A free license...

[Patty_Mayo]

There should be a free license with like half the features of a paid license. The free license also would have the domain be something like: https://yourwebsitename.xf.com/ or https://yourwebsitename.xenforo.com/ . The reason why I really want this to be an option, is mainly because there are a lot of people that can't afford the paid licenses. but they could start off with the free license and then upgrade to a paid license in x months, or x years. The free license should be free forever. Cuz people like me, really want to use xenforo for a community site for their gaming community but can't afford to pay for a paid license, so they are having to opt to some other site that is free meaning less creators using XenForo. If a free license was added and was free forever with limited features, then this site here could have a lot of potential. I my self, own a mc server and can't afford to buy a paid license on this provider so i am having to use a free provider that doesn't let me do that many things. I hope this is taken into consideration and possibly added as a plan that anyone can use.

 

[frm]

OT: There is a subreddit just for this

Golden. Thanks for the humor tonight.

Off-topic of this pre-sales question (as it's derailed from the get-go): But I paid for mine after like 20 days of the popup not going away as it was just so annoying when I was un-rar'ing packed movies of like 50-100 connected RAR files (don't judge me, I was only about 15 at the time and my mom wouldn't let me watch such 'garbage' in the theaters or on DVD, but happily paid for the license after I told her it was illegal).

 

[MySiteGuy]

Free not. Time limited encoded, yes. But to be use as Trial to check the features and if you can work with it. Not to see if you'll get a big amount of members before.

I know lot of coders/designers working totally for free. I wrote "Coders/Designers" just because these are the professionals here. But it is also valid for real life. Do you know the word "Voluntaries"? Doctors and Nurses, are the most recent examples.

Voluntary is the keyword. People choose to work for free but nobody should be expected to work for free.

 

[Taylor J]

If you want a free forum solution where you don't have to pay for hosting go checkout forumotion. They provide phpbb2, phpbb3, Invision Power Board (iirc it's like the last version released before 2.0 back when it was also free), and two things called ModernBB and punBB.

 

[Dragonfruit]

If you want a free forum solution where you don't have to pay for hosting go checkout forumotion. They provide phpbb2, phpbb3, Invision Power Board (iirc it's like the last version released before 2.0 back when it was also free), and two things called ModernBB and punBB.

The problem with this and I believe with any free hosting solution, is the host service owns the data and won't release a copy of it to be converted to XF at a later time, here's the forumotion policy on it: https://help.forumotion.com/t6668-forumotion-s-forum-databases

It's why I personally despise these free hosting services so much.

 

[Paul B]

I started on a free host which used a variant of phpBB and after many requests I was able to get the database.

I then had to modify it to work with the default phpBB schema but it was worth it to not lose all of the content.

That was many years ago though and I was probably the exception.

 

[frm]

here's the forumotion policy on it

That looks like you can be prosecuted if you even scrape a forum for content, move it over, and later delete the first forum too. I would rather host a forum on a free host with phpBB, etc., over agreeing to a policy such as that!

 

[Paul B]

Hah!

It's still alive ...

The Motorsport Portal • Information

motorsport.informe.com

I should probably log in and update the URL to https.

 

[ŽivaAkcija]

this thread is from Monty Python's Flying Circus with some act and scenes from black adder and baldricks cunning plan.

 

[Mendalla]

this thread is from Monty Python's Flying Circus with some act and scenes from black adder and baldricks cunning plan.

Damn it, now you're giving me a hankering for some British comedy and I have 3 more hours of work left.

 

[DarkGizmo]

Sooo it's "Host me for free and let me use your service for free because I want professional software, but don't want to pay you for it and I feel like i'm entitled to something that costs money for totally free, just because I don't want to pay for it."?

May I suggest the following?
Hawkhost- Cheap, affordable shared hosting and using phpBB or MyBB for your forum software?

Don't have the expertise to upload files and install the scripts yourself? Both softwares mentioned above can be installed in just a few clicks with Softalicious or Fantastico from within the CPanel.

Still too much work? Well there are free forum hosts out there, May I suggest JCINK Forum Hosting.

It would seem that Xenforo is not for you, OP.

 

[RisteDimitrievski]

Free not. Time limited encoded, yes. But to be use as Trial to check the features and if you can work with it. Not to see if you'll get a big amount of members before.

I know lot of coders/designers working totally for free. I wrote "Coders/Designers" just because these are the professionals here. But it is also valid for real life. Do you know the word "Voluntaries"? Doctors and Nurses, are the most recent examples.

https://xenforo.com offers a free demo if you want to try the software and see the features. I disagree with this option. The demo is available for 3 days after that you can create again unlimited times...

 

[Rhody]

The authors are entitled to compensation. You get what you pay for, IMO

I'd like the best, personally, and have no problems paying for my host, xenforo, or add-ons.

 

[Arnox]

I consider XF to be the Windows of forum software. Or at least, back when Windows was actually quality software that was generally worth paying over $100 for a retail license, that is. Nowadays with 10, not so much...

Sometimes, the software people want, or even flat out need is massive. And software like that is not cheap to make. Consider how much Windows had to support while still delivering on a completely stable and secure experience and all while looking flashy. While obviously XF is not to the same scale as Windows, it's still a pretty massive and very flexible piece of web software, and because of that, a lot of money is needed for development and continued support. Therefore, XF definitely earns its $100+ price tag.

With that said, I used to run SMF for a long while, and while it's not XF, I would still definitely recommend it for those who need something quick and relatively well-made with a lot of free add-on support and easy migration to XF later on. It's not gonna be the absolute best, but it definitely will get you by. Also, simple web-hosting is really cheap.

 

[Mr Lucky]

I consider XF to be the Windows of forum software.

I'd drop it straight away if I thought that was the case.

 

[Arnox]

I'd drop it straight away if I thought that was the case.

I think you're ignoring the last part of what I said there. lol

 

[ŽivaAkcija]

Sorry but i must

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Silverstar]

I don't agree to have a free license, please consider that people don't work for free, please consider the work of precious creators.

160$ it's not expensive considering the work of the people here, the software is really a must and it's improved. Put 20$ aside every month and you can take it in 8 months.

I used to be on Fluxbb, but the creators dropped it...I went to Xenforo because the creators keep inventing new things.

You don't have to pay for support again after 1 year if your site is stable and you like it.

In my case I will renew my support each time to allow the creators to keep the motivation and thank you for the work.

 

[frm]

Maybe a cheaper cost to renew would be better.

I think if XF made a subscription model where it's automatically renewed and you save 5-10% when it's renewed, they may actually make more money as some will opt in to a renewal for this discount as opposed to waiting 9 months on an "expired" license and renewing when more convenient.

However, I'm not going to insult their business model and am positive they've already weighed the pros and cons of this (such as automatic renewal, install updates, and a chargeback, etc.).

But I'll throw it out there if they had this, I would opt into renewals in this manner as opposed to waiting out a newer update and updating to the latest release (stuck on 2.1.5 and renewing as 2.2 is more convenient) while throwing it out there a 10% discount then is still more money as a dollar is worth more today than it is tomorrow.

 

[HJW]

It's somewhat entertaining reading messages on someone else's forum offering "helpful advice"

I think the current system is better than vbulletin 15+ years ago where I bought a leased licence every year and would have saved money if i bought an owned one They did do a free limited version then and obviously from experience know it's not the route to go down.

 

[frm]

It's somewhat entertaining reading messages on someone else's forum offering "helpful advice"

I think the current system is better than vbulletin 15+ years ago where I bought a leased licence every year and would have saved money if i bought an owned one They did do a free limited version then and obviously from experience know it's not the route to go down.

I have a vB4(?) license and looking to open a second and third forum soon, but I'll still go XF + the first party add ons for it that I see needed in the beginning and brand free over starting on vB4 and importing later. That was terrible at times as it was constantly bombarded with spam attacks and needed babysitting 24/7 to delete posts (there was literally no way to stop them at the time [2011-2012]).

I just suggested that the license shouldn't be "leased", but subscribed to in order to save money (you own the license outright and can cancel the subscription before it renews, but if it renews you get 5-10% off or something)... if they haven't already looked into an option like that (I'm positive they have, but if not, it might be something to look into).

On top of that, they could look into how many own multiple licenses (I will have 3) and quite possibly add a tiered discount instead, making even more money. Automatic renewals on the first, maybe 2.5%, 2nd one 5% on both, and third 10%. This would at least cancel out half of VAT (if applicable) as a lot of people hate paying more in taxes.

You must weigh in what 1 dollar is today versus 9-15 months later if they don't unsubscribe and wish to keep support and/or upgrade along with updates.

Actually If I order a NEW licence (say 160 dollars) , after 12 month to renew the license the price is the same (160 dollars) or less ?

I would propose it to be cheaper if it automatically renews (yearly subscription) when the license expires for support and updates (not get on and renew it yourself as it stands whenever you want) so that they can project earnings into the future, and quite possibly earn more from those that question if they should renew or not... essentially giving you a discount while they potentially make more money because they get more renewals on the date; however, I'm not in their finances. Just an idea.