Home

Compare IP.Board vs PhpBB 3 vs Simple Machines 2 vs vBulletin 4

Comparison
Results
IP.Board Logo
IP.Board
PhpBB 3 Logo
PhpBB 3
Simple Machines 2 Logo
Simple Machines 2
vBulletin 4 Logo
vBulletin 4
Version 3.3.4 3.0.11 2.0.4 4.1.1
Last Release July 11, 2012 August 25, 2012 Feb 02, 2013 December 26, 2010
License Proprietary License GPL License BSD License Proprietary License
Price Standard $175 / Business $299 / Hosting $9.99 per month Free Free $195 for Forum, $285 for Publishing Suite
Resources Official Website »
Download » 		Official Website »
Download » 		Official Website »
Download » 		Official Website »
Download »
Ergonomy Perfection Perfection Easy to Use Perfection
Installation Fast & Simple Fast & Simple Easy to Do Fast & Simple
Administration Really Intuitive Efficient & Fast Efficient & Fast Efficient & Fast
Community Size Huge Community Huge Community Huge Community Huge Community
Our Opinion
User Reviews
7.1/10 (299 votes)
8.5/10 (780 votes)
4/10 (1165 votes)
4.2/10 (441 votes)
Demonstration No Live Demo. PhpBB 3 Demo
Open Demo » 		Simple Machines 2 Demo
Open Demo » 		vBulletin 4 Demo
Open Demo »
Server Requirements IP.Board PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 vBulletin 4
Operating System
  • GNU/LinuxGNU/Linux
  • BSD UnixBSD Unix
  • Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
  • Apple Mac OSApple Mac OS
  • GNU/LinuxGNU/Linux
  • BSD UnixBSD Unix
  • Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
  • Apple Mac OSApple Mac OS
  • GNU/LinuxGNU/Linux
  • BSD UnixBSD Unix
  • Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
  • Apple Mac OSApple Mac OS
  • GNU/LinuxGNU/Linux
  • BSD UnixBSD Unix
  • Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
  • Apple Mac OSApple Mac OS
Web Server
  • Apache 1.3
  • Apache 2.0/2.2
  • Microsoft IIS
  • Lighttpd
  • Nginx
  • Apache 1.3
  • Apache 2.0/2.2
  • Microsoft IIS
  • Lighttpd
  • Nginx
  • Apache 1.3
  • Apache 2.0/2.2
  • Microsoft IIS
  • Lighttpd
  • Nginx
  • Apache 1.3
  • Apache 2.0/2.2
  • Microsoft IIS
  • Lighttpd
Languages
  • PHP 5
  • PHP 4
  • PHP 5
  • PHP 4
  • PHP 5
  • PHP 4
  • PHP 5
Databases
  • MySQL
  • MySQL
  • Postgresql
  • SQLite
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • Oracle
  • MySQL
  • Postgresql
  • SQLite
  • MySQL
Browsers & Clients
Requirements
Compatible
Browsers
Mozilla FirefoxMozilla Firefox
Internet ExplorerInternet Explorer
Google ChromeGoogle Chrome
OperaOpera
Apple SafariApple Safari
KonquerorKonqueror
Mozilla SeaMonkeyMozilla SeaMonkey
Mozilla FirefoxMozilla Firefox
Internet ExplorerInternet Explorer
Google ChromeGoogle Chrome
OperaOpera
Apple SafariApple Safari
KonquerorKonqueror
Mozilla SeaMonkeyMozilla SeaMonkey
Mozilla FirefoxMozilla Firefox
Internet ExplorerInternet Explorer
Google ChromeGoogle Chrome
OperaOpera
Apple SafariApple Safari
KonquerorKonqueror
Mozilla SeaMonkeyMozilla SeaMonkey
Mozilla FirefoxMozilla Firefox
Internet ExplorerInternet Explorer
Google ChromeGoogle Chrome
OperaOpera
Apple SafariApple Safari
KonquerorKonqueror
Mozilla SeaMonkeyMozilla SeaMonkey
Plugins/
Technologies
  • HTML
  • Javascript
  • AJAX
  • CSS
  • AJAX
  • HTML
  • Javascript
  • AJAX
  • CSS
  • Javascript
  • AJAX
Localization Yes Yes Yes Yes
Languages
Supported Languages:
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Portuguese (Brazilian)
Catalan
Chinese (Simplified)
German
Danish
Spanish
Finnish
French
Georgian
Greek
Croatian
Hebrew
Persian
Icelandic
Italian
Dutch
Polish
Romanian
Serbian
Russian
Arabic
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese
Chinese (Traditional)
Supported Languages:
Albanian
Basque
Bulgarian
Portuguese (Brazilian)
Belarusian
Catalan
Chinese (Simplified)
Czech
German
Danish
Estonian
Spanish
Finnish
French
Galician
Greek
Croatian
Hungarian
Indonesian
Hebrew
Persian
Italian
Japanese
Kurdish
Lithuanian
Dutch
Norwegian
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Serbian
Russian
Arabic
Swedish
Slovene
Sindhi
Slovak
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
English (British)
English (American)
Vietnamese
Chinese (Traditional)
Supported Languages:
Albanian
Bangali
Bulgarian
Portuguese (Brazilian)
Catalan
Chinese (Simplified)
Czech
German
Danish
Spanish
Finnish
French
Galician
Greek
Croatian
Hungarian
Indonesian
Hebrew
Hindi
Persian
Italian
Japanese
Kurdish
Macedonian
Dutch
Norwegian
Urdu
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Serbian
Russian
Arabic
Swedish
Slovak
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
English (British)
English (American)
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Chinese (Traditional)
Supported Languages:
Portuguese (Brazilian)
Chinese (Simplified)
German
Danish
French
Greek
Italian
Dutch
Portuguese
Romanian
Swedish
English (British)
English (American)
Chinese (Traditional)
Compatibility with
Smartphones
Compatible
SmartPhones
  • AndroidAndroid
  • iPhoneiPhone
  • BlackBerryBlackBerry
  • Windows Phone 7Windows Phone 7
  • Symbian Phones <em>(Nokia)</em>Symbian Phones (Nokia)
  • HP WebOS <em>(ex-Palm)</em>HP WebOS (ex-Palm)
  • AndroidAndroid
  • iPhoneiPhone
  • BlackBerryBlackBerry
  • Windows Phone 7Windows Phone 7
  • Symbian Phones <em>(Nokia)</em>Symbian Phones (Nokia)
  • HP WebOS <em>(ex-Palm)</em>HP WebOS (ex-Palm)
  • AndroidAndroid
  • iPhoneiPhone
  • BlackBerryBlackBerry
  • Windows Phone 7Windows Phone 7
  • Symbian Phones <em>(Nokia)</em>Symbian Phones (Nokia)
  • HP WebOS <em>(ex-Palm)</em>HP WebOS (ex-Palm)
  • AndroidAndroid
  • iPhoneiPhone
  • BlackBerryBlackBerry
  • Windows Phone 7Windows Phone 7
  • Symbian Phones <em>(Nokia)</em>Symbian Phones (Nokia)
  • HP WebOS <em>(ex-Palm)</em>HP WebOS (ex-Palm)
Distribution
  • Android Market
  • Apple Store
  • Nokia Ovi Store
  • BlackBerry App World
  • Android Market
  • Apple Store
  • Nokia Ovi Store
  • BlackBerry App World
  • Android Market
  • Apple Store
  • Nokia Ovi Store
  • BlackBerry App World
  • Android Market
  • Apple Store
  • Nokia Ovi Store
  • BlackBerry App World
Threads / Topics IP.Board PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 vBulletin 4
Forum Style Flat/Threaded Flat Flat Flat/Threaded
Forum Organization
  • Forum Categories
  • URL Redirection Forum
  • Sub Sections
  • Trashcan Forum
  • Forum Categories
  • URL Redirection Forum
  • Sub Sections
  • Forum Categories
  • URL Redirection Forum
  • Sub Sections
  • Trashcan Forum
  • Forum Categories
  • URL Redirection Forum
  • Sub Sections
  • Trashcan Forum
  • Tags
Topic Tags Yes Plugin Plugin Yes
Sticky Threads Yes Yes Yes Yes
Thread Icons Yes Yes Yes Yes
Hot Topics Yes - Yes Yes
Detect
Duplicate Threads 		No Plugin No Yes
Hidden Topics Yes No Yes Yes
Unread Topics Yes Yes Yes Yes
Announcements Yes Yes Yes Yes
Forum Posts IP.Board PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 vBulletin 4
Message
Editing Form
  • Rich Text Editor
  • Formatting Buttons
  • Preview Button
  • Rich Text Editor
  • Preview Button
  • WYSIWYG Editor
  • Formatting Buttons
  • Preview Button
  • WYSIWYG Editor
  • Preview Button
Post Editing Format
  • Plain
  • BBCode
  • HTML
  • BBCode
  • HTML
  • BBCode
  • Plain
  • HTML
  • BBCode
Spell Checker No Plugin Yes No
Emoticons Yes Yes Yes Yes
Quick Reply Box Yes Yes Yes Yes
Syntax Highlighting Plugin Plugin Plugin Plugin
Message Quoting Yes Yes Yes Yes
Message Rating Yes Plugin Plugin Yes
Attachments Yes Yes Yes Yes
Image Attachment
  • Upload via Classic Attachments
  • Upload via Advanced Attachments
  • Use BBCode or HTML
  • Upload via Classic Attachments
  • Use BBCode or HTML
  • Upload via Classic Attachments
  • Use BBCode or HTML
  • Upload via Advanced Attachments
  • Use BBCode or HTML
Embedded Videos
  • YouTube
 No. No.
  • YouTube
Forum Features IP.Board PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 vBulletin 4
Poll Creation Yes Yes Yes Yes
Private Messages Yes Yes Yes Yes
Instant Messaging Plugin Yes No Yes
Calendar Yes No Yes Yes
Members List Yes Yes Yes Yes
Online Users List Yes Yes Yes Yes
Technical Features IP.Board PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 vBulletin 4
Bundled Software
  • Portal
  • CMS
  • Pictures Album Manager
  • Downloads Manager
 No.
  • Portal
  • Blog
  • Downloads Manager
  • Gallery
  • Website Home Page
  • CMS
  • Blog
  • Bug Tracker
  • Projet Manager
  • Pictures Album Manager
RSS/Atom
Syndication
  • RSS 2.0
  • ATOM 1.0
  • RSS 1.0
  • RSS 2.0
  • ATOM 1.0
  • RSS 2.0
Friendly URLs Yes Yes Yes Yes
Remote Control
  • XML/RPC
 No. No. No.
Cache System Yes Yes Yes Yes
Template Engine
  • Custom Template Engine
  • Custom Template Engine
  • Custom Template Engine
  • Custom Template Engine
Post By Email Yes No Plugin No
User Profiles &
Options		 IP.Board PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 vBulletin 4
User Profile Yes Yes Yes Yes
Avatars Yes Yes Yes Yes
Signatures Yes Yes Yes Yes
Ranks Yes Yes Yes Yes
Bookmark Threads Yes Yes Plugin Yes
User Selectable
Themes		 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Email Notifications Yes Yes Yes Yes
Export
Private Messages		 Yes Yes Plugin Yes
Payment
Subscriptions		 Plugin No Yes Yes
Security & Spam
Protection
CAPTCHA Yes Yes Yes Yes
CAPTCHA Complexity [++[ Hard [++[ Normal [++[ Normal
Abnormal Behavior
Detection		 No No Yes No
Words Filtering Yes Yes Yes Yes
User Blacklist Yes Yes Yes Yes
IP Blocking Yes Yes Yes Yes
Customization IP.Board PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 vBulletin 4
Plugins Yes Yes
~433 Available Plugins.
Yes
~1883 Available Plugins.
Yes
Plugin Installation [++[ Easy [++[ Very Easy [++[ Normal
Themes Yes
~90 Available Themes.
 Yes
~525 Available Themes.
 Yes
~1326 Available Themes.
 Yes
Custom BBCodes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Custom Emoticons Yes Yes Yes Yes
Custom
Thread Icons		 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Custom
Profile Fields		 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Third Applications &
Websites
Social Networks
CMS / Blog Bridges
  • Joomla
  • WordPress
  • Drupal
  • Joomla
  • Drupal
  • Joomla
  • Mambo
  • WordPress
  • e107
  • XOOPs
  • iGaming CMS
  • Drupal
  • Joomla
  • WordPress
User Accounts
Integration
Content Aggregation No. No. No. No.
Moderation &
Threads Management		 IP.Board PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 vBulletin 4
Moderation
  • Pre-Moderation
  • Post-Moderation
  • Reactive Moderation
  • Distributed Moderation
  • Pre-Moderation
  • Post-Moderation
  • Reactive Moderation
  • Distributed Moderation
  • Pre-Moderation
  • Post-Moderation
  • Reactive Moderation
  • Distributed Moderation
  • Pre-Moderation
  • Post-Moderation
  • Reactive Moderation
  • Distributed Moderation
Moderator
per Section		 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Global Moderator Yes Yes Yes Yes
Move Threads Yes Yes Yes Yes
Shadow Topics Yes Yes Yes Yes
Close/Lock Threads Yes Yes Yes Yes
Users
Management
User Groups Yes Yes Yes Yes
User Registration
  • Free Registration
  • Registration needs Approval
  • Invitation Only
  • User Account created by Administrator
  • Confirmation sent by email for validation
  • Free Registration
  • Registration needs Approval
  • Invitation Only
  • Confirmation sent by email for validation
  • Free Registration
  • Registration needs Approval
  • User Account created by Administrator
  • Confirmation sent by email for validation
  • Free Registration
  • Registration needs Approval
  • User Account created by Administrator
  • Confirmation sent by email for validation
New Users
Limitation 		Yes Yes Yes Yes
Guest Posting Yes Yes Yes Yes
Multiple
Administrators		 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Send Warnings
to Users		 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Access Control List Yes Yes Yes Yes
User Banishment Yes Yes Yes Yes
Mass Mailing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Installation &
Upgrading		 IP.Board PhpBB 3 Simple Machines 2 vBulletin 4
Installation Method Installation Wizard Installation Wizard Installation Wizard Installation Wizard
Upgrade Method Upgrade Wizard Upgrade Wizard Upgrade Wizard Upgrade Wizard
Update
Notifications		 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Forum Migration Yes Yes Yes Yes
Database
Management
Backup Database Yes Yes Yes Yes
Prune Database Yes Yes Yes Yes
Restore Database Yes Yes Yes Yes
Administration
Tools
Statistics Yes Yes Yes Yes
Error/Notice
Log Viewer		 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Tasks Scheduler Yes Yes Yes Yes
W3C Norms &
Accessibility
HTML / XHTML
  • XHTML 1.0 Strict
  • XHTML 1.0 Strict
  • XHTML 1.0 Transitional
  • XHTML 1.0 Transitional
Stylesheets (CSS)
  • CSS 2
  • CSS 2
  • CSS 2
  • CSS 2
Accessibility (WAI)
  • AA
  • AA
  • AA
  • AA
UTF-8 Support Yes Yes Yes Yes
W3C Norms Yes Yes Yes Yes
Found a Mistake? Tell us »
  Top Top