Why Is XenForo Better Then Free Forum Scripts?

[DaveS]

Why is Xenfo better then free forum platforms.

Wife wants to start her own business, and has 20+ years experience
in her field, so I thought I would start some research on the forum side.

So, the forums I have been running across in this field appear to be on the
cheap, nothing special, most are using their free form default templates....
mybb, phpbb, SMF...maybe they are not running a business, more then
not, most of them merely look like hobby sites. The last form that I
visited from my research had not had a post since 2013, which tells me
he/she is not serious, or it is nothing more then a hobby forum....

I know very little about forums, what is best, what is worse;
I know just enough to be able to set one up, and that is it.

I would like to hear your thoughts.

Thank-You

 

[Daniel Hood]

XenForo is updated more often; look at the time between phpbb2 and phpbb3 (and even phpbb3 to phpbb3.1), mybb v2 was introduced as a concept over 5 years ago, and still no release.

I don't know about smf but compared to phpbb and mybb it has a better track record as far as security. There's been minimal security patches released, all of them were because of a 3rd party framework/script that is included.

I think those are the most important differences. I'm not sure what features you're interested in. Some people say the free scripts offer more features but I feel XenForo offers better features. If you know any programming, XenForo is a much more modern platform and several times easier to plug into and develop for.

 

[DaveS]

XenForo is updated more often; look at the time between phpbb2 and phpbb3 (and even phpbb3 to phpbb3.1), mybb v2 was introduced as a concept over 5 years ago, and still no release.

I don't know about smf but compared to phpbb and mybb it has a better track record as far as security. There's been minimal security patches released, all of them were because of a 3rd party framework/script that is included.

I think those are the most important differences. I'm not sure what features you're interested in. Some people say the free scripts offer more features but I feel XenForo offers better features. If you know any programming, XenForo is a much more modern platform and several times easier to plug into and develop for.

I am not sure what I am looking for as features are concerned...
maybe start with basics like: regular updates & reliability. I do not think
anyone would want a 5 year forum with no updates, unless they have
the ability to perform updates in trouble areas, and I think it would be
safe to say that everyone wants their forum to be reliable, and not
to mention a reliable host as well. If you do not have a stable
forum and or host, then I suppose you will have issues....
and no one wants to babysit their forum or host...

Spam-control would be at the top of my list. I dont want
to login everyday to 5,000 porn links/messages, etc...

Thanks for your input.

 

[Sador]

XenForo has a built in options to prevent spam, and a pretty decent spam manager that will allow you to quickly remove any spam that does come through. There are also addons that can help you.

Some advantages of XenForo:

- It's affordable, cheaper than competitors.
- It works very well and very easily, for both users and administrators.
- It has some features to let people engage more often, such as a 'like' feature and getting a notification when someone quotes your message.
- Cool community, which can provide a lot of help.
- Some good addons available (for free as well) if you feel you're lacking certain features.
- Good developers that update often and with minimal issues.
- Easy to get themes and skins set up, and easy to customize colors.

Please note that this is just my opinion and experiences may differ depending on your own preferences and requirements.

 

[DaveS]

XenForo has a built in options to prevent spam, and a pretty decent spam manager that will allow you to quickly remove any spam that does come through. There are also addons that can help you.

Some advantages of XenForo:

- It's affordable, cheaper than competitors.
- It works very well and very easily, for both users and administrators.
- It has some features to let people engage more often, such as a 'like' feature and getting a notification when someone quotes your message.
- Cool community, which can provide a lot of help.
- Some good addons available (for free as well) if you feel you're lacking certain features.
- Good developers that update often and with minimal issues.
- Easy to get themes and skins set up, and easy to customize colors.

Please note that this is just my opinion and experiences may differ depending on your own preferences and requirements.

What competitors? If you refer to those "free" forums, then I certainly
would not call them competitors; and if you refer to VB, then nahh...
I had VB long time ago before it went to suck-land with VB 4.x

I do not think my biggest problem will be deciding a forum, and have to
deal with my *****y wife on what user name she wants. I think my big
problem is trying to figure out what to put on the forum as far as content.
her field is so confusing that those from mars would have a hard time
understanding, it is like a Russian from another mother that does not
speak English, like, what the hell did you say? Or, when she comes home
to talk about her day, then all I hear is like, bla-bla, blaaa....

Other then that, from where I sit,
xenforo seems to look pretty solid...

 

[sami simo]

they are not really free.
Once you install the script, you will need support, and you should hire some one to fix your issues soon or later. unless you can fix any problem by yourself.
after one year or two, you will notice that the "free script" is costing you more than any other paid one.
Paid forums or CMSs always comes with free support (first year.. and a small fee for upgrades). so you should think about the cost of support not just the script.
Example: you can get Drupal for free, but if you think to hire any developer to fix the smallest thing, you will mostly end-up paying hundreds or thousands of $.
the culture if open source CMSs is very confusing, sometimes I ask my self. does those "free" scripts are really made for the benefit of public or they are made to rip-off more money from them ?

 

[Andrej]

What competitors?

IP. Board and Woltlab Burning Board are the main ones.

 

[SilverCircle]

they are not really free.
the culture if open source CMSs is very confusing, sometimes I ask my self. does those "free" scripts are really made for the benefit of public or they are made to rip-off more money from them ?

If you get ripped off, it's entirely your own fault.

Open Source means you basically can fix everything yourself. Instead of investing money, you invest time to learn - in the end, it's a better investment, because everything you learned cannot be taken from you and might be used to make money.

I've been using open source software for decades and never ever paid a single cent for support.

 

[sami simo]

If you get ripped off, it's entirely your own fault.
....
I've been using open source software for decades and never ever paid a single cent for support.

that's because you are very smart .
I'm getting ripped off. almost every day, by hosting companies , by banks , government, bad developers.. bad people.. and believe me . its always my fault.

 

[sami simo]

Open Source means you basically can fix everything yourself. Instead of investing money, you invest time to learn

that means literally "unsupported software". how many CMS software care to make this clear to the public?
They care more about describing the product as "FREE". user-friendly, easy to manage even for no technical users.
the reality :this is just false advertising.
once you install it, you start to build your community. you will face the hard reality:
If something breaks. and it will.. you should Pay a developer that cost always more than any other paid software..
if you cant, then its your fault.
welcome to the free CMS world.

 

[Sador]

that means literally "unsupported software". how many CMS software care to make this clear to the public?
They care more about describing the product as "FREE". user-friendly, easy to manage even for no technical users.
the reality :this is just false advertising.
once you install it, you start to bulid your community. you will face the hard reality:
If something breaks. and it will.. you should Pay a developer that cost always more than any other paid software..
if you cant, then its you fault.
welcome to the free CMS world.

Ehm, no.

Drupal and FireFox for example are supported, they get regular updates and bugfixes. But if you want to customize stuff beyond what addons offer, you're going to either need to make the changes yourself, or hire someone to do it. The same goes for paid software as well.

 

[sami simo]

Ehm, no.

Drupal and FireFox for example are supported, they get regular updates and bugfixes. But if you want to customize stuff beyond what addons offer, you're going to either need to make the changes yourself, or hire someone to do it. The same goes for paid software as well.

I'm not talking about open source projects in general.
but some of those called "free CMS".
Drupal as example is the work of hundreds of developers and volunteers.
but WHO is is taking benefit from all this free work apart a minority of technical people and some BIG companies there?
Their forum support is useless. the whole product is made for some "elite", saying its free and accessible for everyone is just a joke.
you should subscribe to <removed> to understand that.
I'm not asking anyone to customize anything for free. In fact I'm giving money every month to Firefox, because this software is really free. its not a hidden commercial project with a "Free" label.

 

[Sador]

I've used Drupal quite a bit and rather liked it. Never paid for it either, so I benefited from it. It's not for everyone (there's personal preferences, and the fact that any technical application will depend on who is capable enough to use it), but then that goes for everything else as well. And if you don't like it, you're free to pass, or move elsewhere.

Anyway, this is starting to sound like PEBKAC. If you don't like it, feel free to use something else. I'm sure there are things more suited for you. But please don't condemn the entire open source / free (CMS) market, just because it's not what you like. There are plenty of people who do.

 

[sami simo]

I'm using WordPress and loving it.
all I'm saying is that "Free" is a confusing concept, that open source CMS is not more accessible than proprietary CMS.
many times the opposite is true.

 

[Chris D]

you should subscribe to <removed> to understand that.

If that was an affiliate link, then they must be stated as such. See Rule 10: https://xenforo.com/community/help/terms

 

[sami simo]

If that was an affiliate link, then they must be stated as such. See Rule 10: https://xenforo.com/community/help/terms

its not. I'm not recommending their services.
I have posted the the link to show how exaggerated are their prices.

 

[Nebulous]

Security is a big one. I have used vB, IPB, phpBB, and MyBB. I only experienced security breaches (hackings) when I was on phpBB and MyBB. Back in November a SQL injection was discovered with MyBB that would easily give the "hacker" the admin's hashed password. All they had to do was decrypt it.

Another one is the quality of the add-ons/plugins. Sure you might be able to find versions of what you're looking for on the free softwares, but they are always basic, lacking in features and functionality, possibly created by an inexperienced person who might overlook possible security holes. Also paid software's usually have a lot of great features built right in which cuts down on the amount of plugins you'll need to install.

There is a lot of manual labor involved with using free softwares. The paid scripts tend to have a lot more automated features that make your job as an admin easier.