Best Forum software?

Hi guys,
Out of the following,which forum software is most popular and what features makes it popular?
1.vBulletin
2.SMF
3.Invision Power Board
4.phpBB


Apart from above, are there any other good forum softwares?

 

I think it stands between VBulletin and Invision Power Board, with my personal preference in VB...

 

vB is great software. It's hard to beat. Lst time I used SMF, it was not as automated as vB, but a better alternative then most in the free area. I had it up skined and secured in no time. CSS and templates edits.

 

i use a different software for a very precise reason - SEO
you may have a look at it
AnyBoard forum software

or see my own configuration like i use it to get an idea of how much you can change the appearance

Forum for exchange of information, experiences and expertise

i used the same forum software years ago in its free version with fewer features - now a licensed webmaster gold version for multiple forums and full features

while it does create a really ugly HTML-code that never can be validated ( unless you modify the perl script to make it create a validated code ) - the code errors are of zero importance to all major SE

the advantage over any other forum SW i know so far is that each individual post and reply to post is a separate html file and can be independently indexed by SE and thus also gets individual Google adsense !!

the forum appearance is fully configurable - just about everything can be individually changed to create the look you love - actually you may spend a day just doing that if one of the several templates misses your own likes. if you wish it also works with MySQL db - myself i prefer static HTML pages.

 

hey hans, i must admit I like that forum software. I like the way it is google friendly as you describe..

does anyone here know of any more google friendly forum software?

the only other one that i know of is the one in use by www.webmasterworld.com , but he does not appear to be in any hurry to sell it anytime soon..

 

seo-board (link in my signature)

 

priyanka, phpBB is the most popular coz its free and open source. vbulletin is close second IMO .

letsmakeamillion, you can make a few changes in the phpBB code and make it G friendly .

 

vBulletin here.

 

I'm shortly going ot set up a forum, and after lots of reading around and research, I've plumpped for shelling out for a vBulletin license. Its a bit of an outlay but it seems easy to use, SEO able and more secure. Check out the vBulletin site as you can play with a demo control panel - it soon all falls into place.

 

I just purchased an old abandoned forum and just converted it to vbulletin from phpbb. I purchased the VBulletinb because it seem better after trying both. Im installing mods right now, then onto skinning.

SO far I'm very satisfied

 

It's hard not to get hooked in vB once you've had a chance to use the backend. Good luck.

 

Three words:

Don't Get vBulletin!

Complete waste, I wouldn't use it again if it were free, get Invision work with it a little and what not, you'll do excelent in the SERP's with google

whatever your decision good luck

 

IMO, go with PHPBB. It is free, there are some great 'free' mods and templates. Easy to update with EasyMod and best of all it's free. VB has some great features, but the price tends to scare some away. I purchased a copy and never used it. I became familiar with PHPBB and the necessary mods and have never looked back. I have used SMF (which is very good as well) and IVB, but PHPBB still takes the cake, if you ask me.

 

vBulletin is the best for serious applications, but for small hobbyist boards then I'd recommend SMF.

Invision traditionally has problems getting spidered by search engines, and phpbb has a history of exploits and hacking - I've never seen a vBulletin hacked by a third party, but I've seen plenty of phpbb's violated by hackers.

 

Yea, thats true Brian. They do get hacked a lot, not mine, but I have heard of many others. I think the newest version answered a lot of security flaws. I guess if enough of my boards get hacked, I will move on...

 

Can you qualify that?

I think the guys at vB are the biggest jerks going, but the sofware beats all hands down. Yes, I have tried most all of them.

So what's a waste?

 

I'd have to say Vbulletin. I have been pleased with my experience with it.

 

I have started out with phpbb but hated it and still do. vBulletin costs money but more than worth it. If you are in it for long term, vBulletin is the one I can encourage you to use.

You can read more at this vBulletin Webmaster Forum for more feedback.

 

I am very happy with phpBB.

phpBB is especially good because of the SEO optimization for phpBB that Craven de Kere has published.