Invision Invision Self-Host vs Cloud

[Shawn Gossman]

Invision offers two different options:

(1) Self-hosting the forum software

(2) Cloud hosting

While most would ideally want self-hosting for more control, it looks like Invision is offering exclusive feature for cloud users that self-hosting users are unable to get.

For those of you who use Invision, which do you prefer and why?

 

[Tracy]

I no longer use Invision, and even though I like their script I am hesitant about going back to it due to the self-hosting issue. That is a declining market for them and they have already made adjustments to their licensing plans to try to maintain income for it. They have already talked several times about dropping self hosting once it reaches a certain percentage of their customer base.
Granted, there is no guarantee of self-hosting from any of the other providers, but none of them have made any statement to the end of life of self-hosting like Invision has.
The main reason that I prefer self-hosting is due to me running other sites already on either a VPS or server. For what the SaaS would cost I can pay for several decent VPS instances.

 

[JoelR]

I am reminded of the paywall feature on new BMWs, where you need to subscribe to accelerate faster, or to subscribe for heated seats.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

They have already talked several times about dropping self hosting once it reaches a certain percentage of their customer base.

That is what would scare me away.

I want to self-host and if there is chance that I won't be able to keep doing that and have to worry about moving software, well, I'd prefer to skip that step altogether.

 

[Cedric]

I no longer use Invision, and even though I like their script I am hesitant about going back to it due to the self-hosting issue. That is a declining market for them and they have already made adjustments to their licensing plans to try to maintain income for it. They have already talked several times about dropping self hosting once it reaches a certain percentage of their customer base.
Granted, there is no guarantee of self-hosting from any of the other providers, but none of them have made any statement to the end of life of self-hosting like Invision has.
The main reason that I prefer self-hosting is due to me running other sites already on either a VPS or server. For what the SaaS would cost I can pay for several decent VPS instances.

Tracy, that’s actually false information. Invision has no plans to drop self-hosted licenses. Yes, they only make up about 12% of sales, and it’s true the market is shrinking, but they’ve said they’ll continue supporting it.

Maybe things will look different in 10 years, but honestly, 10 years is a long time. A lot can change by then - even other providers might not exist at that point.


Instead of stressing about the far future, just enjoy what the software offers today. Nobody knows what the internet will look like in 5 or 10 years - for the software, for competitors, or even for us as people.

 

[Tracy]

Tracy, that’s actually false information. Invision has no plans to drop self-hosted licenses. Yes, they only make up about 12% of sales, and it’s true the market is shrinking, but they’ve said they’ll continue supporting it.

Maybe things will look different in 10 years, but honestly, 10 years is a long time. A lot can change by then - even other providers might not exist at that point.


Instead of stressing about the far future, just enjoy what the software offers today. Nobody knows what the internet will look like in 5 or 10 years - for the software, for competitors, or even for us as people.

Last I saw from them was acknowledgement at a certain level of self-hosting they would cease the product as it would not be worthwhile.
They may have changed their story yet again, as I don't read a lot over there. And honestly, as many times as they have said one thing and done something else.... I have about as much "faith" in their word as I do in the Xenforo developers word that they will change and give timely updates and get a product out in a timely manner.

That's why I am working (and suggest anyone else to do similar) getting the site where I want it at and then I'll probably be leaving it there. In 10 years I won't be worried about it.

 

[Cedric]

Last I saw from them was acknowledgement at a certain level of self-hosting they would cease the product as it would not be worthwhile.
They may have changed their story yet again, as I don't read a lot over there. And honestly, as many times as they have said one thing and done something else.... I have about as much "faith" in their word as I do in the Xenforo developers word that they will change and give timely updates and get a product out in a timely manner.

That's why I am working (and suggest anyone else to do similar) getting the site where I want it at and then I'll probably be leaving it there. In 10 years I won't be worried about it.

You know perfectly well managing a website and “leaving it there” isn’t the smartest move. Technology advances quicker than us, and you’ll be left out before you know it. If that’s your goal, then great, carry on. But if you want to stay relevant, you know that is not your best move. You might as well develop a new blog instead of a forum then.

 

[Tracy]

You know perfectly well managing a website and “leaving it there” isn’t the smartest move. Technology advances quicker than us, and you’ll be left out before you know it. If that’s your goal, then great, carry on. But if you want to stay relevant, you know that is not your best move. You might as well develop a new blog instead of a forum then.

Not if you are running Xenforo (I know this thread is about Invision). How long have we been waiting on 2.4 to be released?
It was announced (over a year ago) as targeted for Q4/2024 Q1/2025. We are now almost to Q4/2025 and honestly it will probably be Q1/2026 at the earliest before we see any official BETA release.

As long as the base is stable that you are running, there is not the overarching need to upgrade if the version you are on is meeting your site needs. The only reason (that has been announced) that I am looking forward to Xenforo 2.4 is the inclusion of a new editor. Actual end-user improvements are few and far between with Xenforo. And that is one of my biggest issues with their software. They are almost solely dependent upon 3rd parties to bring real life utility to the very basic stubs of features they offer.
Invision and even Woltlab are different - they have a faster paced development cycle and look closely at end user improvements.

As for staying relevant... one of the biggest (and busy) forums in my primary niche is still apparently running an older version of Invision if their footer is an indicator.



In the source code it still refers to Invision Power Services, which I believe they rebranded to in the 4.x era.
Staying relevant (with all the latest doo-dads) is not necessarily based upon the script version, but what the site offers to its users. As long as it is meeting those needs, there is not any overarching need to upgrade to the latest & greatest, and in some cases that may cause issues with the interface that the users do not appreciate. There are times that a site may desire to upgrade if features they need/want are offered.

One of the largest (and busy) Tundra forums I visit is still on an older version of Xenforo (I believe they finally upgraded to the 2.2.x line but were on 1.5 for a long time after 2.x was released).

My comment about in 10 years not being worried about it is due to the fact I'll be 73, and I will probably have more important concerns at that age than running a site.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

My comment about in 10 years not being worried about it is due to the fact I'll be 73, and I will probably have more important concerns at that age than running a site.

Start working on that now. Get a bike, take a hike, or go run

 

[Tracy]

Start working on that now. Get a bike, take a hike, or go run

Already got a bike, and walk the dogs for 1.5-2 miles a day and then an additional 2 miles by myself. I'll be within not quite 3 years of the average life expectancy of a male in the US. As I get older my priorities change.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Already got a bike, and walk the dogs for 1.5-2 miles a day and then an additional 2 miles by myself. I'll be within not quite 3 years of the average life expectancy of a male in the US. As I get older my priorities change.

Well, if you don't smoke or excessively drink, I think you're on the right path!

Just take strong illness seriously. Lost my dad in August because he decided to not go get checked. Simple antibiotics would have saved him.