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15 Best WordPress bbPress Forum Themes (2024)

You are in the right place if you are looking for WordPress bbPress forum themes!

We like bbPress A LOT and even use it for our theme support forum. (We know you’ll like it too.)

It’s simple: bbPress is the perfect choice for WordPress users!

But instead of integrating it manually, get a theme that does that for you out of the box.

Especially if you’re in the starting phase.

We only collected themes compatible with the latest WordPress version and popular plugins, so you can provide your visitors with the best solution and user experience.

Let’s list the best WordPress forum and community themes based on bbPress that suit everyone.

Best WordPress Forum Themes

Note: A forum section can help boost your web presence, strengthen your online brand, and establish relationships with people within your niche or industry.

1. BuddyBoss

BuddyBoss is the most advanced yet easy-to-use forum WordPress theme for any category.

Furthermore, BuddyBoss allows you to personalize your social network (BuddyPress) regardless of your skill level. No coding or programming knowledge is required.

You can customize the widgets, logos, cover photos, and navigation. This theme incorporates inputs, buttons, tabs, tooltips, and progress bars.

BuddyBoss is translation-ready able to display your content in any language. (Multilingual and RTL support.)

Your website will have live notifications like other pages that focus on interaction. You will not be required to refresh your page to stay updated constantly.

Overall, this is one of the best BuddyPress/WordPress themes at an affordable price.

More info / Download

2. Sway

sway wordpress bbpress forum theme

If you are looking to build a bbPress forum, thanks to Sway, you can do so with ease and confidence. You do not need any other tools or extensions, as Sway takes care of everything out of the box.

What’s also cool, you can use Sway for nearly any website you want and then expand it with a community section, using the ready-to-use sample.

Additionally, if you would like to translate Sway, that’s an option due to WPML and Polylang compatibility.

More info / Download Demo

3. LeadEngine

leadengine wordpress bbpress forum theme

LeadEngine is a serious deal for the best and most refined WordPress forum theme based on bbPress. It’s a multi-purpose theme with a page builder to build any website.

Not only does LeadEngine offer a full demo, but you can also completely customize it.

No matter how hard you go on the web design, adjusting-wise, LeadEngine makes sure that the end product always works seamlessly across all platforms.

Kick things off in style, encourage people to participate, and grow your community with LeadEngine.

More info / Download Demo

4. Ekko

ekko wordpress bbpress forum theme

Ekko is a multi-purpose WordPress forum theme with unlimited options and possibilities. It allows you to launch any page and easily add a forum.

On the other hand, create a full-blown forum to expand later with a blog and an online store.

Ekko’s design is super clean and minimalistic, with excellent attention to detail. It also includes social media icons, a customizable sidebar, a footer reveals function, and widgets.

Default settings of Ekko include speed and SEO optimization, too.

More info / Download Demo

5. KLEO

Forum WordPress theme

KLEO is an exceptionally versatile forum WordPress theme whose design meets all your needs for a modern theme.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a professional or an amateur – you can easily customize this theme!

To be specific, KLEO incorporates a responsive and user-friendly admin interface. With these advanced features, You can add and remove elements and configure the default look. (Do. It. Your. Way.)

Another advantage of KLEO is the WPBakery page builder that doesn’t require coding to build a professional website.

Of course, it also supports the BuddyPress and bbPress plugins for building a forum quickly.

A detailed review of the KLEO BuddyPress theme is available here.

More info / Download Demo

6. Olympus

olympus wordpress bbpress forum theme

Olympus is a fantastic WordPress bbPress forum theme that helps you quick-start your community and/or social network. (Avoid hiring a coder, designer to create a web platform from scratch.)

When you see how much pre-designed content Olympus brings, you will instantly understand how simple it is to create a forum and start a community.

There are tons of fantastic options that you can take to your advantage to create a fully functional social network.

Start your thing with Olympus, from mobile profiles, comments, login pages, video albums, post reactions, and all the rest.

Installing the demo and starting your successful journey only takes a click.

More info / Download Demo

7. SquadForce

squadforce wordpress bbpress forum theme

SquadForce is an extraordinary WordPress bbPress forum theme for the gaming industry. If you want to turn your passion into profits by starting a new online project, make it happen with SquadForce.

With its dark and bold look, SquadForce ensures a striking appearance that will blow everyone away. Whether you have any or no experience, you will witness a spectacular result in a little breeze with SquadForce.

Awesome navigability, tournaments, a WooCommerce shop, galleries, a news section, automatic updates—you name it, SquadForce delivers tons of stuff that will put you right on top.

More info / Download Demo

8. Cera

cera wordpress bbpress forum theme

Cera is a sophisticated intranet and community WordPress theme compatible with the excellent bbPress plugin. You can pick between 6 different demos, all resourceful and easy to use.

Before we dive in further, understand that Cera follows all the trends and regulations of the modern web.

You will find everything necessary to start on the web like a pro in the enormous bundle of features.

From the user dashboard, paid and free membership, and private messages to the activities wall and global Ajax search, Cera offers it all and more.

Turn your idea into a reality with the superb Cera.

More info / Download Demo

9. Docly

docly wordpress bbpress forum theme

Docly is a WordPress bbPress forum theme used to create a knowledge base website and product documentation.

With the many great page layouts and elements, you have multiple options and possibilities to tailor the end product to your liking. There is no need for coding work when considering performing improvements.

Some of Docly’s highlights are RTL support, dark and light mode, PSD files, sticky elements, and carousels.

Support and documentation are also part of the kit, so you will never feel lonely on your journey to successful website realization.

More info / Download Demo

10. Vikinger

vikinger wordpress bbpress forum theme

Creating your social network happens quicker than you think with the right tools – You only need Vikinger!

This WordPress theme takes care of all the heavy lifting for you, so you only focus on refining touches, and that’s it. The list of features is endless, guaranteeing everyone gets the most out of Vikinger.

Profiles, badges, reactions, rankings, bbPress forum, private groups, Twitch integration, GamiPress, and blog module are only goodies with Vikinger.

You can also introduce your creative touch and tailor Vikinger to your exclusive needs and regulations.

More info / Download Demo

11. Zippco

zippco wordpress theme

Zippco is an all-around WordPress theme for finance consulting with an option to expand it with a bbPress forum. The tool has several ready-made homes, internal pages, and stunning header styles.

You can create the exact web space you desire without having to work hard with Zippco.

Other treats of Zippco contain custom sidebars, boxed layout, child theme, online appointments, unlimited colors, Slider Revolution, and social media integration.

Moreover, Zippco is mobile-ready and optimized for speed and search engines. Documentation and support are also available for all Zippco users.

Start your online space today with Zippco, create a community and grow your business to the next level.

More info / Download Demo

12. Netube

netube wordpress theme

If you want to start a video-focused website, Netube is the right solution. Plus, you can also use it as a WordPress bbPress forum theme!

Instead of just sharing compelling content, you can start a forum and create an online hub where everyone enjoys hanging out, sharing thoughts, opinions, etc.

Netube has five full-blown demos and many other features to keep your website at the highest degree.

Moreover, Netube is fully translatable, easy to modify, and fast-loading. Many custom widgets, like social and weather, are also part of the deal, which you can use to your advantage.

Drag and drop and build a website!

More info / Download Demo

13. Tessera

tessera wordpress theme

Tessera is a WordPress bbPress forum theme for the knowledge base, help desk, and online support web platform.

Even if using the default settings of Tessera, you’ll make a crazy good website.

Still, if you would like to fine-tune the layout, you can do it at your own discretion, as Tessera supports all customization tweaks you’d like to perform. (Thanks, dragging-and-drop technology!)

Thanks to the comprehensive documentation and support, you will never feel lonely working with Tessera.

More info / Download

14. Vellum

vellum multipurpose WordPress community theme

Vellum is a flexible WordPress theme perfect for any website. It’s a modern theme with great potential, as it is fully responsive, SEO-friendly, and easy to customize.

Vellum’s distinctive structure allows you to create a unique website layout design. It incorporates wonderful features, including a drag-and-drop page composer, UberMenu mega menus, parallax backgrounds, and more.

Its powerful slider plugin gives your website and slideshows an extra appeal that will surely draw the attention of your target visitors or readers.

More info / Download Demo

15. Impreza

impreza multipurpose WordPress theme

One of Impreza’s best features is its strong support for bbPress integration.

It also incorporates WooCommerce compatibility, animated columns, images on any page, advanced typography options, extensive style options with unlimited colors, parallax effect backgrounds, and a slider resolution.

Impreza has a built-in drag-and-drop page builder to help you create a homepage that embodies your brand.

More info / Download Demo
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Frontend web developer and web designer specializing in WordPress theme development. After graduating with BA he self-taught frontend web development. Currently has over 10 years of experience in mainly CSS, HTML (TailwindCSS, Bootstrap), JavaScript(React, Vue, Angular), and PHP. Obsessed with application performance, user experience, and simplicity.

Comments (65)

  1. The Genesis Theme Framework is quite good, although Alpha Builder is the next big thing if you want a perfectly optimised SEO and design theme.

  2. Hi Admin

    Can you please tell me theme name which is used on this opranks site and from where i can buy this.
    Thanks

    1. Hey,

      Your mentioned website uses Sahifa WordPress theme which is a premium magazine theme which comes with bbPress, BuddyPress, WooCommerce, WPML and support for other popular plugins. You can find more about this theme here.

  3. 61designstreet says:

    Very nice post! Got a chance to discover a lot of new themes.Wordpress themes are simply amazing, whether paid or free they provide you with absolutely amazing customization features. I have worked on several affiliate projects for which we made a lot of websites and we worked on wordpress websites. Dublin was my favorite and worked on several others as well.

  4. Hello. If i buy “SmartMag – Responsive & Retina WordPress Magazine” theme” Can i remove the shop from the menu?Because i don’t need a shop.

    1. Jason,

      Everything is optional. You have to even install WooCommerce separately to add shop on the main menu and on your website. So by default there won’t e any shop but you can always change your mind and install one when you need it.

  5. none of these theme work for me, i am looking for a nice theme , but can not find here,

  6. Amit K. Maraiya says:

    The Best WordPress theme in industry. Really great development work, fully dedicated and best designs.

    1. Amit,
      Thank you for your feedback! Which bbPress theme is your favorite and why?

  7. jasa website says:

    hi now search theme WordPress for my forum..where the best Aigar ??

    1. Jasa,

      Thank you for your comment!
      We have already selected the best bbPress (forum plugin for WordPress) themes and you can see theme above. We regularly update this list to include more awesome themes and remove ones that are no longer maintained or feels outdated. I don’t like to highlight one single theme as the best one as usually it comes down to your preferences. If your only preference is that this theme must support bbPress to build a forum you can choose any of above listed themes and you will be satisfied with results. If you have some more specific requirements in mind, please let me know and I will try to come up with some suggestions.

  8. Which one is best free theme for creating forum website with bbpress?

    1. Gaurav,

      Unfortunately, all above listed themes are premium bbPress themes. If you are looking for free bbPress themes you might want to check this theme collection. Not all free themes are compatible with bbPress by default but most of theme are.

  9. I need you to create an interactive monitization forum where people can interact and share ideas about specific topics of life, where members will be able to send private and instant delivery messages and make video calls or normal calls to oNE another, buy and sell and I can make adverts,

  10. Which is the best theme for forum posting ? please guide me i’m new to wordpress.

    1. Joanah,

      These are all bbPress themes and bbPress is a forum platform. Which means that all of above themes are for forums.

  11. Frustrating when themes say that they support bbpress yet don’t provide a link to bbpress forums in their demo.

    1. Blayne,

      WordPress theme developers usually implements a basic bbPress support. Which means that forum will work just like default bbPress installation but will have some CSS styling. This styling usually is few lines of CSS to make it look as part of theme and developers usually does a great job with that. If you expect bbPress themes that are radically different from default bbPress template then you might be disappointed.

      Choose the theme that you like from overall design language and bbPress will follow its design trend. bbPress is all about simplicity and themes never makes it more complex.

  12. Hello,
    Probably i will need a help when i create my site. Which one of the list above you think that i can get help

    1. Anil,

      All themes comes with detailed documentation and support from the developers.

  13. Hey, just wondering if you found any themes that do not require a phpbb plugin. Instead I was wondering if you found any themes that have both a WordPress version and a phpbb version?

    I find that using plugins can slow down a WordPress website drastically and would rather install the forum software separately.

    Thanks in Advance.

    1. Dan,

      Above listed themes are WordPress theme compatible with bbPress forum plugin. None of these are phpBB forum themes and can’t be used as such. bbPress is not a standalone platform and it works as a plugin and there is no way to use directly without installing WordPress. Plugins might slow down your website only if you are using a cheap shared hosting which is not optimized for WordPress. We recommend SiteGround which will make your website to fly even with WordPress and bbPress installed.

  14. Hi Aigars,

    This is great, I am a web developer myself for and I have been looking for a WP plugin for my customers, that will suit their needs of Forums, whilst still being able to use multiple (quality) Themes.

    Thank you very much! All the best.

  15. badsagroup says:

    how can i channge my theme?

    1. All above listed themes comes with detailed documentation on how to install, use and customize them. For more support related questions you can also contact theme developers directly.

  16. Hi, I’m looking to build a gaming website for a friend and I was going to use WordPress but wondering if there are any good templates I can use?

    Ideally need home page, roster, calendar, forum, gallery and possibly more as they play games such as starwars battlefront, destiny and cod so something that would suit those.

    Any help and advise would be good.

    Regards,
    Max

    1. Max,

      Unfortunately, none of these themes are that specific. You might want to research some plugins that are built specially for this purpose as themes are all about design and very little about functionality. Functionality comes from plugins and that’s the are where you should be looking.

  17. johncannon says:

    Hello Aigars! This is a very good place to find stunning WordPress themes for the newbies. I need a forum theme for WordPress. Could you please recommend some?

    1. Hey,

      All above listed themes are compatible with bbPress plugin which means that you can create a forum using any of above WordPress themes. The main purpose of this list is to showcase the best WordPress forum themes that are based on bbPress integration.

  18. Hi, Sir,

    Actually i want to make a WP website where other members who register also can post over blog page. I mean we are a society who wants not only need a page which has essential info but it allow persons to post their work such as art work, short stories and they look in a clean manner. Just like a forum software but easy. Kindly suggest me how can i do it. Thank you in advance.

    1. Keshav,

      WordPress have this possibility built in by default just needs to be enabled via settings. Which means that you can use literally any WordPress theme ever released and just enable user registration.

  19. Tracy R. Simmons says:

    Great list of bbpress forum themes. I personally liked Impreza. It contains maximum features that any WP theme can have.

    Thanks For sharing.

    Keep updating!!!

  20. Hello

    Sorry about my english, it is not my native language…
    I’d like to build a professional network with BB or Buddy press. Stable, simple and fast (no animation), clear and of course Pro.
    Also, I do not want to change of template each 3 months. I prefer to pay the price and having back quality and update in time…

    One of the most important thing at me, is to display on the profil the real name or full name of the person. I do not want to see @username but @realname. It is really more professional. Do you know a theme or a plugin abble to do that ?

    The other difficulty is to choice… There is too many choices.
    With your experience, which theme would be the right for what I want to do ? (quality, stability in time, update…)

    Thanks a lot by advance
    Franck

    1. Franck,

      Kleo theme is certainly the right option. It has been around for a while and is constantly updated to make it even more awesome. More information about this theme is available here.

  21. Hi there,

    I wondered if you could offer your advice please? I am looking to create a local community site, it would allow members to post up questions, such as what is the best restaurant in the area? or does anybody know of a reliable handyman? etc etc. Other users would interact with answering the posts, so it would work like a forum, but I dont want it to look like a classic forum, more of a modern social media feel, however I dont want users to have their own ‘wall’ or ‘timeline’, they would simply see the latest questions in order of when they were posted. If they could add people as friends then that would be great also. The biggest stumbling block im finding is if this website were used nationwide for example, I would like users to only interact with and see other posts from people just in their local area or town. Things like private messaging would also be needed.
    Is there such a theme out there to your knowledge, or a way of making it happen with a theme and some plugins?
    Any advice would be appreciated.

    Many thanks!

    1. Andy,

      If you are looking to use WordPress then the only option would be to use themes that support bbPress such as ones listed above.
      However, you will need to modify the design of forum itself to make it not look like a forum since you mentioned that that’s your intention.
      For more advanced forum platforms you might want to check Discourse forum platform.

  22. Jamie alexander says:

    This article is absolutely brilliant. Been looking into creating forums for a while. Very useful article I shall implement what you said. Thanks

  23. Vellum theme was awesome

  24. darkglass says:

    Nice information.
    thank you for sharint

  25. Its really good. I found wonderful themes here.

  26. Great article!

    I want to use one of your themes to redesign our site.
    Which theme would you recommend?

  27. Yatesh Choudhary says:

    OneSocial looks really good and clean theme. Is it possible to use one theme for blog and another for forum on the same website ?

    1. Yatesh,

      Yes, you can use multiple themes on the same domain. Just like we have our main site with 20 theme demos. We use WordPress Multisite setup for that but you can also install 2 separate WordPress installations. It could be either blog.yourwebsite.com or yourwebsite.com/blog. Both options are fine.

  28. Which one supports RTL?

  29. hey aigars
    how you create premium theme menu in one page.thanks

  30. Does X theme work with bbPress?

  31. Mohab Elboshy says:

    supports RTL ?

    1. Some do. Just let me know which one you are looking to purchase and will double check for RTL support.

  32. I agree, WordPress is very convenient. But there are a few shortcomings in it that can not be found in the traditional website, which professional studios make. For example, a highly specialized site does not always work on this platform. But this is easily resolved if the work is done by a web design studio. They also provide support. Naturally, you will choose the topic for such a site and not use custom. Although this is a personal choice for everyone.

  33. Asaf Solomon says:

    hey aigars
    Your blog has been very helpful to me and I keep coming back to it for support, thanks so much.
    I have built a directory site using Javo theme and would like to add a forum option to it. Can it be done on the Javo platform or would it be better to use another theme for that purpose, and if so what would you recommend?
    All the best
    Asaf

    1. Javo doesn’t have an official support for bbPress but since it is a very simple plugin it should work just fine. It it free, so nothing to lose when testing it.

  34. Hi Algars. I’m in a conundrum. I am creating a site that essentially will be a database of user-generated content from around the USA. It will need to be several menus and probably subs as well, to break down and efficiently organize the content. Due to the anticipated user base, it will need to be simple front-end load the content. I anticipate subscriber levels and some advertising. Content will mainly consist of user-created videos, images, audio files, and will also have stories associated. It will be important to have the content that they submit going directly to the appropriate geographic page so that there is less administration to be done. Paid subscribers will likely be directed to Patreon for fee submission, but that is not written in stone as of yet. I’m hoping to also integrate FB, Twitter, and IG logins. It would also be cool to feature hot and trending content on the front page and maybe at various places throughout. Possible future plans may also involve some product sales. Now, I’ve done a couple of WP sites, but this may be my most ambitious project to date. Do you think that bbpress themes like these would fit the bill and I would also like to know if you have an opinion as to which might be flexible enough to serve the intent? Thanks for your opinion!

    1. Jerry,

      bbPress is a very simple forum platform. There is very little categorization and no other content types posible than just form threads. Very unlikely that’s what you are after. I think that BuddyPress social networking platform would make much more sense. Here are some of the best themes based on this platform. Also, these membership platforms might be an option.

  35. Hey Aigars,

    Can you please let me know from where I can get a mobile responsive e-commerce WordPress Themes. Usually, I try to download from WordPress and they are not much sufficient to apply all kinds of functionalities. Some themes are not able to update the “cart” function & some shows an error during applying any discount or coupon code.

  36. sir, I am a new user can I get some offer on first buying of the theme? I want to buy HelpGuru theme please help me for buying this.

    1. Unfortunately, there aren’t any discounts or discount codes available for this theme. From time to time you might come across some discounts but usually they are on Black Friday and only like 1/5 of the themes are discounted during that time.

  37. Muhammad Razin says:

    All are great, but HelpGuru still be the first choices

  38. Jason Brothers says:

    Interesting read – thanks for this. I use HelpGuru for my own knowledge base, and it has been working out brilliantly. Good to know there are so many options out there…

  39. We love HelpGuru too! 😀 Great post – thanks for sharing guys.

  40. Tobias Claren says:

    Hello.

    Is there a list with the best free Themes for BBPress?
    For a modern forum appearance (like SMF, MyBB, phpBB etc.) of bbPress?

    1. None of the free ones are that well designed. With free themes you need to be cautious if you are thinking of running a real business based on them.

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