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Compare PhpBB 3 vs Simple Machines 2 vs SKForum

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Results
PhpBB 3 Logo
PhpBB 3
Simple Machines 2 Logo
Simple Machines 2
SKForum Logo
SKForum
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Select
Version 3.0.11 2.0 1.5 -
Last Release August 25, 2012 June 11th, 2011 March 22nd, 2003 -
License GPL License BSD License GPL License -
Price Free Free Free -
Resources Official Website »
Download » 		Official Website »
Download » 		Official Website »
Download » 		-
Ergonomy Perfection Easy to Use Too Complicated -
Installation Fast & Simple Easy to Do Too Complex -
Administration Efficient & Fast Efficient & Fast Messed-up -
Community Size Huge Community Huge Community Tiny Community -
Our Opinion -
User Reviews
8.4/10 (777 votes)
3.9/10 (1155 votes)
7.2/10 (21 votes)
-
Demonstration PhpBB 3 Demo
Open Demo » 		Simple Machines 2 Demo
Open Demo » 		SKForum Demo
Open Demo » 		-
Server Requirements PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 SKForum
Operating System
  • GNU/LinuxGNU/Linux
  • BSD UnixBSD Unix
  • Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
  • Apple Mac OSApple Mac OS
  • GNU/LinuxGNU/Linux
  • BSD UnixBSD Unix
  • Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
  • Apple Mac OSApple Mac OS
  • GNU/LinuxGNU/Linux
  • Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
 -
Web Server
  • Apache 1.3
  • Apache 2.0/2.2
  • Microsoft IIS
  • Lighttpd
  • Nginx
  • Apache 1.3
  • Apache 2.0/2.2
  • Microsoft IIS
  • Lighttpd
  • Nginx
  • Apache Tomcat
 -
Languages
  • PHP 4
  • PHP 5
  • PHP 4
  • PHP 5
  • Java 1.4 - J2EE
 -
Databases
  • MySQL
  • Postgresql
  • SQLite
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • Oracle
  • MySQL
  • Postgresql
  • MySQL
 -
Browsers & Clients
Requirements
Compatible
Browsers
Mozilla FirefoxMozilla Firefox
Internet ExplorerInternet Explorer
Google ChromeGoogle Chrome
OperaOpera
Apple SafariApple Safari
KonquerorKonqueror
Mozilla SeaMonkeyMozilla SeaMonkey
Mozilla FirefoxMozilla Firefox
Internet ExplorerInternet Explorer
Google ChromeGoogle Chrome
OperaOpera
Apple SafariApple Safari
KonquerorKonqueror
Mozilla SeaMonkeyMozilla SeaMonkey
Mozilla FirefoxMozilla Firefox
Internet ExplorerInternet Explorer
Google ChromeGoogle Chrome
OperaOpera
Apple SafariApple Safari
KonquerorKonqueror
Mozilla SeaMonkeyMozilla SeaMonkey
-
Plugins/
Technologies
  • AJAX
  • HTML
  • Javascript
  • AJAX
  • CSS
  • HTML
 -
Localization Yes Yes Yes -
Languages
Supported Languages:
Albanian
Basque
Bulgarian
Portuguese (Brazilian)
Belarusian
Catalan
Chinese (Simplified)
Czech
German
Danish
Estonian
Spanish
Finnish
French
Galician
Greek
Croatian
Hungarian
Indonesian
Hebrew
Persian
Italian
Japanese
Kurdish
Lithuanian
Dutch
Norwegian
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Serbian
Russian
Arabic
Swedish
Slovene
Sindhi
Slovak
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
English (British)
English (American)
Vietnamese
Chinese (Traditional)
Supported Languages:
Albanian
Bangali
Bulgarian
Portuguese (Brazilian)
Catalan
Chinese (Simplified)
Czech
German
Danish
Spanish
Finnish
French
Galician
Greek
Croatian
Hungarian
Indonesian
Hebrew
Hindi
Persian
Italian
Japanese
Kurdish
Macedonian
Dutch
Norwegian
Urdu
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Serbian
Russian
Arabic
Swedish
Slovak
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
English (British)
English (American)
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Chinese (Traditional)
Supported Languages:
French
Swedish
English (British)
English (American)
-
Compatibility with
Smartphones
Compatible
SmartPhones
  • AndroidAndroid
  • iPhoneiPhone
  • BlackBerryBlackBerry
  • Windows Phone 7Windows Phone 7
  • Symbian Phones <em>(Nokia)</em>Symbian Phones (Nokia)
  • HP WebOS <em>(ex-Palm)</em>HP WebOS (ex-Palm)
  • AndroidAndroid
  • iPhoneiPhone
  • BlackBerryBlackBerry
  • Windows Phone 7Windows Phone 7
  • Symbian Phones <em>(Nokia)</em>Symbian Phones (Nokia)
  • HP WebOS <em>(ex-Palm)</em>HP WebOS (ex-Palm)
No. -
Distribution
  • Android Market
  • Apple Store
  • Nokia Ovi Store
  • BlackBerry App World
  • Android Market
  • Apple Store
  • Nokia Ovi Store
  • BlackBerry App World
 No. -
Threads / Topics PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 SKForum
Forum Style Flat Flat Threaded -
Forum Organization
  • Forum Categories
  • URL Redirection Forum
  • Sub Sections
  • Forum Categories
  • URL Redirection Forum
  • Sub Sections
  • Trashcan Forum
  • Forum Categories
 -
Topic Tags Plugin Plugin - -
Sticky Threads Yes Yes No -
Thread Icons Yes Yes No -
Hot Topics - Yes - -
Detect
Duplicate Threads 		Plugin No No -
Hidden Topics No Yes No -
Unread Topics Yes Yes No -
Announcements Yes Yes - -
Forum Posts PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 SKForum
Message
Editing Form
  • Rich Text Editor
  • Preview Button
  • WYSIWYG Editor
  • Formatting Buttons
  • Preview Button
  • Plain Text
 -
Post Editing Format
  • HTML
  • BBCode
  • HTML
  • BBCode
  • Plain
 -
Spell Checker Plugin Yes No -
Emoticons Yes Yes No -
Quick Reply Box Yes Yes Yes -
Syntax Highlighting Plugin Plugin No -
Message Quoting Yes Yes No -
Message Rating Plugin Plugin No -
Attachments Yes Yes Yes -
Image Attachment
  • Upload via Classic Attachments
  • Use BBCode or HTML
  • Upload via Classic Attachments
  • Use BBCode or HTML
 No. -
Embedded Videos No. No. No. -
Forum Features PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 SKForum
Poll Creation Yes Yes No -
Private Messages Yes Yes No -
Instant Messaging Yes No No -
Calendar No Yes No -
Members List Yes Yes Yes -
Online Users List Yes Yes No -
Technical Features PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 SKForum
Bundled Software No.
  • Portal
 No. -
RSS/Atom
Syndication
  • ATOM 1.0
  • RSS 2.0
 No. -
Friendly URLs Yes Yes No -
Remote Control No. No. No. -
Cache System Yes Yes No -
Template Engine
  • Custom Template Engine
  • Custom Template Engine
 No. -
Post By Email No Plugin No -
User Profiles &
Options		 PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 SKForum
User Profile Yes Yes Yes -
Avatars Yes Yes No -
Signatures Yes Yes No -
Ranks Yes Yes No -
Bookmark Threads Yes Plugin No -
User Selectable
Themes		 Yes Yes - -
Email Notifications Yes Yes No -
Export
Private Messages		 Yes Plugin No -
Payment
Subscriptions		 No Yes No -
Security & Spam
Protection
CAPTCHA Yes Yes No -
CAPTCHA Complexity [++[ Normal -
Abnormal Behavior
Detection		 No Yes - -
Words Filtering Yes Yes No -
User Blacklist Yes Yes No -
IP Blocking Yes Yes No -
Customization PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 SKForum
Plugins Yes
~433 Available Plugins.
Yes
~430 Available Plugins.
No -
Plugin Installation [++[ Very Easy -
Themes Yes
~525 Available Themes.
 Yes
~130 Available Themes.
 No -
Custom BBCodes Yes Yes No -
Custom Emoticons Yes Yes No -
Custom
Thread Icons		 Yes Yes No -
Custom
Profile Fields		 Yes Yes No -
Third Applications &
Websites
Social Networks No. -
CMS / Blog Bridges
  • Drupal
  • Joomla
  • Drupal
  • Joomla
  • Mambo
  • WordPress
  • e107
  • XOOPs
  • iGaming CMS
 No. -
User Accounts
Integration
No. -
Content Aggregation No. No. No. -
Moderation &
Threads Management		 PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 SKForum
Moderation
  • Pre-Moderation
  • Post-Moderation
  • Reactive Moderation
  • Distributed Moderation
  • Pre-Moderation
  • Post-Moderation
  • Reactive Moderation
  • Distributed Moderation
  • Post-Moderation
 -
Moderator
per Section		 Yes Yes No -
Global Moderator Yes Yes No -
Move Threads Yes Yes No -
Shadow Topics Yes Yes No -
Close/Lock Threads Yes Yes No -
Users
Management
User Groups Yes Yes Yes -
User Registration
  • Free Registration
  • Registration needs Approval
  • Invitation Only
  • Confirmation sent by email for validation
  • Free Registration
  • Registration needs Approval
  • User Account created by Administrator
  • Confirmation sent by email for validation
 No. -
New Users
Limitation 		Yes Yes - -
Guest Posting Yes Yes Yes -
Multiple
Administrators		 Yes Yes No -
Send Warnings
to Users		 Yes Yes No -
Access Control List Yes Yes No -
User Banishment Yes Yes Yes -
Mass Mailing Yes Yes No -
Installation &
Upgrading		 PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 SKForum
Installation Method Installation Wizard Installation Wizard Manual Installation -
Upgrade Method Upgrade Wizard Upgrade Wizard Manual Upgrading -
Update
Notifications		 Yes Yes No -
Forum Migration Yes Yes No -
Database
Management
Backup Database Yes Yes No -
Prune Database Yes Yes No -
Restore Database Yes Yes No -
Administration
Tools
Statistics Yes Yes No -
Error/Notice
Log Viewer		 Yes Yes No -
Tasks Scheduler Yes Yes No -
W3C Norms &
Accessibility
HTML / XHTML
  • XHTML 1.0 Strict
  • XHTML 1.0 Transitional
  • HTML 4.01
 -
Stylesheets (CSS)
  • CSS 2
  • CSS 2
  • CSS 1
 -
Accessibility (WAI)
  • AA
  • AA
  • A
 -
UTF-8 Support Yes Yes No -
W3C Norms Yes Yes No -
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