Trying to Decide Between XenForo and IPB

[Ian Eberle]

I want to start a forum under the domain AquaticForums.net and I have been looking at three major software companies - vBulletin, IPB, and lately, XenForo. I automatically ruled vBulletin out because it looks as if they are going backwards in development, so now it's down to XenForo and IPB.

I had my heart set on IPB until I went to check out and it was going to cost almost $300 to get the IP.Board, IP.Nexus, and IP.Content. That's $300 without the extra renewal fees to get updates every 6 months. Basically, IPB looked like an endless money pit, so I turned to XenForo. I know XenForo is currently in a lawsuit, but I don't really care. I see them beating vBulletin and if they don't, I'll simply take my forum to another platform - no biggie.

Here's what I like about IP.Board and their official addons (IP.Nexus and IP.Content):

1. Flashy design - The first thing that caught my eye about IPB was that the design appears modern. Most vBulletin-powered forums look like they were made in 2005 and haven't been updated since. Even the forum I'm trying to base mine off of (AquariumAdvice.com) looks archaic and old. Plus, the old vBulletin software is hard to navigate with its complex menus and such.

2. The ability to bill members using IP.Nexus that will automatically add them to certain groups and display badges or custom messages under their username when they post. I'm pretty sure vBulletin also offers this.

3. Another thing about IP.Nexus - The ability to accept credit cards and other forms of payment with Authorize.net, PayPal, 2Checkout, etc. This is nice so I can accept donations, create a premium area, sell advertisements directly, etc. IP.Nexus also had advanced options for ad placement even with Google AdSense, which is probably what I'll start using at first.

4. IP.Content seems to be streamlined into the forum software as well as other addons like Nexus and Gallery.

5. I liked some other features, but generally, I want software that does what it's supposed to.

What I don't like about IP.Board:

1. The price is outrageous.

2. You can't transfer licenses, so if I were to get a used license from a place like Digital Point Forums, it would be sketchy and risky, so I'm stuck paying the full price if I want to be safe.

3. When people reply to a thread (or start their own), they have to opt-in to email updates with a special button. I feel that this button is very much overlooked and will affect the amount of repeat visitors I have. People are used to vBulletin's style - when you reply to a thread, you're automatically subscribed to receive emails when others reply. I personally like this and it's disappointing that IPB doesn't even allow you to turn it on without altering code.

What about XenForo?

I understand XenForo is in the middle of a big lawsuit right now, so things are delayed, but they really have no information on their sales page. I know they have the demo you can try out, but they don't really tell you the features it comes with. The price at $140 is VERY reasonable and I believe that's a one-time deal, correct?

As with CMS, I would probably use WordPress as I am already familiar with it. However, I'm still unsure if installing XenForo at forums.domain.com or domain.com/forums would be better for SEO if I used WordPress as a CMS for articles.

Does XenForo allow the features I like with IPB? What about the ones I dislike? The truth is - there's not a lot of info out there about XenForo, but it looks promising! I know the signup and getting to be able to post this thread was super easy, so it's already giving me a good impression.

P.S. One last thing - I've seen a lot of people talking about XenForo's code and how perfect it is. This is something else that's important to me because good code = less server load. If the code has PHP errors and stuff, it could cause timeouts and cause my server to crash.

 

[Morgain]

As you followed my reply I am curious as to how many emails do you send to members per month ?

I wasn't replying to your post. If I were I would have Quoted it.
I was replying to the thread which is about comparing XF and IPB.

 

[Chime]

Oh, OK
For a sec I thought you were following a conversation, My mistake.

 

[melbo]

This has an unfortunate side-effect. Users who don't read when registering and don't bother changing anything may be annoyed that they're constantly receiving emails from your forum, so they report them as spam.
Then all your emails go to spam and nobody sees them anyway. Or worse, you get completely blocked... Microsoft did this to my forum which was a real big pain, since several thousand users used Hotmail, Live, MSN and such.

My new user welcome conversation (and a sticky in our technical forum) explains how to adjust this. Not saying it's the right solution for everyone but it certainly works for me.

 

[hellreturn]

IP.Nexus is a joke and they are using false images to sell it.

http://www.invisionpower.com/apps/nexus/

Does IP.Nexus looks like what is show in first image?

Check out their editor and the quote system? It's a big joke.. if u use code BBCode, it adds space too much that after posting you have to edit the post to remove the whitespace.. It's like type post, submit, edit again and resubmit.

IP.Downloads? Horrible SEO. You will hardly get any traffic using their IP.Downloads. IPB is going worse then it was before.

Go with Xenforo. Once this lawsuit is over you will see how much good xenforo is once they again start releasing updates. It's a matter of time.

 

[PET]

You just compared 2 products that don't go into FORUM category.

Downloads & Nexus is not a FORUM. So don't compare vegetables with fruits.

 

[User]

I own an XF license and I currently wouldn't buy another one till the lawsuit is worked out. XF development has basically been halted, it doesn't matter that it does some things better than other scripts if there is no development.
IP.Board has more addons and a much bigger community, in fact the community is basically an order of magnitude bigger.

Cost isn't a factor at all. If you need to think twice about whether or not to spend $60 (the price difference between XF and IPB in the first year, each year thereafter it's only $10) then you shouldn't be starting a forum but work on improving your financial situation first. $60 is less than a dinner for two at a decent place.

Which software has the features you need? Which software has an active community? Which software is actually in development?
Should XF at some point be revived you can always transfer then.

Also, if you need user groups, you shouldn't buy XF or IPB because neither supports user groups well at all (the way phpBB and vB does).

 

[Adam Howard]

Cost isn't a factor at all. If you need to think twice about whether or not to spend $60 (the price difference between XF and IPB in the first year, each year thereafter it's only $10) then you shouldn't be starting a forum but work on improving your financial situation first.

The last I knew it was $60 twice a year (every 6 months) of IPB. While the renew cost for XenForo is only $40 once a year.

Or to put it more clearly $120 a year to keep your renewal for IPB. That's $20 short of buying a full copy of XenForo (every year).

Even rich folk (not just the middle class or the poor) know that a penny saved, is a penny earned.

When comparing XenForo to IPB you see that savings right away. Only fools easily part with their money.

 

[Hatsu]

The forum of IPS is 25$ twice a year. Not 60$ twice a year. http://www.invisionpower.com/buy/

 

[Adam Howard]

The forum of IPS is 25$ twice a year. Not 60$ twice a year. http://www.invisionpower.com/buy/

I stand corrected. They've changed their prices.

It's now $105 (every 6 months) for renewal if you get everything, which is $210 every year.

 

[Hatsu]

They changed their prices in January 2012 but not for renewals. It has been 105$ for the whole suite since Nexus was released (2009).

You should have added business license and chat also to expand the renewals to 170$ every six months to make the comparison completely pointless.

 

[Adam Howard]

They changed their prices in January 2012 but not for renewals. It has been 105$ for the whole suite since Nexus was released (2009).

You should have added business license and chat also to expand the renewals to 170$ every six months to make the comparison completely pointless.

That could have included VAT as well, but I wanted a more possible; realistic comparison.

And realistically most people (from my understanding) seek to obtain more than just the forums, but also the blogs, photo gallery, and cms.

The add-on commonly purchased beyond those would be the store (IP.Nexus) and / or the downloads (IP.Downloads).

XenForo has all these free via 3rd parties, with the possibility of direct XenForo development in the future (for less)

 

[Hatsu]

Yeah, I already know that you have your very own definition of reality

 

[User]

And realistically most people (from my understanding) seek to obtain more than just the forums, but also the blogs, photo gallery, and cms.

You mean all the things that don't even exist for Xenforo? Maybe, but also realistically you need to compare apples to apples no matter how wronged you feel by IPS' communication with you about something or other.

 

[Morgain]

I don't get this. I tried IPB at the same time as I first tried XF.

IPB was HORRIBLE by comparison. Clunky, difficult, inflexible. There ws no comparison.
The community might be bigger but speed of response was slow on my queries.
There were a lot of modifications listed but the majority were dead wood, not active and not supported.
In terms of design, which is important to me, I found IPB was limited and could not offer me the range of design I wanted.
Lastly my users hated it. We went with XF and with all the features and design I wanted except a few specialist items I got by custom addons and HAPPY USERS the decision has never been regretted.

On the cost side I don't think you can airily dismiss any amount of money as minor. To you it may be, to someone else it is not. Until 5 years ago I was always poor. I managed software by being clever and resourceful but $30 then ws a lot to me. It didn't stop me running forums.
Nor do I think forums should be the hobby of the rich.

 

[Morgain]

Oh yes forgot to mention the impossible way IPB handles upgrades. Other devs cant keep up with all the constant minor tweaks and changes happening all the time which is a large part of why IPB addons collapse.

 

[AWS]

Oh yes forgot to mention the impossible way IPB handles upgrades. Other devs cant keep up with all the constant minor tweaks and changes happening all the time which is a large part of why IPB addons collapse.

That is more false then true. While it is true that skins will need to be upgraded after a major upgrade. Minor point updates rarely require major changes. Only a tweak or 2.

As far as addons go most 3.2 addons still work on 3.4. I also have seen no evidence of addons collapsing. I have see them taken over by other devs, but, haven't see any that I use just die. Also when a dev does decide to abandon a project, which I've only seen happen 3 times in my 5 years, someone else has always stepped up to take it on. A plus for IPB because addon developers always give permission to take over a project if they can't keep it going.

 

[Adam Howard]

You mean all the things that don't even exist for Xenforo? Maybe, but also realistically you need to compare apples to apples no matter how wronged you feel by IPS' communication with you about something or other.

XenForo has all these for free via 3rd parties, with the possibility of direct XenForo development in the future (for less)

Anticipating the general needs of administrators and developers is comparing apples to apples.

 

[hellreturn]

I have see them taken over by other devs, but, haven't see any that I use just die.

Lost more then 50$ on paid add-ons because developers stopped working on it and moved on. Just because you didn't see any die doesn't mean it's 100% correct.

That being said I have seen many add-ons going paid from free.

IPB and Xenforo are completely different. If someone needs complete solution i.e. website, gallery, downloads, store and blogs and less organic traffic go with IPB. If someone needs only forums then Xenforo is best in it's league. More or less performance wise, I feel XF is win win for large boards.

Use the demo and choose one according to your needs.

 

[Omar Adel]

I will open a new site with xenforo script.
I think xenforo is the best, after i tried vbulletin for many years and i think it is better than IPB too
this is my personal view resulting from trying
thx