DescentBB

For work, my company www.antarestech.com which makes vocal production software is looking to create a company forum, which I will build and administer.

What software is not too difficult to get built, while still having great features? We are not scared to spend $200-600 for the right piece of software.

I need a public forum, but also a \"private\" forum for beta testers, such that the private forum doesn't show up unless you log in with an approved log-in.

I also would like is some sort of History tracking feature, where I can monitor how much a user logs in, what threads they have read, and most importantly, if they are downloading the software to test.

Any help greatly appreciated!

vBulletin would be your best bet.

I'm a fan of SMF. It's free, PHP-based, and has most or all of the features you requested. It's also easily moddable and easy-to-use.

vBulletin or phpBB 3

vBulletin has a license scheme, you have to pay for every year of usage.