Once upon a time... ...and as some have already mentioned, vBulletin WAS a good company! I've owned very version of their software since v2. I have been considering purchasing vBulletin 5 Connect to host a new interactive website I intend to launch. Today, before acting on that thought, I did a quick Google search to get an idea of what other vBulletin customers have to say about their newest release. I was disturbed, to say the least, to have found this thread. I've feared for some time now; probably since IB purchased the brand, that vB was going downhill. After reading the reviews here and at a couple of other sites, my suspicion seems to be confirmed. I would contribute more to the conversation, however, those things would only reiterate many of the points already made. I also own multiple prior releases of vBulletin software, which I plan to use until they discontinue support. Meanwhile, perhaps something will happen to make them "see the light" so to speak. I gave vBulletin 3 stars, based only on past performance. Perhaps I am an eternal optimist, but I believe they still have a chance to make a comeback. I am curious to know if others have found good alternatives to vBulletin, and, if so, what they are?

Poorly Written Software Causes Many Many Duplicate Content Issues VBulletin basically does the job of a forum software, but leaves issue undetected at first, that should be revealed before purchasing. Most of the issue cannot be seen by the general public, as they are hidden in the password protected user area. None of their software will validate via the W3, which to me, clearly means that the programmers are not concerned with testing their software to make sure it is written to standards and does not contain basic underlying errors. Much much worse, is that the forum produces page after page of duplicate content, because every page can be addressed in many ways. Your Google webmaster tools account will very shortly be filled with duplicate Title tags and Duplicate Descriptions and there is literally nothing you can do about it. VBulletin's response was to create a new version 5, instead of fixing the issues with version 4 first. To their credit, they do seem to be continuing to work on V4. The support team seems to be working hard to try and help, but they do not appear to be supported by the programmers, so any issue that has any type of complexity to it, will not be solved. At least that has been my experience. If VBulletin were cheap software, I would not complain to much, but it is quit expensive, so you would think it would be very well written as such. Unfortunately it is programmed more like cheap software, with obvious and seriously written flaws. I cannot recommend VBulletin, nor can I advise against it, since I cannot recommend any other software that might be better, although I would think there would be. Should you decide to purchase, be aware of the duplicate content issues, that you will face. I would run any of there forum pages through the W3 validator, so you can get a feel for the quality or lack there of, also.

A really nice bit of software A really nice bit of software after using ipb for nearly 2 years and wanted a change is has all the same features, I like the way the smiles are place at the bottom and you don't have to scroll through a mass of smiles to get to the ones you like. If you want to set up PayPal for subscriptions its very easy to set up unlike ipb were you have to use the developers version what I was unable to ever set up. This is defiantly one of the best forum scripts I have ever used.

After contracting the Cloud service I … After contracting the Cloud service I was able to notice the only available version didn't have a supported and/or third party translation to Brazilian Portuguese. It wasn't 2 hours after confirming the purchase, I tried calling back but wouldn't get my phone calls answered (funny enough, they would answer almost immediately when I was having problems with the purchase part). After insisting, Joshua G. (vBulletin Sales & Account Support), picked up the phone. He was very rude due to my constant calls, saying they were unnecessary. He proceeded to say that I wasn't eligible for a refund and that the request wasn't even negotiable. I know the company is not breaking any laws or rights, but I would NEVER recommend it to anyone. Worst customer service I ever had from a company in the U.S. I had much better results with their main competitor.

Scam website Scam website that refuses to let me cancel my account. Ive had to change all my banking details to stop them taking money for my cancelled subscription Use alternatives