# Circle vs Flarum

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Circle

| Attribute | Circle | Flarum |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 69 (53% (medium)) | 49.5 (24% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 1 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 6,758 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"All-in-one community platform for building and managing branded spaces with member engagement, live events, courses, and integrated payment processing It is indexed under Community Platforms.","source":"https://circle.so","question":"What is Circle?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Circle is a paid product; published pricing starts at $89 per month. It is sold across 3 plans (Professional, Business and Circle Plus). There is no free tier. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://circle.so/pricing","question":"How much does Circle cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Circle supports the web, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://circle.so","question":"What platforms does Circle support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Circle, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://circle.so/pricing","question":"Can Circle be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 6 integrations for Circle, including Zapier, Make, Memberstack, MemberSpace, Memberful and Integrately. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://circle.so/pricing","question":"What does Circle integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and GDPR for Circle. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Circle not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://circle.so","question":"What security certifications does Circle have?","confidence":0.48},{"answer":"Circle is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://circle.so","question":"Where is Circle available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"A free, open-source discussion platform for building and managing online communities. Scales from small hobby groups to large enterprises, with extensive customization through extensions. It is indexed under Community Platforms.","source":"https://flarum.org","question":"What is Flarum?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Flarum is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://flarum.org","question":"Is Flarum free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Flarum. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://flarum.org","question":"What platforms does Flarum support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Flarum can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://flarum.org","question":"Can Flarum be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Flarum is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/flarum/framework","question":"Is Flarum open source?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Flarum is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the Netherlands.","source":"https://flarum.org","question":"Where is Flarum available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | All-in-one community platform for building and managing branded spaces with member engagement, live events, courses, and integrated payment processing | A customizable forum platform designed for hosting community discussions with built-in moderation tools and permission management features. |
| features.capabilities | `{"pricing_model":"monthly_subscription_tiered","deployment_model":"creator_cloud_saas","native_live_video_streaming":true,"custom_css_and_html_theme_editing":true,"mobile_app_ios_android_deployment":true,"event_calendar_and_rsvp_management":true,"salesforce_hubspot_crm_contact_sync":false,"gamification_badges_and_leaderboards":true,"custom_domain_cname_and_white_labeling":true,"native_paywalls_and_paid_subscriptions":true,"white_label_custom_domain_and_branding":true,"native_video_hosting_bandwidth_included":true,"member_directory_and_direct_messaging_dm":true,"email_marketing_and_funnel_builder_native":true,"native_community_forum_and_discussion_boards":true,"affiliate_marketing_program_for_student_referrals":true}` | `{"custom_css_and_html_theme_editing":true}` |
| integrations.count | 11 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Zapier"},{"name":"Make"},{"name":"Memberstack"},{"name":"MemberSpace"},{"name":"Memberful"},{"name":"Integrately"},{"name":"Auth0","native":false,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Facebook","native":false,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Twitter","native":false,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"WordPress","native":false,"category":"cms","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Outseta","native":false,"category":"crm","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Bubble","native":false,"category":"integration","direction":"inbound"}]` | - |
| language.primary | - | PHP |
| license.spdx | - | MIT |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"NL","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Pro","features":["Private spaces","Bulk import/export","In-app notifications","Member profiles & directory","Basic moderation","Direct messaging","Group chat","Weekly email digest","Events","GDPR compliant","iOS and Android App","Desktop app","Chat spaces","Scheduled posts","Advanced reporting","Custom CSS/Javascript Snippets","Zapier integration","Embed widgets","White-labeled community","Color themes","Affiliate/conversion tracking code","Sender email customization","Integrately integration","API access","Headless Member API","Admin API","Analytics filtering"],"commitment":"monthly","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"Unlimited","storage":"500GB","automations":"20","headless_api_mau":"100","ai_credits_monthly":"2500","live_stream_attendees":"100","live_room_participants":"15","admin_api_requests_monthly":"30000","scheduled_workflows_per_month":"20"}},{"free":false,"name":"Business","commitment":"monthly","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"members":"Unlimited","storage":"1TB","headless_api_mau":"500","ai_credits_monthly":"5000","live_stream_attendees":"200"}},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","commitment":"monthly","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"members":"Unlimited","ai_credits_monthly":"None","live_stream_attendees":"500"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Extra Circle AI credits","components":[{"per":{"qty":1000,"unit":"credits"},"kind":"per_unit","amount":10,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extra admins","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"admin","amount":10,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extra moderators","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"per 10 moderators","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extra spaces","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"per 10 spaces","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Brand email notifications","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":40,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Customizable profile fields","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":49,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Live attendees","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"per 100 attendees","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Hours","components":[{"kind":"fixed","unit":"per 10 hours","amount":50,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Subscription plans for Pro, Business, and Plus tiers with monthly billing. Free 14-day trial; 30-day money-back guarantee. Email Hub priced per contacts (first 30 days free, charges on top of community plan).","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://circle.so/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-10-06T10:09:46.920Z","freeTrialDays":14,"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open-source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://flarum.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T12:53:42.126Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":89,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 10 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0","date":"2026-10-09T18:13:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v1.8.20","date":"2026-09-17T12:12:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.20"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc.8","date":"2026-08-27T20:32:46Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-rc.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc.7","date":"2026-08-24T21:29:10Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-rc.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc.6","date":"2026-08-23T20:42:33Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-rc.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v1.8.19","date":"2026-08-13T18:46:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v1.8.18","date":"2026-08-10T09:32:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc.5","date":"2026-07-08T16:08:08Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-rc.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc.4","date":"2026-06-18T12:01:13Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-rc.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v1.8.17","date":"2026-06-16T08:58:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc.3","date":"2026-06-09T18:54:17Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-rc.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc.2","date":"2026-06-01T18:15:57Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-rc.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc.1","date":"2026-04-20T11:11:00Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v1.8.16","date":"2026-04-18T21:05:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v1.8.15","date":"2026-04-10T19:03:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0-beta.8","date":"2026-03-23T08:28:38Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-beta.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v1.8.14","date":"2026-03-09T11:35:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v1.8.13","date":"2026-02-09T12:02:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v2.0.0-beta.6","date":"2026-01-30T09:45:28Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-beta.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/flarum/framework/releases/tag/v1.8.12","date":"2026-01-07T19:30:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.12"}]` |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fflarum%2Fframework&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Community Platforms)

| Capability | Circle | Flarum |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Gamification badges and leaderboards | ✓ | - |
| Native live video streaming | ✓ | - |
| Native paywalls and paid subscriptions | ✓ | - |
| Event calendar and rsvp management | ✓ | - |
| Member directory and direct messaging dm | ✓ | - |
| Custom domain cname and white labeling | ✓ | - |
| Custom css and html theme editing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Salesforce hubspot CRM contact sync | ✗ | - |
| Mobile app ios android deployment | ✓ | - |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| ISO 27001 | - | - |
| Pricing model | Monthly subscription tiered | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:49:04.164Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*