When we take about making online forums, two names often come up in conversation: XenForo and Discourse. But which one is the better choice for your community? In this comparison of XenForo vs Discourse, we’ll get into the strengths and weaknesses of both platforms, helping you make an informed decision.
XenForo vs Discourse
The Basics:
Before we dive into the main comparison, let’s get a basic understanding of what XenForo and Discourse are:
What is XenForo?
XenForo is a commercial Internet forum software package written in the PHP programming language. Launched in 2010, it’s known for its robustness and flexibility, offering a traditional forum experience with a modern twist.
What is Discourse?
Discourse is an open-source Internet forum and mailing list management software application. Founded in 2013, Discourse presents a more modern approach to forum software, focusing on mobile compatibility and interactive features.
Ease of Use:
When it comes to choosing forum software, ease of use is a critical factor. Let’s see how XenForo and Discourse stack up.
XenForo: User-Friendly and Intuitive
XenForo is praised for its user-friendly interface. It’s easy to navigate, making it a hit among traditional forum users. But how does it fare for forum administrators?
Discourse: Modern and Interactive
Discourse, with its modern design, offers a more interactive user experience. It’s mobile-friendly and encourages user engagement with features like infinite scrolling. But is it as easy to manage as XenForo?
Customizability:
XenForo: A Playground for Developers
XenForo is highly customizable, offering a wide range of styles and add-ons. Its robust add-on system allows developers to extend its functionality, making it a popular choice for those who want to tailor their forums to their specific needs.
Discourse: Open-Source and Flexible
Discourse, being open-source, offers a high degree of flexibility. It allows for extensive customization, although this might require some technical knowledge. It’s plugin architecture and theme system allow for a wide range of modifications.
Community Support:
XenForo: A Strong Community Backing
XenForo has a strong community of developers and users who are ready to help with any issues. The official XenForo community forums are a great place to find solutions to common problems and get advice from experienced users.
Discourse: Open-Source Community Power
Discourse, being open-source, has a large community of developers contributing to its development. This means that any issues are quickly addressed, and there’s a wealth of knowledge available on the Discourse community forums.
Pricing:
XenForo: A One-Time Fee
XenForo operates on a one-time fee model, with additional costs for premium add-ons and yearly support. This makes it a cost-effective choice for long-term projects.
Discourse: Free, with a Catch
Discourse is free to download and install on your own servers. However, if you’re not technically inclined, they offer hosted solutions at various price points.
| Pricing Plan | XenForo | Discourse |
|---|---|---|
| Starter/Basic | $60/month: Lifetime support, 400K monthly page views, 50GB storage, complete XenForo suite, unlimited members and staff, fully managed service, add-ons and API, daily backups, DDoS protection, SSL security, choice of URL | $25/month: 100 members, 5 admins & moderators, 50k monthly page views, 10GB storage, 50k monthly emails, real-time chat, secure web access, mobile app, email support, global CDN, complete feature set, basic plugins |
| Standard | $100/month: Lifetime support, 1M monthly page views, 100GB storage, complete XenForo suite, unlimited members and staff, fully managed service, add-ons and API, daily backups, DDoS protection, SSL security, choice of URL | $100/month: Unlimited members, 100k monthly page views, 20GB storage, 100k monthly emails, public access, custom themes and components, custom domain, DiscourseConnect (SSO), social login, sign in with Apple, standard plugins |
| Business | $250/month: Lifetime priority support, 4M monthly page views, 240GB storage, complete XenForo suite, unlimited members and staff, fully managed service, add-ons and API, daily backups, DDoS protection, SSL security, choice of URL | $300/month: 15 admins & moderators, 500k monthly page views, 100GB storage, 300k monthly emails, Amazon, LinkedIn, and Microsoft authentication, OpenID Connect, custom OAuth2, learning management system integration, business plugins, migration, priority email support |
| Enterprise | Custom: Live online support, lifetime priority support, migration and import service, 5M+ monthly page views, unlimited storage, complete XenForo suite, unlimited members and staff, fully managed service, add-ons and API, daily backups, DDoS protection, SSL security, choice of URL | Custom: Unlimited admins & moderators, 3M+ monthly page views, 200GB+ storage, 1.5M+ monthly emails, SAML, enterprise plugins, custom migration |
Security:
XenForo: Secure and Reliable
XenForo has a good track record when it comes to security. Regular updates and a vigilant community ensure that potential security issues are quickly addressed.
Discourse: Open-Source Security
Discourse, being open-source, benefits from the “many eyes” approach to security. Its code is publicly available for scrutiny, which means potential security issues are quickly spotted and fixed.
Case Study: A Successful XenForo Forum – AVForums
AVForums is a community for audio-visual home consumer electronics enthusiasts. It’s one of the most popular forums in its niche, boasting over 1 million members and 2 million discussions.
AVForums uses XenForo as its forum software, and it’s a great example of how XenForo’s features can be leveraged to create a successful online community. The forum is well-organized, with clear categories and sub-forums. It also makes good use of XenForo’s add-on system, with custom add-ons to enhance user experience.
The success of AVForums can be attributed to its active community, high-quality content, and the robust features of XenForo. The forum has a dedicated team of moderators and a community of enthusiastic members who are quick to help out with any queries.
Case Study: A Successful Discourse Forum – Boing Boing BBS
Boing Boing BBS is a popular forum for the award-winning zine, blog, and directory of wonderful things, Boing Boing. A forum is a place for readers to discuss posts, share interesting content, and engage with the Boing Boing community.
Boing Boing BBS uses Discourse as its forum software. The forum layout is clean and modern, with a focus on the content. It makes good use of Discourse’s features, such as the ability to like posts, reply directly to individual posts, and automatically highlight the original poster’s replies in a thread.
The success of Boing Boing BBS can be attributed to its engaging content, active community, and modern features of Discourse. The forum encourages discussion and interaction, creating a vibrant and dynamic community.
These case studies illustrate how both XenForo and Discourse can be used to build successful online communities. The choice between the two will depend on your specific needs and preferences.
Summary:
XenForo vs Discourse comparison
“When comparing XenForo and Discourse, it’s clear that both platforms offer unique features for online communities. XenForo stands out as a compelling community experience, providing a comprehensive and interactive forum environment. With its rich set of features and intuitive interface, XenForo empowers users to create engaging discussions while fostering a sense of community. On the other hand, Discourse offers a clean and streamlined forum design, where conversations flow down the page in a linear fashion. By attaching replies to the top and bottom of each post, Discourse allows users to expand the context seamlessly. However, for those seeking a more immersive and feature-rich community experience, XenForo emerges as a top choice.”
| Feature | XenForo | Discourse |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | ✔️ User-friendly and intuitive interface | ✔️ Modern and interactive design |
| Customizability | ✔️ Highly customizable with plugins and themes | ✔️ Open-source flexibility allows extensive customization |
| Community Support | ✔️ Strong community of developers and users | ❌ Updates require a page refresh |
| Pricing | ✔️ One-time fee, additional costs for premium add-ons | ✔️ Free to install, hosted solutions available at a cost |
| Security | ✔️ Good track record, regular updates | ✔️ Open-source code allows for quick spotting and fixing of issues |
| Mobile-Friendly | ❌ Traditional forum layout may not be as mobile-friendly | ✔️ Designed with mobile compatibility in mind |
| Real-Time Updates | ❌ Updates require page refresh | ✔️ Supports real-time updates and notifications |
| Built-In SEO | ✔️ Basic SEO features | ✔️ Advanced SEO features |
FAQs
Can I migrate my existing forum to XenForo or Discourse?
Yes, both XenForo and Discourse offer tools and services to help you migrate your existing forum data to their platforms.
Do XenForo and Discourse offer mobile-friendly designs?
While both platforms are accessible on mobile devices, Discourse has a more mobile-focused design with features like infinite scrolling.
What kind of support can I expect with XenForo and Discourse?
XenForo offers lifetime support with its license, with an active community forum for additional help. Discourse, being open-source, has a large community of developers contributing to its development and a wealth of knowledge available on the Discourse community forums.
How do XenForo and Discourse handle SEO?
Both XenForo and Discourse have built-in SEO features. However, the specifics of how they handle SEO may differ, and it’s recommended to use additional SEO tools and strategies to optimize your forum.
Can I use third-party add-ons or plugins with XenForo and Discourse?
Yes, both XenForo and Discourse support the use of third-party add-ons or plugins to extend the functionality of your forum.
Which is better for large communities, XenForo or Discourse?
Both XenForo and Discourse can support large communities. The choice between the two would depend on your specific needs, such as the level of customization you require, your budget, and your technical ability to manage the forum.
Conclusion
In the battle of XenForo vs Discourse, there’s no clear winner. Both offer unique advantages and are suited to different types of communities. Your choice will depend on your specific needs, technical ability, and budget.