Do you think paid forum software is always better?

[MasterA]

So do you think that a paid forum software is always better than a free forum software?

Paid forum software seems to have more and better features which a lot of is already built into the system. Whereas for the free forum softwares a lot of new features comes from plugins/mods. Do you agree?

 

[Mobisco]

There is some very, very good free software out there.
How many features we want really depends on the type of forum. I feel that the basics are often plenty. Sometimes less is better.

Plugins are not always free, either.

 

[ooFox]

I just prefer paid software in general. Also shows that you're willing to invest in your own community. Why should others invest time into posting if you're not willing to put down money to give them top notch software? You understand what I mean?

 

[MasterA]

There is some very, very good free software out there.
How many features we want really depends on the type of forum. I feel that the basics are often plenty. Sometimes less is better.

Plugins are not always free, either.

I agree that there are some very good free forum softwares but don't you think that paid forum software is better because more money is put into developing the software itself?

I just prefer paid software in general. Also shows that you're willing to invest in your own community. Why should others invest time into posting if you're not willing to put down money to give them top notch software? You understand what I mean?

Yes, i understand what you mean. However if the forum owner is short on budget, don't you think the money should be used elsewhere such as competitions? The good paid forum software such as xenforo and IPB are not cheap and for someone who is starting off, it would be a big investment.

 

[Cosmic]

I'd say that paid software is almost always better. There are instances where a free forum system will have a quality bridge which connects it to another system who are using that another forum does not. For example, there is a phpBB/WHMCS bridge which integrates the too. There may not be one for a paid script (or maybe there is. I haven't researched that.)

Also, if you set up a lot of forums, such as for different open source projects, then buying a paid script for each may not be feasible.

But, in my opinion, for a standard forum, not considering cost, a paid script will always be higher quality. 🙂

 

[Izaya]

Paid all the way for me...As far as owning a site.

IPB is simply the best software. Vbulletin has too many problems and Xenforo is an awful software IMO(Xenforo has ugly design and the community to me is a bit toxic). Burning Board is a good software too....

I can't imagine using free simply because it feels like development takes way too long and the support isn't always good for me.

 

[Forces of Steel]

I could see how a paid forum software would generate more hits, but MyBB is good enough for me.

 

[Stalin]

So do you think that a paid forum software is always better than a free forum software?

Paid forum software seems to have more and better features which a lot of is already built into the system. Whereas for the free forum softwares a lot of new features comes from plugins/mods. Do you agree?

not really. most free softwares have abuge community of developer so you always get the support you need and thus you can normally find support all over the net. Paid software they don't seem to want to help you with support.

 

[Black Angel]

No. What matters is how well an admin can work around the limitations of the software/hosting itself.

I have been running my forum on a free host for a decade before I decided to go paid, but you'd never know it because of how well I worked around the limitations. Starting out on PB I was very well aware of my limits and how restricted things were and I quickly moved on to other hosting and software that I felt was worth it.

I've had people be genuinely surprised that I was on a free host for so long because with the way I ran my forum, they thought that there weren't any limits and I never had a problem.

My host owner was always aware of what was going on and he never had any issues.

 

[Chris K]

There is some very, very good free software out there.
How many features we want really depends on the type of forum. I feel that the basics are often plenty. Sometimes less is better.

Plugins are not always free, either.

I agree that there are some very good free forum softwares but don't you think that paid forum software is better because more money is put into developing the software itself?

I just prefer paid software in general. Also shows that you're willing to invest in your own community. Why should others invest time into posting if you're not willing to put down money to give them top notch software? You understand what I mean?

Yes, i understand what you mean. However if the forum owner is short on budget, don't you think the money should be used elsewhere such as competitions? The good paid forum software such as xenforo and IPB are not cheap and for someone who is starting off, it would be a big investment.

I agree to an extent, but I also agree with Fox. Using paid software is a plus in my mind like Fox said it shows you are willing to invest into your community which shows/tells me that you are not going to give up without a fight and it also gives a more professional first impression.

About the budget and starting off, if you're just starting off then you should SAVE money and start planning. Planning is very important when it comes to a new Blog/Community. I actually create many documents with topics that will be posted, important articles, YouTube videos I will release over time, Write articles and revise them before launching, Design and overall look, company name, domain research for best keywords and what best represents your community/product/blog a nice logo design, SEO strategy/planning, Contest ideas and prizes, Advertising strategy... The list goes on.

This is just my personal opinion from owning and operating long lasting large communities in the past along with being a blog owner as well and learning over the years from major Webmaster communities.

 

[Ashley]

Honestly, while I do think paid software does look more professional, I feel a forum can succeed on both sides. The thing that truly matter is the admins dedication and interaction with the forum.

 

[Sharon]

I hear people say all the time that they prefer to use paid software. However, what I am finding difficult to see are reasons as to why. So far... I've only noticed the following reasons of why one prefers paid forum software:
- Better Customer Support
- More professional look
- More stable plugins

...are there any other reasons?

 

[Varlot]

Paid softwares aren't necessarily better than free softwares, but it requires more tweaking and mods to create a good forum with a free software.

 

[erich]

It really depends on what the user wants out of it. I'd also like to point out that even open source software has developers who are willing to do paid work to give you features you want.

So, again...I don't think one is better than another. I just think it depends on what the user wants out of it.

 

[Scribbler397]

Paid forum software isn't always better. It is really dependent on the end goal of the site and the skill of the people designing it. I've seen mybb installations that blow any paid forum software out of the water. While I like the one Xenforo install I have, and I think it was a much needed change for the community, other sites I have work better with myBB because of certain plugins that I need.

 

[Allenafaith]

I think it depends on what you are looking for. There are alot of free forum software's that are really great.

 

[The Plug]

I think the best free software would have to be MyBB & the best paid IPB. The differences in both boards are HUGE, IPB is a very neat all in one forum software which supports alot of features where as with MyBB you mainly rely on Plugins.

 

[Sam]

No but I think paying for any software gives the developers more of an incentive to continue to develop it (especially if you're paying monthly / yearly). As mentioned above, it can depend on what you're trying to achieve with the board. Some mods are unique to the forum software.

 

[Mozzie]

I don't think a paid host is any better really, i agree that there is more back up options, and safety nets in place, BUT i am on a free hosting server and i can back up, i can retrieve lost files, if it happened i can also retrieve my entire board with no loss of data or anything like that So really i don't see a lot of great over the top advantages, i think it is down to the site owners what they think is best for them

 

[Thomasss]

Paid softwares aren't necessarily better than free softwares, but it requires more tweaking and mods to create a good forum with a free software.

^^This.

And the support on most free softwares is not guaranteed, whereas paid softwares you can get a real person, and it's guaranteed. (Talking about the major paid softwares)

I just feel more "supported" in paid softwares rather than free softwares.