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So on the ZB version we had a thread that discussed various services and software for forums that was started by QueenZelda.
http://s1.zetaboards.com/The_Coffee_Hous...c/8284286/

Make sure to read it to get a gist of what we've covered previously.
The goal for this thread is to continue comparing and contrasting various forum software out there to help those that might want to make a forum down the road and for those dealing with having to move services in the present.

What I'm going to do is name off some forum services that I know of that allow you to make a free forum with them, including a link to their site and their documentation and support forums if I have the links on hand.

We can continue to compare and contrast the services here and people that need help can ask questions here and people can chime in with answers as they can.

Tapatalk updates will be discussed on the following thread on TCH, as well as this Discord server made by Esper of Atrium.
https://tch-forum.com/showthread.php?tid=303
https://discord.gg/A5DmErU

So here we go:

Free Forum - Create And Use

Jcink
Where do I sign up? - http://jcink.com/
What software do they use? - Modified IPB (similar to InvisionFree)
What's their support forum? - http://forum.jcink.com/index.php
What's their documentation? - https://jcink.com/wiki/
What's one pro? - It is similar to InvisionFree and can be similar enough to ZetaBoards, though there are quirks.
What's a con? - Some ZB BBCode will not work on Jcink natively though some workarounds have been found.
Can I import my forum's database? - Yes. (Select services only. InvisionFree + IcyBoards, maybe MyBB)
Can I export my forum's database? - Yes. (Free.)
NOTE - Jcink has an inactivity policy of 60 days, but have been told this is not strictly enforced.
InvisionFree and ProBoards themes can be converted to work with the service. You need to have permission from the theme creator if it is not a theme you made however.
https://jcink.com/main/wiki/skin-from-proboards
https://jcink.com/main/wiki/skin-from-invisionfree

Tapatalk
Where do I sign up? - http://tapatalk.com/
What software do they use? - PHPBB (likely modified)
What's their support forum? - https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/tapatalksupport/
What's their documentation? - https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/tapatalk...38631.html
What's one pro? - Mobile app support and the ability to use a single account on each forum.
What's a con? - Basic things are locked down behind memberships including support tickets (can make public threads on their support forum), JavaScript, custom domains, favicons, and CSS.
Can I import my forum's database? - Yes. (Select services only.)
Can I export my forum's database? - No.
NOTE - Tapatalk has an inactivity policy of 30 days, but have been told this has not been enforced yet. I cannot fully recommend them other than for archives of IF/ZB or as a backup for users to use while on mobile until they can get back to desktop to cross-post to your main site.
Tapatalk also has plugins for other services/software such as Xenforo to allow the app to work with it.

Forumotion
Where do I sign up? - http://forumotion.com/
What software do they use? - PHPBB
What's their support forum? - http://help.forumotion.com/
What's their documentation? - http://help.forumotion.com/t59451-freque...-questions
What's one pro? - Several "styles" you can quickly swap between to get the one you like the most.
What's a con? - Only one single theme allowed by default.
Can I import my forum's database? - Yes. (Select services only, PHPBB, inVision or PunBB only)
Can I export my forum's database? - No*. (You can choose to download your posts but that's it.)
(Credit - Thanks to Yami Yugi for finding out about their database import policy and QueenZelda for finding out about their database export policy.

CreateMyBB
Where do I sign up? - http://createmybb.com/
What software do they use? - MyBB
What's their support forum? - https://support.createmybb.com/
What's their documentation? - https://support.createmybb.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=8
https://docs.mybb.com/1.6/MyCode/
What's one pro? - Free way to try MyBB.
What's a con? - Cannot add plugins, that I can see anyway.
Can I import my forum's database? - Yes(?) (I believe IcyBoards.)
Can I export my forum's database? - No. (No longer offered.)
NOTE - I ran into glitches on mine, may have been fixed. Seems to have been ignored until recent events but that's just my observations.
(Credit - Thanks to Ravenfreak for helping find out about their database export policy.)

CreateAForum
Where do I sign up? - https://createaforum.com/
What software do they use? - Simple Machine Forum
What's their support forum? - https://support.createaforum.com/
What's their documentation? - https://support.createaforum.com/7/
What's one pro? - A way to use Simple Machine Forum software.
What's a con? - Lots of upgrades you have to pay for.
Can I import my forum's database? - I'm not sure.
Can I export my forum's database? - I'm not sure.
Note - This is done by the same guy that runs CreateMyBB.
I have not tested this one so I cannot say much for them.

ProBoards
Where do I sign up? - http://proboards.com/
What software do they use? - ProBoards
What's their support forum? - http://support.proboards.com/
What's their documentation? - https://www.proboards.com/forum-help-guide
What's one pro? - I believe they use an unified account system akin to Tapatalk, but not 100%.
What's a con? - Lack of customization.
Can I import my forum's database? - No.
Can I export my forum's database? - No.
NOTE - I personally cannot recommend them.
(Credit - Thanks to QueenZelda for finding out about their database import and export policy.)

BoardHost
Where do I sign up? - https://boardhost.com/
What software do they use? - FluxBB
What's their support forum? - None.
Software's support forum is https://fluxbb.org/forums/index.php.
What's their documentation? - None specifically to them.
https://fluxbb.org/docs/ is the software's documentation.
What's one pro? - You can modify the CSS to your liking, and even include code in the header and the footer.
What's a con? - You must give them your phone number in order to create a board.
Can I import my forum's database? - We don't know.
Can I export my forum's database? - It doesn't appear so.
NOTE - They have a 90 day inactivity policy. Can choose between a forum or a threaded message board though you are locked into the one you pick from creation. Comes with some plugins enabled by default that aren't in default FluxBB. I haven't tested this one so I cannot speak for it.
(Credit - Thanks to Ravenfreak for researching about this forum host.)

Runboard
Where do I sign up? - http://runboard.com/
What software do they use? - I have no idea.
What's their support forum? - http://bakheva.runboard.com/
http://brunboardkb.runboard.com/ (Dormant.)
What's their documentation? - http://bakheva.runboard.com/f14
http://brunboardkb.runboard.com/ (Very few threads.)
wiki.runboard.com (Didn't load for me.)
What's one pro? - Universal account system.
What's a con? - Horrible admin panel, forum (though I think it was for forum sections, not the overall forum) cap at 20,000 posts before they start dropping old ones.
Can I import my forum's database? - I don't know.
Can I export my forum's database? - I don't know.
NOTE - Forum link cannot be changed and will always have a "b" in the front of it. I don't know why.
I cannot personally recommend this service.
(Credit - Thanks to BrynStevens for finding this forum host.)

Forumsland
Where do I sign up? - http://www.forumsland.com/make-a-forum.html
What software do they use? - PHPBB
What's their support forum? - None. FAQ found here:
http://www.forumsland.com/faq-support.html
What's their documentation? - http://www.forumsland.com/forum-features.html
What's one pro? - They use PHPBB 2.022.
What's a con? - No support forum.
Can I import my forum's database? - No.
Can I export my forum's database? - No.
NOTE - There is a 90 day inactivity policy.
I personally have not tested this one.
(Credit - Thanks to QueenZelda for finding this service.)

Aimoo
Where do I sign up? - https://www.aimoo.com/
What software do they use? - Aimoo? I am unsure.
What's their support forum? - http://aimoohelpforum.aimoo.com/
What's their documentation? - TBA
What's a pro? - They've been around awhile.
What's a con? - Their forums felt outdated by the person who submitted this one.
Can I import my forum's database? - It doesn't appear that you can.
Can I export my forum's database? - It doesn't appear that you can.
Note - I have not tested this one personally, and the person who submitted it did not recommend it.
(Credit - Thanks to CJ for finding this service.)




Defunct
The following services are in the stages of closing, but I will name them for completeness' sake since some are still using forums with them while they look to move elsewhere.

ZetaBoards
Where do I sign up? - http://zetaboards.com/
What software do they use? - ZetaBoards
What's their support forum? - http://support.zathyus.com/index/
What's their documentation? - http://docs.zetaboards.com/
What's one pro? - Easy to use for both users and admins, paid content extremely optional.
What's a con? - Updates were infrequent after 2014, no database export.
Can I import my forum's database? - Yes. (InvisionFree only.)
Can I export my forum's database? - No.
Closing date - September 2018
NOTE - Existing forums will convert to Tapatalk. Dormant ones will be left behind. Registration is still enabled however.

InvisionFree / zIFBoards
Where do I sign up? - http://zIFBoards.com/
What software do they use? - Modified IPB
What's their support forum? - http://support.zathyus.com/index/
What's their documentation? - http://docs.zetaboards.com/
What's one pro? - Free modified version of IPB.
What's a con? - Support dropped a few years prior.
Can I import my forum's database? - No.
Can I export my forum's database? - Yes*. (Formerly paid, unsure if still offered.)
Closing date - Later half of 2017; September 2018
NOTE - Already converted to ZetaBoards or Tapatalk in 2017. Dormant ones were missed and the remaining ones should contact [email protected] to avoid being lost when ZetaBoards closes following the transfers. Registration is disabled.

IcyBoards
Where do I sign up? - http://icyboards.net/
What software do they use? - MyBB
What's their support forum? - https://forums.icyboards.net/
What's their documentation? - https://forums.icyboards.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=67
https://docs.mybb.com/1.6/MyCode/
What's one pro? - Free way to use MyBB.
What's a con? - No way to directly upload into the forum via a file manager. Must FTP over.
Can I import my forum's database? - I don't know.
Can I export my forum's database? - Yes. (May have been paid, currently free.)
Closing date - July 31, 2018
NOTE - Service will cease to exist, please move to self-hosted MyBB, or another service. Registration is disabled.




Self-Host, Must Host Yourself
These are included as they are forum software.
While some services use these software, the ones linked in this section are where you download the software and upload to a server and manage it yourself instead of relying on a service to do the hard work for you.
Some of these are free, some of them cost money.
I don't know much about them so I'm going to just link to their documentation and support forum if I know the links.

MyBB
Where do I sign up? - https://community.mybb.com/
What's their support forum? - https://community.mybb.com/
What's their documentation? - https://docs.mybb.com/

PHPBB
Where do I sign up? - https://www.phpbb.com/
What's their support forum? - https://www.phpbb.com/community/
What's their documentation? - https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/
https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3.2/kb/
NOTE - You can try PHPBB for an hour here.
https://www.phpbb.com/demo/

XenForo
Where do I sign up? - https://xenforo.com/
What's their support forum? - https://xenforo.com/community/
What's their documentation? - https://xenforo.com/help/
Note - You can try them for free on a three day trial.
No limit on trials.
https://xenforo.com/demo/

Simple Machines Forum
Where do I sign up? - https://www.simplemachines.org
What's their support forum? - https://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php
What's their documentation? - https://wiki.simplemachines.org/

FluxBB
Where do I sign up? - https://fluxbb.org/
What's their support forum? - https://fluxbb.org/forums/index.php
What's their documentation? - https://fluxbb.org/docs/
(Credit - Thanks to Ravenfreak for finding this one.)

vBulletin
Where do I sign up? - https://www.vbulletin.com/
What's their support forum? - https://www.vbulletin.com/en/support-forums
What's their documentation? - https://www.vbulletin.com/docs/

Vanilla Forum
Where do I sign up? - https://vanillaforums.com/
What's their support forum? - https://support.vanillaforums.com/ (Note - was down for me when I tried it.)
What's their documentation? - https://docs.vanillaforums.com/
(Credit - Thanks to BrynStevens for finding this one.)

Invision Power Board / Invision Power Service
Where do I sign up? - https://invisioncommunity.com/
What's their support forum? - https://invisioncommunity.com/forums/
What's their documentation? - https://invisioncommunity.com/4docs/

Discourse
Where do I sign up? - https://discourse.org/
What's their support forum? - https://meta.discourse.org/
What's their documentation? - https://docs.discourse.org/
(Credit - Thanks to BrynStevens for finding this one.)

WoltLab
Where do I sign up? - https://www.woltlab.com/
What's their support forum? - https://community.woltlab.com/
What's their documentation? - https://www.woltlab.com/guides-overview/
NOTE - You can try them for two weeks.
https://www.woltlab.com/demo/

Fast Uncompromising Discussions (FUD) Forums
Where do I sign up? - http://fudforum.org/forum/index.php?t=index&
What's their support forum? - http://fudforum.org/forum/index.php
What's their documentation? - http://cvs.prohost.org/index.php
(Credit - Thanks to Ravenfreak for finding this one.)

XMB (Xtreme Message Board)
Where do I sign up? - https://www.xmbforum2.com/
What's their support forum? - https://forums.xmbforum2.com/
What's their documentation? - https://docs.xmbforum2.com/index.php?tit...rum_Manual
NOTE- This software has two admin groups, which is pretty odd. One is a Super Administrator, which has complete control over the entire board while the normal Admin group can't perform certain tasks, a few features they can't perform are editing users, and exporting databases.
(Credit - Thanks to Ravenfreak for finding this one.)

Phorum
Where do I sign up? - https://www.phorum.org/downloads.php
What's their support forum? - https://www.phorum.org/phorum5/index.php
What's their documentation? - https://www.phorum.org/docs/html/
NOTE - At the time this one was linked here, their anti-spam plugin relied on a older version of ReCaPTCHA that is no longer supported and the development team has yet to update the plugin. It was suggested by the submitter to hold out on using the software until this problem is resolved, quite a few members have been posting about this issue since March of this year.
(Credit - Thanks to Ravenfreak for finding this one.)






Template
Spoiler
Thanks for re-starting this :D

It's a real shame about IcyBoards closing: for me, they were probably the best free forum service out there. I know there have been talks among the MyBB staff about creating a similar service, and I really hope those come to fruition.
I am personally fond of InvisionFree/ZetaBoards/IcyBoards/Jcink.
I hated ProBoards the most of the bunch.

Deleted User 8

You should've added ProBoards' unforgivable anti-ad blocker nonsense in the OP, and even I hate it so much. Also, were there really any differences between IcyBoards and CreateMyBB, just for my own curiosity?

Also, you may want to have a look at other free forum softwares that I know of: Vanilla Forums, Runboard and Discourse (only knew of that one just recently).

Other than that, great informative post :)
Well I did say I couldn't recommend them. :P

The only differences I saw in CreateMyBB and IcyBoards were the plugins available were different. Icy had more of them and Create only had two that Icy didn't (Discord and I believe a photo gallery).
That being said at least when I tested them a few weeks ago I was getting a bunch of errors on the test forum. I don't know if they fixed it but it wasn't nice.
That being said I haven't done heavy testing with them.
Create felt like it had jumped out from being dormant to try to snag people from Icy though, low activity then bam here's an update adding a file manager and a few announcement posts.


On those three I haven't heard of them but I may check them out and edit the info in.
Are they "create-and-done" like the others, or are they self-host deals like MyBB?
CreateMyBB was far more limited than IcyBoards. Until recently, they used a very outdated version of MyBB which had very few plugins. 

They've upgraded recently, as they've attempted to pick up former IcyBoards users, so now they might actually be a viable option for that audience. However, I would expect updates to be few and far between.
Yeah as of the time I tested them they had been on MyBB 1.8 like Icy.
(Though their support forum claims they at least partially upgraded to it a few years ago...?
https://support.createmybb.com/showthread.php?tid=2498
Though this suggests he didn't actually roll it out to everyone until the Icy closure.
https://support.createmybb.com/showthread.php?tid=2685)

Overall you can see how dormant things were:
https://support.createmybb.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=2

Deleted User 8

(06-26-2018, 02:48 PM)Gaomon274 Wrote: [ -> ]On those three I haven't heard of them but I may check them out and edit the info in.
Are they "create-and-done" like the others, or are they self-host deals like MyBB?
I believe they are just like for the ones you listed, but I have a feeling that Vanilla is self-hosted. I haven't really tested them though. I can tell you that Pat (whom I know from another forum) had been a Runboard user for twenty years.
Also on the subject of Createmybb, it seems it's quite unstable. I know the admin has been trying to fix issues, but it's no where near as great as Icyboards was. Also you cannot export your database with Createmybb, though you could in the past. However, you had to pay to get a copy of your database, as seen in the link bellow:
https://www.createmybb.com/services/export/
Yeah, unstable is a good way to describe it.

Turning on like any plugin caused "INTERNAL ERROR" text to display on the index though the page would load.

Trying to post generated the post, but sent you to a blank white page saying INTERNAL SERVER ERROR.

Trying to view the MyBB credits page for the first time generated that error.
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