Paid Forum Software: Worth it?

i think it is worth it, paid software can pay off (pun not intended lol)

Yes for me it is really worth it when compared to VB. I am using Mybb right now but am considering in upgrading to VB. It will be really worth the money and I can't wait to do it. It will help my forum out a lot.

Not really unless you think your forum is REALLY going to make it. I used Forumotion, and it worked pretty well with me! I even got my domain for free *yipee*

I think it would be worth it for those who could shell out a few $ for a license. There is obviously a reason why its paid.

I don't think so when you have the likes of mybb and phpbb available...

The obvious reason is they are organizations and they have to earn money and pay for their employees too. Unless your biggest concern is live support, i don't think paid software is necessary.

Everyone have their own taste, so go for the forum software which you like the most. But never have the belief that a paid software would be a factor to make your site succeed. No matter whether the forum software is free or paid, its the knowledge and dedication of the admin which decides the success.

imo it's worth it if you add ads to make up for the money lost.

One of the worlds largest forums is hosted on MyBB, kthnx.

Well if you can afford it its a plus for your satisfaction. You can run a community with any script, since the script doesnt matter as long as you have a community which is friendly

If you are going to pay for IPB it is worth as it has wonderful themes and high SEO

Ye I heard IPB has great SEO.

I feel that sometimes it does pay off, I think guests are more likely to join since they see you not only put your heart into your forum but also your money.Which means you don't plan on going anywhere for long time.
I currently use phpbb for lack of better free software but we are going togo to XF in the near future.

My forum uses IPB and it is pretty new and we have topic less than 500 but receiving hits more than than. More number of hits were from google and from top position for most keywords. I love IPB.

Nice!

offtopic: I cant either acess your profile at AF or your forums :S my ISP has blocked all domains with the word 'hookers' I guess

I think so as paid forums look more professional and in my opinion attract more members as well as offer more themes as well as modifications.

Paid software has a lot of advantages over the free. Themes and add-ons will more than likely be of a higher quality. You'll have a team of paid devs and support to get in touch with. Now this doesn't always mean paid is what everyone should use. MyBB is at the top for free forum software and has a decent amount of themes and add-ons. It's just personal preference and the success of your forum.

You need to think about your forums as a business, even if it's a hobby. You do rely A LOT on your script and migrating to another one in 3-4 years will mess up your traffic and SEO so bad, it's not even worth mentioning. START RIGHT. Get your eyes on a good script (yes, paid ones are better) and pay for it. If you're knowing your stuff, you should be able to get some ROI in 3-4 months at least. I have paid for my XF license a month ago and probably in 1 more month the forums will start earning me revenue, even if it's few tens of bucks. In at least 1 year you should be 'covered' and make a profit.

From my experience free forums are nice, but limited. If you want a 'good engine' get your hands on a proper script, the one you like most. Then develop like crazy and see how fast you can earn revenue.

A popular myth. Free ones are as good as paid ones, and paid software won't be a deciding factor in making a forum successful. It might help in making the initial stage of the forum popular, but in long run, only the skills of admin and the type of niche he choose decides the success.

Not really.

Paid software is paid for a reason. It is paid because they are far more advanced than any free software otherwise they would not make any sales would they? People would choose mybb over xenforo or whatever but that isn't the case. And also to me personally I would join a XenForo/IPB forum over joining a phpbb or mybb forum any day of the week because how easy is it to invest $10 on creating a forum? Real commitment is when you are prepared to invest $xxx on a paid software to give your users a better experience. Thats when I know the admin is going to succeed, because he will invest lots of time and money into the project.

Well, Hey.. Thats just me.

Before people start lol I know it isn't the software the determines success.. But that is something that shows me that the owner is willing to stick it out to protect their investment.