Forum software

[talk2D]

I am serious about a startup like sitepoint.com but in another niche in my country. I will be using the country's domain .com.xx.
I am willing to pay for something good to use and no much hassle.

What is the best forum software i can use.I will like the site design to be clean and sharp.(I'm also a designer)

can vbulletin,.invisionpower do this or which software can do this please?..i will go with a good idea.
Thanks i hope to read from you.

 

[snowbird]

If you are serious about running a successful forum, you will see that most of the well known forums are running vbulletin. So that may be the best way to go in regards to forum software. However, I do know IPB (InvisionPower) is another great paid forum product that is well known. Not only is it more affordable, but it is easier to setup and administrate based upon my own personal experience and having used both. Both are very reputable products and I would not shy away from using either one of them. Good luck on your future endeavor.

 

[talk2D]

Which one of them can the design and color stand out?
More so, i wish to have the landing page like a blog or magazine first; then user can the click to go to forum. just like site sitepoint.com works.

 

[snowbird]

Sitepoint uses vbulletin. But that doesnt mean you cant get IPB to do the same thing. As for the design and color, that is going to ultimately depend upon how you choose to theme your forum. You can do it yourself or have someone create a professional looking theme for you. I do know IPB has a WYSIWYG editor built into the admin area to help you theme the forum which could make things easier for you. I dont know if vbulletin has that same functionality. But the last time I used it, it didnt. You had to manually edit the stylesheets, etc.

I believe both products have demo versions available. Maybe you should see if you can get a free demo license for both products, try them out, and decide from there which one you would like to spend the money on.

 

[4pm]

you may want to take a look at MyBB (mybb.com) - it's free, huge number of free plugins/themes, wide userbase, easy to manage/update/modify, great community, excellent functionality even in comparison with commercial products.. works out of the box, written in php, customizing templates/code is easy and straightforward.. really good alternative to vBulletin/IPB

also forum-software.org is a good resource to begin with when it comes to choosing a forum platform

*

 

[BatRastard]

Xbm

 

[talk2D]

Thanks for the replies. Please i might go with vbulletin 5.
Please suggest a good hosting service i can start with; probably a shared hosting at this time, something affordable.
Also, do anyone know how or what Vbsocial does?
Once again, Thank you.

 

[Eric]

I personally used to recommend vBulletin at one time. I no longer do so. You are much better off with IPB or Xenforo as far as paid solutions are concerned. If you are looking for a free solution, I would recommend MyBB.

As for hosting, http://www.site5.com/p/forum-hosting/.

 

[talk2D]

I personally used to recommend vBulletin at one time. I no longer do so. You are much better off with IPB or Xenforo as far as paid solutions are concerned. If you are looking for a free solution, I would recommend MyBB.

As for hosting, http://www.site5.com/p/forum-hosting/.

please, why is IPB better than vBulletin?

 

[~ The 34 Year Buzz!!]

you may want to take a look at MyBB (mybb.com) - it's free, huge number of free plugins/themes, wide userbase, easy to manage/update/modify, great community, excellent functionality even in comparison with commercial products.. works out of the box, written in php, customizing templates/code is easy and straightforward.. really good alternative to vBulletin/IPB

also forum-software.org is a good resource to begin with when it comes to choosing a forum platform

*

Yes.
MyBB is as good or better than the paid ones.

 

[snowbird]

please, why is IPB better than vBulletin?

IPB is better than vBulletin because it is easier to administrate. Their admin panel is more straight forward, easier to navigate, and just makes more sense. vBulletin's admin panel is more disorganized and harder to train people on if you ever take on new admins. That is what I found based on my own personal experience using both products for extensive periods of time. The license for IPB is also lower cost compared to vBulletin as well I believe. It is ultimately up to personal preference, but if you asked me which one I prefer, id tell you IPB in regards to paid solutions.

 

[maksimfa]

ipb and xenforo are far better. =)

better products, less buggy, plenty of support.

 

[RazorNF]

There is plenty I like about both IPB and VB.

However from a cost-perspective, IPB also offers a hosted option which brings the cost down to a monthly fee if you are just testing the waters and not ready to go into a full-purchased license.

 

[talk2D]

Thanks to you all.I'm grateful.
Is Vbseo a seperate license?
Which one work best with seo.vb or ipb.
I heard vb has good security too.(against spam)