Metro – A Theme for vBulletin 4 and 5 is a professionally designed skin package from developer PixelGoose that gives forum owners a clean, modern, and highly customizable visual identity across two major generations of vBulletin software. Whether you are running a long-established vBulletin 4.2.5 community or have migrated to the newer vBulletin 5 Connect platform, this theme delivers a consistent, contrast-driven aesthetic that helps your forum stand out from the default templates thousands of other boards rely on. With more than 1,500 sales on ThemeForest, it has become one of the more trusted styling solutions in the vBulletin category, and its combination of color flexibility, layout options, and out-of-the-box polish makes it a practical choice for administrators who want a professional look without rebuilding their design from scratch.
Key Features
- Dual-platform support — Metro ships with versions for both vBulletin 4.2.5 and vBulletin 5 Connect, so you can style an older board or a modern installation with the same design language. The vBulletin 4 package includes both 4.2.0 and 4.2.5 builds.
- Ten color schemes — Choose from Blue, Teal, Green, Lime, Golden, Orange, Red, Violet Red, Purple, and Black & White. Each scheme can be previewed live, making it easy to match your existing brand colors.
- Fully responsive and retina-ready (vB5) — The vBulletin 5 version adapts cleanly to desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, and renders sharply on high-density displays.
- Fixed and fluid layouts (vB4) — The vBulletin 4 release offers both fixed-width and fluid-width versions, giving you control over how your forum fills the browser window. Note that these vB4 layouts are not responsive.
- Google web fonts integration — Typography is handled through Google Fonts, so your forum inherits modern, web-safe typefaces without hosting font files yourself.
- Completely remade icons — Every forum icon has been redrawn from scratch to match the Metro aesthetic, replacing vBulletin’s dated default graphics.
- Four editable footer blocks — A dedicated admin control panel page lets you edit four custom footer blocks without touching a single template file.
- Social network links — Add links to your forum profiles on social platforms directly from the Metro Management page, no template editing required.
- RTL forum support — Right-to-left language forums are supported out of the box, which is essential for Arabic, Hebrew, and similar communities.
- Respected banner regions — All default vBulletin banner regions are preserved, so your existing ad placements and header graphics continue to work.
- Layered PSD files included — Designers receive the source Photoshop files, making it straightforward to extend or modify the theme’s visual assets.
- Cross-browser support and full documentation — The theme is tested across major browsers and ships with complete documentation plus developer support.
Who Is This For? Use Cases
Established vBulletin 4 Forum Owners
If your community has been running on vBulletin 4.2.x for years, Metro gives it an immediate visual refresh without forcing a platform migration. The fixed and fluid layout options let you preserve your current content structure while replacing the tired default styling with something sharper and more contemporary.
Communities Migrating to vBulletin 5 Connect
The vBulletin 5 version of Metro is a completely refactored theme built for vB 5.4.5, 5.5.6, and 5.7.5. It is lighter and more stable than earlier iterations, making it a sensible choice for administrators who have already upgraded or are planning to. Because the theme is fully responsive and retina-ready, mobile visitors get a first-class experience.
Forum Administrators Without Coding Skills
Much of Metro’s customization happens through the admin control panel rather than template edits. Footer blocks, social links, and color schemes can all be managed from a dedicated Metro Management page, which means non-technical admins can maintain the look of their board independently.
Agencies and Freelance Developers
When building or redesigning a client’s forum, starting from a polished theme saves days of work. The included layered PSD files and ten color schemes make it easy to tailor the design to a client’s brand guidelines, and the dual vB4/vB5 support means the same purchase can serve multiple projects across different platform versions.
International and Multilingual Boards
With RTL forum support built in, Metro is a practical option for community owners serving right-to-left language audiences who would otherwise need extensive manual template adjustments.
Technical Details & Compatibility
Metro is purpose-built for vBulletin and is not a WordPress theme, so it does not interact with WooCommerce, Elementor, Gutenberg, or the WordPress plugin ecosystem. Its compatibility scope is defined by vBulletin versions instead:
- vBulletin 5 Connect: Supports vBulletin 5.4.5, 5.5.6, and 5.7.5. The Metro 2.0.0 release is a complete refactor built for vBulletin 5.6.0 and later, described as lighter and more stable than Metro 1.*. Users upgrading from Metro 1.* should read the update section of the documentation before proceeding.
- vBulletin 4: Supports the 4.2.5 forum, blog, and vB CMS suite, and includes both vBulletin 4.2.0 and 4.2.5 versions in the package.
- Layout behavior: The vBulletin 4 version offers fixed and fluid layouts but is explicitly not responsive. The vBulletin 5 version is fully responsive and retina-ready.
- Typography: Google web fonts are used throughout, requiring an internet connection for font loading in the standard configuration.
- Browser support: Cross-browser compatibility is listed as a core feature, covering the major desktop browsers of the era.
- Banner regions: All default vBulletin banner regions are respected, preserving ad and header placements.
- Design assets: Layered PSD files are bundled for further customization.
- Installation and updates: The theme includes full documentation and an update list maintained by the author, with direct support available for setup questions.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent value at $28.00 — One purchase covers both vBulletin 4 and vBulletin 5 versions, which is rare in the vBulletin theme market.
- Ten color schemes give you meaningful visual variety without buying multiple skins.
- No-code customization via the Metro Management page for footer blocks and social links.
- Responsive and retina-ready on vB5, ensuring a solid mobile experience for modern communities.
- RTL support built in, which many competing themes charge extra for or omit entirely.
- Layered PSD files included, adding real design value for developers and agencies.
- Strong sales history with over 1,500 purchases, indicating sustained marketplace trust.
- Actively maintained — the Metro 2.* refactor shows the author continues to invest in the product.
Cons
- vBulletin 4 version is not responsive, so mobile visitors on that platform will see a desktop-oriented layout.
- No WordPress compatibility, which is expected given it is a vBulletin product but worth clarifying for buyers searching broadly.
- Version-specific support — only the listed vBulletin releases are confirmed compatible, so very old or very new versions may require testing.
- Upgrading from Metro 1.* requires reading the documentation carefully, as the 2.0.0 release is a full refactor rather than a drop-in update.
- Google Fonts dependency means typography depends on an external service being reachable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which vBulletin versions does Metro support?
Metro supports vBulletin 5 Connect versions 5.4.5, 5.5.6, and 5.7.5, and the vBulletin 4 release covers the 4.2.5 forum, blog, and vB CMS, with both 4.2.0 and 4.2.5 builds included in the download. If you are running a version outside this list, confirm compatibility with the developer before purchasing.
Is the vBulletin 4 version of Metro responsive?
No. The vBulletin 4 release offers fixed and fluid layout options but is explicitly not responsive. Only the vBulletin 5 Connect version is fully responsive and retina-ready. If mobile traffic is a priority for your vB4 board, factor that into your decision or consider upgrading your platform.
How difficult is it to customize Metro, and do I need to edit templates?
Most common customizations are handled through the admin control panel. Four footer blocks and your social network profile links can be edited from the dedicated Metro Management page without touching templates. For deeper design changes, the included layered PSD files let you modify the theme’s graphics directly, and the ten built-in color schemes cover most branding needs out of the box.
Final Verdict
Metro – A Theme for vBulletin 4 and 5 earns its position as one of the more dependable vBulletin styling options on ThemeForest. PixelGoose has delivered a package that respects the realities of running a forum: it supports two major platform generations, ships with ten color schemes, includes RTL support and layered PSD files, and keeps day-to-day customization inside the admin panel rather than behind template code. The Metro 2.0.0 refactor for vBulletin 5 demonstrates that the author is still actively improving the product rather than abandoning it after launch, and the update documentation gives buyers a clear upgrade path. With over 1,500 sales, the theme has been validated by a substantial community of forum administrators.
At $28.00, the cost is negligible compared to the hours you would spend building a comparable design from scratch, and the dual vB4/vB5 coverage means you are effectively getting two themes for one price. If your forum looks like every other default vBulletin board, Metro is a fast, low-risk way to change that. Purchase Metro – A Theme for vBulletin 4 and 5 today, apply one of the ten color schemes, and give your community the modern, contrast-rich design it deserves.