BuddyPress is a well-known community or forum management plugin for WordPress with over 100,000+ active installations. WordPress users can enable social networking features on their website with the help of BuddyPress.
The problem with BuddyPress is that it works only with WordPress. So, if you have a website on another platform, you can’t use it. This is one of the key reasons why people look for an alternative to BuddyPress.
Another reason is that they want more advanced features than what BuddyPress is offering right now. If you’re a member of one of these groups, don’t worry. There are some better alternatives to BuddyPress available out there.
In this blog, we will share 10 of the Best BuddyPress Alternatives in 2025. These platforms will provide advanced community management features both inside and outside of the WordPress ecosystem.
Let’s get started.
10 BuddyPress Alternatives in 2025
Here is a list of the 10 BuddyPress alternatives for 2025:
1. EzyCourse
2. bbPress
3. PeepSo
4. BuddyBoss
5. MemberPress
6. Youzify
7. Wix
8. Ultimate Member
9. Hivebrite
10. SocialEngine
Let's define each of the options in detail.
1. EzyCourse
EzyCourse offers an all-in-one solution for online educators and creators. It serves as a strong alternative to BuddyPress by combining course creation, community building, and membership site management in a single platform.
EzyCourse is a standalone platform, while BuddyPress is a plugin that runs inside WordPress. The platform offers a drag-and-drop site builder, a white-label mobile app, and other tools for your community, courses, memberships, or digital products inside. You can use it to launch community hubs for classes, educational content, or any membership-driven programs.
BuddyPress does social networking well, but EzyCourse wraps those social features into course delivery so creators can handle learners, discussions, and sales from a single dashboard. This helps creators manage everything in one place.
Overall, EzyCourse offers a more unified and feature-rich experience for course creators and community builders. Unlike BuddyPress, it doesn't depend on third-party tools and plugins. It is packed with all the essential features you need to create interactive communities.
Key Features
Community Building and Engagement: EzyCourse gives your users a lively activity stream by building a community where they can share news, drop comments, and react with likes, making the learning experience more social and engaging.
Course Creation Tools: You get access to all the tools needed to build and sell online courses. With EzyCourse, you can easily organize your content library, set up your branding, import or export data, and track learners’ progress.
Built-in Coaching: The platform enables you to run one-on-one or group coaching, so learners get expert help when they want.
Mobile App Builder: EzyCourse lets you launch your own branded mobile app. That way, your audience can access your content on the go while you stay in control of your brand experience.
Domains & White Labeling: With domains and white labeling, you can drop in your own logo and name, change the URL, and keep tweaking the style, and eventually, the site really does start to feel like your own.
No-code Website Builder: EzyCourse gives you a beginner-friendly website builder so you can easily design and customize your site without writing a single line of code.
Built-in Zoom Integration: EzyCourse connects seamlessly with Zoom, so you can schedule and launch live classes or coaching sessions right from the platform. No switching tabs or juggling tools.
Sell Digital and Physical Products: You can go beyond courses and sell physical and other digital products too. EzyCourse helps you run your digital business and online store all in one place.
Marketplace for Creators: You set up your full course marketplace that works like Udemy, so other creators upload, sell, and track their work while learners browse everything in one tidy hub.
Email Marketing Automation: EzyCourse includes built-in email marketing and automation tools. Unlike other course platforms, you don’t need to depend on any third-party tools for email marketing. Everything is set up for you within the dashboard.
Pros
One platform solution makes course creation, community building, and marketing much easier.
Facebook-like interactive community building.
No need for third-party plugins.
No-code and easy-to-use website builder.
The user-friendly interface helps creators manage their content easily.
Customizable branding allows complete control over appearance.
Built-in email marketing tools enable direct audience engagement without needing an external tool.
Flexible monetization options support subscription, membership, and payment.
Affordable pricing tiers make it accessible to creators with different budgets.
SCORM-compliant lessons work smoothly with other learning management systems.
Professional appearance develops brand identity.
Budget-friendly pricing structure.
Cons
It might take some time for beginners to understand all the available features.
Pricing
EzyCourse offers four pricing plans.
1. Essential: $59/month (billed yearly)
2. Pro: $139/month (billed yearly)
3. Unlimited: $199/month (billed yearly)
4. Elite: $299/month (billed yearly)
2. bbPress
bbPress is a free, open-source forum plugin for WordPress known for its simplicity and integration with the platform. It enables you to add discussion forums in WordPress, without installing any other forum software.
bbPress is designed to be easy to use, fast, and clean. It is a popular option for adding forum functionalities to WordPress sites. If you’re searching for a basic forum for conversations, bbPress is a better replacement for BuddyPress.
Key Features
Quick Setup: You can install bbPress the same way you add any WordPress plugin, right through your admin dashboard. No special steps or coding are needed.
Focus on Simplicity: bbPress keeps things light. It avoids clutter so you can focus on running your forum without distractions.
Speed and Performance: bbPress is built for speed. Your forums load fast and run smoothly even as they grow.
Handy Customizing: You can change the look and features of your forum with any bbPress-compatible theme or plugin you already use.
WordPress Integration: bbPress is built on the WordPress core, and the two systems blend together flawlessly. It uses your existing themes and user accounts.
Multisite Support: You can use bbPress across a multisite network and create multiple forums under one WordPress setup.
Spam Prevention: bbPress helps you keep spam out. Built-in tools make sure your community stays clean.
Clear User Roles: bbPress has ready-made user roles like Keymaster, Moderator, Participant, Spectator, and Blocked that let you set precise permissions and keep the forum running smoothly.
Pros
Simplicity keeps the setup quick and easy for focused discussions.
Both admins and participants benefit from user-friendly experiences.
Functionality is enhanced via numerous third-party extensions.
WordPress support integration ensures a steady stream of updates.
Focused forum features support building and managing community discussions effectively.
Cons
Limited social features restrict user engagement compared to other platforms.
Basic design may look plain without extra styling or plugins.
Customization can be harder due to the lightweight framework.
Pricing
bbPress is free to use.
3. PeepSo
PeepSo is a WordPress plugin that transforms any website into a social networking platform. It enables users to create a profile, share their content, and interact with people. You can also build communities and forums to keep your audience active on your platform.
PeepsSo has a user-friendly interface that closely resembles Facebook. It offers a complete set of community management features but costs much more than its competitors.
PeepSo is designed for those users who prefer a straightforward setup without technical expertise. It gives a more refined feel as opposed to BuddyPress, which can be more complicated to configure and customize.
Key Features
User Profiles: With PeepSo, you can build full member profiles that include fields you choose and arrange any way you like.
Activity Streams: You can post updates, add photos and videos, and react with likes, comments, or short emojis like Facebook.
Groups: PeepSo allows you to create public or private groups where people can gather, discuss, and share the subjects, hobbies, or interests that bind them.
Messages: You can let your users engage in private conversations through the built-in messaging system (included within one service, no need to create a different one).
Customization: You have the freedom to select every detail, from profile tabs to email templates, to even brand-new reaction icons, making it all your community.
Integrations: PeepSo effortlessly integrates with WooCommerce, Paid Memberships Pro, bbPress, and other popular WordPress plugins you are going to need for your perfect e-commerce, membership management, and forum integration.
Enhanced Community Building: PeepSo gives you every tool needed to build, grow, and keep a lively and loyal community around your blog, online shop, or project.
Pros
Easy-to-use interface facilitates user navigation and engagement.
Frequent updates mean more features and improved security over time.
Responsive customer service provides instant support when problems arise.
A Facebook-like layout makes users feel identified and comfortable with the platform.
Cons
The upgraded plugin requires a paid license, which can be a barrier for those with tight budgets.
A few free features may prevent some operations without upgrading.
Reduced customization might frustrate developers needing deeper control.
Pricing
PeepSo offers two pricing plans along with a free plan.
1. Foundation Version: Free
2. Community Bundle: Starts from $149/year for 1 site license
3. Ultimate Bundle: Starts from $199/year for 1 site license
4. BuddyBoss
BuddyBoss is a premium WordPress theme that can turn your website into a social networking platform. This is essentially an enhanced version of BuddyPress. The platform offers you a more robust, feature-rich, and user-friendly experience for building online communities.
Although BuddyPress is a free and open-source social networking plugin for WordPress, BuddyBoss is a complete and one-stop solution with a dedicated theme and various features.
As a strong contender, BuddyBoss has better media sharing, nicer profiles, and better group management and admin tools. But BuddyPress needs different plugins or custom improvements for these features. This platform also offers a more streamlined experience with its integrated platform and theme.
Key Features
Premium Platform: You get a premium platform by combining the power of BuddyPress and bbPress (a forum software) to build a beautiful and professional social network or community.
Feature-Rich: You can message and share media (photos, videos, documents) as well as browse the forums, send private messages, and more. All of the tools your community needs are built in.
Integrated Experience: BuddyBoss brings everything together under one admin panel. Updates stay in sync with the platform and theme.
Dedicated Support: You have access to dedicated professional support whenever you need help. That’s something BuddyPress doesn’t offer.
Mobile App: BuddyBoss offers you a native mobile app, allowing your community to be available to your members anywhere.
Fork of BuddyPress: BuddyBoss is based on the core code of BuddyPress. But if you want more features out of the box and a more polished experience, BuddyBoss offers a lot to you.
Pros
Rich feature sets offer a wide variety of tools like social groups, forums, and private messaging, making the platform versatile.
Integration capability with popular WordPress plugins promotes community and e-commerce functionality.
Mobile application support makes it easier to access and use on the go.
Intensive attention to user engagement through features like reactions and GIPHY boosts interaction.
Active development and dedicated support ensure ongoing improvements and reliable assistance.
Cons
Higher cost can be a barrier due to subscription fees and additional hosting expenses.
A steeper learning curve may make setup and configuration challenging for new users.
Potential compatibility issues require careful plugin management to avoid conflicts.
Resource intensity demands robust hosting for smooth performance, increasing overall costs.
Pricing
BuddyBoss offers three pricing plans for creating websites. They also offer other plans for mobile apps and some bundle plans.
1. 1-Site License: $299 per year
2. 5-Site License: $349 per year
3. 10-Site License: $449 per year
5. MemberPress
MemberPress is primarily a membership and LMS plugin. It can be a powerful alternative to BuddyPress for monetizing your content through subscriptions or online courses.
BuddyPress specializes in providing basic social community-building elements. On the other hand, MemberPress specializes in providing more advanced features. You can develop and manage your membership levels, restrict content, and integrate payment gateways with MemberPress.
MemberPress offers you the necessary tools for generating revenue through memberships, subscription sites, and courses. If you are looking for a platform with more monetization options and content restrictions, MemberPress is a great option. It can also work alongside BuddyPress, so you can get the best of both platforms.
Key Features
Core Function: You can create and manage your membership sites with various access levels and payment options.
Content Restriction: MemberPress enables you to restrict content on your own posts, pages, custom post types, and other content that you designate by membership level with MemberPress.
Monetization: You can monetize content online with paywalls, sell subscriptions, and digital products, and create online courses using MemberPress’s robust tools.
Integration: MemberPress has a specific add-on to integrate with BuddyPress to link your membership level and features to BuddyPress groups and social functions.
Extensibility: MemberPress has multiple add-ons for your online courses (Courses and CoachKit) and other features.
Pros
Efficient membership management makes it easy for you to create levels, control access, and process payments.
Ease of configuration that appeals to users and auto-creation of the most important pages speed up launching.
Gradual content release keeps members engaged by providing drip-fed material.
Built-in affiliate management supports marketing efforts without external tools.
Powerful integration with WordPress plugins and WooCommerce enhances functionality.
Support for major payment processing systems such as PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net for a smooth transaction business system.
Cons
Increased costs can inhibit access to advanced features.
Predefined options are typically limited if your brand is something special or your community needs are complex.
Limited focus on community features means extra plugins are often necessary.
Pricing
1. Basic: $179.50/year
2. Plus: $299.50/year
3. Pro: $399.50/year
6. Youzify
Youzify can be considered a strong alternative to BuddyPress, particularly for those looking to enhance and customize their BuddyPress community experience. Youzify is a plugin built to work with BuddyPress, adding advanced user profile features, extensive customizable widgets, and a range of community-focused tools.
It allows you to create a more robust and visually appealing social network. It aims to provide an engaging and feature-rich experience compared to a standard BuddyPress setup.
Key Features
Enhanced User Profiles: Youzify offers you a wide array of options for customizing your user profiles, including templates, widgets, and custom tabs, allowing for a unique brand experience.
Community Engagement: Features like social walls, verified badges, emoticons, mentions, likes, and social login give you a more interactive and engaging community environment.
Customization: With over 700 options, Youzify offers you extensive customization possibilities, including 16 color schemes, 35+ widgets, and 14 header styles.
Monetization Opportunities: Youzify allows for the creation of unlimited ad spaces on user profiles, potentially turning your website into a source of income.
Integration: Youzify seamlessly integrates with BuddyPress and other WordPress functionalities, making it easy to enhance your existing social network.
Ajax Admin Panel: The plugin's powerful Ajax admin panel provides you with a user-friendly interface for managing and customizing various aspects of the platform.
Pros
Modern interface enhances the overall user experience with visually appealing profiles and community sections.
Flexible customization allows site owners to personalize widgets, layouts, and user profiles for a branded look.
Advanced features such as social login, sharing, and ad tools extend BuddyPress's core capabilities.
Responsive support ensures quick help and reliable solutions, often praised by the user community.
Seamless integration with Paid Memberships Pro supports better control over subscriptions and user access.
Cons
The multitude of features and customization options may be daunting for new users.
Potential compatibility issues with certain WordPress themes.
Aggressive promotional pop-ups for upgrades and add-ons are intrusive.
May not have the established user base and community support for limited adoption.
Pricing
You can make a one-time purchase of the Youzify plugin from CodeCanyon for $49, which includes lifetime updates and 6 months of support. You can also use a free version of Youzify.
7. Wix
Wix is an AI-powered dynamic website builder. However, you can also use it as an alternative to BuddyPress in specific use cases, especially in community and social network building.
It’s a simple, visually attractive community-building platform with modest social networking features such as user profiles, forums, and activity feeds.
If you don’t want to deal with the technical complexities of WordPress and BuddyPress, Wix is a great option. Wix focuses more on usability and design and less on advanced customization and complex social networking features.
Related Read: Top 10 Wix Alternatives for Course Creators & Entrepreneurs
Key Features
User-Friendly Interface: Wix is known for its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, making it easy for you to build and customize a website, even without prior coding experience.
Design Flexibility: Wix offers you a wide array of customizable templates across various categories, allowing you to create unique and visually appealing websites.
Social Media Integration: Wix has built-in features for social media integration, such as an Instagram feed and the ability to schedule social media posts.
Built-in Marketing Tools: Wix includes features like email marketing automation, which can be useful for you to communicate with your community members, announce events, or send out newsletters.
Scalability and Hosting: Wix enables you to handle your website hosting and security, freeing users from the technical complexities of managing servers and updates.
Pros
Easy to use.
Drag-and-drop interface.
Good for basic websites and online stores.
Suitable for beginners.
Cons
Less customization compared to WordPress.
Limited functionality for complex social features.
Not specifically designed for community building like BuddyPress.
Pricing
Wix offers four pricing plans.
1. Light: $17/month
2. Core: $29/month
3. Business: $36/month
4. Business Elite: $159/month
8. Ultimate Member
Ultimate Member is an excellent alternative to BuddyPress. It's known for being more user-friendly and focused on front-end customization.
If you find BuddyPress too complex, you can choose Ultimate Member to create your online community. Ultimate Member is designed to be easier to use for non-technical users.
It can be a good choice for building online communities and enjoying comprehensive user account management features. With its extensions, it can achieve more than BuddyPress’s functionality.
Key Features
Front-end User Profiles: Ultimate Member allows you to create and manage your profiles entirely from the front end of your website, making it user-friendly and accessible.
Front-end Registration & Login: You can register and log in through forms displayed on the front end, eliminating the need to access the WordPress dashboard.
Member Directories: Ultimate Member facilitates the creation of public or private member directories, giving you options to filter and sort members based on various criteria.
Account Management: You can manage your accounts, update profile information, and change passwords directly from the front end.
Extensions: Ultimate Member offers a variety of extensions (both free and premium) to extend its functionality, such as integration with WooCommerce, Mailchimp, and even BuddyPress itself.
Pros
Intuitive interface simplifies membership setup and management.
Extensive customization enables tailored user profiles and registration forms.
Strong focus on membership makes it ideal for gated content.
Free core plugin reduces the initial cost for basic functionality.
Well-organized documentation assists with troubleshooting and setup.
Cons
Expensive extensions increase the total cost for advanced features.
Limited social networking features may not suit community-driven sites.
Resource-heavy setup can affect website speed and performance.
Slow support response may hinder timely issue resolution.
Pricing
Ultimate Member offers two pricing plans along with a free plan.
1. Free: $0
2. Standard: $276/year
3. Pro: $348/year
9. Hivebrite
Hivebrite is a highly-rated platform for hosting online communities. It works seamlessly for businesses, organizations, and alumni networks.
It offers you a range of features for community engagement. These include membership management, branded communities, event management, and analytics.
Hivebrite provides a more robust and complete solution than BuddyPress. You can enjoy better customization flexibility with Hiverbrite.
Hivebrite also offers a more comprehensive set of tools. That's why it's often a preferred choice for organizations with more complex community management needs. Hivebrite is a perfect platform for building a thriving online community.
Key Features
Dedicated Platform: Hivebrite is a dedicated platform with a broad range of built-in features for your community building, engagement, and management.
Branded Experience: Hivebrite allows you to create a branded online community tailored to your organization's specific look and feel.
Comprehensive Features: Hivebrite includes features like membership management, event organization, networking tools, discussion forums, and detailed analytics.
Focus on Engagement: Hivebrite emphasizes features designed to foster your interaction and participation within the community.
Suitable for Various Organizations: Hivebrite is popular among alumni associations, educational institutions, nonprofits, and membership organizations.
Cloud-Based: Hivebrite is a cloud-hosted solution, which means you don't need to worry about hosting and maintenance.
Pros
Comprehensive features streamline community management, communication, and events.
Branded mobile app strengthens user engagement and platform identity.
Advanced analytics tools help monitor member activity and engagement.
Event management supports both virtual and in-person events with ticketing and payment processing.
Ideal platform for educational, nonprofit, and professional communities such as alumni networks, non-profit volunteer groups, or corporate alumni.
Cons
Cost may limit accessibility for smaller organizations.
Customization can be difficult without in-house technical expertise.
Integrations with external tools are somewhat limited.
Documentation lacks clarity, making the setup more complex.
Analytics may not meet detailed data requirements for some users.
Pricing
Hivebrite has three main pricing plans: Connect, Scale, and Enterprise. Pricing is dependent on various options, including currency, location, and platform feature options. To know the pricing amount of each plan, you have to book a demo.
10. SocialEngine
SocialEngine is an excellent alternative to BuddyPress for building your online social communities. It offers a different approach with its own strengths and weaknesses. This is a premium, standalone platform.
SocialEngine provides a wider range of built-in features and customization options out of the box compared to BuddyPress, but it comes at a cost.
Key Features
Social Profiles: You can offer fully customizable user profiles. Members get to showcase their details through flexible fields and settings.
Activity Feeds: SocialEngine brings everything to life with real-time updates from friends, groups, other members, and the entire community. It keeps you engaged and interacting with people.
Access Control: You can decide who sees what. SocialEngine gives you detailed control over content visibility with public, private, and tiered options.
Community Management: You have the moderation tools to keep everything running smoothly to manage content and users, and ensure a healthy community space.
Customization: SocialEngine lets you match the platform to your brand's aesthetic. You can customize layouts, themes, and even add your own CSS with ease.
Plugins: You can expand functionality with a rich collection of plugins and add features like blogs, forums, e-commerce stores, and more as your needs grow.
API: SocialEngine comes with an API that connects with other platforms. You can integrate external tools and services to extend your setup.
Cost: You pay a one-time fee to get started. Premium add-ons and support are also available if you need more power or help.
Scalability: SocialEngine grows with you. It’s built to support large communities as your platform expands.
Pros
Customization options allow users to tailor the platform to unique needs and branding.
A user-friendly interface makes it accessible, especially for non-technical users.
Feature-rich setup includes built-in messaging, member control, and plugin integration.
Modular extendibility enables easy addition or removal of specific features.
Cons
Cost involves a license fee, making it less budget-friendly than free alternatives.
Support availability may be limited without purchasing premium plans.
Complexity in advanced customization can challenge users without technical skills.
Plugin quality varies, leading to inconsistent user experiences.
Pricing
SocialEngine offers two different pricing tiers: Self-Hosted and Cloud plans.
1. Self-Hosted Plans:
Essential: $199 (one-time payment)
Advanced: $399 (one-time payment)
Advanced Plus: $999 (one-time payment)
Professional: $1399 (one-time payment)
2. Cloud plans:
1. Early Stage: $49/month
2. Startup: $99/month
3. Growth: $149/month
4. Expanding: $199/month
5. Professional: $349/month
6. Enterprise: Custom pricing
Why EzyCourse is a Suitable BuddyPress Alternative
Here's why EzyCourse can be a suitable BuddyPress alternative:
Easy-to-use and Intuitive Interface: EzyCourse has a simple yet intuitive interface that makes it beginner-friendly. Community builders can easily manage their groups and forums with EzyCourse.
Integrated Community Features: EzyCourse bundles forums, group chats, and direct messaging features into one complete package. This eliminates the need for separate plugins like BuddyPress.
Integrated Email Marketing Capabilities: EzyCourse offers built-in email marketing tools, whereas BuddyPress mostly relies on third-party plugins. EzyCourse makes marketing easier and facilitates connection and communication with the audience.
Course, Community, and Membership Site Builder: EzyCourse is an all-in-one solution. You can build and grow anything from online courses to communities to membership sites. It simplifies and reduces the expense of having multiple tools. EzyCourse combines the functionalities of multiple WordPress plugins into a single platform.
Customizable Branding and White-Labeling: EzyCourse allows for extensive customization of branding. It includes white-label mobile apps, which can enhance brand presence and student engagement. BuddyPress doesn’t offer this kind of customization as easily.
Cost-Effective: EzyCourse is more cost-effective than WordPress + BuddyPress and other plugins. Because it covers all community features within its core platform.
Monetization Options: EzyCourse lets you set up memberships, sell subscriptions, and handle payments all in one place. This makes it simple to earn money from courses and online communities. BuddyPress usually points users toward e-commerce plugins for monetization. But EzyCourse bundles everything directly inside the dashboard for you and your learners.
Streamlined Management: EzyCourse handles course delivery and community activity in one tidy space. You’ll get all the necessary features in your dashboard, so you can concentrate on creating great lessons and building real connections.
Overall, EzyCourse is an all-in-one solution for creators who want to build communities around their online courses and memberships.
Final Verdict
The best BuddyPress alternative depends on your preference and community-building goals. We shared all the popular BuddyPress alternatives in this blog, so now the ball is in your court. Explore the options and pick the one that suits your vision the best.
If you want our suggestion, go with EzyCourse as it is the most advanced and complete community management platform right now. Explore the platform with the free trial, create a community, and see how easy it is to manage.
Happy community building!
FAQs
Why look for alternatives to BuddyPress?
You need to look for alternatives to BuddyPress if you want to create a social networking platform outside of WordPress, or you need more advanced features than BuddyPress. Specific features like advanced analytics, gamification, or specialized integrations might be better found in other platforms like EzyCourse or bbPress.
What are some alternatives for creating a private social network?
To build a private social network, you can look into EzyCourse, PeepSo, BuddyBoss, Youzify, or Hivebrite. They offer exclusive features like setting user roles, privacy options, and limiting content access. You can create members-only spaces, private messaging, gated content, custom flows for registration, etc.
Are there any free or open-source alternatives to BuddyPress?
Yes, there are a few free and open-source alternatives available to BuddyPress. For example, bbPress is a free, open-source plugin for forums. EzyCourse offers a free trial to explore its advanced features. PeepSo offers a free core version with social features like profiles and activity streams. Ultimate Member is also free to use primarily and supports profile management and access control.
Which is a top alternative for building online learning communities?
EzyCourse is a top choice for building online learning communities. It offers tools for course creation, quizzes, memberships, and communities. EzyCourse is designed specifically for educational engagement. Therefore, it is considerably less complex in terms of managing content and engagement. EzyCourse is perfect for online schools, coaches, and online educators who want to create a vibrant learning community.
What factors do I consider when choosing a BuddyPress alternative?
When choosing BuddyPress alternatives, consider your community type, must-have features (forums, messaging, feeds), ease of use, budget, scalability, and whether you prefer a self-hosted or SaaS solution. Also, consider how much you want to customize, how tech-savvy you are, and whether the platform feels smooth for your members, so it truly fits your community’s needs.
