anyone here used phpbb before switching to vbulletin?

[FutureMan]

I currently use phpbb and I was wondering if anyone here had switched over from phpbb to vbulletin on their forums, and if they were pleased. I'm happy with phpbb but i've heard vbulletin is a lot better... is it worth the money?

Thanks,
FutureMan

[UHN_ED]

I used phpBB, Ikonboard, UBB, and Invision before vB.

I paid $200 for UBB, but ditched it after a week because I didn't like it. I like vB very much, if I didn't it would be gone as well.

[thefluke]

I would compare using phpbb to using usenet if you compare it to vB. The options you have with vB are just amazing in comparison.

[daemon]

I used to use phpBB, and in comparison to vB, it's an easy choice.

I shelled out $160, but it was worth it. The code is clean, and template modifications/hacking is so much easier.

Worth every penny.

[FutureMan]

is it overall easy to customize? like style wise? cuz one of my favorite things about phpbb is that the styles are so easy to chage and the selection is great, are there a lot of styles available for vbulletin?

[daemon]

Well... there aren't as many styles that you can find just sitting ready to download like with phpBB, but there is a page in the Admin Control Panel which allows you to input color HEX values and it'll do the rest.

But, on www.vbulletintemplates.com you can get some decent styles and button sets.

[qxh]

I've used phpbb, ipb, ikonboard, etc and vbulletin is much better than all them (e.g. more features, less load on the server)

[Marco]

I went vBulletin -> phpBB when my license expired, and a few months later I couln't stand it anymore so I went back to vBulletin.

[John Round]

I remember a week or two before my leased license expiring converting my forums to phpBB. The convertor was rubbish and maybe 2 hours later I decided to cancel the conversion prject and upgrade to a owned vBulletin license

[Scott MacVicar]

I used XMB for one of my sites and it was far too hard to maintain, I then went and tried phpBB and realised it looked very pretty but it was near impossible to change away from the Sub Silver scheme so I went back to XMB then I got a job at vBulletin and switched it to vB

[UHN_ED]

is it overall easy to customize? like style wise? cuz one of my favorite things about phpbb is that the styles are so easy to chage and the selection is great, are there a lot of styles available for vbulletin?

Believe me, phpBB is not easy to customize. With vB, you do not have to upload any files, you have no files to edit. It is a template system.

Check out the admin panel to see. It will take a very short while to learn what each template does. Also, the admin panel and the template manager in vB3 is much much better.

[nemesis01]

I didn't but wish I had, would have saved me money on a UBB licence which was (at the time) the most unreliable peice of crap ever. Then I got VB and never looked back, or anywhere else.

[Mainer82]

I also had phpBB. It is not easy to customize. It's very easy to do anything with vB. Trust me, it's worth it.

[FutureMan]

I also had phpBB. It is not easy to customize. It's very easy to do anything with vB. Trust me, it's worth it.

haha well phpbb was the only forum system i've ever used, so i'm basing my idea of ease off of that. i never really found it hard but if vbulletin doesnt need uploaded templates that sounds pretty easy too.

[Brandon]

http://www.vbulletin.com/admindemo/admin/

username: admin
password: admin

That is what the ACP is like for vB2. vB3 is 10x better, but you can get the basic idea with the one provided. I bought my vB after using wBB and pirated vB's and have never looked at any other forum software. Nothing else compares to vB, IMHO.

EDIT: Sentence fix...thanks squall