The Woltlab suite is cheap internet forum software running on PHP/Mysql. It counts several add-ons including a blog, a calendar, a gallery and a file base.
Look and readability
Woltlab has the best modern flat design that we have seen until now. Everything on the screen is easy to read. The default theme is responsive on tablets and smartphones. The contrast between the fonts and the background is the best that we have seen until now.
User management
It is possible to set up a User ranking system with trophies. woltlab also feature a like system. There
Threads
It is possible to add polls, upload
SEO
It is possible to add several META tags to the forum like Meta keywords and META description. It is possible to add
On top of that, Woltlab can generate SEO friendly URLs and a sitemap with the last threads from the last x days!
Security
The Woltlab forums use Google’s Recaptcha or Question & Answer to secure their user registrations. You can block IP addresses, hostname, user-agent.
Security is the Wotlab’s weak point since there is no plugin and no feature to automatically stop spam using a third party service like StopForumspam, Akismet, DNS blocklists. Those services automatically stop registrations of spammers and posting of spams. Xenforo has all those features. Woltlab users should consider a protection in the htaccess file like 6G firewall. It means that the webmaster looks into the log on a daily basis to check if there is something wrong with it and manually block the bad bots based on IP address or user-agent.
Styles
You can modify the colors of your forum from the admin panel, and it is effortless because there is also a preview of your forum modification. You can also change the logos and the width among other things. You can also upload a theme.
Paid subscription
Woltlab allows you to create a paid membership. For instance, you can create a paid subscription to read a VIP thread or post to a VIP tread. Members can subscribe to a daily/ monthly / yearly subscription (recurring or permanent). By default the payment gateway is Paypal. Once they subscribed, you may add them to a user group with new credentials.
Advertisement:
It is possible to add a banner depending on several criteria. The user can determine the weekdays and the time when the banner should be displayed on every page. The advertisement may appear between two dates for a given user group if set up by the administrator. The advertisement may be placed at different locations on the page. Several advertisements can be set up on the Wotlab forum. At the top, at the bottom, In the sidebar, After every 2 categories After every 2 posts… See below for details:
