Expensive $100 + BETA -

[Reedswood]

Hi

I must say that I wish the devs well here on this new platform, but PLEASE don't make the same greedy messed-up mistake as vB/IB has done, as I've just seen that you're releasing your BETA release shortly, and the price is as expensive as vBulletin, and it's not even GOLD!

You must make it more affordable to the masses otherwise you too won't attract many clients! It's the price that get's considered first, then it's the product. I have every reason to believe that it will be a super platform in time, but don't go asking the earth until you really do get established!

 

[Ryan]

Ok, so from the perspective of somebody who also sells digital products online, I think the price is reasonable.

From the perspective of somebody shopping for forum software, I honestly do think it's a little pricey. Let's ignore the $100 price completely. That's only valid for 24 hours, and so the only price that matters is $140.

Why do I say it's a little pricey? Not because the software is not worth it, but because of the price of alternatives. Why has nobody mentioned IPB yet? IPB, imo, is the best forum software out there today. It offers a lot more than what XF offers, yet it is just $10 more expensive and the renewal is also just $10 more per year.

Do I think $140 is a reasonable price? Sure

BUT, if I'm shopping for new forum software, and I compare IPB to XF...there's a very, very strong likelihood I go with IPB because it offers a lot more features for just a little more cost.

If I'm somebody who is not as concerned about the number of features but instead just want a simple forum that loads insanely fast with some snappy social networking type tools and features, I might end up going with XF instead...but on featureset and pricing alone, IPB reigns supreme.

So again, I reiterate - I won't say that XF does not warrant $140, but I will say that when presented with the alternatives out there today, IPB gets you better bang for your buck. It's like comparing the price of something at Walmart to somewhere else. Walmart can sell stuff at prices that most stores would not be able to sell at. It doesn't mean that the prices at those other stores are too high, it just means that Walmart is selling too low

 

[Crazyfruitbat]

Sure but they can't exactly give it away for free - they are a new company and they have probably been working on this project for quite a while before we even knew about it.I'm sure the bank manager would have a fit if they said they were to sell the product for $50.

Personally I would rather give my money to two guys who are sweating their balls off to give something good to the community than to a faceless company like IPB.

 

[borbole]

In my opinion the price is very reasonable and fair.

 

[AmericanForum.com]

Ryan ... if you check my history you will see that I don't know why people think vB is still a viable contender after what IPB has achieved as of late ...

I have stated this here and on TAZ ... this is a 2 pony race end of story.

It's IPB vs XF ... we are all winners with either product in my humble opinion.

 

[Crazyfruitbat]

Also, just want to remind folks that a lot of us put a lot more money down on VB4 before even seeing it, and then we got used as pre-alpha testers. At least you are seeing what you are getting here.

 

[steven s]

$100 x2 is my investment for the future of my forums.
I consider it seed money. And a bargain at that.

 

[Ryan]

Sure but they can't exactly give it away for free - they are a new company and they have probably been working on this project for quite a while before we even knew about it.I'm sure the bank manager would have a fit if they said they were to sell the product for $50.

I agree. All I'm saying is that from an outsider's perspective, IPB is the better option right here and now, given the $140 price tag.

That can obviously change later on down the road as more features are added to XF wherein it will be a more worthy comparison to IPB. If the developers here choose not to add many more features but instead stick to the very basic/slick approach that they are using now (which is fine), then $140 is too much.

Going forward, if they do add more features, it's probably a better idea to be slightly overpriced now and "earn" that price later than it is to start out low now and raise it as you add more features. Raising the price of software after release is going to do nothing but bring on a lot of negative resentment.

I have stated this here and on TAZ ... this is a 2 pony race ... IPB vs XF period.

Amen brother.

 

[Trevor]

Why do I say it's a little pricey? Not because the software is not worth it, but because of the price of alternatives. Why has nobody mentioned IPB yet? IPB, imo, is the best forum software out there today. It offers a lot more than what XF offers, yet it is just $10 more expensive and the renewal is also just $10 more per year.

This isn't an IPB vs XF topic... Now that you mentioned it, I'm glad you did because I happen to use IPB.
I went with IPB because overall, in my opinion, it was more easier to customize rather than vB.

I've always was a fan of all things lightweight, yet powerful and robust and vB nor IPB seem to meet my requirements. They're bogged down with unnecessary crap, IMO (I HATE FORUM CALENDARS! sorry lol)
So then I have to go and strip what I don't need away from the software. That's too time consuming.

I looked for alternative solutions in the open source community, such as Vanilla or phpBB, but Vanilla is TOO boring (hence the name), and phpBB is ugly and too commonly exploited. Some other solutions like Jive Forums (Java based) too expensive. $1k and up...

And now there's XenForo. It's like a hybrid of everything I've ever needed and wanted, no more, no less. Not too overly feature rich, just right, with only the essentials. What a real forum software should be like and LOOK like. So now I'm done searching, and it ends with XF.

I am ready to make the switch sooner than evarrrr.

(plus, NONE of the forum software except Vanilla have cropped avatars. That makes things neater... I'm a fan of perfection.)

 

[Markos]

I prefer XF to IPB for two reasons:
1) I see here the best vb coders/skinners (PixelFX of vbcredits, Belazor/Decado for Dragonbyte-Tech, VbArcade, Miko etc. etc.) that want to develop for Xenforo, and IPB doesn't have serious mods (mods are VERY important in my community);
2) XF has the best UI/UX, and is more social....it's like Facebook. Very simple, very usable. My users will love it.

(Excuse me, i don't want to open a discussion xf vs ipb, in my opinion the price is just. )

 

[AmericanForum.com]

I prefer XF to IPB for two reasons:
1) I see here the best vb coders/skinners (PixelFX of vbcredits, Belazor/Decado for Dragonbyte-Tech, VbArcade, Miko etc. etc.) that want to develop for Xenforo, and IPB doesn't have serious mods (mods are VERY important in my community);
2) XF has the best UI/UX, and is more social....it's like Facebook. Very simple, very usable. My users will love it.

(Excuse me, i don't want to open a discussion xf vs ipb, in my opinion the price is just. )

I completely agree ... that is why I applaud XF with their pricing policy ... you need a community to build a community product

 

[Ryan]

This isn't an IPB vs XF topic...

I understand, but the purpose of the thread is "is the price right?". I don't know how you can answer that question without considering alternatives.

You make valid points about XF not being like any other forum software out there. It's not. It's cleaner and faster than any forum software I've ever seen. A lot of that is because it doesn't include all of the features/bloat that other forum software does not. Now, because it is so lightweight is why I am suggesting that $140 might be a bit much.

Let's play storytime. Let's compare this to a Jeep and a Hummer. They're both cars. They both get you from Point A to Point B. The Jeep is probably going to get you there faster, but the Hummer has much more bulk to it. The Jeep can fit through smaller corridors, but the Hummer can blast through walls. The Jeep can outrace the Hummer, but the Hummer is going to be able to tow a bigger car than the Jeep. The Hummer is more expensive because it has so much more under the hood, but that doesn't make it better. The Jeep and Hummer are made for 2 very different scenarios.

I say all of this to say: You can't sell a Jeep for the price of a Hummer.

I won't go as far as to say XF is priced that way, but it's not far from it

 

[Lycaon]

I love these threads.

 

[Trip]

I think the price is reasonable. IMO it is seems priced to be competitive in today's market. The price is competitive and so is the software, even though it may lack some of those creature features the others might have. I think the XF software is dead on for the end user. It's easy to navigate, it's not bloated with features nobody knows how to use. There is some visual eye candy and social networking functions that follow the same lines as twitter and facebook etc, people are already familiar with that. What more do they need? They can hop on for the first time and be a pro within a few minutes and do what's important on a forum...post, participate, and be community active.

 

[Vincent]

I was rofl'ing when I read this thread.

Believe me, this isn't too expensive.

EDIT: F*ck, I clicked yes instead of no :S

 

[projectego]

$100 is a very, very reasonable figure for early access, I believe. I'm very eager to take advantage of this offer and invest in a great number of licenses on day one. I wish XenForo the best of success.

 

[Rob]

I think the poll results speak for themselves really. Regardless of the price it will always be just outside the reach of *some* people. $100 is not a huge investment. I think given the quality of the product (here for all to see) and the roadmap ahead of it you would be very wise to invest. Given the speed that XF is being developed $100 is a huge bargain when you think about where XF will be in a year. Think about it's current rate of development and think about the MASSIVE momentum behind the mod community that is itching for a release.

I feel 1000% times more confident gambling this small sum on XF than I did whilst being screwed over by vBulletin and it's downgrade to alpha / beta software that is vB4.

In a years time, XF will be the FORUM leader - you'll be able to compare XF to vB's or IPB's forum only packages and it will blow them all away. The best software with the most highly organised and thorough developers behind it, writing cutting edge code in a fraction of the time it would take a huge team to do the same.

I'll buy in as soon as I can whilst the price rocks!!

 

[Ryan]

I love these threads.

Isn't it fun?

 

[Elizabeth]

Let's play storytime. Let's compare this to a Jeep and a Hummer. They're both cars. They both get you from Point A to Point B. The Jeep is probably going to get you there faster, but the Hummer has much more bulk to it. The Jeep can fit through smaller corridors, but the Hummer can blast through walls. The Jeep can outrace the Hummer, but the Hummer is going to be able to tow a bigger car than the Jeep.

The Hummer is more expensive because it has so much more under the hood, but that doesn't make it better. The Jeep and Hummer are made for 2 very different scenarios. Having said all of that, you can't sell a Jeep for the price of a Hummer. I won't go as far as to say XF is priced that way, but it's not far from it

I'd use another analogy...Hummers, brand new are going for 25-45K whereas a Jeep is going for 15K- 55K so yes, a Jeep can outprice a Hummer. 

 

[Lycaon]

Isn't it fun?

They makes Doctor laugh.

 

[Ryan]

I'd use another analogy...Hummers, brand new are going for 25-45K whereas a Jeep is going for 15K- 55K so yes, a Jeep can outprice a Hummer.

Ok, a lot of that is probably because dealers can't GIVE Hummers away because of gas mileage these days, but I think you understand my argument