Wolt Lab

[Jason]

Who has used it? Who is simply interested? What are some pros and cons?

 

[Ravenfreak]

I use it for my forum, Thee Zone. I prefer it to other paid software. The only downfall for myself is that it is German based, and some members only know German so there's a language barrier. Most of the staff speak both though.

 

[Jason]

I've thought about getting it but haven't gotten around to it. The price is way lower than xenforo, but do I know the whole story?

 

[Ravenfreak]

I've thought about getting it but haven't gotten around to it. The price is way lower than xenforo, but do I know the whole story?

If you're curious, you should give their demo a try. That's the best way to figure out if it fits your needs. Woltlab also comes with a CMS for free alongside their forum software, if you're wanting a CMS for your website then that's a plus!

 

[Uncrowned]

I like it. The suite they offer is quite nice and it is a nice modern feel. Others are correct that the support forum and many add-ons are German-based, so a hurdle you may need to overcome.

 

[Arantor]

My take on it is that it is much like other things built in Germany: it’s efficient business-like and functional without being overstated. There’s no “spark” to make it special, but it’s just out to do a solid reliable job and it delivers on that without trying to be special.

The German support thing used to be a lot worse, time was when English support basically didn’t exist, but it has gotten better.

Will also say the devs are pretty happy to come talk to people (one was a regular on TAZ) and there were many enlightening conversations but a lot of people who shouted them down over being told uncomfortable truths (such as the financial implications of running a forum business in the 2020s)

 

[Empire]

I Seen it, I know what it has to offer, I have talked about it many time - NEver used it

 

[Jason]

My take on it is that it is much like other things built in Germany: it’s efficient business-like and functional without being overstated. There’s no “spark” to make it special, but it’s just out to do a solid reliable job and it delivers on that without trying to be special.

The German support thing used to be a lot worse, time was when English support basically didn’t exist, but it has gotten better.

Will also say the devs are pretty happy to come talk to people (one was a regular on TAZ) and there were many enlightening conversations but a lot of people who shouted them down over being told uncomfortable truths (such as the financial implications of running a forum business in the 2020s)

A lot of Germans speak English, though. It can't be that hard to hire someone.

 

[Arantor]

And that’s the reason they probably don’t hire/focus more on English, not wanting to deal with the smug, dismissive “just cater to me already” attitude that the Brits and Americans are so good at, when they can cater to their native language much more readily (and likely more politely)

My wife is German, English as a second language, she still speaks German with her coworkers because it’s simply easier for many of them who are in a similar boat. We English-first folks have such little regard how easy it is for us to not have to think about everything and then translate before saying it.