Which Forum – phpBB or Simple-press?

[JohnnyScience]

I’m looking for a really high quality Forum that will allow sub-categories & not put things into groups etc like Buddypress/bbpress does/did. (I haven’t checked Buddypress/bbpress in the last year, so I’m not sure if they’ve changed things or not, but I did NOT like it at all when trying to use it before.

I’ve been told that there is a plugin to integrate phpBB into WordPress.

But upon researching this I also found https://simple-press.com/

Does anyone have experience with one or the other or both?

I want to incorporate 3 different things equally into one site and have it as seamless for the user as possible as far as navigating & login/account stuff etc. It would also be nice when styling the main website that the forums would take on the CSS as well – is this possible?

1) General website with photos, articles, other various content etc.

2) GOOD quality Forum along the line of BBphp that can be customized with sub categories – is BBphp forum able to be incorporated into Zencart? It really seems to have the best setup & customization for forums. The Forums is a very important aspect of the website so it must be very good.

3) Store/E-Commerce section

[WPyogi]

phpBB and SimplePress are not part of WordPress- so you should ask them about their respective products. I’ve seen some sites use phpBB in a sub-directory with WP in the root. As to styling, that would depend on how phpBB works and your skills.

WordPress can certainly do #1 and #3 (via a plugin for 3).

[JohnnyScience]

Yes but I am looking for feedback from the users of one/both of them to really see the pros & cons.

I think SimplePress is designed specifically for WP isn’t it? So you would think it would be more seamless. But phpBB is a really great Forums software, even better that it’s opensource.

[JohnnyScience]

I found IPS Community Suite – it has everything I was looking for, CMS, GREAT forums & store/shop with a seamless integration of all of them, including the look of web 2.0

https://www.invisionpower.com

Does anyone have any cons to this software suite? Seems perfect to me…

[Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)]

It’s expensive. And complicated. And huge. I used to use it.

[JohnnyScience]

Yeah it’s $360 to sign up with all of the add ons & then basically $240 a year.

I don’t mind the initial cost, but the $240 a year is a bit pricey and kinda sucks, but unless there is another alternative that can offer the look, feel & function-ability that the IPS Community Suite can, I think it’s my only option to get the website that I truly want. And the website should generate a substantial amount of money one way or another that the yearly $240 fee is no big deal.

The only other thing that I think could compare is XenoForo, but it is basically just a forum platform (with possibly a add-on shopping cart, but for sure no CMS – which is a big issue since I want a “General” website along with the store & forum.