Do you think the current forum world is over saturated with XenForo forums? Seems like any given forum nowadays is either a XenForo forum or a free phpbb/MyBB forum. Why aren’t other paid softwares such as IPB or Woltlab/Burning Board more popular in your opinion?
XenForo over saturation?
- Thread starter Nebulous
- Start date
How things are nowadays it's the cost of things or just how popular and easy going with XF - I mean it's a good software yet not overpriced like how IPB is. IPB is just so not cheap to run not like XenForo.
Makes sense to be on a free Forum software when starting off.
Makes sense to be on a free Forum software when starting off.
I am actually happy that many run xenforo, as I think it's an amazing piece of software. When I noticed big boards moving from VB to XF, I was happy, since I always liked this platform more than the previous ones.
A MyBB team member has come up with his own version of 1.9. It is still a work in progress, but if it goes through and becomes official 1.9, a lot of things are going to change.
I am currently testing it. But stuck with some issues. Reported them to the developer.
I am currently testing it. But stuck with some issues. Reported them to the developer.
Xenforo has a history and reputation that goes back as far as the early days of vBulletin. It's also reasonably affordable but more than anything it's a solid, basic forum platform with little direct competition.
The WoltLab Suite is Xenforo's closest rival but it doesn't have anywhere near the same degree of market penetration. One reason for that is probably because English isn't the primary language of the development team.
Invision Community (IPS) provides functionally above and beyond that of Xenforo and is generally more suited to a business or professional environment these days so it can't really be considered direct competition.
It sum up, Xenforo is in a great place as far as the company is concerned. It has an outstanding reputation and very little direct competion from the products already mentioned or many other more exotic products currently available. Whether or not that's good for the forum owner is debatable but on the plus side its popularity does ensure a healthy amount of 3rd party development.
The WoltLab Suite is Xenforo's closest rival but it doesn't have anywhere near the same degree of market penetration. One reason for that is probably because English isn't the primary language of the development team.
Invision Community (IPS) provides functionally above and beyond that of Xenforo and is generally more suited to a business or professional environment these days so it can't really be considered direct competition.
It sum up, Xenforo is in a great place as far as the company is concerned. It has an outstanding reputation and very little direct competion from the products already mentioned or many other more exotic products currently available. Whether or not that's good for the forum owner is debatable but on the plus side its popularity does ensure a healthy amount of 3rd party development.
Orion Corvus
Reputable
I find myself really taken by XenForo in the brief time I've used it. I am fairly experienced with all software and consider XenForo largely the best amongst them. Mind you, a solid forum can still be made with phpBB under the right circumstances and I'll always have a soft spot for Invision. The only one I have any type of disdain for is ProBoards (largely based on personal preference on aesthetic).
saoussen5765
Reputable
The problem that adminstrative actions on Xenforo are much more than Proboards, MyBB, PHPBB, ForumOtion and much more means you need an additional time like 30 minutes for other boards while 1 hour and half for Xenforo one.
Xenforo is amazing software, and is worth the price IMO. vBulletin used to be the go to paid software back in the day, literally almost every video game related forum I lurked or joined ran on vBulletin. Almost all the sonic websites I visited used to run on IPB, but they've made the switch to Xenforo because it's cheaper and honestly I feel it's less bloated than IPB is. I feel that I see more phpBB forums than MyBB forums these days.
I loved Mybb back in my early days of 2010/2013 but in 2020 I tried Xenforo and have not looked back.
Like others said it's cheap, easy to use, and has a modern feel.
I like IPB but it's so expensive, XF is also a paid software that keeps the premium feel too.
It can be overrated but at the same time it makes all forums easy to use since all you need to know is how to use XF most the time 😀
Like others said it's cheap, easy to use, and has a modern feel.
I like IPB but it's so expensive, XF is also a paid software that keeps the premium feel too.
It can be overrated but at the same time it makes all forums easy to use since all you need to know is how to use XF most the time 😀
How did you get your hands on a copy?
Is it mobile responsive?
eTechSupport
New Arrival
XenForo is a popular forum software used by many websites to facilitate online discussions. It has a range of features that make it a popular choice among website owners, including a user-friendly interface, customization options, and support for various add-ons and plugins.
However, like any software or tool, there is a possibility of over-saturation if too many websites use it. Over-saturation can occur if too many websites use the same software, making it harder for individual websites to stand out and differentiate themselves from the competition.
In the case of XenForo, over-saturation may lead to websites that use it looking similar or identical, which could lead to a lack of differentiation and potentially a decrease in user engagement.
That said, it's important to note that over-saturation is not unique to XenForo, and it can happen with any software or tool that is widely used. The key to avoiding over-saturation is to find ways to differentiate your website and make it stand out from the crowd, whether that's through unique content, design, or features.
Overall, while over-saturation is a possibility with any popular software or tool, it's not necessarily a cause for concern as long as website owners take steps to differentiate themselves and provide value to their users
Uncrowned Guard
Resident
Xenforo is sitting in a great place as it is cheap enough for most starter admins and powerful enough for endgame software. Free will always be strong, but free forums also need massive user bases to develop and forums just don't have a huge crowd starting new forums anymore. IPS has taken the suite route and in my opinion, is sitting in a healthy place, but is expensive to get into and offers little advantage if just building a forum.
Demon_skeith
Paragon
It's the cheapest option out there besides mybb/jcink setups. Plus most forums these days are for personal and small communities and most can't afford what IPB has going on.
Dismal_Bliss
Reputable
I think it all comes down to price. Xenforo is cheaper than IPB and Woltlab, therefore more people are using it.
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