Building a strong online community is essential for any website in 2026. Forums help your audience engage, share ideas, ask questions, and build loyalty. With WordPress, there are dozens of plugins available to create forums, but not all are equal. To save you time, we’ve compiled a list of the best forum plugins for wordpress you should try this year, suitable for beginners, professionals, and social communities alike.
1. bbPress
bbPress is a lightweight, reliable forum plugin created by the developers of WordPress. It integrates seamlessly with WordPress themes and allows you to create discussion boards without slowing down your website. Its simplicity makes it perfect for beginners while offering enough flexibility for advanced users through add-ons and extensions.
Key Features
- Easy WordPress integration
- Simple forum setup and management
- Extensible with themes and plugins
Why Try It: bbPress is perfect if you want a no-fuss forum that works reliably with WordPress.
BuddyPress turns your WordPress site into a social network, enabling forums, user profiles, groups, and private messaging. It’s ideal for communities that want interactive engagement, allowing members to connect and collaborate. With countless add-ons, you can extend its features to suit the needs of your growing online community.
Key Features
- Activity streams and user profiles
- Private messaging system
- Group creation and management
Why Try It: Combine forums with social networking to create a dynamic, interactive community.
3. wpForo Forum
wpForo is a feature-rich forum plugin designed for professional websites. It offers multiple forum layouts, advanced user management, and built-in SEO tools. The plugin is modern, responsive, and highly customizable, making it suitable for websites that want a fully functional forum with professional design and performance.
Key Features
- Multiple forum layouts
- Advanced user management
- SEO-friendly design
Why Try It: Perfect for websites looking for a modern, professional, and highly customizable forum solution.
4. Asgaros Forum
Asgaros Forum is lightweight and straightforward, ideal for small to medium communities. It offers a minimalistic interface that keeps the forum fast and responsive while still providing essential features like categories, search functionality, and user profiles. Setting it up is quick, making it great for website owners who want simplicity.
Key Features
- Minimalistic design
- Quick and easy setup
- Mobile-friendly and responsive
Why Try It: Ideal for those who need a fast, lightweight forum with essential features.
5. Discussion Board
Discussion Board offers a beginner-friendly forum experience. It allows users to post questions, start discussions, and engage in threaded conversations. The plugin includes a drag-and-drop interface for easy management, and email notifications keep participants informed about updates, making it perfect for small businesses, blogs, and educational sites.
Key Features
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Threaded discussions
- Email notifications
Why Try It: Best for small websites or blogs that need a simple, organized discussion platform.
6. CM Answers
CM Answers is a Q&A style forum plugin, designed for websites that focus on knowledge-sharing. Users can post questions, submit answers, vote for the best solution, and earn points or ranks. This plugin is highly interactive, making it ideal for support forums, tech communities, or educational websites looking to encourage participation.
Key Features
- Front-end question posting
- Voting and best answers
- User ranking system
Why Try It: Perfect for Q&A communities or websites that want an interactive support system.
7. Simple:Press
Simple:Press is a comprehensive and powerful forum plugin that offers full control over your community. With multiple layouts, custom user roles, and premium add-ons, it can handle large communities with complex needs. Its extensive features make it ideal for professional forums, membership sites, and enterprise-level websites.
Key Features
- Multiple forum layouts
- Custom user permissions
- Premium add-ons available
Why Try It: Best for large communities needing advanced features and total control.
8. ForumEngine
ForumEngine is a premium WordPress theme designed specifically for forums. It offers built-in forum functionality, eliminating the need for additional plugins. With a mobile-friendly layout, intuitive navigation, and modern design, it’s ideal for website owners who want a dedicated forum site without extra configuration.
Key Features
- Built-in forum features
- Mobile-optimized design
- Customizable layout
Why Try It: Perfect if you want a forum site with a complete theme designed for community interaction.
9. AnsPress
AnsPress is a question-and-answer plugin that allows users to ask questions, provide answers, and vote for the best responses. It’s ideal for support communities, knowledge-sharing platforms, and educational websites. With shortcodes and flexible configuration, it integrates smoothly into any WordPress site.
Key Features
- Voting on answers
- Tags and categories
- Shortcodes for easy integration
Why Try It: Great for creating knowledge-based communities or support forums.
10. MightyPress
MightyPress is a lightweight forum plugin designed for small and medium websites. It provides a simple, user-friendly interface, making it easy for visitors to post and reply to discussions. Its responsiveness and speed ensure that your forum performs well even with moderate traffic.
Key Features
- Minimalistic interface
- Easy setup
- Responsive design
Why Try It: Ideal for small websites that want a simple, fast forum without extra features.
11. Simple Forum
Simple Forum offers basic forum functionality with minimal setup. It allows threaded discussions, user management, and fast performance. This plugin is best suited for beginners or blogs withl imited resources that want to engage their audience without investing in complex features.
Key Features
- Threaded discussions
- User management
- Lightweight and fast
Why Try It: Great for small websites and beginners seeking a straightforward forum solution.
12. Discussion Board Pro
Discussion Board Pro is a premium plugin with advanced moderation tools, customizable user roles, and enhanced notification features. It’s suitable for medium to large communities that require more control, organization, and professional-grade forum features.
Key Features
- Customizable user roles
- Advanced moderation tools
- Email notifications
Why Try It: Perfect for growing communities that need advanced management and professional forum tools.
13. ForumWP
ForumWP is a modern forum plugin emphasizing speed, responsiveness, and simplicity. It allows website owners to quickly create a clean, efficient forum with minimal setup, while maintaining mobile-friendly and SEO-optimized performance for better engagement.
Key Features
- Responsive layout
- Easy setup
- Lightweight and fast
Why Try It: Ideal for website owners looking for a modern, fast, and simple forum solution.