As the owner of a forum, I have dealt with the complicated world of forum softwares. I have tried several well-known brand names, all with their own nice features and drawbacks. Some offered more customization, others offered more user-friendly features. I think the whole thing comes down to whether you get the best fit for your community in terms of software. Which forum software works best for you?
Comparing popular forum software options
- Thread starter Mimi
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For me, XenForo is the best, with Invision Community as a close second.
I’ve used SMF in the past, but nothing quite beats XenForo in terms of speed, reliability, and add-ons. I also used Invision Community back when it was called Invision Power Board. While I had a lot of love for vBulletin during the vB3 era, it’s just not the same anymore.
Honestly, all comes down to what works best for your community. Every software has different strengths, whether it’s out-of-the-box features or customization options. But for me, XenForo wins when it comes to performance, flexibility, and price.
I’ve used SMF in the past, but nothing quite beats XenForo in terms of speed, reliability, and add-ons. I also used Invision Community back when it was called Invision Power Board. While I had a lot of love for vBulletin during the vB3 era, it’s just not the same anymore.
Honestly, all comes down to what works best for your community. Every software has different strengths, whether it’s out-of-the-box features or customization options. But for me, XenForo wins when it comes to performance, flexibility, and price.
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Their upcoming new version is starting to look really good too. Invision Community would be good as well, but their prices are a little bit ridiculous.
Their software isn't exactly catered to hobbyist forum owners either, but if you want to spend top dollar on software like that, then it's worth it, but I wouldn't. Nodebb and Discourse, PHPBB or Woltlab would be better options than starting a forum with Invision Community by far.
Xenforo also dominates the market.
Ravenfreak
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My personal favorite paid forum software is Woltlab Suite. It's cheaper than Xenforo and comes with a CMS out of the box whereas you have to pay extra for that on Xenforo. For free scripts, I like SMF the most. I think it looks the best compared to other software and also has some great themes.
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Well, when it comes to forum software, Xenforo is undoubtedly the best but I also like PHPBB because of the mode's features. You can tweak your forum the way you like especially if you are CSS savvy.