Adult Forum Software - Build Your Own Porn Community

What is the best adult forum software to start your own porn community in 2024?

I really think online discussion forums are one of the undersung formats of adult websites. It’s easy to see how they fly under a lot of people’s radar: in these days of 4K Ultra-HD video tubes, interactive porn video games and next-generation VR fuckfests, the humble forum seems almost quaint. Bulletin boards have been around since the earliest days of the Internet when people dialed in with snail-speed modems, and really haven’t changed all that much. For fans of amateur porn, hentai, deep fetish niches and file sharing, though, forums have never gone away. There is perhaps no better format for any smutty subgenre that thrives on community.

You might think that given the relative simplicity and old-school nature of adult forums, they’re among the easiest porn sites to set up. That ain’t far from the truth, and the software I’ve assembled below proves it. These are some of the best discussion board systems available right now. They’ve been around for years and are used by independent bloggers and big-ass corporations alike, and while they weren’t built specifically for dirty talk, they’d all make a great place to establish your community of swingers, nude photo sharers, lesbian scissoring fans and the generally perverted.

Do I have to pay for adult forum software?

Why? Did you already blow your porn site budget on a new logo, some local talent and a high-end hosting plan? Well, in that case, I’ve got some good news for your broke ass. About half of the adult forum software I’ve got listed below is free to download, install on your server and use to your heart’s content.

Of course, there are some little caveats. While the free, open-source options have extensive documentation and communities of fans willing to help you out, you don’t necessarily get the hands-on support you’d get with one of the premium options. These systems are designed with ease of use in mind, but it’s still going to require some tech knowledge on your end or maybe a geek you found on one of the Freelancer Sites I’ve got listed here at PornWebmasters.

There’s a fair amount of DIY to be done with the free choices, including hosting and running the software on your own server. One of the big advantages of the paid forum systems is that you’ve got the option of hosting it or using their clouds. With cloud hosting, there’s considerably less setup and maintenance for you to even think about. Hell, if your adult site is all forum, you might able to ditch the hosting bill entirely and just use URL forwarding to point your domain at your cloud-hosted porn forum. There’s definitely a lot of flexibility built-in, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

What kind of features can I expect?

This isn’t a bunch of half-ass forum software. Since these are the best bulletin boards available, you can be sure they’ll have all the basic features you expect in any online discussion forum. Anonymous users can lurk (if you allow it) and the rest can sign up for accounts they use to post in a multitude of subforums, broken down however you want to organize the board. Advanced search functions are baked in, so even if your porn forum grows to millions of posts, it’s still a breeze for users to dig in and find exactly what you’re looking for.

Of course, it’d be kind of lame if your fisting photo fans or doujinshi weeaboos had to log in and stare at some generic bulletin-board branding, so there are a ton of customization options. You can easily tweak the appearance to fit your image, slap your logos into place and make it your own. There are even themes available to give the joint a quick makeover before you start making the final adjustments. If you need additional functionality, there are loads of plugins available to make your forum do what you want it to.

Since these are modern forums, you can expect modern features, too. Media galleries have become pretty standard, giving your users a place to show off their candid photos, cosplay picture sets or homemade titfuck movies. Switching languages is usually a matter of making a few clicks, not hiring a translator. There are also sharing buttons for easy integration with social media sites, so even your grandma on Facebook can find out about those new foot fetish snapshots.

Can I request custom features?

All of the adult forum software I’ve got listed below has been around for years, and they’ve been developing it pretty much non-stop the whole time. They’ve kept up with the times, rolling in new features as they’re needed, keeping up with the demands of their customers. Since you’re going to be one of their customers, your voice is among the chorus they’re listening to. Hit them up with your feedback and make some noise in their forums. If there are a lot of people clamoring for a feature, there’s a decent chance it’ll pop up in the next release.

Then again, maybe you want something really special, something you don’t want them to have over at the competing furry forums or BDSM boards. In that case, there’s no better team to make your dreams a reality than the ones who built the software in the first place. Of course, they don’t necessarily come cheap. If the original developers are out of your budget, you may be able to find a cheaper coder on my list of Freelancer Sites. The software you’ll find below was designed with customizability in mind, so your wet forum dreams may soon be a reality if you’ve got the change to make it happen.

Is it possible to see a demo?

Dude, of course. Only an absolute sucker would pay for software they didn’t get to test drive first, and I definitely wouldn’t point you toward any sketchy shit like that. There are demos available for all the premium forum software on the list. Sometimes they only let you poke around in a live demo forum, but you’ll usually get a fully functional but time-limited demo to play with as you see fit.

How much money can I earn with my own porn forum?

That’s really the big question when starting any kind of porn site. As usual, it really depends on a lot of factors, particularly your nice and your volume of traffic. If you’re running a free forum, you could try the usual monetization strategies you find on free tubes, like popunder ads and banners. If your forum is a premium affair, you can set up a payment processor and earn a monthly or yearly fee off of each of your members.

Depending on your porn genre, though, you may be in a better position than your average free tube to make PPS or revshare money, which can pay out a hell of a lot better than those obnoxious animated ads that net you pennies per thousand views. One of the key differences between adult forums and other types of adult websites is that forums are built on an engaged community, typically one with a deep interest in a particular niche. If you can gently guide them toward something in that niche they can spend money on, you stand to make a really recent cut.

Can they set up the adult forum software on my server?

As I mentioned earlier, if you’re trying to set up a forum without spending a dime, you’re going to have to do a bit of technical work on your end. If you can’t handle installing a forum on your server, you’re going to have to come up with a few bucks, either for installation or to host your forum on their cloud. Installation is included with some of the premium plans; other times it’s available for a flat fee. Expect to pay fifty bucks or so.

Can I get a refund, if I'm not satisfied with my purchased adult forum software?

All the free forum software comes with a triple your money back guarantee, which you can collect via email in the event you’re unsatisfied. It’s a little bit trickier with the paid versions. You’ll have to dig into the documentation for the specific policies of each company, but because of the nature of downloaded purchases and software, refunds are typically only for rare instances where something goes terribly wrong. That’s why those free demos are available, so you can try before you even pull your wallet out.

These companies have been kings of the industry for a while and have been developing their software for years, so I’ll be honest, I don’t think anybody’s going to come out with better adult forum software anytime soon. That said, I’m always keeping an eye out for the best Porn Webmaster resources available. If I find a new bulletin board that’s going to make your life easier and your porn-sharing community happier, I’ll be sure to add it to the list below.