Contemplating migrating to XenForo

Today, has been a day of heavy research. And what sparked it was reading a post somewhere about how a forum's look could deter new memberships, specifically, an obsolete, old looking skin gives the impression that a site is not being properly maintained. Despite my efforts of finding themes (SMF skins) that are different from the default look, the fact remains that SMF is very looking very dated. While it's true the development team is working on a 3.0 version, they mention that the bulk of the work being done will be under the hood, so nothing cosmetically will really change.

I've glanced around at all the various forums I frequent, and most of them use XenForo. I've gotten used to how the software functions, I enjoy its clean, sleek and modern functionality. And then I looked at the XenForo source forum itself. The extensions that can be added are quite impressive, costly, but impressive nonetheless! But I have a major issue. SMF and the majority of its extensions and themes are free. Perfect for a small hobbyist like myself. But if I want to attract new active members to my forum, then I need to perform major reconstructive surgery and just take the plunge. But nearly $200 is quite a bit of money to be asking for, especially while I'm having financial difficulties paying my electric bill.

So I need some ideas on how I can generate the $200 I need to purchase a license. It would be nice if I could just go ahead with the purchase now, and begin remaking my site, probably from scratch, but I guess I'll just have to use Obsidian to organize my thoughts for now.

In fact, if I'm starting back at square one, maybe I should consider a pivot. Instead of hosting a discussion forum on role playing systems and classic anime titles, maybe I should just make a my space for dedicated anime-related role playing games. Like forum role playing still seems to be a thing (at least somewhat based on all the directories on the Net), but I'm thinking about hosting multiple, expansive games all running concurrently. But, to truly get my new forum up off the ground and running so I'm not shouting into the Void (like I am right now), I'm going to need to find some people who role play, and more specifically, interested in role playing as anime characters or within anime settings (think exaggeration). Hmm, I'll have to brainstorm a list of possible festering grounds for that. LOL

Okay. I think I'm done rambling now. Anyway, got any ideas?

The XenForo license is only a one time purchase, right? Unless of course, you need additional support after that first year. My hosting and domain is already paid for the year. Is cost the only reason you regret making the transition?

That is something to consider. However, looking at my current site, I don't think I really need any of the fancy stuff. The new site is going to be a simple text based role play forum. I'll want a dice roller, sub-accounts, and maybe a wiki plug in, maybe. I've still got quite a bit of time to decide, since I'm nowhere close to having the money I'll need to purchase the license, if I even decide to go this route. However, it does seem that the more sites I look at, the more I'm noticing XenForo powering them.

That's the other reason why I'm considering moving. SMF hasn't seen a major update in a long time. There's one coming down the pipe soon, but it could realistically be years before we see it, and it won't change the appearance of the software either. The last time SMF was released was back in June of last year 2023. While that's good from a extension stand point and not having to worry too much about updating everything, waiting too long for a release increases the possibility for vulnerabilities to be found.

I don't understand what the whole thing with the Fediverse is all about.

I've already got a hosting service that I'm paying an annual fee for. I looked at the license extensions, $60 more per year isn't that bad. It's just the initial cost that's prohibitive.