# Ultimate Member vs Vanilla Forums

> Ultimate Member vs Vanilla Forums compared on installs, downloads, ratings, updates, compatibility and support. Ultimate Member comes out ahead, winning 8 of 8 head-to-head checks against Vanilla Forums.

**Ultimate Member comes out ahead, winning 8 of 8 head-to-head checks against Vanilla Forums.** Choose Ultimate Member if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and download trend.

| | Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin | Vanilla Forums |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 200K+ ✅ | 100+ |
| Downloads (30 days) | 228.8K ✅ | 108 |
| Download trend | +79.6% ✅ | 0% |
| Rating | 4.4/5 ✅ | 2.8/5 |
| Reviews | 1,445 ✅ | 17 |
| Health score | 88/100 ✅ | 28/100 |
| Last updated | 2 weeks ago ✅ | 6 years ago |
| Tested up to | WP 7.1.3 ✅ | WP 5.3.26 |
| Support resolved | 63% | — |
| Requires PHP | 7.0+ | Any |
| First released | Jan 2015 | Feb 2011 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is better, Ultimate Member or Vanilla Forums?
Ultimate Member comes out ahead, winning 8 of 8 head-to-head checks against Vanilla Forums. Choose Ultimate Member if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and download trend.

### Is Ultimate Member more popular than Vanilla Forums?
Ultimate Member is the more popular of the two with 200K+ active installs, compared with 100+ for Vanilla Forums.

### Can I use Ultimate Member and Vanilla Forums together?
Both plugins cover community, so most sites only need one. Running two plugins that do the same job can cause conflicts and slow your site down — pick the one that fits best and remove the other.

### Are Ultimate Member and Vanilla Forums free?
Yes. Both are free to download from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Either may also offer paid upgrades from its developer.


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Source: live WordPress.org data · HTML version: https://pageforge.pro/directory/compare/ultimate-member-vs-vanilla-forums/ · Generated 2026-10-16 07:10 UTC by PageForge