We have been using DNN since Mar 2004. The first forum module we tried after months of evaluating several options was Adverageous which patterned itself after http://forums.asp.net/ of the time. The list of other candidates back then was YetAnotherForum (free but not exclusively DNN), ActiveForums ($50) and DNN Forums (free). All had their Pros and Cons and we finally decided on comitting to Adverageous v1.4 ($50). The prices are estmates from memory, which is not as good as it use to be. :) Within a month we upgraded to Adverageous v1.5.

Anyway on with the story, as mentioned we are DNN dinosaurs (lol) and I personally lurk on dotnetnuke.com frequently and post seldomly (shame on me). After a short time with our first forum choice, we were abandoned by Adverageous, like many others. The owner just disappeared on us. I see he is back now and in my opinion he is very talented. I wish him well. Nonetheless, we were stuck with no support and we then opted for ActiveForums. This was probably about 3 years ago and we were happy with ActiveForums, most of the time. One of the ideas we considered in our decision to use Adverageous and ActiveModules was that we convinced ourselves that commercial products will/should provide better support. We learned that is not necessarily true.

We know both products (DNN and AF) very well and I agree that AF offers more functionality than DNN, as well it should being a commercial product. As someone else mentioned it comes down to function. For us the new version of DNN delivers more than enough function for our needs. But, if you need anonymous posting or the ability to accept an email as a forum post (MailConnector is really cool) for example then AF is your answer as far as a DNN module goes. Further I agree with another poster that ActiveModules rolls out the most polished products. I will add that the people at ActiveModules are very dedicated and people of high character, IMO. However, after reviewing the new release of the DNN Forum module and in consideration of the Project Team's dedication and the continued growth and kindred activity within the DotNetNuke community and in this forum, we have opted for the new DNN Forum module to provide our forum solution for our business model and many clients. If a client does need additional features which the DNN forum module does not provide and ActiveForums does then we will certainly use ActiveModules.

To conclude my 2 cent contribution, I will say the DNN community as a whole is a very friendly and compelling environment. I commend all those involved, privately and commercially alike, and I feel very comfortable, after many years of use and review, placing the fate of our forum solution on the new DNN Forum module and the DNN community. If money ($50+ dollars for AF) is not an issue for you then AF is your best bet, otherwise go with DNN forum as long as you do not need the extra features AF provides.

I wish you all the best in your endeavors.