What Is A Good Free Forum Software?

[Yiah 0]

PHPBB simpler to use and easier to integrate with your website. 1000s of themes available and now PHPBB3 (under development) you have many features which you get mostly in paid BB softwares.
so PHPBB is the best.
if you want a hosted PhpBB3 forum: free forum hosting

[TheDisturbedOne 1]

Forumotion is a free host, which won't let you get the most out of the forum software. As I am more of a SMF person, I don't like phpbb, but no matter what host you go with, don't get a free host (use a web host, like Xisto) as you have NO control of your forum. The host can shut it down if they want, or place many ads on it. The best thing no matter what software you use, is to host it yourself!

[Echo_of_thunder 1]

Forumotion is a free host, which won't let you get the most out of the forum software. As I am more of a SMF person, I don't like phpbb, but no matter what host you go with, don't get a free host (use a web host, like Xisto) as you have NO control of your forum. The host can shut it down if they want, or place many ads on it. The best thing no matter what software you use, is to host it yourself!

I would have to agree with the above. when I started my very 1st forum I used phpbb and honestly I ended up with more bots joining it than memebers, then I switched over to a Forumotion based forum. No bots joined at all Now I use SMF, I love the interface, so simple to use. but bot's but of the 3, I would have to go with SMF, main reason being so very simple. Just wishing it was easier to get mods like you can get for others. that always makes any forum look better be it just a simple game to add or something to make your members feel at home.

[DeM0nFiRe 0]

phpBB3 is actually gold now, and phpBB3 is way better than phpBB2. I have actually tried out myBB, phpBB, SMF, IPB, and vBulletin, and of all of them phpBB3 has been the best. As echo said, phpBB2 had a big problem with spam, but phpBB3 does not have the same problem. In fact, I've been using phpBB3 for a while now, and I think I've gotten one spam bot.

[africa 0]

You know what...i'd recommend you to try VB..It rocks! I have used smf then later switched to IPB but its a bit more expensive and i think it rules all! its really nice if you have the money to spend.The other thing about IPB is that you cant use a nulled version if you get one of those scripts off the net! Once your site becomes a bit popular..the owners will find it and that will be the end of your forums! It happened to a lot of people. I think it even has some scripts that request for info directly on their server so they'll know.Go for VB..its ideal plus its got lots of mods and portals. it integrates with many cms also.

[Tramposch 1]

For free I like SMF and AEF for paid I like IPB.I used to be on the design team for AEF, but I got too busy with my life to continue. It really depends on what you want out of it.

[TheDisturbedOne 1]

africa,Though I haven't used the full version of vB, I can tell you that it is quite hard to find a good/great themed skin for vB without paying a lot for one. As it is, most vB skins aren't free, and a lot of the places that charge for them charge outrageous prices for them.

[miladinoski 1]

Actually, today I installed PunBB and although it's not that advanced as vBulletin or IPB, it's really fast, I mean, blazingly fast and the admin screen is very simple

 

Use it!

[surbjit 0]

Well ive tried phpbb3 and i didnt really like it. Until i found Vbulletin. This forum software is great and simple, but you cant get that many themes for it and the free themes usually suck lol.

[africa 0]

africa,Though I haven't used the full version of vB, I can tell you that it is quite hard to find a good/great themed skin for vB without paying a lot for one. As it is, most vB skins aren't free, and a lot of the places that charge for them charge outrageous prices for them.

Oh yeah mate. that is quite true. I managed to get a good free theme and everything just flowed.

if your budget is limited yes, it might not be such a good idea unless if you can create your own. If you're willing to search you may be lucky and bump into something really nice.

[rpgsearcherz 5]

My votes are going to be PHPBB3 and VBulletin. The original poster asked about free, though, so it's PHPBB3.I like both because they offer many controls and customizability. VBulletin goes much, much farther though in terms of the information you can pull, how well you can control users' privleges and/or moderators, the additions to it, etc. But it does come at a cost.PhpBB3 is much better than most forum software. I've used many types but none really had the speed, reliability, and ease of use as it. I also like how you can install multiple skins and allow each individual to choose their own without impeding on anyone else's. I did *not* find that feature in VBulletin.

[africa 0]

I am considering starting my own forums. I have never tried Phpbb3. Can it facilitate a good and active community. I want something customizable that can also allow me to add many mods and adjust it to my liking.Smf is not an option for me. I have used it before and i did not like the layouts.Vbulletin seems to be very popular and a tough competitor for phpbb3 but it is not entirely free. i hate using nulled scripts...What should i go for? Something that also has a good portal system.

[rpgsearcherz 5]

I am considering starting my own forums. I have never tried Phpbb3. Can it facilitate a good and active community. I want something customizable that can also allow me to add many mods and adjust it to my liking. Smf is not an option for me. I have used it before and i did not like the layouts. Vbulletin seems to be very popular and a tough competitor for phpbb3 but it is not entirely free. i hate using nulled scripts... What should i go for? Something that also has a good portal system.

Honestly, phpBB3 is the best one I've ever used, but I dislike how hard it is to add mods to multiple themes. There are a lot that require 15-20 mins of coding, PER mod. But as to whether or not it can hold up a nice community, definitely yes. There are very few differences between phpBB and Vbulletin, namely things like VB having a community script(like where you can friend people and create groups for them and whatnot). Aside from those things, phpBB can do everything you want, most likely. Not to mention it has a very large help base, however I have found it to be hard to get help for any issues that I've had. There are often new updates for the software, and to update it all you have to do is ftp the updates to your server and tell the forums to update! Very easy. Installation is easy and quick as well. I would suggest uploading the forum base to a subdirectory(much like I did for joomla, mydomain.com/joomla or for you yourdomain.com/phpbb) while you test it out and see how you like it. At one point I had 3 forum bases up while I compared the 3 together, and then once I decided on one(phpBB) I wiped all 3 and reinstalled the forums from scratch in /forums folder. This allows for a more hands-on approach to the various formats, how easy they are to use, etc.

[contactskn 2]

I dont like phpbb, but anything that is a bit like IPB wood be nice, can anyone just tell me a good free forum software?

If you really don't like phpbb then try smf I think it will satisfy your needs. If I am not mistaken then it is customizable also. So if you want then you can give it a different look too. Best of luck for your search.?

[TheDisturbedOne 1]

The problem with vBulletin is that if you want a good skin, it will cost you a good amount of money. As far as I know phpBB has a bunch of good themes for free. Good luck running a nulled vBulletin, they shut those down quite fast.