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Simple Machines Forum vs Discourse: catalog facts
Simple Machines Forum	Discourse
Free Free and open source under the BSD-3-Clause license.	Freemium Self-hosting is free; hosted plans are paid and start with a free trial.
Self-hosted	Android, iOS, Web, Self-hosted
Release packages install without extra build steps Permissive BSD license	Can be self-hosted from the public source code Covers forums, voting on ideas and team chat in one place
Traditional forum layout rather than a modern discussion interface Needs a PHP and database server to host	Self-hosting needs a server and ongoing maintenance Hosted plans are paid after the trial
Self-hosted	Downloadable app, Self-hosted, Hosted service
Open source	Open source
License: BSD-3-Clause	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.