An accurate list of the best paid forum software
Considering starting an online community? Starting an online community is a labor of love and comes with many ups and downs. But, can prove to be very rewarding in the long run.
I wrote this article to shed some much needed light on the current state of forum software. A lot of ‘Best forum software’ articles are not with the times and list software which is not current for many reasons. In this article i will give you an accurate list of paid software that is worth the time and money.
All of these softwares offer free demos. I would encourage you to signup for a free demo and give each on a test run to see which software fits you best.
Also, i would like to note that i wrote this ranking list using my own opinions. This post is not sponsored and i was not paid in any way to create this.
- Invision Power Services (IPS)
Formally called Invision Power Board, Invision has came a long way in online community development. Originally starting out as only a board software it has evolved into a full content management software (CMS) with a forum add-on. What makes Invision unique is the ability to build a variety of different websites from this single platform. They currently offer: the base software suite, forums, blog, ecommerce, pages, gallery, and downloads. All of which easily integrate into each other. Invision is ideal for starting membership sites, building an ecommerce platform, or really anything you can think of. The community is very active and updates are consistent; which they have just recently released the new 4.5 update which includes a new design and many new features. You can find out more at invisioncommunity.com
2. Xenforo
If you have no plans for ecommerce or building a ‘full website’ than Xenforo if your software. Xenforo is only a community forum. They do offer add-ons similar to IPS like; gallery and a resource manager (downloads). Again, you will not find a ecommerce add-on or blogs with Xenforo. If you need a blog, the closest you will get is Xenforo’s ‘articles’ which act somewhat to a blogging system. There is great community support and many 3rd party add-ons. You can find more information at xenforo.com
3. Woltlab Suite
Woltlab (also called Burning Board) Suite is a Dutch made CMS (available in Deustch and English) similar to both IPS and Xenforo with some differences. Apart from the design, Woltlab offers a calendar add-on which is usually free with most community software. This isn’t really a really deal breaker if you rarely use or even need a calendar application. Woltlab currently offers; forums, gallery, blogs, filebase (downloads), and calendar. The support community is active and has a good amount of 3rd party add-ons. Woltlab does lack in themes/styles and does need a better variety of add-ons. However, the price for just the forum software is only 99.99EU. Not bad for a paid software. You can find more information at woltlab.com
4. vBulletin 5 Connect
vBulletin was a leader in the community development. Now, vBulletin a shell of what it once was. I only place vBulletin on this list as an ‘update only’ option for people who are using vBulletin 3.x/4.x. I cannot recommend purchasing a vBulletin license at this time. They software is insecure, updates are long, the community is no longer there, and the software looks dated. This software is also priced the highest of any of vBulletins competitors. It’s a real shame that vBulletin is falling behind. The former versions (vB3/4) were some of the best software available at the time. You can find more information at vbulletin.com
I hope this list will help you make an informed decision on a great community software. There is many options each software offers and it can sometimes be overwhelming figuring out the best fit.
If you have questions or just want a second opinion, feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly. I would love to help out where i can.
