PHPbb or vBulletin

I am planning a forum. These are my primary prospects phpbb and vbulletin. phpbb seems to be free and has cool features and vbulleting you have to pay for but seems to have cool features also. My question: Which one is better and are there any pros and cons that anyone has experienced to using one over the other.

Also I will most definately be skinning it. Is one easier to skin over the other? Any advice and user experience greatly appreciated.

PHPbb IS free yes, and it’s quite easy to set up, tho a liiiiittle tricky to mod properly (skin).

I’ve never been in the heart code of a vBulletin forum, so I can’t say anything about that

I’ve had a PHPbb board before, and I can highly recommend it

1 for phpbb…thanks eilsoe…I really want to skin it and I know no php so it has to be pretty much dumb proof. Also the ability to add mods would be cool also.

please more…I want to make an educated decision.

well, take this and ponder over.

When I got my first PHPbb board, I had NO clue what I was doing, but it only took me a few days to get into the PHP code. I learned some of it myself. And all I did was open one PHP file after another and look for recognizable design parts, ie. table setups etc…

I found them, and I started fiddling with them, and I actually succeeded…

But I guess it’s the same thing with vBulletin… You have to get into the code to get it right…

Skinning on the other hand, is just a matter of changing one image to another.

another part of skinning is rearranging stuff, and THAT’s when you have to get your hands dirty…

thanks man…Also I know this has been beat to death but if anyone has any hosting recommendations please post those also.

1and1.com DDD, 3 years free and you can get a domain for 5.99/year. :thumb:

You don’t have to give credit card info or anything, its completely legit. the only thing that might freak you out is they have to call you, but its just a machine that gives you an auth number.

aaaawwwww…come on I know someone has input to offer.

Definately vBulletin

I’ve used Invision Power Board (auto server install), phpBB (auto server install), vBulletin (manual install, took about 3 min.)

Definately vBulletin! The board is so freaking strong!

hey terminator thanks for your input. From your experience what were a few more pros to using vBulletin over phpBB.

manual install, 3 minutes?

PhpBB took 20 seconds to install :-\ and it’s hella strong too…

Invision board is great, that is what I have been always using, but now it is not for free anymore ;( So I will probably soon change to phpbb, also because it is easier to skin it

thanks guys I think I am going to go with phpBB. Its free and I have not found a real advantage to paying for vBulletin or others.

Thanks.

you won’t find one. they’re comparable in many ways, except
the cost. I think for a free product, phpbb is one of the best
products available, even for a software.

*Originally posted by t3h t3rminator *
**Definately vBulletin

I’ve used Invision Power Board (auto server install), phpBB (auto server install), vBulletin (manual install, took about 3 min.)

Definately vBulletin! The board is so freaking strong! **

Yes, but all of the software except vBulletin is free. Unless your pirating it. vBulletin’s licence cost’s $160.

I just pay every year to get access to their free updates - about $85 a year. I liked vBulletin more than phpBB a few years ago, but things may have changed since then.

seems to me that vbulletin is so much, and i mean SO MUCH, easier to skin than any other board…too bad it’s so expensive

yeh, vBulletin does cost money. I think you should go over and check out the Admin Panel demo.

vBulletin seems way over price, but once you get access there are almost unlimited modifications you can get for it at many sites.

yep. the css styling and templates are so easy to make/edit too.

hhmmmm…now I am swinging back towards vBulletin…

*Originally posted by MTsoul *
**yep. the css styling and templates are so easy to make/edit too. **

That’s for sure!