Now live
Looking for a free community plugin that does not need add-ons from several vendors? BuddyNext Free is that. The feed, spaces, member profiles and directory, notifications, search and moderation all ship in the one plugin, and the single companion for direct messages and photo posts is WPMediaVerse, a free plugin from the same team. Pro is a separate, optional upgrade.
The free plugin is a complete community platform: a feed, spaces, profiles, messaging, notifications, and moderation. You can launch a real community on it on day one. BuddyNext Pro adds the things you reach for after the first few months: scheduling, broadcast and drip email, real-time updates, deeper moderation, analytics, AI, and ways to charge for access. Nothing you already use is taken away when you upgrade.
The full breakdown
Free covers everything a community needs to launch and run. Pro is additive on top of it.
The feed your members open every day. Everything they need to post and engage is free.
Communities within your community. Unlimited open, private and secret spaces on Free; gated and curated spaces on Pro.
Who your people are and how they find each other.
Private conversations. One-to-one is free; groups and instant delivery come with Pro.
Bring members back. Transactional email is free; marketing automation is Pro.
Free feeds refresh on a fast 5-second poll. Pro pushes updates the instant they happen.
Keep your community healthy. Reporting and a review queue are free; automation is Pro.
Charge for access when you are ready. Pro only. How membership plans work →
Free shows you the headline counts. Pro shows you the whole picture.
Connect the rest of your stack.
BuddyNext is API-first and fully restyleable from your theme on both plans.
Photo and file posts, plus all direct messaging, are powered by the free WPMediaVerse companion. Group messaging, read receipts, and real-time DM use WPMediaVerse Pro, a separate companion you add on top of BuddyNext Pro.
Which is right for you
Honest answers
A native mobile app is in development, with a white-label option for agencies. It is a separate product rather than part of a Pro licence, and its pricing will be announced closer to release. Everything in the comparison above is available today.
No. BuddyNext Free is a complete community platform: feed, spaces, profiles, messaging, notifications, moderation, and search. You can launch a real community on it the day you activate it, with no key to enter and nothing that expires.
No. Pro is purely additive. Activating it never removes or alters a free feature you rely on - it only adds new capabilities and unlocks Pro settings on top of what you already have.
Your license controls plugin updates only. It never switches features on or off. The free plugin activates itself with no key; a paid Pro key simply keeps you on the latest version.
Only the number of sites you can run Pro on - Single, 5-site, or Unlimited. Every Pro feature is identical across all tiers; the tiers differ only by how many sites the license keeps updated.
Photo and file posts and all direct messaging are powered by the free WPMediaVerse companion plugin. The messaging tab only appears when it is active, and Messages are switched on or off in WPMediaVerse, under Settings, Social, Messages. A space's Files tab, with its folders and Trash, needs WPMediaVerse Pro. Group messaging, read receipts, and real-time delivery use WPMediaVerse Pro, a separate companion you add on top of BuddyNext Pro.
Sandbox demo
One click builds a private copy of our demo community, with members, spaces and posts already in it. InstaWP asks for an email to create it, it lasts four hours, and nobody else sees what you change.
Prefer to watch first? See the tutorials.
What to try in the demo
BuddyNext is live. Start free today and upgrade only when you grow, or try the live demo first.
WBCOM Designs has constantly updated and supported their plugins and themes. Recently the new BuddyNext project is Amazing! - and the new line of addons like Mediaverse, Jetonomy, Mediashield, and Listora.. are likewise Amazing! - and very well built. Today their online Chat solved a download…
WBComDesigns is amazing. The WP plugins and themes are of top notch quality with lots of features and updated very frequently. Supports are very responsive and helpful. I use Reign with TutorLMS, and the experience is surprisingly smooth. The recently launched BuddyNext Pro and MediaShield Pro are…
I recently purchased the Buddyx Theme and the support that I have been receiving from WBCom is nothing short of amazing! They truly stand behind their product in every sense!
Support staff is responsive and knowledgable
Camilia solved my support request very fast and I am thrilled. So glad I made this purchase.
Quick and accurate. I just started, so more as time passes. Kenneth Babb
Choosing Wbcom Designs for our WordPress project was a game-changer. Their expertise in BuddyPress and LearnDash plugins transformed our vision into a reality, creating a seamless and engaging eLearning and community platform. The team's professionalism, responsiveness, and innovative solutions…
Always getting answers to my inquiries in a very timely fashion.
Great Support and well developed plugins, one of the best Buddypress / Buddypress plugin developers.
Great customer service. I have asked several questions about the website theme template I am using from them, and they have always been very helpful in their responses- answering all of my questions and in a timely manner.