Vbulletin 4 vs Vbulletin 5 vs Xenforo

[Maksi]

Hello All,

I'm planning on buying another license for a forum and I don't know which software to go with. I was thinking about getting another Vbulletin license, but I'm having seconds thoughts. The reason I'm having seconds thoughts is because I posted about having issues with the RSS feed and got no response from any of the staff http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum...-stream-issues

Another reason is because I noticed that Digitalpoint switched from Vbulletin to Xenforo and I read from a post that shawn wrote, that he likes Xenforo much better than Vbulletin. From what shawn wrote Xenforo uses less resources. Why would such a big forum make the switch?

If I decide to buy the Vbulletin software, which version would you suggest I go with?
The only Vbulletin version that I've used as an admin is Vbulletin 4.x.x. As a user I've used all versions and so far my favorites are 3.x.x and 4.x.x. Besides posting in this community forum here at Vbulletin.com, I've never used Vbulletin 5.x.x, so I really don't have much experience with it.
So which version would you go with if you were building a new forum?

Thanks

[yogesh]

As of now, there are no compelling reasons to use vBulletin 5 on a forum, whether new or old.

vBulletin 4, Xenforo and IPB on the other hand are stable and feature rich enough to be top contenders for anyone looking to start a forum. I don’t run a Xenforo forum, however I do run a vBulletin 4 and IPB forum and although I like both of them, vBulletin just feels more at home, a sentiment echoed by many forum users.

Having said that, you need to look at the development of all these software and see whether or not you are satisfied with the pace at which they are begin developed and whether you see yourself sticking to these 5-6 years down the road.

As far as vBulletin 4 is concerned, I hate the fact that there is no inbuilt like or tagging system, that most if not all users, come to expect and demand these days. Apart from that, it is mostly alright and with 4.2.2 update promising PHP 5.4 compatibility, it should be slightly better, performance wise.

[glennrocksvb]

You can do a vB5 trial here to see if it currently meets your needs.

[socceronly]

If you need a CMS then 4 is probably the best bet. It works pretty well now, and there is still some more dev to go on it.

[TLMD]

All the different forum software you mentioned can be tested, so I'd definetly try out the trial versions before making a purchase decision.

Regarding "What version to use": Since you already have a vB4 experience, keep in mind that vB5 currently doesn't have all the features of vB4. So if you need a CMS for example, you should wait until vB5 has it, too.

[Loco.M]

I'd suggest you do more researching..

[dougdirac]

I can't see any good reason to use vB5 at this point and it should be considered Beta. Maybe in a year?

vB4 is currently a good product, but development is at a near standstill. Customers have to beg for the most basic of updates that are about a year overdue. The top voted items in Jira seem to be basically ignored. Feels like there's no future.

I've heard good things about XenForo. The product seems to have good development, but still has a little ways to go to catch up to vB4. However, there may be some 3rd party add ons that help close the gap.

[In Omnibus]

Every product on the market is disappointing in one way or another. Pick your poison.

[Maksi]

Hello All,

Thank you for your responses! I think I will ended up buying a new Vbulletin license and sticking with Vbulletin 4.x.x for this new project. I will also buy Xenforo to check it out and to use on another project.

Once again thank you for your suggestions.

Thanks

[rudedog1968]

When you have some time to use both, make sure you come back here and let everyone know your findings.