Neocities is a free static website hosting platform that lets you build a personal or small business site using a simple, built-in HTML editor. It offers fast hosting, easy file uploading, custom domain support, and a friendly community. However, it does not include a built-in community forum or discussion feature.
That's where Website Toolbox comes in. You can embed a fully featured discussion forum directly into your Neocities site, or simply link to your forum from your site's navigation. Either way, you get user accounts, moderation tools, and real-time conversations.
This works really well for:
- Personal blogs and creative portfolios
- Fan communities and hobby groups
- Independent web project discussions
- Small business customer support forums
- Feedback and feature request boards
- School and club communities
- Retro web and creative communities
This step-by-step guide walks you through the process:
Step-by-Step: Add Your Forum
Option A: Embed the Forum
- Log in to your Website Toolbox account or create a new forum if you don't already have one.
- Go to Integrate → Embed → Embed your forum, and copy the embed code.
- Visit neocities.org and sign in to your account.
- From your dashboard, click Edit Site to open the file editor for your website.
- In the file list, click index.html to open it in the built-in HTML editor. If your site uses a different homepage file, open that instead.
- Paste your Website Toolbox forum embed code into the file where you want the forum to appear.
- Click Save to apply your changes.
- Visit your site at yourusername.neocities.org and navigate to the page where you added the forum to copy its URL.
- Go back to the Website Toolbox Integrate → Embed → Embed Your Forum section and paste your Neocities Forum page URL into the Where is the forum embedded? field.
Option B: Link to the Forum
- Log in to your Website Toolbox account or create a new forum if you don't already have one.
- Copy your forum URL.
- Visit neocities.org and sign in to your account.
- From your dashboard, click Edit Site to open the file editor.
- Open the index.html file (or the page where you want the forum link).
- Add a link to your forum, such as
<a href="https://yourforum.websitetoolbox.com">Forum</a>. - Click Save to make your changes live.
- Visit your site at yourusername.neocities.org and click the Forum link to confirm it opens your forum.
What Your Members Can Do
Once your forum is connected, your members get a full-featured community experience. Website Toolbox includes many more features beyond what's listed here. Visit the Features Tour to see everything that's available.
For Members
- Create and reply to discussion threads
- Like posts
- Upload images and files
- Receive email notifications
- Customize their profile
For Admins
- Moderate posts and comments
- Ban users
- Create categories and pin topics
- Customize the forum's appearance
- Manage member permissions
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Neocities have a built-in forum feature?
No, Neocities is a static hosting platform and does not include a native forum feature. However, you can easily add a forum to your site using Website Toolbox, either by embedding it directly into an HTML file or by linking to it from your site's navigation.
Should I embed the forum or link to it?
Both work well. Embedding keeps users on your Neocities site and integrates the forum seamlessly into your page layout. Linking is simpler to set up and opens the forum in its own page, which can be a better experience on mobile devices. Choose whichever fits your workflow.
Can I customize the look of my embedded forum?
Yes. Website Toolbox provides a theme editor with a variety of themes you can choose from to match your Neocities site's design. You can customize colors, fonts, layout settings, and more to create a seamless look.
Can I make the forum private or members-only?
Absolutely. You can restrict forum access to logged-in users, create invite-only communities, or charge for access with subscription plans.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. Neocities uses a simple, built-in HTML editor where you can paste your forum's embed code or add a link. If you can paste text into a file and click Save, you can add a forum to your site.
Will the forum work on mobile devices?
Yes. Website Toolbox forums are fully responsive and work great on phones, tablets, and desktops. If you embed the forum, the iframe adapts to the container size automatically. Website Toolbox also offers a mobile app so your members can participate from their phones.