Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is a free, open-source software designed for building and managing online forums. Created with ease of use and scalability in mind, SMF provides a robust platform for community engagement, enabling users to set up discussion boards that can be customized to fit any community's needs. It’s an ideal choice for anyone looking to create a space where users can share information, ask questions, and engage in conversations on specific topics, whether they’re hobbyists, businesses, or large communities.

One of SMF’s standout features is its user-friendly interface, both on the frontend for members and on the backend for administrators. The software offers a clean, organized layout that makes it simple for users to navigate discussions, post messages, and view content. Administrators benefit from an intuitive control panel with tools to manage users, monitor content, and configure settings. The system includes built-in moderation tools, such as reporting posts, warnings, and member bans, which help keep the forum organized and safe from spam or abuse. Moreover, SMF supports a multilingual environment, making it accessible to a global audience.

SMF is built on PHP and MySQL, providing flexibility and performance. The software’s modular structure allows administrators to add or remove features easily through a wide range of plugins available in the SMF community. These plugins can extend functionality to include features like social media integration, improved search capabilities, and additional moderation tools. Furthermore, SMF’s themes system allows administrators to change the look and feel of the forum, with many free and premium themes available to create a unique user experience.

Thanks to its active developer community, SMF receives regular updates that address security and performance. This community-driven approach means that the software is continuously evolving, making it a reliable choice for forum administrators who want a stable, feature-rich platform without the high costs of commercial software. With its balance of simplicity and customization options, SMF is an excellent tool for building an online community that can grow and adapt over time.

Frequent Simple Machines Forum Hosting Questions

Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is a powerful, open-source forum platform designed for building online communities. Known for its simplicity and robust features, SMF provides tools for managing discussions, user permissions, and customisation. Hosting SMF with 365i ensures optimal performance and secure management of your forum. Learn more about our Web Hosting solutions.

Yes, SMF can be easily installed on 365i’s hosting platform using our 1-click installer. This simplifies the setup process, allowing you to focus on building your community. Learn more at SMF Hosting.

Absolutely! 365i provides seamless migration services for SMF forums. Our expert team ensures your posts, user accounts, and configurations are transferred securely with minimal downtime. Learn more about our migration-friendly WordPress Hosting plans.

365i leverages high-frequency servers and a Global CDN to ensure fast load times and reliable performance for SMF forums. This enhances user experience and keeps your community active and engaged.

Yes, 365i’s hosting environment is updated to support the latest stable versions of SMF. This ensures compatibility with new features and security updates, helping your forum stay current and secure.

365i provides robust security features, including free SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and automated backups. These measures protect your SMF forum and its user data from potential threats. Learn more about our Secure Hosting solutions.

Yes! SMF is highly customisable, and 365i’s hosting platform supports a wide range of plugins, themes, and integrations. Whether you’re adding new features or adjusting the design, our hosting ensures smooth operation. Learn more about our tailored Hosting Platform.

Yes, 365i’s hosting solutions are designed to scale with your community’s needs. As your user base grows, our Powerful VPS Hosting options provide additional resources to maintain performance and reliability.

365i provides 24/7 expert support for SMF Hosting. Whether you need help with installation, troubleshooting, or performance optimisation, our team is always available to assist. Reliable support ensures your forum runs smoothly.

365i offers a comprehensive SMF Hosting solution with 1-click installation, advanced security, and optimised performance. Coupled with exceptional support and scalability, it’s the ideal choice for building online communities. Start your journey with reliable SMF Hosting today.

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Bruce E.

Prompt and efficient service - many thanks!

Sean H.

I’ve had a few websites over the years, so I thought I knew what to expect… I didn’t. The new Lockerfella site is way beyond anything I had in mind.

The big one for me is performance. I know how important Google PageSpeed is, and this site hits 100 across the board, which I never thought I’d see.

Fast, solid, and done properly. 365i is easily the best hosting I’ve used, with a team that really knows their stuff. You’d have to be mad to go anywhere else.

Chris R.

I needed to move my domain from the current provider to a new one with excellent service and superb customer focus - especially as I'm pretty hopeless with the web management side of IT! I found the company that gave me all of that and more in 365i. Absolutely brilliant service and help right from the start - in fact even before the start because Mark helped me sort the whole process out before I'd signed up. Can't beat that. Recommended. 7 stars,11/10. Thanks again Mark for all your help (and patience)!

Jeffrey A.

I was really not happy with my website and its structure, but luckily I found Mark at 365i, I moved hosting to 365i, Mark very quickly found all of the faults with my Wordpress site that my previous company missed altogether, most importantly the crucial AI discovery, outdated high site security risk plugins, out of date website core. He fixed all of the issues and errors within 72 hours. Personal attention at the highest level and always available in times when support is urgently needed. It’s only been 2 weeks since the sites update and improvements but we are already seeing positive results especially within the AI search results.
Thank you for your support Mark
Jeffrey Avery MD
Avery Associates

Response from the owner:You’re very welcome Jeff. It’s a pleasure working with you!

Jo M.

Thanks 365i for going above and beyond on my Daughters wedding website. A friendly, professional service, a good quality look and feel and functionality we didn't even know we needed. Would definitely recommend you !

Response from the owner:It was an absolute pleasure creating the site for their big day!

Alex R.

Mark is extremely knowledgeable and a great person to speak and learn from - highly recommend his services!

Response from the owner:Thanks Alex! :-)

Nick K.

365i are fantastic! I'm not very good with IT and every one of my needs have been met with a friendly and beyond helpful response.
My most recent issue (self created I may add) was dealt with swiftly by Mark who I cant thank enough for his efforts supporting me. Thank you for a great service!

Response from the owner:Absolute pleasure Nick. So glad we could help ☺️

Wahab S.

Very good support. Really Really impressed with the effort you’ve put into this, Mark. You’ve clearly gone the extra mile, and it shows. This web page has been a huge help — can’t imagine managing without it now. Thank you so much, truly appreciate it!appreciated! Thumbs up (y)

Callum W.

I don't know what to say???!

Absolutely BLOODY Marvellous!!

Mark on ticket chat, live chat, customer service top notch so easy to get in contact and so super helpful!

THanks guys!

Response from the owner:Thanks Callum! Reviews like that make us all proud of what we do! Thank you!

Lauren J.

Exceptional Website Development Experience!
Working with Mark was an absolute pleasure. He understood our vision for the Grange Transport website and brought it to life beautifully. His attention to detail, creativity, and responsiveness throughout the entire process was outstanding. The final result was a modern, user-friendly site that perfectly reflects our brand and has already received fantastic feedback from our clients and staff. We couldn’t be happier and highly recommend his services to anyone looking for top-notch website development!
Thank you Mark!

Marilena L.

Wow!!!! This guy goes above and beyond for anyone!! Must admit, I never really knew his limits but I can honestly say that without this amazing web page, I would be struggling!! Thankyou so much, I love it!!!

Response from the owner:Thank you so much Lena! 😁

Tania S.

Great service, best prices! Fast to respond, Mark goes beyond duty to find solutions to any trouble. Highly recommend!

Response from the owner:Thank you! :-)

Mark R.

Fantastic service. After the best part of 3 years agonising over what to do with an old website with Yell, and wanting a new site to reflect the new business name, in less than a week of speaking to Mark at 365i, everything is now pointing to a striking brand new website, with my domain name of my choice and at a very affordable price. Great work.

Response from the owner:It's been a pleasure!! :-)

W8 GYM L.

Migrated from A2 Hosting to 365i and the level of customer service and support is absolutely exceptional. What Mark doesn't know about hosting and websites isn't worth knowing. He goes past just hosting and is always willing to help. Great to feel in safe hands. Highly recommend.

James J.

Amazing service. Mark is always happy to help and is easy to contact. Highly recommend!

Adam R.

Superb service, hosting is extremely fast with no issues at all. Mark is extremely helpful and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend 365i to anyone looking for hosting.

Bex M.

Having moved from a much slower hosting platform, this new setup is not only much faster, but has a far more user-friendly interface and some incredible friendly support, nothing is too much trouble, the whole process of transfer has been completed so seamlessly that there was barely any downtime and no loss of data. Really happy to have come across this company and looking forward to making use of the services offered within my new hosting package. Highly recommend :)

I wrote the above a couple of years ago (I think!) and since then have done a good bit more with more websites, the support when needed is always insanely fast, and often goes way above and beyond the call of duty, really cannot fault the service received from 365i, I stand by my original statement that I'd highly recommend. 5 stars is really not enough so here's a few more ***** ***** *****

Andy B.

Mark has been great to work with and I would definitely recommend his services. In addition to hosting, Mark has also designed a number of great looking, quick and responsive websites for us. Excellent work and service

Antidote L.

Absolutely amazing customer service!
For years I been having constant issues with my website from plug-in issues to my hosting provider not giving me enough resources to actually host my site properly. Mark worked tirelessly and managed to not only solve all my website issues but also provide a much better hosting service at a fraction of the cost that I was previously paying.

I’m not very technically minded but he was able to explain things in a way I could understand and I’m so happy to have finally find a company that will help when and if things do go wrong.

With my website and hosting all sorted I can concentrate on running my business and I genuinely look forward to many years to come with 365i.

Lauren H.

Very knowledgable and did a great job - I would definitely use again.

David J.

Absolute expert. Would whole heartedly recommend Mark for difficult IT issues. Good hosting too.

Robert A.

Was very generous with his time late, at night. Guided me through an unusual technical change. Highly recommended.

David O.

The best hosting provider I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with (and I've tried a few over the years!). Superb personal service, no foreign call centres and you get to deal with people who really know what they're talking about. Performance is top notch too - experienced an immediate increase in website responsiveness after transferring to them. Can't recommend highly enough.

Response from the owner:Many thanks David! :-)

dawn C.

Outstanding support & super friendly. I’d be lost without 365i. It’s like they do anything they can to help. Nothing is too much trouble. Oh, and fastest Wordpress hosting I’ve ever had! Totally recommended!

balal D.

excellent company for all your web needs. Very knowledgeable very quick results and excellent communication. Recommended.

james de S.

This guy was really helpful a genius at work

Steve G.

We have recently migrated our website to 365i. With Marks help not only was the migration seamless and speedy but Mark fixed a lot of persistent issues that had been around for ages. Since then the support we have got from Mark is exemplary and I simply could not have wished for better. Mark provides the best support packages you could wish for and this is the best business decision we have made in years. Perfect!!!

Response from the owner:Thanks Steve! Really appreciated!!

Gary T.

I've been with Mark for many years now and really appreciate his attention to detail and technical knowledge of web design, including all things associated with websites. He is at all times helpful, understanding and happy to impart his knowledge, which is always educational.

Curtis W.

Whilst I haven't dealt with Mark directly as a client, a client of ours hosts with him and the dealings I have had with Mark have been great. Easy to talk to, helpful and knowledgeable.

Ricardo N.

Amazing hosting with great support, always going above and beyond to help and make the clients happy. Recommended.

Tom D.

Mark @ 356i is a WIZARD. The work he has created on WordPress - Woocommerce is outstanding, Mark has created a game changing ecommerce store giving me absolutely satisfaction. His knowledge in the Web world is just impressive,their really isn't anything he doesn't know!

Response from the owner:Pleased to know your happy with my work. It means a lot. Thank you so much!

Andy C.

Mark is excellent. His prices are very reasonable and he does an excellent job. So far Mark has re-designed one of our websites to an excellent looking, quick & responsive site and will soon be taking over our hosting. Great

Response from the owner:Thank you so much Andy! Much appreciated!

Jessica A.

Mark has been extremely helpful with some website and system issues we recently faced, offering easy solutions to all of the problems without any fuss at all. We cannot thank you enough for all of your help!

Paul S.

If you want the best....look no further. I'm slightly reluctant in leaving such a good review as we want him to ourselves! Not enough stars or words to explain this man's level or expertise and work ethic. Wow!

Uke n S.

If carling did web hosts and support. Simply the best! Thank you so much Mark.

Full Tank Campervan H.

No words really. I've had a few companies myself and always give my best, and this is the first time I've experienced the same back.

What a savour mark has been for us. Can't do enough to help... 10 stars!!!!

Denvah E.

Mark was absolutely amazing from the get go. Very professional and went above and beyond what was expected. I wish there was a 6 star option! His responses are as quick as his servers! Top man highly recommended. Thank you, Denvah at Full Tank Camper Van Hire

A Z.

Dear Mark and 365ico.uk, I'll be forever in your debt for the wonderful service, my business came into existence because of your undivided support and care.

Dave S.

Absolutely brilliant. Great value hosting and very high quality, but the support you get from Mark is second to none, he will literally bend over backwards to help you, even at silly o'clock on weekends. You just won't get this level of support anywhere else. And he really knows his stuff.

Victor B.

I approached Mark at 365i to ask him to migrate my website to their server since my website was very slow on my existing server. Not only did he carry out the migration within 24 hours but he actually completely redesigned my website free-of-charge to a standard that I was blown away by. He then took me step-by-step through everything he had done so that I now feel that I can make any further changes myself should the need arise, although he assures me he is always happy to be contacted if I struggle. He has done a fantastic job and I would recommend him and 365i with no hesitation!

Nicky G.

Very helpful and cover every area. Mark especially is very effective in finding solutions for any queries you may have and goes the extra mile to assist. Overall, excellent service!

Garry C.

Mark provided superb service - rapid response, careful consideration of my requirements and great website design. Everything was wrapped up really quickly and with superb quality. Highly recommended.

Ihab S.

Seriously I should have listened to Mark from the moment he approached me to migrate to 365i, very professional hosting with state of the art control panel that automatically optimises almost every aspect of your website for faster loading.

Aaron S.

Mark has done a great job building my website for me. Easy to work with and professional. Will be using him and his company for any help I need in the future. I will be using the hosting sevices he provides for my other webistes.

Partho S.

Mark is very helpful and puts a lot of effort in his work. Highly recommended.

Sam R.

Allan M.

Wow! My website colouredglass.co.uk was running very slow with a previous hosting company, I signed up in minutes at 365i.co.uk Not only is my website super fast and loading in less than 3 seconds from 11 seconds, I am saving £23.81 per Month!!! - Keep up the good work Team365i

bart G.

Mark has looked after us for 14 years and designed 3 websites in this time. I have been lucky to find them, they have been a great help to us over the years. Always available to answer questions or make changes to our website quickly. Our business wouldn't be where it is now without the support of 365i.

oliver H.

Really impressed with the on-boarding attention. I have not had service like this before.

Juice Talent Development P.

Mark has helped us numerous times with our website. His skills are second to none and he gets back to us very quickly with every project. We would definitely recommend him for all your web hosting and design needs.

Chris G.

Excellent service and technically brilliant. Would not hesitate to recommend.

saira A.

Excellent Customer Service Very Fast Response.

Johnny S.

Awesome hosting service, customer support second to none with dedicated UK based team, highly recommend to agency and business owners

Response from the owner:Thanks Johnny! Great to have you with us!

Jack W.

Service beyond fantastic. It's hard to put into words how thorough and in-depth the level of service was, and it ftruly felt as though Mark had a real passion for my business, and was himself thrilled to achieve high speeds! I cannot reccomend enough! Amazing!

Yevgeniy G.

After doing Internet Marketing for over 23 years, I know what QUALITY and RELIABILITY is. It's a fine line between your failure and success. Damage can happen in a second and restoration can take years. That's why I trust my precious projects to 365i host along with their other services besides just hosting. I NEVER had any scam upsets from 365i that other hosting companies tried to do when emergencies happened. Some even blamed me while charging ridiculous fees just for so-called premium hosting. Be assured that 365i is a TRUE PREMIUM HOSING and prices are low-funny. This day, I put my word on it: I have not seem anyone better than 365 when it comes to speed, reliability, support and ethics. Uploaded are the pictures of me and just some precious projects I trust 365i. Believe me, it is not easy to please me because I am a certified marketer by AWAI, student of Joe Vitale, Dan Kennedy and other marketing legends. I know when someone delivers quality and when someone talks empty promises. Hey, I am a copywriter, I smell that stuff a mile away. Yet, with 365i, I am ASSURED - less things to think about. If 365i does anything for me - it is always A+ QUALITY! The owner, Mr. Mark is a hero himself who treats you with respect, a superb web designer himself, a business owner, Internet marketer... Do you know what this means to you? That he is NOT just a "blah, blah, yeah, yeah, we can definitely do it" sales rep who will tell you anything you want to hear. If you are ready for truth, sweet or harsh, ask 365i. Not only they help you with superb hosting, but also with your business growth - WITHOUT any BS. Mark says it as it is. And even I am way over 20 years in the game, I still listen to wise advices of Mark! After you start dealing with 365i, you too will see the massive difference and automatically drop a huge weight off of your shoulders! No scammers here! Very honest owner from UK (born and raised in UK, holding REAL European values, like some others who will choke and sell their soul to the devil for $20.00).

Response from the owner:Thank you for a glowing review!

Sonia O.

365i - What a great company to deal with. Friendly, professional, Knowledgeable and speedy service. The exceptional service from 365i has been crucial to my business and I highly recommend their services.

Peta M.

Great service, very friendly and knowledgeable. Mark has the patience to explain to those of us who don't speak tech! Would recommend.

Response from the owner:Oh thank you Peta. Much appreciated

Richard A.

Excellent. Thoroughly Recommend

Neil L.

365i has dramatically speeded up our wordpress website which was beyond dlow! Great service from people who seem to genuinely care about their customers. Thanks so much. N

Tanis J.

These guys are so helpful! They migrated my website for me in a few minutes and then set about improving the page speed. Best move I’ve made in a long time! And great value too! Thank you 😊

Response from the owner:Thank you. We do our very best.