MyBB or IP Boards

[dfarmer2001]

Hello everyone,

I have a question and I would like your feedback. I recently opened my forum website around a week ago, www.FortniteChatter.com. I had hired a developer for the theme and got everything set up the way I wanted it. I had never used IP Boards but the developer highly recommended I use that forum software, so I went with his recommendation. I used to run MyBB forums and I feel like it's more user-friendly and has a lot more free plugin options available. Nearly every plugin with IP Boards has to be purchased, and unfortunately due to my web host, I would have to purchase IP Boards premium lifetime access for over $700 in order to be able to even purchase and/or install plugins. My developer informed me that he could get me any plugin I needed and would install it free of charge. However, I feel like I should convert to MyBB.

My main concern is, will MyBB hold up if my community continues to grow? Is there a maximum amount that MyBB forums can hold? If I decided to switch to MyBB, would the transition of users, topics, and posts be an easy process or would it mess up everything? My website has been active for around a week and already has nearly 100 topics and right at 200 replies, along with over 30 members. Every time I search Google, I find that people recommend IP Boards over MyBB because IP Boards supposedly offer more functions than MyBB. I honestly don't want things to be too complicated and even the simpler functions should be fine.

 

[AlexanderM]

Hello everyone,

I have a question and I would like your feedback. I recently opened my forum website around a week ago, www.FortniteChatter.com. I had hired a developer for the theme and got everything set up the way I wanted it. I had never used IP Boards but the developer highly recommended I use that forum software, so I went with his recommendation. I used to run MyBB forums and I feel like it's more user-friendly and has a lot more free plugin options available. Nearly every plugin with IP Boards has to be purchased, and unfortunately due to my web host, I would have to purchase IP Boards premium lifetime access for over $700 in order to be able to even purchase and/or install plugins. My developer informed me that he could get me any plugin I needed and would install it free of charge. However, I feel like I should convert to MyBB.

My main concern is, will MyBB hold up if my community continues to grow? Is there a maximum amount that MyBB forums can hold? If I decided to switch to MyBB, would the transition of users, topics, and posts be an easy process or would it mess up everything? My website has been active for around a week and already has nearly 100 topics and right at 200 replies, along with over 30 members. Every time I search Google, I find that people recommend IP Boards over MyBB because IP Boards supposedly offer more functions than MyBB. I honestly don't want things to be too complicated and even the simpler functions should be fine.

I would honestly choose XenForo over IP Boards. However, if you do decide to switch to myBB, you can take a look at this article on myBB here. It might be a little outdated in terms of the version, but the idea is pretty much the same. To put it simply, the ipb database needs to be imported into web server (through phpMyAdmin), and then a user needs to be added for that database and all privileges should be granted for that user through cpanel or your web admin panel.

Then, after installing a clean install of myBB, you would need to use the merge feature and fill in the required fields. The table prefix should be found in your config.php file in the public_html directory folder.

Database Host
This is the server where the database is. Unless told otherwise by your host, this should be localhost.

Database Username
This is the username used to access the forum database for the forum software you are converting from.

Database Password
This is the corresponding password for the database username you entered.

Database Name
This is the name of the database that the forum software is installed to.

Table Prefix
This is the prefix to all of the database fields for the forum software you are converting from.

Database Engine

This is the engine that the forum software is running on.

For further guidance, I would recommend looking at the following: https://docs.mybb.com/1.8/merge/running/

 

[dfarmer2001]

@Alexander Thank you for the information. I had took a look at MyBB and noticed several plugins I would have used are no longer supported by the plugin creators. I was taking a look at phpBB. Would you still recommend xenforo over phpBB?

 

[AlexanderM]

@Alexander Thank you for the information. I had took a look at MyBB and noticed several plugins I would have used are no longer supported by the plugin creators. I was taking a look at phpBB. Would you still recommend xenforo over phpBB?

I’d recommend XenForo over phpBB. phpBB is a open source project, meaning updates to plug-ins and the software itself is less maintained than a paid solution like XenForo. XenForo has a ton of plug-in ins just like IPB.

I know there is a demo version on the XenForo website that you can use to try out the software. The interface is really easy to use in the administration panel.

 

[dfarmer2001]

I’d recommend XenForo over phpBB. phpBB is a open source project, meaning updates to plug-ins and the software itself is less maintained than a paid solution like XenForo. XenForo has a ton of plug-in ins just like IPB.

I know there is a demo version on the XenForo website that you can use to try out the software. The interface is really easy to use in the administration panel.

Okay, final question, with Xenforo are there a lot of free plugins available or would I have to purchase a lot of plugins?

 

[WebKitty]

I would also recommend Xenforo myself. You can compare features and plugins for yourself if you are not 100%.

In terms of free plugins, you get a lot of base features without using any but you should plan to spend some money on plugins to fit your needs accordingly. I believe I have spent $70 on plugins for my newer forum.

 

[Nomad]

Well, I wouldn't be able to answer your questions even though I am running a forum on MyBB. However, I would like to believe that MyBB being an open source platform, it will be constantly developed and you might be able to run any size of communities.