IPB or vBulletin?

[hotmale]

Whether as a user or an administrator, which one would you recommend and why? Invision Power Board or vBulletin?

vBulletin has a leased license ($85) and an owned license ($160)
IPB has a One Year License ($70) and Lifetime License ($200)

IPB told me the forum remains fully functional after the One Year License expires, while vBulletin gave me a vague idea by saying that I "need to renew to avoid any abruptions"

IPB can also set up the forum for you at no additional cost but vBulletin require more payment for that.

BTW, has anyone tried phpBB? When it comes to OSes, browsers... free open-source is very popular. This seems to be an exception though; do you know why?