Xenforo or something else?

[Opus X]

I purchased this site and the software for a very low price of $25.
That included a period of free hosting and the script with two plug ins.
But after running it for a short while and participating on the Xenforo site I think I and the developers of it are of a different mindset.
I think that it should offer more for the users of it.
The developers apparently think it is more important to give precedence to developers and leave the end users hanging in the wind and if wanting more open your wallet.
I do have a problem with that philosophy as it is severely short sighted to me.
Part of my view is based upon the fact that I don't have a steady income so the more I can get from my software itself the better.
If I have to start looking at buying outside plug-ins or add-ons that can get expensive and this site makes no money.

I know the guy that i purchased this software from was of the same mindset.
In fact so much so that his calling out the developers for what he considered their stupidity resulted in him being banned from their support site after being active on it for over a decade.
To me, that indicates a massive issue with developers when someone who has been a support of your software for over 10 years gets what some would call loud and then banned.

I honestly would not recommend anyone to look at Xenforo for any more than a simple forum script.
From my short time of using it, it is readily seems that they currently do not care what they offer the site members.
They concentrate on what developers want or can offer and often at an additional cost to that site admin.
It appears to be all about control and not paying attention to what their customers want.
It is their way or the highway and your users are not important to them.
So, I am looking at other software.
This is your chance to vote for the forward momentum of the site.

 

[Tracy]

I recommend sticking with what you have currently.
Yes, XenForo has limitations currently in what it offers your users without deep diving into add-ons and then the associated dependency on those developers keeping them current.
But until you can get the site gaining some traction you need to concentrate more on it than what software it is running. The other side of that coin is that once your users get used to a certain look/feel they may not want to change or not be comfortable with changing to a new software.

 

[Opus X]

I have been visiting the Invision alpha site and like what I have seen.
In some ways I like the way the program works in a way as a user that is sensible and easy to undestand.
I know you have warned me about them doing away with self hosted version but if they still have the new version in self hosted it will not be any different than running an older version of XenForo.
As to the comment about users getting used to what is used and then changing that is one of my concerns.
I would rather run what I plan on keeping the whole time.
Invision would allow me to offer some of the functions of the outside add ons that I currently cannot afford.
It is a catch-22 as I need money to get the add ons that I would like to have to be able to generate traffic that might bring money into the site to pay for those add ons.

 

[Tracy]

Yes Invision looks promising. But one of the major issues I have is their lack of promise of self hosting beyond their v5 offering.
Granted, that version could be valid for 1-2 years... or it could be only for 6 months until they come up with something new. This is a major issue for any site that is planning long term.
I have no issues with SaaS, but it does cause problems when a site admin has more than one site that they run. Then you need to maintain the cloud offering as well as the self-hosted sites. It simply increases the cost, and in the case of Invision, that can equate to over $1000 USD a year.
Over the decade of being involved in the various scripts, Invision has been the WORST in lack of stability in what they offer. As soon as they see the flows change, they change their licensing or offering aspects, usually at an additional cost to their license holders.
They are more concerned with corporate clients than what we simple hobbyist offer. Never mind the fact that we hobbyist are what got Invision to the point that they are.
Don't get me wrong... Invsion offers a very nice all-inclusive package when compared to XenForo. They also tend to push their script to offer more benefits to the end user. But you ultimately have to look at the total costs to provide what you want. In some instances Invision with their all-inclusive package will meet your needs. But in other instances, XenForo with their well designed 3rd party add-ons will offer more.

As much as I dislike the current attitude of the XenForo developers... I would still encourage you to stick with it until the site gets going. At that point, you may want to look at moving. But why waste money that you could either use elsewhere on this current site or simply set back for future use?

 

[Opus X]

If the site takes off and I can get to monetizing it the self hosted may not be a requirement.
If it paid for their cloud offering that would take a load off you and it might work well.
I do not see me running any additional sites like you do.
Right now I will keep running xenforo since it only cost me slightly more than free because of the deal you gave me.
If I had to pay full price I probably would be running one of the free packages to start out and this is much better than them.