Yes, yes, we get it, you hate xenForo.
Is XenForo too expensive now?
- Thread starter Jason76
- Start date
Could you give some specifics on why Xenforo is a pain to use for the end user? We're currently using vBulletin on Christianity Haven and are contemplating switching to something else this year so we're researching other software and Xenforo is one of the ones at the top of the list.
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Deleted member 1609
It's like you have to click through five menus or pages to do everything. Numerous key features seem to be buried.
I don't have Admin permissions here so I'm not sure what things you're referring to. I know that vBulletin has a lot of issues with permissions and I scream every time I add a new usergroup because of all the complications. I was hoping Xenforo would be easier.
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Deleted member 45570
@Lämmchen why not give Xenforo demo a try. This way you can get a better idea of how the admin panel is.
xenforo.com
Create a XenForo demo
xenforo.com
@Lämmchen why not give Xenforo demo a try. This way you can get a better idea of how the admin panel is.
Create a XenForo demo
I will have to do that sometime. Thanks.
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Deleted member 1609
I'm talking more about as an end user. On the back end, it's even more of a jumbled mess. You need a four digit IQ and six doctorates to work the permissions in xF.
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Deleted member 45570
@MeowsePad You are saying these things after using XF 2 or any version it doesn't matter?
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Deleted member 1609
I haven't used XF2 on the back end, but it's debatably more annoying to use as an end user than XF1.
I agree.
Not to say that vBulletin is the best, but vBulletin as a brand is ruined for me. vB4 killed it for me. I wouldn't even touch vB5.
xenForo is the best. Just some people don't like it. Yes, XF1 has some nuances that I didn't like.... Like the permissions section. It is a cumbersome mess. XF2 doesn't entirely fix this, but it's a start. XF2 does almost everything better. Including installation, upgrading, importing posts/members, etc.
However, I agree that PHPBB/MyBB doesn't even compare.
The permission system is only difficult if you don’t understand how to properly use it. Time and time again I see forums using the use group permissions incorrectly.
"You're holding it wrong!"
So clearly this is a common problem that shows that XF could design a much better ACP that's easier to use for their users. 🙄
The permission systems is always a pain for any softwares in the market. Either the problem would be a lack of customization or a issue with getting permissions right. Neither XF on the paid side nor phpBB on the free software side is any different.
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Deleted member 1609
Nonsense! Everything about XenForo is absolutely perfect. They did everything right. Anybody who struggles with XenForo is just a computer illiterate dummy stupid head who shouldn't be running a forum anyway. Any other software is tool of the devil. Your forum will never be successful unless you throw Kier every cent of your paycheck. Anybody who badmouths XenForo is just a little nooby who is going nowhere in life.
Not true, it's pretty simple and straightforward on IPB tbh.
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Deleted member 4320
I have to agree with you. Comparing all the major softwares together, none of them stand out in terms of this has this, that one has that.
A forum is a forum.
All the additional bonuses you get like user shops, networking groups, gamification of profiles etc is just extra fluff that doesn’t actual increase the value of what matters which is actual conversations in a forum.
XenForo is a pain to use in my opinion. Lots of flashy animations and whatever but everything is hidden in menus and every site looks exactly the same.
It can be difficult to tell when a site uses phpBB is they customise it right, but XenForo looks the same everywhere. Give me a list of sites and I can pick out the XF ones without fail.
Plus, it’s a forum. You can get free software that is better rather than spending what, $50 a year for a licence.
I don’t get it.
I wouldn't say Xenforo is too expensive now, however I will say IPB is. Sure Xenforo did go up a bit in price, but you'll still pay more for IPB. IPB is great, don't get me wrong I just wish it was a bit cheaper is all. :\ Overall, vBulletin is probably the biggest rip off right now. The software used to be great, but ever since v5 came out it's just been bad...
How?
I'm only going to address this, and this only.
It has been widely known, that vB3 was a good software. It was marketed as the most powerful forum software on the market, that's how it got its popularity. However, at this point, the code was well done. Nothing could match it.
You'd only get hackings here and there, but they patched it up really fast.
However, after the Internet Brands acquisition, everything changed. The quality plummeted. vB4 was shipped broke. You install it, you're bound to run into some issues even with a fresh installation. I ran two websites - one was a fresh-brand-new Modern Warfare 2 website on vB4. Pageloads were slogging along. It took a lot of server resources for a brand new website. On the flipcoin, the other website was a fresh-brand-new Modern Warfare 2 website on xenForo. Take a guess how good it is? Light on server resources, pageloads was fast. Keep in mind: Both were on the same monster server. I tested this more and more: I had several pre-established websites. I bought a Marvel Vs Capcom 3 site that had like a few thousand posts here and there, no issues. At the same time, I acquired CODForums which was on vB3, I upgraded to vB4. That was a mistake. As soon as I moved CODForums which was already vB3-powered, it broke on server move for reasons unrelated to the actual vB3 code. It's more to do with the custom skin that it had, and other stuff. My friend and I were in agreement: Upgrade it to vB4, it broke on upgrade. Errors everywhere. I issued a ticket to vBulletin. They weren't able to give me prompt answers, or complete answers. They released a new patch update. Broke again. More server issues ensue. They promised a patch update where it would upgrade your old skin to vB4. That was a fucking lie. Broke on upgrade again. At this point, my patience run out. I argued with the staff on their incompetence. I was refunded, and I was able to move CODForums and the rest of my network to xenForo.
I did a few videos at this point. I showed off how the stylevar system was poor...
vBulletin 4 was hacked a few weeks later. (Or months, I forget which.)
That's not all. Many customers had similar issues with vB4. Now: vBulletin 5 was announced at this point. Many were skeptical about the quality. And they were right. The upgrade for a lot of people broke SEO, took up more server resources, and other issues. These issues snowballed down the mountain where vBulletin 5 was completely hacked. Who's fucking stupid idea was it to put IFRAME on the fucking login box? You can't make this shit up. Google it.
The community forums were closed in both times, to backup the server, re-upload, and patch vB4/vB5 in both times.
And in both cases, there was a widespread hack that hit many vB4/vB5 websites.
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