Comparison
ProBoards vs your own forum hosting: an honest comparison
ProBoards is one of the longest-running free forum services, and for many communities it’s a good choice. This page sets out where it’s stronger, where independent hosting on Traxio.uk is, and what moving between them really involves.
The short version
Choose ProBoards if you want a forum online in under a minute, at no cost, and you’re comfortable with adverts and with ProBoards running the software.
Choose your own hosting, such as Traxio.uk, if you want your forum on your own domain, no adverts you didn’t choose, the software of your choice (MyBB, phpBB or SMF), and your files and database in your own hands, and you’re willing to spend an afternoon setting it up and 99p a month to keep it.
At a glance
| Feature | ProBoards | Traxio.uk |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A hosted forum service running its own forum software | Web hosting on which you install free forum software |
| Cost to start | Free | Free for 30 days, no card |
| Ongoing cost | Free with adverts; ad-free upgrades sold by pageviews | £0.99/month (£11.88 a year), no adverts |
| Adverts | On free forums, removable by paying | None added by Traxio |
| Forum address | A ProBoards subdomain; own domain linked for $14/year | Your own domain (required) |
| Software | ProBoards’ own (v5) | MyBB, phpBB or SMF, your choice |
| Set-up time | “Less than 30 seconds”, per ProBoards | An afternoon, mostly waiting for DNS |
| Customisation | Themes, templates and plugins within ProBoards | Any theme or add-on your software supports; full file access |
| Full data export | Not on standard forums; listed in business features (from $49.99/mo) | Yes: your files and database, any time |
| Software updates | Handled by ProBoards | You apply them (Softaculous helps) |
| Support | Help guide and support forum | Knowledgebase, guides and AI-assisted help desk (hosting only) |
Sources: proboards.com (free forums, $14/year custom domain, business features from $49.99/mo, set-up time); ProBoards help: purchasing ad-free (pageview-based ad-free); ProBoards support (whole-forum download).
Where ProBoards is the better choice
- It can cost nothing, permanently. If your budget is genuinely zero and adverts are acceptable, that’s hard to beat.
- No set-up. No domain, no DNS, no installer. You have a forum almost immediately.
- No maintenance. ProBoards applies software updates and runs the servers. You never think about PHP versions or backups of the software.
- A single, consistent platform with its own help guide and a large community of ProBoards admins.
Where your own hosting is the better choice
- Your data is yours. On Traxio you can download your whole forum, files and database, whenever you like, and move to any host that runs PHP and MySQL. On ProBoards, a full export isn’t part of the standard forum.
- No adverts you didn’t choose, at a fixed £0.99 a month, rather than ad-free packages that depend on your traffic.
- Choice of software. MyBB, phpBB and SMF each have large libraries of themes and add-ons, and you can switch between them with converters if you ever need to, because you have the database.
- Your own address from day one, so links and search results keep working whatever happens to your hosting.
What you take on with your own hosting
We’d rather you knew now. With Traxio.uk you’ll need a domain (around £8–£12 a year at a registrar), about an afternoon to set up, and the habit of applying updates and taking backups. Traxio’s support covers the hosting, not the forum software. The set-up planner and forum guides are there to make that manageable, but it is more hands-on than ProBoards.
What a year costs
| Set-up | ProBoards | Traxio.uk |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest possible | $0 (with adverts, ProBoards subdomain) | £0 for 30 days, then £0.99/month, plus your domain |
| On your own domain | $14/year to link the domain, plus the domain itself, plus ad-free if wanted | £11.88/year hosting plus the domain itself (about £8–£12) |
Moving from ProBoards
Because a standard ProBoards forum can’t be downloaded whole, moving usually means starting the new forum fresh and bringing your community across rather than importing every post. ProBoards staff have also said that using third-party tools to download a forum breaks its terms. Moving from a hosted forum sets out a plan that works: set up the new forum, copy the key content by hand, invite your core members personally, and keep the old forum readable.
If your ProBoards forum already uses a domain you own, you can point that domain at the new forum when you’re ready.
Try it side by side
Because the Traxio.uk trial is free for 30 days with no card, you can set up a forum here, invite a few members to try it, and decide with real experience. If it isn’t for you, let the trial lapse and nothing is charged.
Common questions
Is ProBoards free?
Yes, ProBoards lets you create and run a forum free of charge; free forums carry advertising, and ProBoards sells ad-free upgrades. Traxio.uk is free for 30 days, then £0.99 a month, with no adverts.
Can I move my ProBoards forum to phpBB, MyBB or SMF?
Not with a straightforward import. ProBoards staff have said a whole forum can’t be downloaded, and ProBoards lists data export among its paid business features. Most owners who move rebuild on the new forum and bring key content across by hand. Moving from a hosted forum has a plan.
Can I use my own domain with ProBoards?
Yes. ProBoards’ homepage offers to link an existing domain to a free forum for $14 a year, plus whatever your registrar charges for the domain.
Is Traxio.uk affiliated with ProBoards?
No. ProBoards is a trademark of its owner. Traxio.uk is an independent UK hosting service, and this page is our own comparison based on ProBoards’ 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.