XenForo vs NodeBB

XXenForo9.0Visit NodeBB8.4Visit

Higher score X XenForo #3 in Forum Software 9.0/10 Paid ✓ 1 of 2 features Visit XenForo

vs

NodeBB #6 in Forum Software 8.4/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 2 features Visit NodeBB

• XenForo fits best

  Professional communities needing granular forum controls

• NodeBB fits best

  Budget-conscious forums needing modern extensibility

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Side by side

Feature	XXenForo 9.0/10 Visit ↗	NodeBB 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.4
Ranking	#3 in Forum Software	#6 in Forum Software
Best for	Professional communities needing granular forum controls	Budget-conscious forums needing modern extensibility
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	$20/mo
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	14 days
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Tickets, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Compliance	GDPR, 2FA	GDPR
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features XenForo 1/2 · NodeBB 1/2
Single sign-on	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Custom domain	✓	✓
Specs
Hosting model	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Member limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Mobile apps	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Private areas with granular user and group permissions Moderation queues, reports, inline tools, and bulk actions REST API, add-ons, and custom styles support extensibility	Free GPLv3 self-hosting or hosted plans from $20 per month Real-time chat, private categories and role-based permissions Plugins, APIs and ActivityPub federation support
Cons	No free plan; paid cloud tiers reduce appeal versus free options Built-in statistics focus on event counts and graphs Self-hosted support and updates beyond year one require an extension	No native mobile apps Hosted capacity is tiered by pageviews and storage The 14-day hosted trial requires a credit card
Our verdict	XenForo is forum software for organizations hosting customer discussions, peer support, knowledge sharing, and user-generated content. It suits professional communities that need to organize public and private spaces and control… Read the review →	NodeBB is open-source forum software for organizations, businesses, support teams and developers who want to run an online community. It combines discussion topics and replies with real-time chat, notifications, user groups, tags and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• XenForo — where it wins

  • Private areas with granular user and group permissions
  • Moderation queues, reports, inline tools, and bulk actions
  • REST API, add-ons, and custom styles support extensibility

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; paid cloud tiers reduce appeal versus free options
  • Built-in statistics focus on event counts and graphs
  • Self-hosted support and updates beyond year one require an extension

• NodeBB — where it wins

  • Free GPLv3 self-hosting or hosted plans from $20 per month
  • Real-time chat, private categories and role-based permissions
  • Plugins, APIs and ActivityPub federation support

  Where it doesn't

  • No native mobile apps
  • Hosted capacity is tiered by pageviews and storage
  • The 14-day hosted trial requires a credit card

• XXenForo9.0/10 · Paid

  A configurable forum for professional communities, with extensive moderation and permission controls.

  Visit XenForoFull verdict →
• NodeBB8.4/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A flexible forum with live chat, moderation and APIs, but no native mobile apps.

  Visit NodeBBFull verdict →