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Simple Machines Forum VS WordPress

Compare Simple Machines Forum VS WordPress and see what are their differences

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Simple Machines Forum logo Simple Machines Forum

Simple Machines offers free open source software such as SMF, the powerful and easy to use community forum written in PHP. Start interesting discussions on your website!

WordPress logo WordPress

WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.
  • Simple Machines Forum Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-14
  • WordPress Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-09

Simple Machines Forum features and specs

  • Free and Open Source
    Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is freely available and its source code is open for anyone to inspect, modify, and improve. This allows high customization and community-driven enhancements.
  • Feature-Rich
    SMF provides a wide range of features out of the box, including user management, moderation tools, private messaging, and advanced permissions.
  • Community Support
    SMF has a strong and active user community that provides support, themes, and plugins. This can be particularly helpful for troubleshooting and extending the forum's functionality.
  • Customizability
    The forum is highly customizable, allowing users to change the look and feel with themes, as well as add new functionalities with plugins.
  • Performance
    SMF is designed to be lightweight and fast, which ensures good performance even with high traffic.

Possible disadvantages of Simple Machines Forum

  • Complexity for Beginners
    SMF can be difficult for beginners to set up and configure, especially those without prior experience in managing web servers or databases.
  • Limited Modern Features
    While feature-rich, SMF may lack some modern features found in newer forum software, such as real-time notifications or advanced integrations with other platforms.
  • Security Concerns
    Open source software can be a double-edged sword: while it benefits from community scrutiny, it is also publicly available for malicious actors to study and exploit potential vulnerabilities.
  • Maintenance
    Running an SMF forum requires regular updates and maintenance to ensure security and functionality. This can be time-consuming and may require technical skills.
  • Design Limitations
    Even though SMF is customizable, the default themes and layouts may feel outdated compared to more modern forum platforms, which might require additional effort to modernize.

WordPress features and specs

  • User-Friendly
    WordPress is very intuitive and easy to use, which makes it accessible to users with minimal technical expertise.
  • Customization
    It offers a vast array of themes and plugins, allowing users to customize their websites extensively without any coding knowledge.
  • SEO-Friendly
    WordPress has numerous SEO features and plugins that can help websites rank higher in search engine results pages.
  • Community Support
    There is a large and active WordPress community that provides extensive documentation, forums, and third-party resources.
  • Scalability
    WordPress can grow with your business, as it supports both small blogs and large corporate websites.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source platform, WordPress is free to use, and users can modify the source code to suit their needs.
  • Large Ecosystem
    WordPress offers one of the largest ecosystems of developers, themes, and plugins, providing a lot of options for site building.

Possible disadvantages of WordPress

  • Security Vulnerabilities
    WordPress is a popular target for hackers, which makes it susceptible to security issues if not properly maintained.
  • Maintenance
    Regular updates to the core software, themes, and plugins are necessary to keep the site secure and functioning correctly.
  • Performance
    Websites with many plugins or poorly optimized themes can suffer from slow loading times, impacting user experience.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic use is straightforward, leveraging WordPress's full capabilities can require more advanced knowledge and learning.
  • Potential for Plugin Conflicts
    Installing multiple plugins from different developers can sometimes cause conflicts, leading to site instability or performance problems.
  • Customization Complexity
    Extensive customization may require coding knowledge in languages like PHP, HTML, and CSS, which can be a barrier for beginners.
  • Hosting Dependency
    Users need to purchase their own hosting services and manage that aspect, which may be complicated for non-technical users.

Simple Machines Forum videos

+ Add

Forum Tutorials - Simple Machines Forums, Tutorial and Overview

WordPress videos

+ Add

Users, beware.. avoid WordPress!* | WordPress Review

More videos:

  • Review - Wix vs Wordpress: Which platform is best in 2019?
  • Review - Wordpress.com Review: Good For Users Familiar with Wordpress

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Simple Machines Forum and WordPress)

Simple Machines Forum

WordPress

Forums And Forum Software
100 100%
Forums And Forum Software
0% 0
CMS
0 0%
CMS
100% 100
Forums
100 100%
Forums
0% 0
Website Builder
0 0%
Website Builder
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Simple Machines Forum and WordPress. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Simple Machines Forum and WordPress

Simple Machines Forum Reviews

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WordPress Reviews

  1. pat0rick
    Old legend

    There are many new platforms for creating websites nowadays. But I still use WP and it works well. A lot of plugins and templates. Easy to find a developer to customise theme. No monthly fees. So, I like it.

WordPress vs. Proprietary Site Builders: What to Know Before Starting a Website Development Project
WordPress: WordPress.org (not to be confused with WordPress.com) is an open-source content management system (CMS). When you build a website on WordPress, you own the code, the design, and the data. This means you can fully customize your site, transfer it to any hosting provider, and have complete control over all aspects of the website. The site can be hosted on any...
Source: blog.radwebhosting.com
Comparing 9 WordPress alternatives & competitors in 2024
WordPress is a popular website-building platform, but if you’re looking for different features and security, check out these nine WordPress alternatives.
Source: webflow.com
19 Best WordPress Alternatives in 2025
While WordPress is undeniably popular, it might not be the perfect fit for everyone. Here are the key differences between WordPress.com (hosted platform) and WordPress.org (self-hosted software) to help you understand more about WordPress and why you should look for an alternative website builder:
Source: www.pixpa.com
The 17 Best Wix Alternatives (2024) Who Else Can You Build Your Website With?
WordPress is the undisputed king of CMS or Content Management Systems. From blogs to online stores, there isn’t much you can’t do with this powerful website building solution. Keep in mind that WordPress comes in two versions: WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
Source: www.tooltester.com
Top 10 Web Content Management Systems
There is no doubt that when the conversation shifts to talking about the best CMS options WordPress is always going to be first. According to WordPress itself, nearly 35% of the entire web manages its content via its service, and that’s why it’s number 1 here. WordPress is open-source, which also makes it one of the best free CMS options as well. With a massive legion of...
Source: cloudzy.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, WordPress seems to be a lot more popular than Simple Machines Forum. While we know about 782 links to WordPress, we've tracked only 4 mentions of Simple Machines Forum. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Simple Machines Forum mentions (4)

  • Just remember forums exist
    Https://simplemachines.org/ This looks nice. Doesn't look like it has tags/flair though. Lots of questions in regards to how it compares to the other options. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Is there a painless way to set up a forum website on a raspberry pi?
    I've always been a fan of SMF. Install is pretty straight forward. Source: over 2 years ago
  • The Platformer #25: High-Impact Hacking
    This project, called YaBB — Yet another Bulletin Board (I’ve always been good at naming things) — is pretty much dead. A few months ago the website was still up, but it appears to be down now. Yes, the project was forked into YaBB SE (a direct PHP port), and ultimately evolved into Simple Machines Forum, which still seems to be under development today (and powers Bitcoin Talk — if you’re still into the crypto thing). - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Integrating Forums in an android app?
    Is it possible to integrate forums like Simple Machines Forum in an app or any other forum? Or is there any package/plugin that makes it easier to develop it and integrate it with firebase/firestore. Source: over 3 years ago

WordPress mentions (782)

  • Open Source: A Goldmine for Indie Hackers
    Open source software is built on the democratic idea that everyone should be able to inspect and contribute to the source code. Major projects like Linux, WordPress, and the Apache HTTP Server have shown how collaborative efforts can produce robust, scalable solutions. Indie hackers, often working with limited budgets, gain access to highly dependable tools such as Python and MySQL, which were originally developed... - Source: dev.to / 16 days ago
  • Indie Hacking with Open Source Tools: Innovating on a Budget
    Another case involves a duo launching an eco-friendly e-commerce website. Using WordPress paired with WooCommerce, they built a fully featured site with a sustainable operational model. Enhanced analytics from Matomo brought data-driven insights and growth strategies to life. This project highlights the benefits of cost-effective, community-driven solutions in the competitive e-commerce landscape. - Source: dev.to / 18 days ago
  • Open Source: A Goldmine for Indie Hackers – Unleashing Creativity and Collaboration
    Open source software, defined by its openly accessible source code, has democratized software development like never before. Platforms and projects such as Linux Foundation supported Linux, WordPress, and the Apache HTTP Server have paved the way for innovation rooted in transparency and collaboration. Indie hackers, known for doing more with less, have found a goldmine in these community-supported projects. Not... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Indie Hacking with Open Source Tools: Innovating on a Budget
    Platforms like WordPress combined with WooCommerce allow for seamless website and e-commerce management. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Indie Hacking Success Stories with Open Source Licenses
    WordPress: The powerhouse behind over 40% of the web, WordPress’s success is deeply intertwined with the open source ethos. Licensed under GPL, WordPress has fostered a rich ecosystem filled with plugins and themes. This robust community engagement, underpinned by open source principles, underlines the importance of continuous user feedback and development. For developers looking to monetize their projects,... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Simple Machines Forum and WordPress, you can also consider the following products

Flarum - Flarum is the next-generation forum software that makes online discussion fun. It's simple, fast, and free.

WiX - Create a free website with Wix.com. Customize with Wix' website builder, no coding skills needed. Choose a design, begin customizing and be online today

XenForo - Intuitive. Social. Engaging. Fast. XenForo brings a fresh outlook to forum software.

SquareSpace - Squarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, e-commerce, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included.

MyBB - MyBB is a discussion board software that runs on PHP and MySQL

WordPress.com - Create a free website or build a blog with ease on WordPress.com. Dozens of free, customizable, mobile-ready designs and themes. Free hosting and support.

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