When comparing phpBB vs Fruum, the Slant community recommends phpBB for most people. In the question“What are the best web forum software packages?” phpBB is ranked 6th while Fruum is ranked 13th. The most important reason people chose phpBB is:
Source code is available on GitHub under GNU General Licence.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Open source
Source code is available on GitHub under GNU General Licence.
Pro Premium extensions
There are many great developers creating premium extensions to make it go to the next level. With those premium extensions phpBB goes far beyond any other.
Pro Extensible
Is built to be extensible and flexible.
Pro Huge extension repository
Its the forum software with the most ready to go extension repository.
Pro Single Sign On (SSO)
Fruum can tie its user authentication with the authentication system of the hosting website, thus utilize the existing user base without requiring multiple sign-ups.
Pro Slack integration
Plays well with Slack out of the box. Get notifications when users post new stuff or use the /fruum command to query the forum.
Pro Realtime
All updates in the forum happen real-time. No reloads required.
Pro Extensible
New functionality can be added using a plugin interface written in JavaScript.
Pro Free and open source
Source code is available on GitHub under Apache License.
Pro Embeddable
Can be embedded in any website using a small JavaScript snippet and get activated on-demand as a drawer or be setup as a traditional forum.
Cons
Con Outdated look and feel
Even the latest version of the software looks like the typical '90s forums which is now pretty outdated.
Con Slow (phpBB 3.0)
phpBB 3.0 was not optimized for slow connections.
Con Poor community communication
There is a release lifecycle, but it is not adhered to. Migrations and updates cannot be planned.