Comparison
Create A Forum vs running your own forum: an honest comparison
Create A Forum (createaforum.com) hosts SMF-based forums for you, free with adverts or ad-free on a paid plan. Traxio.uk gives you hosting to run SMF, MyBB or phpBB yourself. Here’s how they really compare.
The short version
Choose Create A Forum if you want an SMF-style forum without installing anything, value its built-in extras (galleries, classifieds, e-commerce and chat on higher plans), and don’t mind adverts on the free plan or a monthly fee to remove them.
Choose your own hosting, such as Traxio.uk, if you want standard open-source forum software on your own domain, full access to your files and database, and no adverts, at £0.99 a month after a free 30-day trial.
At a glance
| Feature | Create A Forum | Traxio.uk |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A hosted forum service, SMF-based | Web hosting on which you install free forum software |
| Cost to start | Free (Standard plan, with adverts) | Free for 30 days, no card |
| Ad-free cost | $7.99/month (Unlimited Ad Free) or $12.99/month (Ultimate) | £0.99/month; there are no adverts to remove |
| Forum address | yourname.createaforum.com; custom domains supported | Your own domain (required) |
| Software | Create A Forum’s extended SMF platform | Standard SMF, MyBB or phpBB, your choice |
| Set-up | Two-step sign-up form | An afternoon, mostly waiting for DNS |
| Built-in extras | Portal; gallery on paid plans; chat, classifieds and e-commerce on Ultimate | Add-ons you choose and install |
| Full data export | Paid one-off SQL export, format not standard | Yes: your files and database, any time |
| Software updates | Handled by Create A Forum | You apply them (Softaculous helps) |
| Support | Support site and knowledge base | Knowledgebase, guides and AI-assisted help desk (hosting only) |
Sources: createaforum.com (plans and prices); Create A Forum sign-up page (address format, custom domains); Create A Forum’s own comparison page (SMF-based platform); Create A Forum support (export).
Where Create A Forum is the better choice
- Nothing to install or update. The platform is run for you.
- A free option, if adverts are acceptable.
- Extras in one place: galleries, classifieds, e-commerce and chat on the higher plans, without choosing add-ons.
- A familiar SMF feel, without learning hosting.
Where your own hosting is the better choice
- Standard software, fully portable. Your SMF, MyBB or phpBB forum is a normal installation. Any host that runs PHP and MySQL can run it, and moving is a copy job.
- Lower ongoing cost for an ad-free forum: £0.99 a month, against $7.99 or more a month for an ad-free hosted plan.
- Full control: every file, every template, the database itself, and the whole library of official packages and themes for your software.
- Your own domain from day one.
What you take on with your own hosting
You’ll need a domain (around £8–£12 a year), an afternoon for set-up, and the routine of updating the software and keeping backups. Extras such as a gallery come from add-ons you choose. Traxio’s support covers the hosting rather than the forum software. The set-up planner and forum guides are there to make it straightforward.
If you like SMF, run the real thing
If Create A Forum’s SMF roots are what you like, standard SMF 2.1 is a one-click install on Traxio.uk, with a responsive default theme, detailed permissions and built-in two-factor login. Traxio also publishes free SMF themes. Start with getting started with SMF.
Moving from Create A Forum
Create A Forum’s paid export gives you an SQL file, which is a better starting point than most hosted services allow. Because the platform is extended beyond standard SMF, importing it into a standard installation may need technical work and some tidying. Many owners combine an export with the approach in moving from a hosted forum: set up the new forum, move what matters, and bring the community across with a clear announcement.
Common questions
Is Create A Forum free?
It has a free Standard plan with adverts, plus paid plans: Unlimited Ad Free at $7.99 a month and Ultimate at $12.99 a month, according to its homepage. Traxio.uk is free for 30 days, then £0.99 a month, with no adverts.
Does Create A Forum use SMF?
Create A Forum describes its platform as SMF-based and heavily extended. On Traxio.uk you install standard SMF (or MyBB or phpBB) yourself, and can add any packages and themes that support your version.
Can I move from Create A Forum to my own SMF forum?
Create A Forum’s support site describes a paid, one-off SQL export, with the caveat that its format differs from standard software so the result may not be perfect. That’s more than many hosted services offer, but plan for some technical tidying.
Is Traxio.uk affiliated with Create A Forum?
No. Create A Forum is a trademark of its owner. Traxio.uk is an independent UK hosting service, and this page is our own comparison based on Create A Forum’s public information.
Start your forum free for 30 days
Real hosting for MyBB, phpBB or SMF on a domain you own. £0.99 a month after the trial, and nothing is charged automatically.
Start your forum free Plan my set-up
Free for 30 days with no card details required. Then £0.99/month if you choose to continue.