My mind is in a constant battle on what forum software would be suitable for my forums and require the opinion of everyone here. It would be most helpful. However, I need to know which one is better because of from what I have heard, IPB and vBulletin are chock filled with features. Please help.

Please do not stick price in your decision, as it is not a factor to me.

Go with vBulletin. It has the best admin panel, the most features, a VERY nice user control panel, great moderator controls, and Version 3.5 is just insane. You won't regret it, I didn't :)

I voted for vBulletin as well :)

I also use vBulletin, but you'll likely get a whole lot of different answers here. Really, you need to just go with the software that you prefer!

VBulletin all the way.

PHPbb = too insecure most of the time (getting a bit better)
IPB = Ugly admin section, some bad threads about it (read with a grain of salt), and just never enjoyed it as a user
VBulletin = everythingI have wanted and then some

I voted for IPB because it allows to upload images into the messages, and displays them as thumbnails. This allows to make my posts illustrated.

Also, the smile sets in IPB is far better than in VBulletin.

vBulletin for me !

I voted for IPB. It have a lot of features and really good security.

I would only consider vBulletin and IPB if your willing to pay for a reliable system. phpBB if you just want a forum with decent features and dont want to pay. But personally i'd suggest you go for vBulletin.

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=3271055#post3271055

My favourite is IPB. The guy who posted earlier about IPB having an ugly Admin CP is mad. Have a look at vBulletin's and IPB's side by side.

vBulletin all the way.

And the guy who posted that that IPB allows thumbnails between the message... vB 3.5 also does that.

AdminCp in vB is fully skinnable btw. Also, The smilies can be changed ;)

If you want a large ammount of users, dont even think about using PHPBB. I would go with vBulletin although a lot of people like IPB, both have great administrative options and are secure. The prices are similar so your best bet is to choose between those two.

Originally posted by Influx
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=3271055#post3271055

My favourite is IPB. The guy who posted earlier about IPB having an ugly Admin CP is mad. Have a look at vBulletin's and IPB's side by side.

How about if I say that you are mad for even saying that IPB is better than vB? Having a different opinion does not give you a right to insult the other person.

Having used both im not sure i can put down which is better.

Just so you know, some people will tell you that PHPBB is too insecure, vBulletin isn't that secure, etc. When it comes down to it, you should go to their sites & look at their features & decide from there. Any software can be hacked. Some should stop acting like vBulletin can't be touched. It comes down to what board is best for you.

Originally posted by Shaliza
Just so you know, some people will tell you that PHPBB is too insecure, vBulletin isn't that secure, etc. When it comes down to it, you should go to their sites & look at their features & decide from there. Any software can be hacked. Some should stop acting like vBulletin can't be touched. It comes down to what board is best for you.

You can not honestly believe that vBulletin has had as many security holes as you find in phpBB. In addition to the number of holes found there is also the issue of how long it takes to have them patched.

IIRC the 2.0.11 bug took 2 weeks+ for a patch to come out.

Nowhere in my post did I say that vBulletin has more holes & I didn't say it doesn't either.

My point is some people act like some scripts are invincible or something. Any script can be hacked. I don't care how good some people think they are. If a hacker wanted to hack vBulletin, PHPBB, IPB, etc., he could. Another thing - some people claim that certain scripts don't have many holes as some others, but a lot of these people did not sit down & actually take the time to look through all the codes. They just go by what others have been saying. They never looked at the coding themselves.

Well the major difference between the two pieces of software (as far as bugs are concerned) is the fact that anybody who feels the need can go ahead and grab a copy of phpBB and view all the source. It is true that one can view all source on VBulletin as well, but to have a copy of the latest edition of VBulletin they are going to need to be able to access the members area generally.

Somebody could give them a copy of it, but I can not see people handing over VBulletin's source so a person can find a hole into their board.

They can also grab nulled copies of the software, but generally speaking that is at least a few releases behind the current stable one.

Now I have not read every line of Vb or phpBB and to be honest I don't plan on it any time soon. I do however keep an eye out for new releases of both pieces of software, and read through the holes as they are found, and I can say it has been my experience and understanding that phpBB has had more bugs, less development, and is overall more prone to holes due to the nature of how one come's about the source code than Vb.

Originally posted by Lord Brar
How about if I say that you are mad for even saying that IPB is better than vB? Having a different opinion does not give you a right to insult the other person.
Sorry; I forgot my manners. You can call me mad though. :)

Like I said, it all comes down to what this person needs. I've used all three boards & have noticed that PHPBB has a crapload more mods than the others & great ones at that.

phpBB has more mods than VBulletin? Have you been to http://www.vbulletin.org ?

Well there is alot of mods there but i'd say there are more for phpBB.

So if you take IPB and vBulletin, their latest versions, and put them side by side, what exactly does vBulletin have that IPB doesnt have? or vice versa.

Yes, I have been to that site. PHPBB has more.

Originally posted by Shaliza
Yes, I have been to that site. PHPBB has more.

Well I would challenge you to find a couple for phpBB that do not exist for VBulletin if you have some free time to kill one day ;)

I am very interested in both vBulletin and Invision Power Board. However, I can only choose one and thus require your opinions on these topics so I can see which one suits my needs better.

1- Skinning
In terms of Skinning, which one do you feel has the best skinnablility? Is it easier to skin with IPB or vBulletin? Why?

2- Management
I personally tried out the demos of IPB 2.1 Admin Panel and the vBulletin's demo. However, I noticed that IPB's seems to be much more professional than vBulletin and had a much cleaner feel. vBulletin's Admin Control Panel seemed to be a bit sour for my taste. Is there a way to change the style of the skin in vBulletin?

3- Modding
Both IPB 2.1 and vBulletin seem to have pretty good mods. Which one has more? Is it easier to mod with IPB or vBulletin?

4- Features
Both software are chock filled with features, so many that some people call a few of them "bloatware". But which one has the most features? Are the features in vBulletin or IPB what you consider to be "bloatware"? Are there features in vBulletin that IPB doesnt have? Are there features in IPB that vBulletin doesn't have?

5- Ease of Use
In terms of the criteria from the 1st 4 subjects, please tell me what you feel is the ease of use. With many features in both vBulletin and IPB, there comes the fact of the comfortable setting of getting something done. Which has the upside in ease of use?

If you are willing to pay then get vBulletin. IPB changes prices every few weeks and their support is horrible. And vBulletin has much more skins and mods. IPB should be avoided like a plague.

If you don't want to pay then use phpBB.
Originally posted by phlint
If you want a large ammount of users, dont even think about using PHPBB.
http://www.big-boards.com ;) Look at what largest forum on internet uses.

V-Bulletin is much more powerful but more costly as well. :S

PHPBB can handle a large amount. I guess that was coming from someone who didn't try it.

Originally posted by CyberAlien
If you are willing to pay then get vBulletin. IPB changes prices every few weeks and their support is horrible.

I haven't had any problems with their support.

Originally posted by Ariel74
I haven't had any problems with their support.
I doubt CyberAlien even has an IPB license.

Originally posted by Influx
I doubt CyberAlien even has an IPB license.
I don't have, but few of my clients had. Most of them switched to vBulletin, one to SMF.

vBulletin, i like the easy skins, that nice editor, custom admincp skins. So many fetures, i haven't used them all yet! I've got 3 licences, all copyright removed.

If money is not a problem, vBulletin then.

Should you have no money, phpBB, heavily modded. Takes some time, but it's worth it. Still, if you have the bucks, try vBulletin

With custom designed SMF, with final version of UseBB, with MyBB, with a little moded PunBB and/or some versions of PHPBB, I think that there is no need for choosing a board software that requires a payment for licence.

I can only speak of IPB as I've never had admin experience with a VB board.

Skinning is very easy in IPB it requires you to upload an xml file through the admincp, upload any images that go with that forum (post icons etc) and then add a couple of lines in 1 or 2 files. repeate the last process for any other skins you've installed previously

The admin side of IPB is great, so much better than phpBB in pretty much every area. The features are great (couple more can be installed to make things even easier) the layout is great and it carrys out the professional look from the user side of the forum and enhances it greatly!

Modding is very easy to do on the forum, drop down box for an entire thread or buttons for individual posts.

I suggest you take a look at Invisionise (http://www.invisionize.com) for a huge range of mods to cater for all your needs.

I voted for IPB because it allows to upload images into the messages, and displays them as thumbnails. This allows to make my posts illustrated.

Also, the smile sets in IPB is far better than in VBulletin.

Vbulletin does that too. And you can dsownload smilies.

IPB just looks much much more sleeker than VBulletin. That's the only deciding factor for most new users really.

IPB just looks much much more sleeker than VBulletin. That's the only deciding factor for most new users really.
That's a pretty-pretty ignorant statement sir.

That's a pretty-pretty ignorant statement sir.

Re-read the damn quote.

IPB just looks much much more sleeker than VBulletin. That's the only deciding factor for most new users really.

Hypocrite. Most of the people I know find IPB boards to be more sleeker. Just because you don't agree with it, my statement is ignorant? Moron.

Every detail that Vbulletin has, who the hell would care? People would rather have something that looks cool than something that does everything that they will never care for.

IMHO, I must say IPB is the absolute best bulletin board software available.

I'm not being biased at all, as I have used all 3 (phpBB, vB and IPB).

IPB's admin control panel is amazing, tabbed, and very easy to navigate, you can even search the settings. The coding is very nice, practically all OOP. Very optimized and easy on servers, to install you enter your information and click next ONCE, it then installs it all in one step, all you have to do is login after that and it's all set up. Very nice front-end too! Backed by a well established company, IPS. They have many other products each with their own developers. Also has a very nice gallery and blog add-on.

vB's control panel is a mess, coding is terrible, and it lacks quite a few features. The install takes forever, and you have to click "next" each step, 10+, and it's not very stylish, I really don't like the front-end at all.

phpBB, not much to say about it. It's very insecure, lacks features, and nothing that I would ever want to use long term.

Re-read the damn quote.



Hypocrite. Most of the people I know find IPB boards to be more sleeker. Just because you don't agree with it, my statement is ignorant? Moron.

Every detail that Vbulletin has, who the hell would care? People would rather have something that looks cool than something that does everything that they will never care for.
:rolleyes: Dude, have you ever heard of the word skins? Get a life man.

:rolleyes: Dude, have you ever heard of the word skins? Get a life man.

And that post just shines of maturity? Many people do not want to skin their product and in that case the look of the default skin matters quite a bit.

And that post just shines of maturity? Many people do not want to skin their product and in that case the look of the default skin matters quite a bit.
Well, what if I say that I find vB's skin to be much sleeker than IPB's. An opinion isn't what makes it a fact.

And, it's your opinion that most people don't want to skin their products. Do you have any reearch or stats behind your statement? Well, if you have, please enligten me.

If you are willing to pay then get vBulletin. IPB changes prices every few weeks and their support is horrible. And vBulletin has much more skins and mods. IPB should be avoided like a plague.

If you don't want to pay then use phpBB.

big-boards.com ;) Look at what largest forum on internet uses.


I was going to refer that place to him/her. also another large phpbb laundromatic.net/phpbb/

sorry i can't post a link yet (only two post)

Well, what if I say that I find vB's skin to be much sleeker than IPB's. An opinion isn't what makes it a fact.

And, it's your opinion that most people don't want to skin their products. Do you have any reearch or stats behind your statement? Well, if you have, please enligten me.

*sigh* Have you not read the thread at all? It was never stated that VB, phpBB, or IPB have a better interface for a fact. If you find that post, please enlighten me. You also say it's my opinion that most people don't want to skin their products, when that is not my opinion. My opinion is that many people do not want to skin their products.

Now how about you lighten up a little bit instead of trying to get your point across by insults? If you would have read my post way back at the beginning of this thread you would see that I prefer the look of VBulletin personally.

*sigh* Have you not read the thread at all? It was never stated that VB, phpBB, or IPB have a better interface for a fact. If you find that post, please enlighten me. You also say it's my opinion that most people don't want to skin their products, when that is not my opinion. My opinion is that many people do not want to skin their products.

Now how about you lighten up a little bit instead of trying to get your point across by insults? If you would have read my post way back at the beginning of this thread you would see that I prefer the look of VBulletin personally.
I did read that and understood that vB is your choice. However, there isn't anything to prove that most people don't want to skin their sites or that IPB has a better skin. I find that most IPB owners skin their sites. I know sooooo many people who find vB's skin to be more professional.

It is just a myth that I find being spread by IPB people (including that the 15 minute response time is that of autoresponders :rolleyes:) which I wanted to burst here.

Wait a minute, there you go again. I never said most people, I said many people. Big difference between the two. You also are saying that people are stating facts here, asking them to prove them. Prove to me most IPB owners skin tehir sites, that it is IPB spreading these "myths", and that the 15 minute response time is that of autoresponders.

If you really have that much of an issue with IPB, start your own thread about it, or post the valid points in this one. Don't insult another member for no reason (your origional insult is much more cruel than the one that has been editited), and don't try and play semantics by taking statements made by people and assuming they are facts, and then asking for proof.

Wait a minute, there you go again. I never said most people, I said many people. Big difference between the two. You also are saying that people are stating facts here, asking them to prove them. Prove to me most IPB owners skin tehir sites, that it is IPB spreading these "myths", and that the 15 minute response time is that of autoresponders.

If you really have that much of an issue with IPB, start your own thread about it, or post the valid points in this one. Don't insult another member for no reason (your origional insult is much more cruel than the one that has been editited), and don't try and play semantics by taking statements made by people and assuming they are facts, and then asking for proof.
I apologize for the confusion between Many and Most. Also, please point where have I insulted someone or resorted to name calling and use the words Moron and hypocrite as have been used for me?

However, lemme show you the proof of the myths being spread. I had a rant about the whole thing here : http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showpost.php?p=945629&postcount=63.

Please be advised that I could have linked you to the original posts by IPB staff spreading this stuff but they seems to have removed the related threads from their forum.

:rolleyes: Dude, have you ever heard of the word skins? Get a life man.

Get a life for what? I have a life, a girlfriend, etc. in the real world. This is the internet, I keep my personal info. out of here. How bout you get a life?

You called me ignorant and told me to get a life. That's more than enough insults for me for having my OWN opinion.

What about skinning? I can't care less about skinning when there's so much skins out there than you can easily get for free in IPB that looks so much more sleeker than some vBulleting skins. Heck, even the WHT skins do not look good IMO.

As I said, people like you can nerd it up and say how much more features vBulletin have, but a normal user can't care less.