phpBB vs. vBulletin
These days the major forum software is phpBB and vBulletin. Both of them are powerful to run any kind of forum website. There is lots of plugins, addons, themes and modifications that can be used to build custom forum community powered by phpBB or vBulletin. Probably most of you have faced with those kind of software and get confused which to choose. In this blog post we will try to look closer and find out which software is better.
Let’s start with phpBB. It is probably most popular open source board software. It can be used for creating any kind of community forum. It is licensed under the GNU GPL and written in PHP. Lots of online communities is running their forums with phpBB due to several main reasons:
It is completely free. This is probably the biggest reason that makes this software so popular in the internet. With phpBB there is no need to purchase any license in order to get licensed software. All plugins, modifications, themes is free.
To run phpBB there is no need to have special requirements for web hosting. It requires at least php and MySQL support. All major web hosting providers have such features so there should not be any problem to set up community forum. Also, phpBB provides detailed installation guide if there is any problem with installation. If you have older version, instructions how to update to newest version is also available.
If you are non English speaker and worrying if your language is supported, phpBB is translated into 42 languages and is available for the most spoken languages. Since this software is free, thers is lots of members who contribute by translating into their languages. Just go to phpBB website and search for your language pack in downloads section.
Speaking about downloads, you will find lots of modifications, styles available for your forum to use. Modifications, also called mods is usefull if you want to create something unique or add more functionality. If you will search for styles, you will find many board styles that you can use to change basic phpBB style. Among board styles, you will also find such media as avatars, smiles, ranks, etc. to customize your forum design.
Going to vBulletin, the first thing that needs to be said – it’s paid software. In order to run vBulletin forum in any hosting provider, you need to purchase a license. The same thing is in Host1Free which is also running vBulletin based forum. If someone tries to host nulled script and administrators notice it, script is being removed instantly.
Since vBulletin is paid, you are getting access to all resources that is being created by it’s developers. It includes styles, mods, language packs, updates and of course support. Speaking about support, it is available not only via forum or ticket system, but also by phone. phpBB is not offering phone support, only forum, knowledge base, flash tutorials.
Another thing is that vBulletin provides Facebook app which is created for interacting with forum from Facebook. More, it allows you to create and customize your own Facebook app using vBulletin Facebook App Publisher tool. With this feature your forum grows significantly as you can promote the forum directly through Facebook with your friends.
Seems that vBulletin don’t stops only with Facebook app. If you will look further, you will notice that they also provide mobile applications. iPhone and Android applications was created to interact with forum using mobile phone. This lets you to be in touch with your community anywhere you are going or travelling.
Comparing those forum platforms, both are well created and can be customized depending on your needs. phpBB is mostly for non commercial communities and vBulletin is targetted for business activities. Since phpBB is free and open source, most owners don’t have any budget to run forum and using free hosting with free domain. Looking at vBulletin side, you need money for the license and it’s more recommended to host it at premium hosting.
To sum up, the most difference between phpBB and vBulletin is in the price. While vBulletin is paid, phpBB is free and is open for all who is intented in developing.
Modestas has gained a big experience in web hosting and online business by being a member of Host1Plus.com for almost two years. Modestas is now able to consult in creating and optimizing websites, identifying servers and sites problems and more. Current living location is Kaunas, Lithuania.
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