Best Lobsters Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from online community platforms ranked against Lobsters on the same published basis.
- 1Lobsters vs NodeBB
- 2Lobsters vs HumHub
- 3Lobsters vs Nodyx
- 4Lobsters vs Open Social
- 5Lobsters vs Discourse
- 6Lobsters vs DownToMeet
- 7Lobsters vs Daisie
- 8Lobsters vs phpBB
- 9Lobsters vs Question2Answer
- 10Lobsters vs Archive of Our Own
- 11Lobsters vs Circle
- 12Lobsters vs Fora
- 13Lobsters vs Mobilize
- 14Lobsters vs Geneva
- 15Lobsters vs Invision Community
- 16Lobsters vs Heartbeat
- 17Lobsters vs Mighty Networks
- 18Lobsters vs Wattpad
- 19Lobsters vs Flarum
- 20Lobsters vs Reddit
Lobsters alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NodeBB | 7.2 | Free plan | $20/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | HumHub | 7.1 | Free plan | — | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web |
| 3 | Nodyx | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Open Social | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web |
| 5 | Discourse | 6.7 | Free plan | $100/mo | self-hosted |
| 6 | DownToMeet | 6.7 | Free plan | $0.83/mo | Web |
| 7 | Daisie | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Web |
| 8 | phpBB | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | self-hosted, Web |
| 9 | Question2Answer | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | self-hosted, Web |
| 10 | Archive of Our Own | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 11 | Circle | 6.5 | No | $89/mo | Android, API, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 12 | Fora | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 13 | Mobilize | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 14 | Geneva | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 15 | Invision Community | 6.4 | No | — | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web |
| 16 | Heartbeat | 6.3 | No | $19/mo | Android, iOS |
| 17 | Mighty Networks | 6.3 | No | $79/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 18 | Wattpad | 6.3 | No | — | Android, iOS, Web |
| 19 | Flarum | 6.2 | No | — | API, Browser, self-hosted, Web |
| 20 | 6.2 | No | — | Web, iOS, Android |
Make your app an alternative to Lobsters
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Lobsters alternatives
What is the best alternative to Lobsters?
NodeBB, number 1 in online community platforms with a score of 7.2 out of 10. The others here: HumHub, Nodyx, Open Social and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Lobsters?
NodeBB is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on.