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Most cost effective forum platform

by Ashley Wright
8 replies
Hey warriors,

I am currently creating a membership site away from IM and was looking to add a forum area also. I was just wondering what is the best forum platform to use from previous experience?

Thanks
#cost #effective #forum #platform
  • Profile picture of the author zerofill
    Originally Posted by Ashley Wright View Post

    Hey warriors,

    I am currently creating a membership site away from IM and was looking to add a forum area also. I was just wondering what is the best forum platform to use from previous experience?

    Thanks
    More of a personal preference then necessarily better...

    Top ones would be:
    Vbulletin
    Invision
    PHPbb
    SMF


    If you are new to forums then you may want one like Vbulletin or Invision for support...

    You can achieve the same results with any of those though...

    EDIT: Phpbb and SMF are free to use... Vbulletin and Invision are commercial although I think there was a free version of Invision available...at least they used to have one years ago. Don't know anymore. I like SMF.
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by zerofill View Post

      Vbulletin
      Invision
      PHPbb
      SMF
      IMO, Invision is quirky and phpBB is a security nightmare. If you want free, get SMF. If you're willing to pay - and I recommend it - get vBulletin.
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      "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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      • Profile picture of the author zerofill
        Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

        IMO, Invision is quirky and phpBB is a security nightmare. If you want free, get SMF. If you're willing to pay - and I recommend it - get vBulletin.
        Yeah those weren't in order of favorites hehe...

        Personally I like SMF better than vbulletin...but those would be my top 2...

        I don't have a need for paid support for a PHP application...which in my opinion is the main benefit to vbulletin for people. That and the security fixes will be created much quicker.

        Need professional support: vbulletin

        Don't need it: SMF
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  • Profile picture of the author nick1123
    I have used phpBB in the past and it seems to work pretty well. Many web hosts have it set up so that you can install it with just a click or two.
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    When I researched free forum scripts I chose SMF because it
    seemed the most secure and resistant to spam at the time.
    I also looked at PHPbb.

    There are scripts that add-on to Wordpress and other CMS
    systems like Drupal, but some of these are awkward to use
    or less user-friendly than the dedicated forum scripts.
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    • Profile picture of the author K L Smithurst
      I have use PHPbb and Vbulletin over the years but since trying Simple Machine forum (SMF) i have never looked back. Very robust and bug free forum with many features and awsome support.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ashley Wright
    Thanks for all the advice guys, so with PHPbb is it easy to customise or are you stuck with how it looks?
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by Ashley Wright View Post

      with PHPbb is it easy to customise
      Reasonably so, but sometimes that turns the security nightmare into an actual howling screeching beast dancing on your entrails.
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      "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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