Is it even worth trying to make money from a forum anymore?

[Al]

Let’s start with the obvious question. Forums aren’t exactly high-traffic cash cows in 2025. Ad revenue is low unless you’ve got serious numbers, and most users treat paywalls like a personal insult. So is it still worth the effort to monetise? Or is it better to just treat the forum as a hobby and skip the stress? If you are trying to earn something, what are you doing and is it working?

The dream would be to make a living from a forum - but is it just that, a dream? And do we need to wake up and face reality?