Simple Machines Forum - SMF in short - is a free, professional grade software package that allows you to set up your own online community in minutes. SMF's powerful custom made template engine puts you in full control of the lay-out of your message board and with our unique SSI (Server Side Includes) function you can let your forum and your website interact with each other. SMF is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database. It is designed to provide you with all the features of a bulletin board while having a minimal impact on the server. Below are the best SMF web hosting companies.