What it does
WoltLab Suite Forum provides discussion boards, member management and moderation for online communities. A downloadable license grants continuing use on your own server, while WoltLab Cloud provides subscription hosting. Setup creates an administrator account for managing the forum.
Open Apps > Forums > Forums > Add Forum. Categories group forums, Forums contain discussions, and External Links lead to URLs. Set the parent and display order.
Hiding removes a forum from the list but allows direct links. Permissions restrict access and pass from categories to subordinate forums. Archive closes discussions to new posts.
For a staff area, deny Everyone access, explicitly allow the moderator and administrator groups, then save. Future members of those groups inherit access.
The downloadable Forum license is listed at EUR 129.99 including German VAT; the final tax-inclusive amount can vary by customer country. It permits lifetime use, one public installation and a private test installation. Updates and support are included for one year, with an optional twelve-month extension afterward.
Installation uses the purchased package, a server check and database details, then creates the local administrator. The admin login is available at /acp on the forum's address. Cloud instead handles hosting, updates and backups through monthly or annual billing.
Strengths
- Category permissions apply to subordinate discussion areas
- Internal sections can admit selected staff groups
Watch out for
- Hiding a forum does not block direct-link access
- The license's included updates and support last one year
Best for
- Organizations operating a structured member discussion community
Sources
- WoltLab Suite - Premium Community Forum Software (Oct 26, 2026)
- Introduction - WoltLab Suite Manual (Oct 26, 2026)
- WoltLab Forum downloadable license (Oct 27, 2026)
- WoltLab forum sections and inherited permissions (Oct 27, 2026)
- WoltLab installation and administrator account (Oct 27, 2026)
- WoltLab managed cloud access (Oct 27, 2026)