Free or Premium Software?

[Ash]

With so many options out there, it's easy to say that whether you pick free or premium software for your website, it won't be a bad decision if the software fits the needs of your site. But do you prefer to go for premium software? Or do you try to stick to free software?

 

[TopSilver]

RE: Free or Premium Software?

This is a good thread. I actually prefer premium software but if I'm low on money and wanted to start a new project, myBB honestly isn't half that bad. Considering you can transfer everything on the forum to Xenforo 2 later.

 

[zoldos]

RE: Free or Premium Software?

If I know a site will be successful I like to use paid software. Mainly being Xenforo and Sngine.

 

[Joshua Farrell]

RE: Free or Premium Software?

It depends on the type of site I want to run, and the available addons and extras that I can add to it, to make the site more useful over a clean install. I prefer Premium Softwares, but getting addons for them can be a pain in the wallet.

 

[zoldos]

RE: Free or Premium Software?

I go with paid software almost exclusively. I know what you mean about plugins tho. Typically, my members donate to pay for extra stuff,

 

[Empire]

RE: Free or Premium Software?

Easily Photoshop and the rest of the Creative Suite, because especially Photoshop is so much better than anything else in that direction. Gimp is a joke compared to Photoshop. But then again, you can get cracked edtion of any paid software  Photoshop to even video edtion. I paid $60 back in 2010 for powerdirector and couble years later you have to buy it again if you wanted the new powerdirector software. I then loved using Sony video edtion that I got for free as cracked  

YEAH - Free are good for being free and you only have so much limits, but paid you expect to get just about anything as it's paid. 

 

[TopSilver]

RE: Free or Premium Software?

Easily Photoshop and the rest of the Creative Suite, because especially Photoshop is so much better than anything else in that direction. Gimp is a joke compared to Photoshop. But then again, you can get cracked edtion of any paid software  Photoshop to even video edtion. I paid $60 back in 2010 for powerdirector and couble years later you have to buy it again if you wanted the new powerdirector software. I then loved using Sony video edtion that I got for free as cracked  
YEAH - Free are good for being free and you only have so much limits, but paid you expect to get just about anything as it's paid. 

I never thought to use cracked versions since I was only a youth. Maybe when I was 12 years old which I'm 31 now I would get the here and there cracked version of something. Adobe Flash MX professional for example and maybe music but they crack down on that these days so about when I turned 13-14 years old I stopped doing that. They have ways to tell if your downloading torrents and even some ISPs actually handle that by calling police. Many people have had it happen.  I just buy what I'm using but some of these things like adobe products are incredibly expensive. Which is why I use GIMP and don't use any of their products at all.

 

[Shole]

RE: Free or Premium Software?

Paid ones are usually a noch better, because they are easier to use. I do love free tools and I do crack a lot of them, but honestly, I try to buy whatever I can afford nowadays

 

[Nomad]

RE: Free or Premium Software?

I use wordpress. There is no other software as good as wordpresss, not even the premium software. You can create any kind of websites with wordpress. I have used free forum software, and based on my experience, I think free forum software like myBB phpbb, smf are as good as xenforo.

 

[Gamer Guy]

RE: Free or Premium Software?

I don't judge by free or premium. 

Look at Wordpress for example. It's free but used by many and it works for most people. It gets regular updates and might be one of the most used web scripts in 2022. So I have no problem using Wordpress.

But when it comes to something like forum software, I'm wary about the free options. I don't mind signing up on a forum that uses it most of the time, but I can't see myself ever using it for a forum I'll run. 

 

[Jason Y]

RE: Free or Premium Software?

If I had to redo things, I wouldn't pick premium software.  However, at the moment I have so many XenForo licenses.   Well, the reason for my decision is due to the fact that phpBB is now totally mobile compliant with all themes.  Also, that might be true with other forum software, but I know MyBB and SMF still need mobile friendly themes.   Anyway, with the other free forum software, it's not a big deal to get a mobile theme.   Anything is way cheaper than paying for so-called professional software.

Nonetheless, though, I can see the market for premium software, as everyone isn't as proficient at DIY (Do It Yourself) stuff.   Also, some just would like many mods and stuff to come "out of the box".  Others just might be so impressed with premium software, they're just in love with it and/or they really like a premium software only theme.

 

[Nomad]

One of the reasons why I use free software is that by using free software I can keep my website cost low, when my website maintenance cost is low, I can run my website for a long time with out worrying about finances.

 

[Jason76]

I am using SMF for two of my forums and XenForo for one. Well, XF is far better cause it has more cool doo-dads on it, you know, stuff like the built-in reactions mod.

Note: I will probably move everything to XF at some point, even though I really like SMF. XF and other paid stuff is simply better software.

 

[webby]

I think I would start with free software, which would act as a prototype before I make more of an investment with premium software. I would like to at least test my site out so that I know it's worth it.

 

[kensonplays]

Honestly to me, it depends. I use some free software, some cheap (meaning lifetime licenses vs yearly/monthly), and some paid software.

For example, I'd rather use Affinity Photo and Davinci Resolve over Photoshop and Premiere Pro.

Then there's free apps, like LibreOffice or OpenOffice instead of Microsoft office.

 

[Heatman]

I've never been the kind of person that is interested in making use of any products that is offered for free because I know that there are so many disadvantages in making use of them. When it comes to the kind of forum software that I like working with, it is always going to be paid softwares with Xenforo as my favorite.

 

[Shortie]

I don't mind going for free software if that is the better option for me but if I can go premium, I would rather take that route. I feel premium forum software has so much more to offer over free options and a lot of the options they offer, I always have a use for.

My favourite choices are

Free - MyBB
Premium - Xenforo

 

[PixelPioneer]

Personally, I find that free software offers a great starting point, especially when you’re experimenting or working on a tight budget. It’s amazing what some of these platforms can achieve without any cost. However, I also recognize the value in premium software—the additional features, support, and overall polish can be well worth the investment for a serious project.

Ultimately, I believe it’s all about finding the right tool for the job. Whether it’s a robust CMS like WordPress or a powerful forum software like XenForo, the best choice is the one that aligns with your goals and provides the functionality you need.

 

[Laifot]

There are several POVs over this particular thread, i might add that talking about office tools like Microsoft Office, it's hard for me to replace it over an Open Source product, i was raised with it and probably gonna die using it, i'm not closed to learn other things, but i find easier to stick with it for the moment.

In the forum department, i always liked free forums like mybb or phpbb, but all people have their favorites

If i had to pay for one, my choice would be xenforo as well.