# Vanilla Forums

> Vanilla Forums has 100+ active installs, a 2.8/5 rating from 17 reviews and 112 downloads in the last 30 days. Health score 28/100, keyword rankings, version adoption and the best alternatives.

**Verdict: Consider an alternative.** Vanilla Forums shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 2.8/5 and was last updated 6 years ago, and scores 28/100 on our health check.

**At Vanilla, we believe that online communities should be unique, intuitive and engaging. Vanilla allows you to create a customized community that rewards positive participation, automatically curates content and lets…**

## Key facts

- **Overall rank:** —
- **Active installs:** 100+
- **Total downloads:** 112,509
- **Downloads (30 days):** 112 (+10.9% vs previous 30 days)
- **Rating:** 2.8/5 from 17 reviews
- **Health score:** 28/100 (At risk)
- **Version:** 1.3.1
- **Last updated:** Jul 3, 2020
- **Tested up to:** WordPress 5.3.26
- **Requires:** 
- **Support resolved:** 0 of 0 threads (last 2 months)
- **Developer:** VanillaForums (https://pageforge.pro/directory/authors/vanillaforums/)
- **WordPress.org:** https://wordpress.org/plugins/vanilla-forums/

## Category rankings

| Category | Rank | Plugins |
|---|---|---|
| [community](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/community/) | #26 | 129 |
| [forum](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/forum/) | #25 | 88 |
| [forums](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/forums/) | #10 | 45 |
| [vanilla](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/vanilla/) | #1 | 3 |
| [vanilla forums](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/vanilla-forums/) | #1 | 1 |

## WordPress.org search positions

| Keyword | Position | Results |
|---|---|---|
| community | >100 | 3,604 |
| forum | >100 | 7,162 |
| forums | >100 | 7,166 |
| vanilla | >100 | 665 |
| vanilla forums | #68 | 90 |

## Version adoption

- 1.3: 90.6%
- 1.1: 9.4%

## Alternatives

| # | Name | Active installs | Rating | Updated | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/ultimate-member/) | 200K+ | 4.4/5 (1,445) | Sep 29, 2026 | 88/100 |
| 2 | [BuddyPress](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/buddypress/) | 90K+ | 4.1/5 (375) | Jul 29, 2026 | 79/100 |
| 3 | [Ultimate Member – reCAPTCHA](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/um-recaptcha/) | 20K+ | 3.7/5 (11) | Nov 20, 2024 | 29/100 |
| 4 | [wpForo Forum](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/wpforo/) | 20K+ | 4.7/5 (390) | Sep 28, 2026 | 93/100 |
| 5 | [Asgaros Forum](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/asgaros-forum/) | 10K+ | 4.8/5 (209) | Mar 21, 2026 | 50/100 |
| 6 | [FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/fluent-community/) | 8K+ | 4.8/5 (95) | Sep 18, 2026 | 92/100 |
| 7 | [Youzify – BuddyPress Community, User Profile, Social Network & Membership Plugin for WordPress](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/youzify/) | 5K+ | 4.9/5 (193) | Mar 15, 2026 | 50/100 |
| 8 | [ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/profilegrid-user-profiles-groups-and-communities/) | 5K+ | 4.6/5 (236) | Oct 9, 2026 | 81/100 |
| 9 | [Ultimate Member – Terms & Conditions](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/um-terms-conditions/) | 4K+ | 5/5 (1) | Feb 18, 2025 | 39/100 |
| 10 | [Ultimate Member – Online Users](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/um-online/) | 3K+ | 4/5 (1) | Nov 15, 2024 | 35/100 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Vanilla Forums free?
Yes. Vanilla Forums is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

### Is Vanilla Forums safe to use in 2026?
Vanilla Forums shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 2.8/5 and was last updated 6 years ago, and scores 28/100 on our health check.

### How many websites use Vanilla Forums?
Vanilla Forums is active on 100+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 112,509 times since it launched in February 2011. It was downloaded 112 times in the last 30 days.

### Does Vanilla Forums work with WordPress 7.1?
Vanilla Forums is officially tested up to WordPress 5.3.26, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.

### When was Vanilla Forums last updated?
The latest version, 1.3.1, was released on July 3, 2020 (6 years ago).

### Who makes Vanilla Forums?
Vanilla Forums is developed and maintained by VanillaForums.

### What are the best alternatives to Vanilla Forums?
The most popular alternatives to Vanilla Forums are Ultimate Member (200K+ installs), BuddyPress (90K+ installs) and Ultimate Member – reCAPTCHA (20K+ installs).


---
Source: live WordPress.org data · HTML version: https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/vanilla-forums/ · Generated 2026-10-14 15:08 UTC by PageForge