PluginSift

bbPress vs Vanilla Forums (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

bbPress

bbPress

3.9(343)

100K+ active installs

Free

Updated 9 months ago
View bbPress
VS
Vanilla Forums

Vanilla Forums

2.8(17)

100 active installs

Free

Updated 5 years ago
View Vanilla Forums

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, bbPress has a higher user rating (3.9/5 from 343 reviews) and leads in active installations (100K+ vs 100). Both are free WordPress plugins. bbPress has accumulated 9.3M+ total downloads while Vanilla Forums has 111K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
3.9/5bbPress
◄
Vanilla Forums2.8/5
Total Reviews
343bbPress
◄
Vanilla Forums17
Active Installs
100K+bbPress
◄
Vanilla Forums100
Total Downloads
9.3M+bbPress
◄
Vanilla Forums111K+
Support Resolution
0%bbPress
Vanilla ForumsN/A
Last Updated
9 months agobbPress
◄
Vanilla Forums5 years ago
First Released
2010bbPress
Vanilla Forums2011
Age
16 yearsbbPress
Vanilla Forums15 years
WP Requires
6.0+bbPress
Vanilla Forumsfalse+
PHP Requires
5.6.20+bbPress
Vanilla Forumsfalse+
Business Model
FreebbPress
Vanilla ForumsFree
Latest Version
2.6.14bbPress
Vanilla Forums1.3.1

Rating Breakdown

bbPress

3.9/5(343 reviews)
5
57%
4
12%
3
7%
2
7%
1
17%

Vanilla Forums

2.8/5(17 reviews)
5
24%
4
18%
3
18%
2
0%
1
41%

Recent Reviews

bbPress Reviews

by Luke Garrison

A historic plugin that is still useful

I have been using it for many years and have always been very happy with it. It allows you to turn WordPress into an online community. Fantastic!

by mystick3

Да вроде бы хорошо работает

Пользуюсь давно, все функции работают нормально!!

by honkitamc

white

The screen goes white　

Vanilla Forums Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is bbPress or Vanilla Forums more popular?
bbPress has 100K+ active installations while Vanilla Forums has 100. bbPress is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — bbPress or Vanilla Forums?
bbPress has a 3.9/5 rating from 343 reviews, while Vanilla Forums has a 2.8/5 rating from 17 reviews.
Are bbPress and Vanilla Forums free?
bbPress is free and Vanilla Forums is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — bbPress or Vanilla Forums?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
bbPress was last updated 9 months ago and Vanilla Forums was last updated 5 years ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.