why does vb cost so much money?

[cjh3n]

honestly? i mean, i understand that vbulletin makes an amazing message board (probably the best there is). but i just don't understand how VB charges $85 a year when phpBB and others like it are free?

i have no problem paying for a good program or service, but i guess i just dont understand why it's so much (especially for a college kid)

if someone could please explain to me why i should spend $85 a year on VB as opposed to using a free phpBB board (which I have also heard great things about), i'd appreciate it.

[Joe Page]

Originally posted by cjh3n
honestly? i mean, i understand that vbulletin makes an amazing message board (probably the best there is). but i just don't understand how VB charges $85 a year when phpBB and others like it are free?

i have no problem paying for a good program or service, but i guess i just dont understand why it's so much (especially for a college kid)

if someone could please explain to me why i should spend $85 a year on VB as opposed to using a free phpBB board (which I have also heard great things about), i'd appreciate it.

Well, vBulletin is a great script

As vBulletin is a paid board, you will get support, regular upgrades, bug fixes etc. vBulletin also has sites dedicated to it (e.g http://www.vbulletintemplates.com). Still not convinced? Why not try phpBB, then try vBulletin? If you are serious about having a stable community, then vBulletin is right for you

[cjh3n]

the reason i cant try phpBB and then try vb is because if i try vb, i have to invest at least $85. so technically i wouldnt call that trying. especially after reading the post before this which states there are no guarantees

[Floris]

You shouldn't compare freeware stuff with commercial packages.

vB is the best deal, and its money worth. Since I had vB, my community was more stable, less problems and more registrations and topics/posts then with freeware boards.

Don't invest 85$, invest the full 160$ for owned license.

[dav3]

I would have to agree. I have not yet purchased it (dont have the money), but I love the way vB runs. I must be a member of like 5 vB boards. I even tried out vB Lite (when it was around), which still beat the free ones. vB is definately worth $160.

[Andy Z]

Originally posted by cjh3n
honestly? i mean, i understand that vbulletin makes an amazing message board (probably the best there is). but i just don't understand how VB charges $85 a year when phpBB and others like it are free?

i have no problem paying for a good program or service, but i guess i just dont understand why it's so much (especially for a college kid)

if someone could please explain to me why i should spend $85 a year on VB as opposed to using a free phpBB board (which I have also heard great things about), i'd appreciate it.

And to once again reiterate, vB competes with products like UBB, Lithium, and others, with free bulletin board systems.

That's why it cost money, and compared to the two commercial packages I mentioned above, it is the best deal. (Especially considering Lithium cost is in tens of thousands.)

[ManagerJosh]

Well try the admindemo. It gives you a good feel on what vBulletin would be like when you purchase it

http://www.vbulletin.com/admindemo

You don't even need the money back guarentee because you'll be happy with vBulletin so why need a guarentee? Satisfaction is guarenteed 110%

[Wayne Luke]

Originally posted by cjh3n
the reason i cant try phpBB and then try vb is because if i try vb, i have to invest at least $85. so technically i wouldnt call that trying. especially after reading the post before this which states there are no guarantees

Try phpBB and when it fails to scale to your needs, come back and we will help you out. Find out how many of their known customers have more than 1 million posts, more than 100,000 and then look at our custoemrs.

[ManagerJosh]

Originally posted by Wayne Luke
Try phpBB and when it fails to scale to your needs, come back and we will help you out. Find out how many of their known customers have more than 1 million posts, more than 100,000 and then look at our custoemrs.

Wayne forgot the URL!!!

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...threadid=47430

[JeffJ]

Originally posted by ManagerJosh
Wayne forgot the URL!!!

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...threadid=47430

this is a really funny question. IMHO : I think the product is worth 5 times what Vbulletin asks. This is definately a $499 product and I probably would have spent that much on it...

without sounding like a smart-ass I suggest you really should try the really cheap and free products - live with the problems, lack-of-support and lack-of-functionality, then come back here a few months from now and get the best Bulletin Board Software on Planet Earth.

my humble opinion...

- jeff

[Beorn]

Have you ever tried to use phpBB? The phpBB admin panel is a laugh compared to vBulletin's. I've tried somewhere around 15 bulletin board softwares, and vBulletin is, to me, the greatest. Before I got my host, I was running it off my personal server (a 133Mhz w/128MB of RAM on FreeBSD), and vBulletin ran a just as fast, or quicker than phpBB.

However, I really shouldn't be doing this. You can't compare freeware with something you pay for. phpBB is IMO the best of the free softwares. However, the admin panel is a bit hairy to use, as well as lacking (i.e. offline template edits) in features. vBulletin is the best (that I've tried) of the paid software.

[Dr Shark]

I don't know why people think vbulletin's cost so much,
ubb is alot more money and same with Lithium, imho vbulletin is the best forum software and is the cheapest.

[Blink|vB]

Originally posted by DS2K2
I don't know why people think vbulletin's cost so much,
ubb is alot more money and same with Lithium, imho vbulletin is the best forum software and is the cheapest.

Those suck, so people dont want to use them :P

I admit, vB is expencive and I cant afford it atm, but once I can, I think I will buy it :P

I have tried a ton of free boards, and they all are crap compared to vB in features, ease of use, and other things! The only other board that I would think of using is wBB 2.0, and it also costs, but is only $25 for a lifetime licence!

[fastforward]

Originally posted by xiphoid
And to once again reiterate, vB competes with products like UBB, Lithium, and others, with free bulletin board systems.

That's why it cost money, and compared to the two commercial packages I mentioned above, it is the best deal. (Especially considering Lithium cost is in tens of thousands.)

Originally posted by Andy Z
You shouldn't compare freeware stuff with commercial packages.

To be fair... if you can't compare phpbb with vB then you shouldn't be comparing vB with Lithium.

If your reasoning is that vB and Lithium are commercial packages, then the fact that all three are forum packages should also be enough.

[Iwk_Batterio]

Originally posted by Blink|vB
but is only $25 for a lifetime licence!

I have tested it but I think they aren't as good as vBulletin