Invision Power Boards

The_Omnigamer · Joined: 07 Jul 2008 Posts: 5

I currently have a small forum under the invisionfree board host, however, I was thinking about upgrading to a paid forum host that'll help me attract more visitors and one that will allow more features to be added to the site. I generally like the InvisionFree setup, so I was thinking about upgrading to either InvisonPlus or Invision Power Boards, however, after working with IP through another small forum which I help administrate, I can say I'm not really fond with how it works... So for the people who have used IPB, is it worth looking into for a paid forum host, and how much different is it to the standard InvisionFree board host (besides the obvious with more features, ect.)

Jason · Joined: 15 Aug 2008 Posts: 5

Personally, I'm not a fan of Invision Power Boards based forums. I really dislike how the Administrator Control Panel looks like because, in my opinion, it's very hard to navigate through. If you want to have a forum that gives you a lot of control, try the other free forum software such as phpBB, MyBB and/or SMF. They're all great free forum software to use on a site. I believe each one of those forum software have more than enough modifications to make your forum very attractive and professional.

But to answer your question, you really shouldn't pay for something you don't really like. You can always just try out the free versions. Then, when you get slightly addicted to IPB, you can try out a paid service.

Noidall · Joined: 26 Sep 2008 Posts: 5

I highly recommend IPB over other types of forum software. (Especially with 3.0 on the horizon) I use it personally on a few of my own forums, and never have had a problem with it. (Aside from breaking it myself of course)

It has thousands upon thousands of mods, and skins (which are more graphically inclined, versus what vBulletin offers). So you can have your forum setup exactly the way you want it, without much hassle.

I've used all types of forum software (vBulletin, IPB, phpBB, MyBB and a few ASP forums), and the IPB admin panel is by far the easiest to use, and navigate. (Plus, there are hundreds of modifications specifically catered to the admin panel, to make it even easier to use) Nothing is more than 5-6 clicks away.

Also, InvisionFree really limits IPB quite a bit. You have a set selection of mods you can install, and skins are near impossible. InvisionFree vs. IPB Full, is a big difference. (You'll like the full IPB, trust me)