About Flarum
Flarum is open source forum software for building online communities. It is free to use, and it can be customized with extensions and themes.
What it does
You set up discussion categories, groups and permissions, then adjust how the forum looks. Members can post with a Markdown or WYSIWYG editor. Notifications and email digests help keep people engaged. The platform is built on Laravel, and the API lets developers add custom features.
Key features
- Groups and permissions by category
- Markdown or WYSIWYG post editor
- Notifications and email digests
- Themes and custom CSS styling
- Extensions and an API for custom features
Who it's for
Community managers and developers who want to run a forum they control. Hobby communities, support forums and larger discussion sites can all use it.
Pricing and good to know
Flarum is free and MIT licensed, so you can run it yourself. Hosting and any paid extensions or custom development are separate costs that depend on your setup. Check each extension's terms before you install it. The project publishes regular core updates, so plan for upgrades.
Highlights
- Groups and permissions by category
- Markdown or WYSIWYG post editor
- Notifications and email digests
- Themes and custom CSS styling
- Extensions and an API for custom features
