General Best Non-Self-Hosted Forum Software

[Cory]

As someone who has always used non-self-hosted forum software, I'm curious what your opinion on which one is the best.

I know self-hosting is generally the better route for various reasons, but please don't turn this topic into a debate between self-hosted and non-self-hosted forum software.

 

[Arantor]

Define best.

I’d say that XF Cloud and Invision Cloud have things to recommend both of them (esp Invision Cloud which has features not available in the self hosted edition) if you’re looking for a more traditional forum experience.

Circle has a lot going for it if you’re aiming for a more social network type feel, and it has video features that the self hosters mostly only dream of. I find it funny how much they talk up their customisation features but in reality compared to self hosting (or even Jcink/Proboards/Forumotion) it’s actually a bit tame. Popular with people who have a diverse community backing where the community itself has little in common with each other - think fan communities/promo sites for singers in bands. (This was my first exposure to Circle was the official fan club of Floor Jansen (Nightwish’s lead singer), FloorWorld.)

I’ve also heard mention of HiveBrite but I have yet to see any in action and yet to fully decipher the extreme corporate nonsense that is their website.

 

[Bryn]

ZetaBoards, until Brandon threw us all under the bus with Tapatalk...

 

[Arantor]

That’s kind of an indictment really that no service provider has managed to get to where we were, what, 15 years ago?

 

[Al]

(esp Invision Cloud which has features not available in the self hosted edition)

Which sort of features are they? Just out of interest.

 

[Arantor]

Which sort of features are they? Just out of interest.

Live topics, the real time trending stuff, courses - those are the big ones. I know Zapier got included when it was originally slated for cloud only, and I'm not sure off hand about the AI stuff (e.g. AI image detection)

Just downloading IC 5 beta now to take a look if anything else is missing. These things are not important to everyone but I know for some folks they are make-or-break functionality (especially courses)

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Define best.

I’d say that XF Cloud and Invision Cloud have things to recommend both of them (esp Invision Cloud which has features not available in the self hosted edition) if you’re looking for a more traditional forum experience.

Circle has a lot going for it if you’re aiming for a more social network type feel, and it has video features that the self hosters mostly only dream of. I find it funny how much they talk up their customisation features but in reality compared to self hosting (or even Jcink/Proboards/Forumotion) it’s actually a bit tame. Popular with people who have a diverse community backing where the community itself has little in common with each other - think fan communities/promo sites for singers in bands. (This was my first exposure to Circle was the official fan club of Floor Jansen (Nightwish’s lead singer), FloorWorld.)

I’ve also heard mention of HiveBrite but I have yet to see any in action and yet to fully decipher the extreme corporate nonsense that is their website.

I'm going to Second Circle.

I am the Community Manager for Copyblogger. Our community platform is Circle, which is like a forum with social networking features.

It's $100 a month for the best features.

I was building an upcoming paid community with it but decided to pause doing it until I get my courses made. I'd prefer to somewhat turn it into passive income if I can help it.

 

[Cory]

Define best.

What non-self-hosted forum software gives you the biggest bang for your buck, or the lack thereof? A combination of UI, features, support, etc.

Some great opinions thus far!

 

[Arantor]

See, that's kind of the problem: 'biggest bang for your buck' is notoriously hard to define given that not only do the options I mentioned have cloud plans, but Discourse, Flarum, NodeBB and others also have managed hosting where you just pay per month for the facilities - and it just so happens that you also can download that for your own uses/development etc.

And then you have Khoros. Non-self-hosted that's so expensive there isn't a pricing plan on the website, it's literally 'call us' pricing. Which means you can get an idea how much that costs.

Ultimately though, the different packages on offer make it really hard to compare - Invision Cloud vs others in particular is a really hard comparison once you get beyond the most basic packages because that offering isn't just a forum, it's the whole kit and kaboodle (forum, blogs, gallery, CMS, courses, commerce)

 

[CTS]

I'm biased. XFcloud.