How to Choose DNN Modules

The DNN Store is an e-commerce marketplace which aims to make it incredibly easy for users to locate, purchase, and download third-party add-ons for DNN. We provide online services which enables hundreds of developers to publish, sell, and support these add-ons. We also offer a competitive referral program to all Store users.

At the DNN Store, we are always looking for ways to improve our users’ experience: to provide information that will help them get the most out of their DNN websites and the modules and skins purchased for it.

Our users are faced with a common set of questions: what gallery module should you use; what ecommerce module best fits your needs; what skin will work best for your site? So, we thought we'd write a blog post about the basics: what to look at when choosing a module or skin for your DNN website.

Let me cover a few important criteria.

1) Price

There are a range of products available in the Store. Some are free; others range in price from a few dollars to several hundred dollars. Determine your budget and look for solutions that fall into it, but keep a few things in mind.

More expensive products often offer more features, but do you need these features? Will your users take advantage of them? There are some really great products that may cost less than your intended budget. Don’t rule these out. Take, for example, this 5-star review for Unisols Simple Articles:

“If you're looking for a simple solution for managing news on your website, this is it! I checked out a lot of products, and many were good, but they were too complicated for my customer's needs. All I really needed was an easy to understand interface, so that anyone…could quickly add articles, a photo, and link to a document. And that's what I got! This module is simple enough so that it's easy to learn, but powerful enough that it doesn't feel restrictive. I highly recommend it if your needs are similar to mine.”

On the other hand, once you begin to evaluate your options, you may need to step outside your budget for the ideal solution, but this could save you money in the long run. For example, will the additional features save time in developing your website, or draw more users to your site? Here is a review for the Adapt Skin, from a customer who was pleased with what he received for the (slightly higher) price:

“This skin is one of the most complete designs in the DNN Store. The design styles have been extended to almost every possible web component ie. tooltips, modals, tabs, tables, etc. A portal template is included which can serve a web based style guide for your project. It also includes several examples of each of the components with full documentation. This skin is well worth its premium price.”

2) Reviews

Thirty days after purchasing a product, customers are reminded via email to review their recent purchases. You’ve just read a few examples of these reviews. Look for products with an average review of 4 or 5. Pay attention to comments about the features, the vendor’s responsiveness/support and the quality of documentation. If a product is new and has no reviews, you can look at the overall vendor's reviews to get a feel for the quality of products and support provided (by that vendor).

3) Published and Updated Dates

On the listing of modules and skins, you can see when the product was last updated:

On the product listing page, you can see when the product was published:

Products that have not been updated recently may not have been tested with the most recent versions of DNN. Depending on what version of DNN you are using, this may or may not work for you. Products with an older published date, but recent updated date show that the vendor is actively developing the product.You can expect that these products will continue to be updated with additional features and tested with new versions of DNN and web browsers.

For More Information

Do you still need more information about the solutions you are considering? Try using the “Ask a Question” link on the product’s page.This will allow you to contact the vendor directly by adding a help ticket to the seller’s support list, or contact our Store staff at store@dnnsoftware.com. Happy Shopping!