If you are 100% confident that the concept behind your forum will develop in to a success, then a fully owned vB license at the outset will save you having to migrate in the future. On the other hand, if you haven't done much homework and are unsure about the feasibilty of your forum concept, then buying a leased license is like flushing $100 down the crapper. In this instance, you should absolutely begin with a free package such as phpBB or SMF. Then when you are a little clearer on where you should be taking your ideas and whether they might develop to become a success, migrate to vB if you need to. Looking over this thread, with the exception of sarak's point about the mod/admin tools, I do not see any credible reason for going with vB as a forum starter - most of the other positive points raised apply equally to other free alternatives. BTW, I am a long time vB user/admin too, but I rarely, if ever, lay out the $150 at the very outset. I chimed in a little late here, but good luck with it!
exactly what id like to say i always check the forum i go on if its vbulletin or not vbulletin is simply attractive and very nice to use very organized as well! If youd like, i do some projects for low prices to design templates and stuff, if u want something, let me know~!
Be careful while using mods. Many of them have serious security flaws. Use only those that you think are absolutely necessary for your site.
Thank you I think it's worth it, but like the others said - you can't just buy a vbulletin and expect it is gonna make you some money. You need to have a good niche, make sure that you have a few good friends to get it going - and keep it going.
I started from phpBB and laters switched to vBulletin. To me, it's really worth the price we have to pay and we do get a lot in return.
Okay I previously said I wasn't going to give the domain I bought it at, but here it is today is the official launch date: http://thedevnetwork.com
I would try some other forum software first, see if you can get people to start posting / using your forum, if all goes well, just buy the owned license.
I have VB and it's OK. I do dislike some things about it (the fact that it breaks at upgrades if you have a modified skin or hacks), hack support is very poor on the forums etc. But it does have a lot of features and if you're not a huge customizer as I am you'd be in heaven. The script is good. I paid for the owned license .. it's worth the expense.
hack support for vb is better than any other, there are over 5 major vbulletin support and mods forums out there. vbulletin is alot better than phpbb plus the others, i think for the price off it its a bit over priced.
Yes, it is worth the money, but that is not saying free sites like SMF are not good. They can be, if you know what your doing, but they will have less features than the big dogs.