Want to buy XenForo - Have some doubts

partapi

Member
Hey guys! Have been surfing this forum from last 2 days and I am very convinced with the working or XF and I am really impressed on seeing how cooperative this community is. I want to create a new forum and need your advice.

1. I've tried MyBB in the past and found it really great! I want to know WHY should I use XenForo when I can use MyBB. I mean, what's there in XF which is not there in MyBB?
2. I want to create a professional "paid" forum and want to know is there any inbuilt functionality in XenForo like integrating PayPal, Clickbank etc. to sell paid subscriptions? Is it possible that there would be section where the thread can be posted only after the poster pay a little fee? Like if someone starts a thread he's redirected to a payment page and after he makes the payment, his thread is posted, without having me do anything?
3. I really liked the "look" XenForo gives to a forum and like I said I want to create a "professional" forum and looks always matter. But can't it be done by purchasing a high class MyBB theme?
Don't get me wrong, but I am confused and wants to make a correct decision before starting a forum. I don't hesitate in investing the money, but why to pay when you can get something for free? So, my main question is why should I consider XenForo over MyBB?

Thanks
 
Great to hear! I've already checked that on Hostgator and they meet all the requirements.
Can it happen that someone like me wants a specific version of PHP on my server, while another user wants a different one
or what if my hosting company changes server config on request of one user and my forum stops working because it doesn't matches
the server config anymore?
With HostGator you are stuck with what they want you to have (and right now with PHP they are several versions behind - I think the default is 5.2.x and there is a way to enable 5.3.x in your .htaccess). I started with them and stayed for a bout 5 months then went to a VPS at Ram Node. Their 512MB KVM VPS was $12 a month and Ghan_04 had posted a coupon link that resulted in a lifetime 30% savings from that. Installed Debian 6.0 and took me about 2 days to configure and that is what I'm running on now. The only good thing about HostGator was they had decent support. I didn't like the shared because I wanted to use GeoIP and you have to be on a VPS or dedicated with them to get it.
 
dont get it why cant they let these forum free? why buy, other forums are free -.-
Simple... support and the quality of code. KAM run a business - their business just happens to be making one of the finest forum softwares available at this time.
I've used most of the "free" forum softwares - and they re-enforce an old belief I had. You get what you pay for.
If you want free, myBB will probably be the closest to a good package as you can come to xenForo (and it's what I used before I paid for a license).
 
I prefer this forum other sucks but i gotta pay and demo is 2 days whats the point demo? ull lose everything like posts and stuff.

2 days is more than enough time to get a feel for the software. Demo means exactly that, that it's a demo to give you a teasing trial and a good basis/foundation to make that decision whether this software is right for you.
 
I prefer this forum other sucks but i gotta pay and demo is 2 days whats the point demo? ull lose everything like posts and stuff.
The point of the demo is to let you see the back end (Admin panel) and how easy it is to set up and then see your results on the front end. You lose the data because you are only buying a license to use the software, not a hosting solution.
Dang.. ninja'd by Shelley. :p
 
Oh well not wasting money under a forum.

If you need more time to make the decision use the contact form and ask for an extension on the Demo. Doesn't hurt to ask if you are requiring more time and I know the owners are flexible so they may grant an extension period if that is at all possible for them to do.
 
Oh well not wasting money under a forum.
Then I would suggest looking at the free ones you refer to - again, myBB is probably one of the more robust and has a wealth of add-ons available for it and a clean interface for installation of said add-ons. A paid solution is not for everyone (heck, I only have 3 regular users and would have been served well enough by myBB, but I wanted more).
 
Oh well not wasting money under a forum.
Please ask your questions in a new thread, as this thread is started by partapi. Second, if you consider it a waste of money to buy forum software then I'd recommend the free solutions. There is nothing wrong with them, however for those that can afford it, there is more value in the paid solutions.
 
As has been stated when it comes to forum software you do infact get what you pay for to an extent but we won't go bashing other paid solutions. As far as hosting goes there are some really good shared providers out there. I am personally happy with www.xfhost.net as he is a shared provider but offers alot of the stuff that you would normally need a VPS to have like memcache and elasticsearch. Now if you want to have a private memcache port (more or less having your own memcache server like you would have on a VPS/Dedicated Server) you will pay a little extra a month. Plus the elasticsearch is an extra charge as well. The point is it can be offered on shared hosting and the company is ran by someone that has plenty of experience in web hosting. The plans aren't cheap but like everything else in this world.....you get what you pay for.
 
I am personally happy with www.xfhost.net as he is a shared provider but offers alot of the stuff that you would normally need a VPS to have like memcache and elasticsearch. Now if you want to have a private memcache port (more or less having your own memcache server like you would have on a VPS/Dedicated Server) you will pay a little extra a month. Plus the elasticsearch is an extra charge as well. The point is it can be offered on shared hosting and the company is ran by someone that has plenty of experience in web hosting. The plans aren't cheap but like everything else in this world.....you get what you pay for.

Agree he is one of the better hosting providers and is VERY knowledgeable on XenForo related items. Only reason I didn't go with him is I'm a bit of a control freak and want to dig deep and dirty into the OS, and a VPS fitted my requirements better. I didn't need, nor want, a control panel. Joe/Nano, Midnight Commander and grep (and the other stand Linux related commands) are pretty much all I need. ;)
 
Thank you every one for your really awesome inputs. I really do appreciate it!
I am loving this community and feeling inclined to XF a lot more after joining this forum.
Well, I know, I am a slow learner and a slow decision maker and it'll just few more days
before I decide which SF to buy. Till then, please keep giving me your most valuable suggestions.
I am loving them all. Thank you so much for taking time and putting efforts in answering my
questions. If you've more thoughts on it, please keep them coming. Sorry for my bad english... :(
 
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