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What is the cleanest forum software?

by bsurb
8 replies
I am debating on which forum script I want to roll with so I can launch my new forum. I was thinking about starting out free and try out either SMF or PHPBB but I thought why not do it right the first time and use a more reputable script.

Which is the cleanest script to use that looks good with adsense/advertising placements?

Xenforo, Vbulletin, IPB?
#cleanest #forum #software
  • Profile picture of the author NatesMarketing
    My vote goes to vBulletin.

    It's just a robust set of forums that are very well maintained.
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  • Profile picture of the author moneywithtim
    vBulletin is indeed a great software!
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    [MUST WANTED] Six Figure Income Online eBook!
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  • Profile picture of the author smjconet
    I have always liked vBulletin hands down. I used to moderate a very very large Forex forum, (over 100k members) and they were vBulletin and the admin stuff is just so much easier.

    I'm pretty sure this forum is vbulletin by the way the PMs work and the layout
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  • Profile picture of the author bsurb
    Warrior forum is Vbulletin but I think an old version..

    Or if I am starting out a brand new forum, would you recommend using PHPBB but using a paid theme from ThemeForest? For the fact that it saves money and if the site gets larger I can upgrade?
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnnyPlan
    VBulletin is a very bloated forum software, lots of scripts running and will lag your forum user. You are likely to get many bouncebacks from people clicking through from Google search if you use this software.

    Xenforo Software is the best as it's very light, though on some older computers it might cause a problem as the flash element used in the post buttons crash a lot. Most new computers won't have an issue with this.

    As for SMF, it's riddled with bugs (every version), but there are some diehard enthusiasts that swear it's a good thing. So if you are going with free, you could try it out.

    MyBB is another good option, but unless you know how to install your own plugins, you will have to pay someone.

    The SMF package uploader makes it easy to install updates from your computer or remotely with one mouse click.
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    • Profile picture of the author smjconet
      Originally Posted by JohnnyPlan View Post

      VBulletin is a very bloated forum software, lots of scripts running and will lag your forum user. You are likely to get many bouncebacks from people clicking through from Google search if you use this software.

      Xenforo Software is the best as it's very light, though on some older computers it might cause a problem as the flash element used in the post buttons crash a lot. Most new computers won't have an issue with this.

      As for SMF, it's riddled with bugs (every version), but there are some diehard enthusiasts that swear it's a good thing. So if you are going with free, you could try it out.

      MyBB is another good option, but unless you know how to install your own plugins, you will have to pay someone.

      The SMF package uploader makes it easy to install updates from your computer or remotely with one mouse click.
      How well do those flash elements do on Android devices? As they are no longer supported by flash.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    The majority answer to this question has always been: VB. Truth is, nowadays it's probably between Xenforo and Vanilla. Good money being on Vanilla.
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    I Coach: Learn More | My Latest WF Thread: Dead Domains/ Passive Traffic

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  • Profile picture of the author BGRC
    If you are just starting and are not sure if your forum is going to be a success, I would suggest you not to spend your money on premium scripts like VBulleting or Xenforo; you can instead use the money to market your forum.
    MyBB is the best free forum software I've seen till date. You can easily upload plugins using any FTP client without any coding skills and there are some good free themes for MyBB too.
    And, their support persons are very friendly and helpful.
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