Simple Machines Forum
Community PlatformsForums & Discussion BoardsfreeSimple Machines Forum (SMF) is a free, open-source forum platform that community builders can self-host to create traditional discussion board communities. It offers extensive customization through a package manager with hundreds of modifications and themes, making it suitable for communities that want full control over their forum appearance and functionality. The platform includes built-in moderation tools, member management, and Server Side Includes (SSI) for website integration, appealing to tech-savvy community managers who prefer owning their community infrastructure rather than relying on hosted platforms.
Founded
2001
Team Size
10
11%
Funding
Venture
0Monthly Traffic
40,450
7%
Key Features
- •Package Manager for modifications
- •Custom theme engine
- •Server Side Includes (SSI)
- •Multi-language support
- •Self-hosted deployment
Use Cases
Self-hosted community forums
Deploy a fully-featured discussion forum on your own servers with complete control over data, customization, and branding
Niche hobby communities
Create specialized discussion boards for gaming, tech, or interest-based communities with custom modifications and themes
Website-integrated communities
Use SSI functionality to integrate forum data and member information directly into existing websites and content management systems
Multi-language communities
Build international communities with built-in support for 40+ languages and localization tools
Cost-conscious community building
Launch professional-grade community forums without monthly subscription fees, ideal for volunteer organizations and bootstrapped projects
Target Users
Tags
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