Best Customer Forum To Install on Shopify?

Shopify Apps

Topic summary

A merchant seeks a customer forum for their Shopify store with specific requirements: single sign-on (SSO) integration with existing customer accounts, focus on technical product discussions rather than social features, category-based organization, easy point-and-click setup, and affordable pricing. They’ve researched multiple options but found most lacking—either with broken demos, spam issues, or unclear functionality.

Key developments:

  • Xenforum emerged as the leading candidate after its developer (ChrisNguyen) engaged directly in the thread
  • The merchant successfully validated Xenforum’s SSO functionality on live customer sites
  • A critical feature request was made: allowing users to edit display names to protect identity (important for government/military/aerospace customers)
  • The developer added the username customization feature, but this apparently broke user verification
  • Trial period proved too short (7 days) for thorough testing; merchant requested extension
  • Communication challenges arose with email delivery issues

Current status: Discussion remains unresolved. The merchant wants to subscribe but needs the verification issue fixed first. Later comments suggest generic forum recommendations (Discourse, Vanilla Forums, Tribe/Bettermode) without addressing the original poster’s specific situation or whether Xenforum’s technical issues were resolved.

Summarized with AI on October 28. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
21

Hi Chris,

I am trying to send you screen captures, but your mail server is rejecting my emails.

Is there another email address I can use?

Thanks!

22

Limited customization for forum-specific needs and is more like a commenting system than a full forum

23

@ChrisNguyen can you compare Xenforum vs Shopicial? What are the main differences?

24

Top customer forum options for Shopify include Discourse, Vanilla Forums, and XenForo. These platforms provide strong customization, integration, and engagement features to enhance community interactions.

25

The best customer forum to install on Shopify includes apps like Discusify, Social King, or using third-party tools like Vanilla Forums and XenForo integrated with Shopify. They provide customizable forums, user engagement features, and easy Shopify integration. Choose based on your needs for design, moderation, and scalability.

26

Hi :waving_hand:

There are a couple of good forum options out there. I think Vanilla Forums and Discourse are two very good options. I’ve personally used Discourse for customer forum, works wonders.

Tribe is a good forum of you are looking for something Shopify native.

For extensive customizations Discourse and Vanilla forums should do.

Hope this helps!

27

One of the best customer forums to install on Shopify is Discourse, which offers seamless integration and robust community features. Another popular choice is Shopify Community, though it is more of a native option.

28

Top Forum Options for Shopify:1. Discourse (via third-party integration)

  • Powerful open-source forum platform.

  • Needs custom setup or app like Discourse Connect.

  • Great for long-term community growth.

  1. Zendesk Community Forums

    • Part of Zendesk’s help desk suite.

    • You can integrate it with Shopify for support + community in one.

    • Great for both customer service and public Q&A.

  2. Tribe (now Bettermode)

    • Modern-looking, customizable community platform.

    • Has Shopify app and API integrations.

    • Offers gamification, Q&A, product discussions, and more.

  3. Helpscout + Docs + Beacon

    • Not a classic forum, but great for Q&A-style support and a knowledge base.

    • Integrated widget on your Shopify store.

  4. Shopify Discussion Board Apps (if you want something simple)

    • Apps like Simple Forum, Community Builder, or PeerBoard offer native forums within Shopify.

    • Easier setup but less powerful than full forum platforms.

Recommendation for Most Users:

Tribe (Bettermode) is ideal for Shopify merchants looking to build a branded customer community with low code, while Discourse is best for full control and customizations if you don’t mind the setup.

Refrence Site https://theinfocart.com/

29

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