Best place to start a forum?

[blinelaxd27]

Hey Guys,

I have an interesting forum idea and wanted to see what people have experience with as the best place to start a forum. i don't mind paying for it if it is significantly better than a free service. preferably i want somewhere where i can use my own url and have an option for ad free. in the future would i be able to charge for ads if it becomes popular? Trying to do some research but seems like a lot.

 

[MarcSpaz]

I have 2 dedicated virtual servers sitting in a data center not too far from my house. Whole thing with unlimited bandwidth and 5 URL's cost me under $200 a year. Startup costs were under $500. If anyone says it cost them a fortune to run a forum is either lying or doing it wrong.

EDIT: It's so cheap, in fact, that even though my business has been closed for a few years, I keep the servers for personal use and in case I decide to use them again in the future.

 

[CobraBob]

The cost/overhead of a forum will depend on the scope (number of members, forum features, etc.) of the forum. A basic forum shouldn't be expensive to start up and run. A forum like SVTP with it's huge member base ain't cheap.