Android Forum Apps for Smartphones

The two most widely used forum apps are Forum Runner and Tapatalk. Forum Runner is available for iOS and Android. Tapatalk is available for iOS, Android, and BlackBerry devices. All versions of these forum apps offer the ability to discover and register for forums (or log in if you’re already registered), reply and subscribe to discussion threads, and perform just about all of the tasks you’re able to perform when participating in a forum using a regular Web browser. The differences between Tapatalk and Forum Runner are subtle.

Both apps have very similar features, so in many cases a user’s selection of one app over the other is based on personal preference. In some cases, however, only one of the apps can be used with a particular forum. This is because Tapatalk or Forum Runner plugins must be installed in the forum software in order for the apps to work with a forum. Though both plugins may be installed in most forum software, some forum owners choose one plugin or the other.

Thousands of forums can be accessed using either of these forum apps, but there are forums that can’t be accessed using either, so buyer beware. The best approach for anyone considering using one of these apps is to install the free version of the app first to see if the app includes access to the desired forum(s). If the forum is not discovered, try the other app. If the forum is still not found, check to see if there is a dedicated app for the forum. Sometimes a forum owner will have developed their own app, and the app may even perform better than either Tapatalk or Forum Runner.