Top/best forum software and their features
PHPBB
PHPBB stands for PHP Bulletin Board.It is a free and open source forum software, which was written in PHP scripting language. Features of this forum software is, it can be used to stay in touch with a group of people or can power your entire website. Its extensive database of user-created modifications and styles contains many more style and image packages to customize your board.And also it support multiple database engine such as Postgre SQL, SQLite, MySQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL server.
MYBB
MYBB stands for MYBulletinBoard. It is a free PHP and MYSQL based forum software. It is available in multiple languages. It uses intuitive discussion board structure, so that visitors can easily start and reply to discussion and markup their posts. The forum administrator and moderator can use inline editing to control the discussion and keep their fourm tidy.
Simple Machines Forum
Simple Machine Forum is an open source, internet forum, message board program, which was developed by Simple Machines. It allows you to setup your own online community within a mintues. Also you can control the full layout of the message board using custom made template engine. It is PHP based forum with MYSQL backend.
Vanilla Forum
Vanilla is a lightweight Internet forum, written in PHP scripting language using Garden framework. It is a open source, free software, customizable discussion forum. This site follows “Sales Up and Cost down” approach. It provides full flexibility for your forum design and architecture which allows customized plugins.
vBulletin
vBulletin or vB is one of the most popular paid forum software on the Internet. Many of the eminent websites using forum has taken vB as their first preference. It has many features like blogs, calender, photo albums, group, event management. In latest version, three elements are available such as, publishing suite, mobile suite and classic panel. It is more useful for every forum publishers to grab their audience.
IP.Board
Ip (Invision power) Board is a paid forum platform that makes discussion more engaging in forum point of view. The premium forum software offers comprehensive tool that enable user to discuss effortlessly and it makes user more interesting to come back again and again to your site. Also it allows user’s to share and promote the content of your site.
XenForo
XenForo is a commercial Internert forum software, written in PHP scripting language using Zend framwork. The paid forum has several SEO features inbuilt, powerful Ad-ons, Social engagement functionalities etc.
bbPress
bbPress is a PHP based forum software, which was developed by the creators of WordPress. It is simple, fast speed and easy to use, easy to integrate, easy to administrate and the allowance of great add-ons features through WordPress extensive plugins.
Woltlab Burning Board
Woltlab Burning Board is a fast and reliable forum software solution for your Internet site.It has three premium version called Burning Board Lite, Burning Board and Community Framework with many plugins to extend your online community for a lifetime.
Phorum
Phorum is a open source message board system, written in PHP using MYSQL as a back-end. Here, you can freedom to create your message board and do whatever you want. Also you can rearrange your data in any form.