Best vBulletin Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from online community platforms ranked against vBulletin on the same published basis.
- 1vBulletin vs NodeBB
- 2vBulletin vs HumHub
- 3vBulletin vs Open Social
- 4vBulletin vs Discourse
- 5vBulletin vs Daisie
- 6vBulletin vs phpBB
- 7vBulletin vs Archive of Our Own
- 8vBulletin vs Circle
- 9vBulletin vs Fora
- 10vBulletin vs Geneva
- 11vBulletin vs Heartbeat
- 12vBulletin vs Mighty Networks
- 13vBulletin vs Nodyx
- 14vBulletin vs Reddit
- 15vBulletin vs Forums.net
- 16vBulletin vs Hivebrite
- 17vBulletin vs Invision Community
- 18vBulletin vs Wattpad
- 19vBulletin vs Lobsters
- 20vBulletin vs Bettermode
vBulletin 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 | Open Social | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web |
| 4 | Discourse | 6.7 | Free plan | $100/mo | self-hosted |
| 5 | Daisie | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Web |
| 6 | phpBB | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | self-hosted, Web |
| 7 | Archive of Our Own | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 8 | Circle | 6.5 | No | $89/mo | Android, API, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 9 | Fora | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 10 | Geneva | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 11 | Heartbeat | 6.3 | No | $19/mo | Android, iOS |
| 12 | Mighty Networks | 6.3 | No | $79/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 13 | Nodyx | 6.2 | No | — | Web, Linux, Windows, Mac |
| 14 | 6.2 | No | — | Web, iOS, Android | |
| 15 | Forums.net | 6.1 | No | $49.99/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 16 | Hivebrite | 6.1 | No | — | Web, iOS, Android |
| 17 | Invision Community | 6.1 | No | — | Web, iOS, Android |
| 18 | Wattpad | 6.1 | No | — | Web, iOS, Android |
| 19 | Lobsters | 6.0 | No | — | Web |
| 20 | Bettermode | 5.9 | No | $399/mo | Web |
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Questions about vBulletin alternatives
What is the best alternative to vBulletin?
NodeBB, number 1 in online community platforms with a score of 7.2 out of 10. The others here: HumHub, Open Social, Discourse and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to vBulletin?
NodeBB is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 9 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.