There are free options available for that.

where would that be? because it's getting too pricey for me since I am just doing for fun at my leisure time

There are several free options available including phpBB, SMF, myBB and more. You can find them scattered all over the internet.

The new price does not bother me that much. Times are changing and 8 years ago everything was cheap including gas. Now gas is expensive and a few more dollars for vbulletin. If you can not afford to invest in your forum then, use a free forum software as mentioned earlier.

Add the donation mod to your forum and see if your members are loyal to the community and donate a few dollars each year.

3.7 has a lot of cool features and i'm sure the next version 4 will be twice as good. It's money well spent.

It's been a long time coming. I feel that the price increased is fair and justifiable.

The price increase is not bad however the new license renewal option is terrible.

^^ I share Lizard's views. Differential renewal rates based on elapsed time are not good imo. It takes away customer choice. The price increase as such is minimal and justifiable over this long a period.

Can't really complain, its still worth every penny, and everything else has gone up in price why shouldn't forum software be included.

And you can always fine free alternative, and people willing to do installation services for lower prices then listed as well if thats part of your concern

I'll agree with you there. Increasing renewal to $40 is fine. But a $20 "penalty" if you don't renew within a set amount of time is silly.

Some will see it as a penalty, others might see it as a discount if you renew within 60 days of the expiration date.

You can explain this in anyway you want i guess.