Can someone tell me why I should buy xenForo

[Phil1ooo]

Hello

I am in need of another forum script as I have been using free forums for around 4yrs now and there times seems to have passed now.

Can anyone tell me why or what the benefits are in buying a script over using some of the many free ones that provide very good support, add-ons, themes etc and mostly for free as well.

What will this script give or provide me that other free ones won't?
From what I can see this price for a forum compared to free ones would have to provide a super fantastic forum which allows for multi forum sign-up and sign-ins, security features beyond the normal free ones coded in, mods to be installed using an inbuilt installer in admin panel and so much more.

After comparing the demo with my current script and those of other free forum scripts and finding that xenForo doesn't really offer anything special or different than what other free forums scripts do and in fact they offer much much less when it comes to usability features and controls so why should I pay so much for is available totally free.

From what I have seen the add-ons are no better and in fact do less and yet charged for.

I am asking anyone who is capable of proving to me that paying this much and even anything at all for this xenForo script is far better than using a free forum script which offers more than xenforo does from what I can see so far.

Your comments please.

NOTE; This is not an attack or what ever you may wish to call in on xenforo or it's script as I am not that kind of person.

I do however want to know what the differences are between using a free or paid forum as I am genuinely looking for a new forum script.

Cheers

 

[Adam Howard]

Ridiculous in your eyes, visit al the problems others have and it doesn't sound so ridiculous.
My original question was, why should I buy xenforo over using a free forum.

So far after visiting the forum extensively I found that users are having just the same issues and yet there paying for there problems.
I haven't yet heard one single reason as to why I should be paying for something that involves having the same problems and keep on paying every year if I need those problems fixed.

Yes I did use the demo as you say long before post my question which is what made me post it.

All I get so far is basically saying either buy it and leave. Nice Business Ethics which in true reality shows the true form of this product.

A WASTE OF MONEY

Cheers

I actually understand your logic between free and paid. I use to develop phpBB and SMF.

One of the big differences is that with a free product, there is no guarantee. Developers are not "required" to add X, just because people want it. They're not required to fix and resolve "Y", just because people say it's a problem.

And most importantly, support is not promised... Often if you have a problem with a free product, it's your problem and you're lucky if someone offers a solution. More than often that is a BIG "IF" . And IF you are lucky, its a matter of "when" will someone answer (assuming IF they do).

With a paid product, if people want X, they're liking to get it. If there is a problem with Y, there is going to be a solution. And most importantly if you need help, there is the promise of help. Both on the support forum from the community and also from ticket support.

Those are only some of the small details between a paid and free product.

 

[14DH01]

At least one person here understands the reasoning behind all of this as it seems others seem to just visit the forum, pay there money and hope for the best after that.

Cheers

Can someone tell me why I should buy xenForo

​

We have simply responded to your question​

Start a new thread if it is for a free trial.​

 

[Adam Howard]

At least one person here understands the reasoning behind all of this as it seems others seem to just visit the forum, pay there money and hope for the best after that.

Cheers

We actually do have a large and friendly group of people here. Most of them are very helpful and willing to share new thoughts and ideas.

But like with any community, no matter if it is free or paid, there are those moments when some people maybe a little hostel or negative. Sadly, that's human nature and it doesn't matter where it happens (nothing changes it).

Don't let a few disappointing replies scare you off. Everyone here is usually friendly and supportive

 

[ThunderBird2]

Ahem, I just bought new license yesterday that's wasting of money! ............Lol, no it is worthy investment compared to vBulletin and other forums !!

 

[Adam Howard]

I never expect something for nothing BUT I also never expect to pay for something which I may not like after a few weeks because the demo couldn't provide me with the tests I would have liked to perform.

Cheers

I really wish there was a such thing as "online trialware". Sadly, that's not something that has come to be. The fear of piracy kind of prevents most paid companies from offering such.

So I understand your need for wanting to get your hands on something. Like yourself, I actually need to play with something before I know its any good.

And while my method may not be "universally accepted" or "politically correct", it is what worked best for me. And today, I'm a proud owner of several valid copies of XenForo.

 

[speedway]

Guys, lets just take the fanboyz hats off for a moment. The original OP has indicated that this is for a business environment and as such costs have to be justified, this is not for whatIHadforLunch.com.

The number one thing to look at is, as Adam Howard has mentioned, is support. Free offering don't have any major support mechs, the devs put in the software what the devs need in the software 90% of the time. If it runs on there servers, good, if it doesn't run on yours good luck getting it fixed. All the big open source projects have a paid support option but that is very very rare in the forum world.

So after paid support there is the software itself. When I looked at Xenforo I sat back and waited until some of the bigger players moved. If the big boys were confident enough to put there sites on Xen then it should be good enough for my site. I have looked at so many forum apps my head spins but I always came back to Xenforo - the coding is tight and efficient and it runs very well under large sites. The interface is fresh and modern, all other forum software pales in comparision. The devs put out tidbits of upcoming improvements and keep the users in the loop. They listen to the userbase and take the best ideas to incorporate and enhance the product. If you take a look around the site you will see the postings from the staff and devs.

So after all that I think you should initially not look at the dollar spend itself but look at what you get for those dollars. COmpare that to other solutions and make your mind after looking at all angles.

Cheers

 

[tyteen4a03]

*snip*

Rule 1 of software distribution: Anything sent to the client encrypted will eventually be decrypted. As far as I am aware all major PHP script obfuscation methods have been cracked.

I do agree that a free trial could be very useful (and that you should not get all fanboyish when spending money), but I don't think there's a way to satisfy both parties within the current model, unless we bring out legal stuff (which is never fun)

 

[Arty]

I'm going to say it and people are going to hate me for it, but it needs to be said.....

Download a pirated copy.... NOT with the intention to get something for nothing.

I completely agree with that, and I used same method to test XF before buying.

 

[Paul B]

All I get so far is basically saying either buy it and leave. Nice Business Ethics which in true reality shows the true form of this product.

A WASTE OF MONEY

This thread has run its course.

Buy the product or don't, your choice.