
18 Jan Best Free Forum WordPress Plugin
Running an online community website is a lot of work. It requires a professional team to handle all the technical and content parts of the niche. Thanks to the WordPress and available tools, one with the right knowledge and experience and set up a fully functional forum without paying anything.

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Yes, you can get a new WordPress installation and use a dedicated plugin, a complete forum like look and functionality can be achieved. Today, I’ll be sharing a compilation of best free forum WordPress plugins with you.
You can go ahead with the list and see all the best and free options available for the WordPress format. In the case of need for assistance on any related subject, feel free to share the details in the discussion section below.
Let’s start with the list now.
#1 bbPress
The design part is very clean and minimal. It is compatible to work with other plugins and almost every theme, coded with the recipes issued by WordPress authorities. The plugin inside holds a feature which allows installing add-ons to further increase the functionality. Moreover, it is compatible with the modern web browsers along with web standards to stay available on smartphones, tablets, desktops, and laptops. Yes, the responsive feature! You should have a look at its features and find out if it fits with the requirements. The only downside with this is its look, which is too minimal.
#2 BuddyPress
The first recommendation was definitely a pick, but it lacked the modern design standards. If you’re looking for a similar set of features which are wrapped in a better-looking container, then have a look at our second recommendation. Yes, BuddyPress! Another free plugin available for WordPress and is developed by WordPress experts. The really cool feature of this plugin is that it is loved by the developers from other teams and companies. That’s why, it has tons of contribution, thanks to the open-source standards. In simple words, it means that you get tons of additional plugins and add-ons which can work with the BuddyPress to make it even more powerful.
It’s a powerful plugin which not only allows one to setup and runs a forum but, a complete social network. It can take user’s registration, give them separate profiles, and even has features to let them message privately. It all helps in achieving top-notch integration and engagement as per the user’s point of view. A member can be registered with a simple procedure and there are few color themes which can be changed to give a custom look. It can allow the members to add each other to their network, just like Friends system works on Facebook. One interesting thing about BuddyPress plugin is that it can be used for any niche. There is no limitation whatsoever as it offers one complete package. Go ahead and have a look!
#3 Simple Press
The core features are super strong, allowing the webmaster to open membership registration option, allow users to have their own profile, and a lot of administrative options to manage those users and their threads. There is also a facility of cookies which can be used to track members and guests. It also features extensive API which can allow extensions. The plugin even supports localization feature, ensuring the content is translated quickly into the preferred language of the user. There are also a few data related tools inside which can help you keep track of the data, properly manage it, and later take decisions depending on the same.
#4 DW Question & Answer
The plugin supports over 11 languages and active translation among them is available. It also comes with a powerful built-in search tool which supports instant search. The results can be filtered using keywords and categories, which is a helpful functionality for the end-users. One is allowed to put a particular Question on the featured section too, so that, it can receive maximum attention. The plugin supports and works properly with Captcha and all related tools to prevent or minimize spam entries. There is also a built-in email notification system, which not only works for the user’s benefit but, can also help you create an email list which can be later used to generate more leads. It comes with proper documentation and the developers also provide a decent level of support.
#5 Forum – wpForo
The complete layout and functionalities are mobile friendly and are optimized perfectly to work on a smartphone, tablet, and the traditional PCs. There are built-in SEO tools which ensure the content is ranked at better positions on SERPs and thus, attract more organic traffic than usual. There is built-in support for metadata, open graph tags, smart heading, permalinks which altogether makes a proper SEO structure. The layout itself is extendible, allowing the developers to create a new layout. The default one manages to look simple yet functional. There are multiple built-in layouts for Question and Answer sections. Thus, achieving a custom looking forum is totally possible.
#6 bublaa forum and comments
There is a built-in support for rich text, pictures, and videos and it even features link preview. The interface is unique and user-friendly in every sense. It is designed in such a way that maximum user satisfaction is achieved. There are dedicated social sharing tools available inside, including a social login module. Yes, that social login module allows users to create a new member profile with a couple of clicks. The email notifications are delivered automatically. There are dedicated administration and moderation tools available inside which complete a forum. At last, the developers are eager to know bugs in their product so that they can improve it further.
#7 CM Answers
Talking about the features, it allows users to ask questions and the community members to answer them. There are options to get anonymous posting, showcase total views, administration options to control the content and users, offer email notifications, and multiple templates to change the overall look and feel. This all can be done without writing a single code which makes the plugin even more powerful and user-friendly. It has dedicated features for moderation which all helps in achieving a proper community. The threads can be divided among categories and there is also a search tool to quickly find a particular thread or set of them. The design part is simple to stay user-friendly but it is still good enough to stay modern and compatible with modern web browsers.
Conclusion
These were the best and free forum WordPress plugins I can recommend. I hope you did find at least, one of them matching the requirements. As I always recommend, the best way to find the best plugin is to first write the requirements and then start matching them all with the features offered by individual plugins. Good luck!
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