MYBB vs PHPBB vs SMF

[shamildx85]

Which one is the currently best free Forum script?
8)

 

[carl6969]

I personally prefer MyBB because of the features available and ease of use. I have tried all of those forums and in my opinion MyBB is second only to expensive commercial forum scripts. But, that is just my own opinion.
The question you presented is much like asking somebody if they prefer Coca Cola or Pepsi, Ford or GM, HP or Dell. They are all good products and folks will tell you that they prefer one over the other choices and then offer some good reasons why they prefer one particular one over the other choices.

 

[dfsgdgdf]

SMF will get my vote any day of the week, no questions asked.

 

[Jessica.C]

phpBB definitely. SMF comes second. Never used MyBB

 

[sonicsshadow]

I used PhpBB for years before finally switching to SMF. SMF has been a much more enjoyable experience. I am of course referring to SMF 2.0 and PhpBB 3.0. However, both SMF and PhpBB are reasonable choices. Go with whichever one you like better.

I have never used MyBB so I cannot comment on it.

 

[shamildx85]

I know its very difficult to select one ,all of those have unique features , all of those forums are opensource so those have big development team , and hundreds of mods available to get for free,

 

[zbloomq35]

I like MyBB. It's easy to integrate with websites, it is loaded with features, and the codebase is very clean (albeit confusing). It also has a thriving community and very few security issues when compared to phpBB or SMF.

 

[amisopno91]

I am also looking forward to open a forum. I am getting confused. I want my user to upload their avatar as a link from other photo sharing website. Not directly storing on my forum host. Is it possible with any one of them?

Thanks in advance

 

[spacepir]

phpBB3 allows you to customize what you want to do with user avatars.

I'd recommend phpBB3. I've used it since day one, and have never looked back.

 

[chatngox]

MyBB looks like the old IPB, not?
PHPBB does have alot of tools and tweaks available (if you do a plain install without mods)
Smf seems to be hog! But the latest it seems to be better. There're lot of portals to choose from to make your homepage. YEah, it's hard to say! (gravata support available with mods)

 

[rajdeep01]

I prefer MyBB because of the features available and ease of use.

 

[Z3R0xZ3R0]

I am also looking forward to open a forum. I am getting confused. I want my user to upload their avatar as a link from other photo sharing website. Not directly storing on my forum host. Is it possible with any one of them?

Thanks in advance

Yes its possible. you just have to drop the avatar size to something unreal. Example, the default is 100x100 with i think 50KB as the max limit for avatars. Drop the kb size to something like 1 or 0. This will give them an error about size when they try to upload an avatar but force users to use external links. The upload size does not have a bearing on external links, just the dimensions. Alternatively you can password protect the avatar folder from you cpanel which will block access to uploads to that folder.

 

[Z3R0xZ3R0]

I prefer MyBB. It's easier to use than most and i like the plugins that they have to offer. I may give the others a fair shake when i get the chance.

 

[dWhite]

Used to be an avid SMF fan, but that quickly changed when I tried out MyBB. Simple, elegant, quite fast and lots of themes and plugins to go along with it.

 

[Skizzerz]

For free forum scripts, I prefer MyBB; I have found it tons easier to use, set up, style, etc. compared to phpBB and SMF. I used to run phpBB a lot, but back when I stopped it was stupidly hard to install mods and keep everything updated (since mods were exactly that -- modifications, which meant unless you were very careful when upgrading the base software, you could wipe them out entirely). I just never liked SMF's visual appearance and organization, can't really say why.

 

[dWhite]

For free forum scripts, I prefer MyBB; I have found it tons easier to use, set up, style, etc. compared to phpBB and SMF. I used to run phpBB a lot, but back when I stopped it was stupidly hard to install mods and keep everything updated (since mods were exactly that -- modifications, which meant unless you were very careful when upgrading the base software, you could wipe them out entirely). I just never liked SMF's visual appearance and organization, can't really say why.

Oh goodness don't even get me started on installing mods to phpBB, especially the more advanced mods that require upwards of 45-60 minutes to install. Horrible experience.
Also in terms of security, MyBB and SMF are both way better than phpBB.

 

[Ohso]

All three software work just fine alone. If you want simplicity, you probably don't want to hack away and worry about modifications. but that's what I like most about phpbb3. I love fiddling with php and don't mind creating custom pages and mods to my liking, so it works out for me.

Also in terms of security, MyBB and SMF are both way better than phpBB.

Not true at all phpbb3 had a paid security audit( by Stefan Esser ) when it's 3.x line came out and has been going solid since. mybb, for example, has had to address some issues just this year alone .

 

[dWhite]

Not true at all phpbb3 had a paid security audit( by Stefan Esser ) when it's 3.x line came out and has been going solid since. mybb, for example, has had to address some issues just this year alone .

I know every software has security problems and none are 100% secure, I was meaning in overall terms of security phpBB has the lowest and also has had the most security problems among the free forum software.

 

[TPCR]

I have only ever used phpBB and it has a lot pf bugs that had to be ironed out, and there are still bugs present, that I am still trying to get sorted