Side by side

ElkArte vs Flarum

Both stand on discussion forum software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Flarum provides community and moderation tools with extensive customization options at no software price. Self-hosting requirements, extension permissions, and the release-candidate status of version 2.0 are important considerations.

Visit Flarum

The facts

	ElkArte	Flarum
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Not published	API, Extension, Self-hosted, Web
Lowest paid plan	Not published	Not published
Plans published	None	None
Maker	ElkArte	Flarum
Website	elkarte.net	flarum.org
On discussion forum software	#7 of 16	#3 of 16

ElkArte: what it does well

Flarum: what it does well

Free and open source under the MIT License.
Includes group permissions, moderation, and flagging.
Admins can customize with themes, CSS, and extensions.
Offers Markdown and WYSIWYG editors.

What to know first

Self-hosting requires PHP 8.3 or later and a supported database.
SSH access is needed for some maintenance tasks.
Version 2.0 is described as a release candidate.
No official importers are listed.

Alternatives to ElkArte Alternatives to Flarum The whole list