BuddyPress is one of the leading software solutions to create online communities. It works with WordPress and is very flexible when it comes to creating communities. Its popularity can also be attributed to WordPress’s extensive ecosystem of plugins and themes.
In case you are looking for BuddyPress alternatives, you have come to the right place. BuddyPress is undoubtedly good, but it is not the only option out there. And, that’s why we have come up with the best BuddyPress alternatives out there.
Also read:
– Youzer Review – The Best BuddyPress Plugin for Building a Community?
– Reign – BuddyPress WordPress Theme for Community and Social Networking Sites
The alternatives are in no way less impactful than that of BuddyPress. This means you can create meaningful communities using these alternatives. Some of these social network plugins work better than BuddyPress in certain scenarios.
So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get started below.
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BuddyPress Alternatives for a WordPress Website
#1. MemberPress
MemberPress offers a complete membership package for WordPress. So, if you are looking to build a high-level membership site with support for online courses and credit card payments, then MemberPress is for you.
With MemberPress, you also get the option to have complete control over your content. Infact, you can also use it to sell digital downloads.
MemberPress is an advanced solution, but it is easy to use? Well, yes! It offers an easy way to get started. Once set up, you can start charging your users for the content that you have to offer.
It comes with all the key features that you would expect from a membership plugin. It also supports other third-party WordPress services, including content management, social communities, and forums.
MemberPress also comes with integrations including ActiveCampaign, Stripe, MailChimp, ConvertKit, PayPal, and HelpScout.
The key features offered by MemberPress include:
Easy setup
Powerful access rules
Coupons support
Ability to create and sell courses
Premium community forums
Pretty pricing pages
Compatible with any theme
Affiliate program
Great subscription management
Simple payment gateway integration
MemberPress is not free. They offer three plans including Basic, Plus, and Pro. The Basic plan starts from $149 per year. To built trust, they also offer a 100% No-Risk Money-back Guarantee for 14-days from the date of purchase.
#2. Social Engine
Social Engine is one of the popular BuddyPress alternatives out there, which is used by Fortune 10 companies powering private and public online communities.
With Social Engine, you can create a white label solution, enabling you to reach your community standards easily. To get started, you can use hosted solution which is capable of scaling overtime. It is also reliable and offers feature upgrades which mean that you will always have something new to offer for your audience.
The Social Engine is also engineered for max social engagement with a higher range of features. These features are relevant for gamification, social sharing, activity feeds, monetization, and more.
So, with Social Engine, you can expand beyond your platform.
Behind Social Engine, there is a power of PHP. In case you do not know, WordPress is also powered by PHP and is now the number one platform when it comes to hosting your site.
The key features of Social Engine worth mentioning include:
Supports mobile platform
Offers features for best performance
You can create a white label solution
Capable of scaling when needed
Utilizes PHP
Offers a lot more compared to a basic blog platform.
#3. Peepso
Another interesting alternative that you can look for is Peepso. It lets you create your community the way you want. If you go to the Peepso official page, you will see them market themselves as “The Next Generation User Profile and Social Networking.”
So, are they that good?
Well, in our analysis, we found them at par with BuddyPress. Their solution is frequently updated with support for new features so that you have something to offer to your audience.
So, what do they offer?
They offer everything that you will need to start and manage your community.
It is a super-light and free social network plugin for the WordPress ecosystem. With it, you can effortlessly create your online community, which works similar to that of Facebook.
The key features that make Peepso so useful include:
Activity Stream
User profiles
Reactions
Notifications
And much more!
They also come with bundles that further enhances your ability to customize your community.
However, these bundles are not free. You can get access to their basic, starter, or ultimate bundle if you are aiming to create a community with tons of features. Their bundles start from $129 per year(kind of expensive but manageable if your community really needs it).
Overall, we are impressed with what they have to offer and recommend it to anyone looking for a BuddyPress alternative.
#4. Ultimate Member
The Ultimate member seems to offer the perfect alternative to BuddyPress. It is a popular offering where you get to control how your community functions. With it, you get access to different key community features, including member directories, user role editing, registration/login, content restriction, and so on.
Then, what makes it unique?
First of all, it has a huge user-base. This helps; most of your problems will be resolved by the community members or the previously asked queries.
The features that the Ultimate Member offers include the following:
Member directories
User profiles
User registration
User login
Account management
User roles
User emails
Content registrations
And that’s not all. You can find the complete list on their site.
Just like other BuddyPress alternatives, Ultimate Member also offers extensions. These extensions help you to improve the site’s functionality. These extensions include WooCommerce, Verified Users, Unsplash, Private Content, User Reviews, Groups, and so on.
The core plugin is free to use. You can use it on your hosted WordPress and forget about it. However, if you want to use their extensions, you need to get their extensions pass, which starts from $249 per year.
One more thing that makes their paid option worth is their 100% No-Risk Money Back Guarantee. You can use it to get your money back within 30-days from the date of the purchase.
#5. WP Symposium Pro
WP Symposium Pro is another excellent community creation plugin that you can use for your WordPress site. With WP Symposium Pro, you can create a better networking experience for your audience. It lets you create a user-friendly community with key features such as an activity wall, user profile, and the likes of friend invites.
The plugin is also SEO-friendly, giving you the ability to reach your audience through the search engine. It also supports multi-forums where you can create as many forums as you like. For instance, you can create a support forum along with a discussion forum.
Other key features that are supported by WP Symposium Pro include:
Private messages
SEO friendly
Ability to create as many forums as possible
Unlimited customization
Offers security features
Supports a different kind of media formats, including video, images, and so on
Compatible with the majority of the themes out there.
The pricing of the WP Symposium starts from $99 per year. To know more about their pricing, you can check their page here.
#6. bbPress
If you are looking for a classic yet elegant BuddyPress alternative, then bbPress is your best bet. It lets you create a customized discussion board that can easily be integrated with your current site. So, if you already have an established site and want to integrate a discussion forum, then you can make good use of it!
bbPress is open-source, which means that it is available for free. You can set it up easily with only a single installation. It also multiple forums, enabling you to divide the site into sections and allow users to create content for them.
Other key features offered by bbPress include:
Multisite forums
Light and fast
Simple interface
Highly extensible
Customizable templates
Highly extensible
Spam protection
#7. User Pro
User Pro is a paid plugin that lets you manage your community and user profile. It is an advanced plugin with support for the latest WordPress 5.0 version. The plugin is also EU GDPR compliant, which lets you protect your user’s interest and privacy in the long term.
Moreover, you also get access to Paypal integration for free — a game-changer for businesses that want to integrate paid membership on their site.
The key features offered by User Pro include:
Multiple registration forms
1-click connect using social media
Custom fields
Beautiful user profiles
Enhanced member directory
Badges and achievements
Searchable member list
Offers content restriction, user invites, and custom redirections
Comes with seamless integration with different services and apps including BuddyPress, WooCommerce, SVG Avatars, and many more.
User Pro regular license starts at $39.
Conclusion – BuddyPress Alternatives
BuddyPress is a great community plugin, but there are also excellent alternatives if you look around. Our post aims to give you the options that you are looking for.
In case you are not sure which one is right for you, then we advise trying to refine your requirements further and see which plugin fits your needs best.
Are you still confused? Comment below and let us know.
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