

Purpose: phpBB is an open-source bulletin board system for building online forums.
License: phpBB is released under the GNU General Public License v2.
Customization: Community-built extensions can add features, and styles can customize a board’s appearance.
Languages: phpBB supports UTF-8 and offers language packs for additional translations.
Responsive design: Its default prosilver style uses HTML5 and CSS3 and is designed for desktop and mobile browsers.
Administration: The administration panel lets users customize features without directly editing code.
Server requirements: phpBB 3.3 requires a web server with PHP 7.2 or later and a supported SQL database.
Database support: The installation guide lists MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle as supported database systems.
Password security: phpBB hashes passwords before storing them and says newer platforms use Argon2id and Argon2i hashing.
Security setup: The installation guide instructs administrators to remove the install directory after installation because leaving it can create a security issue.
Extensions: The official support site directs users to separate sections for help with extensions and styles.
Support: Support resources include documentation, knowledge base articles, community support forums, and limited-support Discord and IRC chats.
Origin: phpBB was created by James Atkinson in June 2000.
Founded: 2000
Price from: Free

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