How fast can we be live?
Answer
About five minutes. Sign in, name your portal, and it is online at yourcompany.myforumcat.com. Nothing to install.
XenForo
XenForo is a license.
This is a flat price.
XenForo license cost is what you pay for the software. XenForo renewal cost is what keeps the updates and support coming. If you would rather pay one flat price and never touch a server, this is the other shape.
Free for 7 days. No credit card. Live in about five minutes.
5 minfrom sign-up to a live portal
0security patches to apply
$9one time for a working portal
7 daysfree, no card needed
About XenForo
What XenForo is, and what it asks of you
You buy XenForo as a license and install it on a server you provide. A renewal fee keeps the updates and the support coming. XenForo sells a hosted option too.
It is well liked, and fairly so. The admin panel is tidy, the editor is good, and the add-on market is active. Boards running on it tend to look modern without much work.
What to weigh is the shape of the bill and the shape of the work. Self-hosted, the server, the PHP version, the certificate, and the backups are still yours. So are the add-ons, which need re-testing after each update.
There is no importer, and that is the point
There is no importer. Your XenForo posts stay exactly where they are.
The fresh start is the point. A support archive built from the questions people ask now stays small and clean. It is easier to search than a board carrying years of threads.
You can keep the old board running while the new one fills up.
Side by side
Running XenForo, and running this
The same jobs, and who does each one. Their column describes the software as it is normally run, not any one plan.
| XenForo, self-hosted | Forumcat | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | You install it on a server you provide | Nothing to install |
| Server and hosting | Yours, unless you take their hosted option | None. We run it |
| Updates and patches | Included while your renewal is current | We apply them |
| SSL certificate | You set it up and renew it | Automatic, and renewed for you |
| Backups | You set them up and test them | Part of the hosting |
| Spam and moderation | Built-in tools, plus add-ons you pick | Sign-in needed to post, plus staff tools and bulk actions |
| Price shape | A paid license, plus a renewal fee for updates | $9 one time, or $99 a month on your own domain |
| Your own domain | Yes, it is your server | Yes on Pro, with SSL included |
| REST API and MCP server | Depends on the add-ons you add | On every plan |
| Private questions | Permissions you configure yourself | Private questions and private categories |
| Time to live | Hours, plus the server work before it | About five minutes |
Vendor pricing moves, so we describe the shape and leave the number to their pricing page.
Inside
What your customers land on
One list of questions with vote counts, solved badges, categories, and tags. Search sits at the top and works without an account.
It carries your logo, your accent color, and your own domain on the higher plan.
- Votes on questions and replies, so the shared ones rise
- One accepted solution, pinned under the question
- Search, related questions, and a log of searches that found nothing
Starting over
When a fresh start is the right call
The switch makes sense when the board is really a support board. If most threads are customers asking how something works, you want a different shape. That shape is a question, replies, and one accepted solution.
Here the price is flat and it is the same in month twelve. There is no license to renew, and no add-on to check after an update.
The fresh start
Three things, and you are running
No download, no database, no certificate. The whole setup is a name and an address.
- 1
Create the portal
Sign in, give it a name and an address, and it is online. There is no server to point at and nothing to configure first.
- 2
Answer the ten you always answer
Post the questions your team types out every week, and answer them once. That is the archive started, and it is public and searchable straight away.
- 3
Send people to it
Link it from your site, from your old board, and from your support replies. Reading and searching need no account at all.
Pricing
Two plans. Both flat.
The bill does not grow with traffic, questions, or seats. Pick a plan, and that is the price.
| Basic | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9 one time | $99 a month, or $990 a year |
| Portal address | yourcompany.myforumcat.com | Your own domain, SSL included |
| Team seats | 2 | Unlimited |
| Registered members | 1,000 | 10,000 |
| Questions | 10,000 | Unlimited |
| Media storage | 1 GB (≈2,000 images) | 50 GB (≈100,000 images) |
| Page views a month (fair use) | 100,000 | 1,000,000 |
| Search, votes, accepted solutions | ||
| Structured data, sitemap, markdown view | ||
| REST API and MCP server | ||
| Google sign-in under your brand | ||
| Analytics and search log | ||
| Free trial | 7 days, no card | 7 days, no card |
Unlimited seats and questions on Pro carry a quiet fair-use backstop, lifted for any real portal that reaches it. Page views are fair-use limits, not a meter.
Questions people ask before moving
Fair questions.
Can we import our old forum or help docs?
Answer
Not today. There is no importer. Most teams start fresh and let the new questions build the archive, which is live in minutes.
Can we keep our old forum online?
Answer
Yes. Your license and your server are not affected by anything here. Teams often keep the XenForo board for community talk and send support questions here. Each one then has a single job.
What does it cost in month twelve?
Answer
The same as month one. $9 one time for a portal on a Forumcat subdomain, or $99 a month for your own domain. The bill never grows with traffic or questions.
Does it work on our own domain?
Answer
Yes, on Pro. Point a subdomain like help.yourcompany.com at Forumcat and SSL is set up for you. Your Forumcat subdomain redirects to it.
What happens to our answers if we leave?
Answer
They are yours. Every question and answer is readable through the REST API, so you can pull it all out any time.
Where to go next
One price, and no renewal
A support portal that is live this morning and costs the same next year.
Create your portalFree for 7 days. No credit card.
