phpBB is a remarkable open-source project that made forums accessible to everyone. Running it well is real work though: updates, security, backups and theming all land on you. ForumSpark keeps the spirit and removes the workload.
| phpBB | ForumSpark | |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly cost | Free software, plus your own server, updates and backups | ✓Flat from €5/mo, unlimited members on every plan |
| Updates & security patches | Manual, and urgent when they land | ✓Automatic, zero downtime, never your job |
| Themes | Hand-edited templates and an older style system | ✓Theme Studio: no code, AI Smart Start included |
| AI answers & summaries | Not available | ✓Built in, sourced from your own board with citations |
| Spam defense | Extensions, captchas and manual cleanup | ✓Trust Levels: autonomous, zero moderation overhead |
| Server maintenance | Your responsibility | ✓None, ever |
Also switching from: XenForo · Invision Community · vBulletin · Discourse
Yes. Every member arrives with their username, email, join date and post history. Depending on the platform, passwords either migrate directly or members set a new one with a single reset on first login.
Old topic URLs redirect to their new homes, so every link that ever pointed at your community keeps working and your search rankings carry over instead of resetting.
Most communities switch over a single weekend. We import everything to a private staging board first, you review it and pick a theme, and your current forum keeps running untouched until you flip your domain.
Nothing. We run the import for free on any plan. You only ever pay your flat monthly plan, starting at €5/mo with a 30-day free trial. Email [email protected] and we take it from there.
Start a free 30-day trial, then email [email protected] and we will plan your move together.
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