Which Forum Software Is The Best?

[radu81]

Add Elkarte so I can vote
Just kidding, I am using elkarte and also xf and they are both nice software, it all depends on what you want to achieve. Imo there is no better software, but only best software that suits your needs.

 

[Alpha1]

Add Elkarte so I can vote

Added!

BTW: XenForo certainly doesn't get my vote when it comes to polls. Adding a new option in a logical order is not really possible if there are votes. Nor is sorting poll options

 

[sanction9]

And some recipes call for a pound of beef... some for a pound of pork.... some for a pound of chicken and some for a pound of lamb.
Point is... recipe depended on what the "pound" is.... site dependent on what the "pound" is.

If one cannot see this, then one is wearing blinders.

Well, to be fair, it's probably not really necessary to add such a qualifier, because most individuals will base their votes on what's currently best for them anyway. I voted for Xenforo, for example, because it's best for me right now, even though I know that if I were being really objective about it and were to do a feature by feature kind of comparison with other forum softwares, or use whatever other comparison metric, I can't say for sure I'd conclude XF would come out the clear winner.

 

[zappaDPJ]

The best forum software has yet to be written but I live in hope

 

[XinYenFon]

The best forum software obviously the one I`m writing

 

[fixer]

can someone pull the stats from the profile fields here on TAZ so we can see what boards are owned the most @Sandman

 

[zappaDPJ]

@Sandman

He's not just any old Sandman, he's The Sandman

 

[Tracy Perry]

can someone pull the stats from the profile fields here on TAZ so we can see what boards are owned the most @Sandman

Would not be accurate... as some may run more than 1 site on their indicated scripts.

 

[we_are_borg]

Would not be accurate... as some may run more than 1 site on their indicated scripts.

You can set more then one script you use.

 

[Tracy Perry]

You can set more then one script you use.

Not the same thing.... I used to run myBB x 2, WBB, IPS and Xenforo x 2. But if you look at my stats, all you see is myBB, IPS, WBB, XF. There is a missing site running XF and myBB since it does not allow you to designate quantity - unless it's a recent addition since I added my script used to my profile.

 

[we_are_borg]

Not the same thing.... I used to run myBB x 2, WBB, IPS and Xenforo x 2. But if you look at my stats, all you see is myBB, IPS, WBB, XF. There is a missing site running XF and myBB since it does not allow you to designate quantity - unless it's a recent addition since I added my script used to my profile.

Would be interesting to have something like that, but then we need to enter more then forums only.

 

[Tracy Perry]

Would be interesting to have something like that, but then we need to enter more then forums only.

Uhhhh.... it's fairly simple to programmatically filter through an array using only specific criteria, so that really has no bearing.... unless you mean that stuff like WordPress, etc needs to be entered.... but that was not what the request was for

can someone pull the stats from the profile fields here on TAZ so we can see what boards are owned the most

- boards typically indicating forums.

 

[we_are_borg]

Uhhhh.... it's fairly simple to programmatically filter through an array using only specific criteria, so that really has no bearing.... unless you mean that stuff like WordPress, etc needs to be entered.... but that was not what the request was for
- boards typically indicating forums.

Yes but the next question is going to be how many run product X.

 

[Paul M]

Would not be accurate... as some may run more than 1 site on their indicated scripts.

It would also be inaccurate because people probably dont keep it up to date.

I hadnt looked at mine for years until last month.

 

[Paul M]

The vote choices are also really generic.

Taking "vbulletin" for example, VB3 is fantastic, but VB5 ...... not so much

 

[fixer]

Yes but the next question is going to be how many run product X.

thats what this thread should be because few will vote against what they own

 

[Maddox]

This is one of those questions that will never have a decisive answer. You may as well ask what is the best car? There will be a multitude of answers but never really the one you are wanting pinned down. Every forum software has advantages and disadvantages, from price, features, usability and support. Some will go for a free version because they can't afford a paid version. Some who go for a paid version may need features that are incorporated into the core, meaning there is less to be paid out on potentially risky add-ons, all in one place and easy to manage. Some will want a basic feature set and will be happy to engage with whatever falls into their price range, as well as ongoing renewals for support and downloads. Also, there is the server features someone is using and whether they measure up to what is required. So many different facets to take in that make it impossible to say that 'this is the best'. There have been similar threads asking the same question and the answer is always the same; multifaceted.

 

[we_are_borg]

I dont think the poll is interesting in this case. The question should have been what board software do you run on your site and why do you use it, if you have multiple sites please talk about all of your site.

 

[Ramses]

In my opinion vB3/vB4 was the market leader for a very long time and the best forum software in this universe. Today, Xenforo and IPB share the lead. Both are able to create stunning forums. IPB has more default features and is easier to administrate and to customize, at least for me. Xenforo is in the lead by newest software architecture I think (my measurement tool for this is the opinion of Digitalpoint , the software he uses must be the leader ) . There is a larger add-on community active at Xenforo and the price of the software is lower. On the other hand, IPB as a company is in the business since many, many years which gives me a long term perspective being able to use their software for the next 10 years. Xenforo is a young company based mainly upon two persons, in the last years I've seen too many one ore two men companies vanish because of personal life issues. And because there's nothing more I hate than changing my forum software, finally I go for IPB.

 

[Tracy Perry]

One thing I do wish... IPB was the 3.x line. IPS refers to the newer 4.x branch (name change by developers). IPB (3.x line) is nowhere near what XenForo 1.x was nor 2.x and the difference between it and 4.x IPS is like night and day.
It can get rather confusing when people continue to refer to IPS as IPB.