BuddyPress
BuddyPress: A flexible, free foundation for building communities on self-hosted WordPress. Ranked #79 of 126 in Community Platforms by our editors (6.7/10); pricing: Free plan; best for free WordPress-based communities.
At a glance
- Editor score6.7 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forFree WordPress-based communities
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Founded2008
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Free and open-source community functionality
- Profiles, groups, activity streams, and messaging
- Works with WordPress themes and plugins
Where it doesn't
- Requires a self-hosted WordPress deployment
- Event hosting requires separate plugins
- No official mobile apps are provided
Our verdict on BuddyPress
BuddyPress is an open-source WordPress plugin for adding community and social-network functionality to self-hosted WordPress websites. It is aimed at site builders and developers creating university communities, internal company networks, niche social networks, and product communities. The core feature set includes member directories, member types, customizable profile fields, visibility settings, groups, activity streams, friendship connections, private and public internal messaging, notifications, and account settings.
Its strongest fit is the WordPress ecosystem. BuddyPress works with WordPress themes and plugins and integrates with Akismet and bbPress, allowing a community site to extend beyond the core plugin. Groups can be public, private, or hidden, while activity streams can operate across the site, within groups, and for individual members. These controls give administrators a foundation for different community structures without moving away from WordPress. Activity moderation includes spam marking, editing, and deletion, which supports active oversight of member content.
BuddyPress is free and open source, but operating a complete site still requires a self-hosted WordPress deployment. Hosting, domains, themes, and add-ons may incur separate costs, and customization can require site-building or development work. Event functionality requires separate plugins rather than being part of the core feature set, and official mobile apps are not provided. Choose BuddyPress when WordPress compatibility, extensibility, and control over the community installation matter most. Organizations seeking a hosted community service, built-in event hosting, or mobile apps should consider a different platform.
Your product? Our editors can test BuddyPress in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
BuddyPress pricing
BuddyPress fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Member limit | Not verified |
| Event hosting | No |
| Private spaces | Yes |
| Custom domain | Not verified |
| Moderation tools | Yes |
| Mobile apps | None |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 4 integrations: Akismet, bbPress, WordPress themes, WordPress plugins |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | buddypress.org |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
BuddyPress integrations
BuddyPress lists 4 integrations on its own site.
- Akismet
- bbPress
- WordPress themes
- WordPress plugins
Alternatives to BuddyPress
- DiscourseA mature choice for communities that need discussion, chat, moderation, and private spaces.9.4
- RedditA flexible, free home for public topic discussions with substantial moderation tools.9.2
- UNAA flexible community stack for organizations that want control over hosting, features, and mobile apps.9.0
See all BuddyPress alternatives →
Also Ranked In
BuddyPress is ranked in 3 of our directories.
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Featured on iTechGuides
BuddyPress is listed in our Community Platforms directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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