Best Lobsters Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from online community platforms ranked against Lobsters on the same published basis.
- 1Lobsters vs NodeBB
- 2Lobsters vs Daisie
- 3Lobsters vs Mobilize
- 4Lobsters vs HumHub
- 5Lobsters vs Nodyx
- 6Lobsters vs Circle
- 7Lobsters vs Invision Community
- 8Lobsters vs Open Social
- 9Lobsters vs Discourse
- 10Lobsters vs DownToMeet
- 11Lobsters vs Heartbeat
- 12Lobsters vs phpBB
- 13Lobsters vs Question2Answer
- 14Lobsters vs Fora
- 15Lobsters vs Jatra
- 16Lobsters vs Archive of Our Own
- 17Lobsters vs Crowdstack
- 18Lobsters vs Geneva
- 19Lobsters vs Wattpad
- 20Lobsters vs Flarum
Lobsters alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NodeBB | 7.8 | Free plan | $20/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Daisie | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Web |
| 3 | Mobilize | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 4 | HumHub | 7.2 | Free plan | — | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web |
| 5 | Nodyx | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 6 | Circle | 7.0 | No | $89/mo | Android, API, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Invision Community | 7.0 | No | — | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web |
| 8 | Open Social | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, iOS, self-hosted, Web |
| 9 | Discourse | 6.9 | Free plan | $100/mo | self-hosted |
| 10 | DownToMeet | 6.9 | Free plan | $0.83/mo | Web |
| 11 | Heartbeat | 6.9 | No | $19/mo | Android, iOS |
| 12 | phpBB | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | self-hosted, Web |
| 13 | Question2Answer | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | self-hosted, Web |
| 14 | Fora | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 15 | Jatra | 6.6 | No | $299/mo | Web |
| 16 | Archive of Our Own | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 17 | Crowdstack | 6.5 | No | $999/mo | Web |
| 18 | Geneva | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 19 | Wattpad | 6.4 | No | — | Android, iOS, Web |
| 20 | Flarum | 6.3 | No | — | API, Browser, self-hosted, Web |
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Questions about Lobsters alternatives
What is the best alternative to Lobsters?
NodeBB, number 1 in online community platforms with a score of 7.8 out of 10. The others here: Daisie, Mobilize, HumHub and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Lobsters?
NodeBB is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.