subject: Which PHP Forum System is best? [print this page] Which PHP Forum System is best? Which PHP Forum System is best?
Which PHP Forum system is best?
Free and Open Source PHP Forum script which allows you to an online virtual community site whereby your member can interact, discuss and share items.
The best PHP forum software has got to be vBulletin, because it has unparalleled features and support.
The only problem is it costs over a hundred dollars. So that may be a problem if you're just starting out.
It used to be that the single largest competitor to vBulletin was phpBB, but it's no longer the case.
Recently I discovered a few VERY good free php forum scripts. I'm really amazed by them because all these scripts are lightweight, elegant, and fast! If you are looking to start your own forum, then these are the best free forum scripts that you can find. In no order of preference, they are:
1. PhpBB
2. BbPress
3. FluxBB4. Simple Machines Forum
PhpBB is the world's leading Open Source flat style discussion PHP forum. It includes all the features you expect to find in today's top of the line project. It can be used to stay in touch with a group of people or can power your entire website. With an extensive database of user-created modifications and styles database containing hundreds of style and image packages to customise your board, you can create a very unique forum in minutes.
These Free PHP Forum scripts you can find on PHPKode.com, where you can find more free PHP forum system.
One thing that you MUST consider, however, is the future of your website. These relatively-new forum scripts have a rather different backend structure as compared to vBulletin and looking through the current database importer scripts that vBulletin provides, only phpBB can be seamlessly imported into vBulletin with ease.
So if you're looking to upgrade to something like vBulletin, then these forums might not be such a good idea. If you'd like something safer, go with phpBB. It's free, it's feature-packed, and it has a huge community that provides support and mods free. In fact, one hugely popular free mod for phpBB is a free WordPress and phpBB bridge plugin.
