Themes

Pick the right theme for your community.

BuddyNext runs on any well-built WordPress theme. But three themes are designed for community and tuned to work beautifully with BuddyNext, so your site looks right from the first visit. Start free with BuddyX, or go premium with BuddyX Pro or Reign.

Compare the themes Get BuddyNext free

Do you need a special theme?

No. BuddyNext is theme-agnostic. It ships its own templates, is REST-first, and supports child-theme overrides, so it works with the theme you already have. The themes below are recommended because they are built for community and integrate most cleanly: header notification and message icons, member-friendly layouts, and a light and dark mode that BuddyNext follows automatically. They simply save you styling work.

Recommended themes

Three themes, one easy choice.

Every one of these works with BuddyNext Free and Pro. Pick by budget and how much design control you want.

BuddyX

Free

The free community theme. The fastest way to get a polished BuddyNext site live.

Best for: New communities and anyone who wants a clean, modern look at no cost.

Free on the WordPress.org theme directory
Designed for community: header notification and message icons, member-friendly layouts
Light and dark mode that BuddyNext follows automatically
Child-theme ready, so your customizations survive updates
A great starting point you can upgrade later without switching themes

Free, forever

Get BuddyX free View BuddyX

BuddyX Pro

Pro

Everything in BuddyX, plus the layouts, colors, and controls to make the site truly yours.

Best for: Communities that want more design control and ready-made styles without leaving the BuddyX family.

All of free BuddyX, with premium layouts and header styles
More color schemes, typography, and homepage section options
Deeper BuddyNext styling so members feel at home out of the box
One-click starter sites to launch faster
Priority support and ongoing updates from Wbcom Designs

Premium upgrade

Get BuddyX Pro View BuddyX Pro

Reign

Pro

The most feature-rich community theme. Built for ambitious, design-heavy communities and marketplaces.

Best for: Larger or niche communities that want maximum layout choice and tight integrations.

The widest set of community layouts, headers, and styles
Deep integrations across the WordPress community ecosystem
Many prebuilt demos you can import and adapt
Highly customizable colors, typography, and section design
Priority support and ongoing updates from Wbcom Designs

Premium theme

Get Reign View Reign

Side by side

Compare the three themes.

A quick comparison of BuddyX, BuddyX Pro, and Reign for a BuddyNext community.
Feature	BuddyX	BuddyX Pro	Reign
Price	Free	Premium	Premium
Best for	Launching fast, free	More design control	Feature-rich, niche
Prebuilt demos	A starter look	Several starter sites	Many demos
Color and layout options	Core set	Expanded	Most options
BuddyNext header integration	Yes	Yes	Yes
Light and dark mode	Yes	Yes	Yes
Child-theme ready	Yes	Yes	Yes
Priority support	Community	Yes	Yes

Still deciding?

Which one is right for you?

Choose BuddyX if

You want to launch a great-looking community fast and for free, and keep the option to upgrade later without switching themes.

Get BuddyX free

Choose BuddyX Pro if

You want more layouts, colors, and homepage options with priority support, while staying on the familiar BuddyX foundation.

Get BuddyX Pro

Choose Reign if

You are building a larger or niche community and want the widest set of layouts, demos, and integrations available.

Get Reign

Bringing your own theme

Using BuddyNext with any third-party theme

BuddyNext renders its own community pages, so it runs on any well-built theme. The one piece a non-community theme does not provide is the member header navigation - the notification, messages, and profile menu. You add that yourself, and the rest works out of the box.

Install your theme and BuddyNext

Activate the theme you want, then install and activate BuddyNext on top of it. No community-specific theme is required.
Run the setup wizard

BuddyNext creates the community pages - feed, members, spaces, messages, and notifications - automatically. These work with any theme.
Add the header navigation to your child theme

This is the key step for a third-party theme. Add the BuddyNext header navigation - the notification bell, messages icon, and profile menu - to your theme's header. The easiest way is the BuddyNext header navigation block in a block-based header, or the [buddynext_user_menu] shortcode in a classic header. For full control in a custom theme, call the header helper in your child theme's header template so it survives theme updates.
Match your brand

BuddyNext adopts your theme's colors and fonts, and follows its light and dark mode. You can set the community accent color in BuddyNext settings if you want a different highlight.
Customize templates from the child theme (optional)

For deeper changes, copy any BuddyNext template into your child theme and edit it there - your changes survive plugin and theme updates. See the developer docs for the override path.

Prefer not to configure the header at all? Start with BuddyX (free) - it ships the member header navigation built in, so there is nothing to add. Full setup details are in the BuddyNext docs.

Colors and fonts

Match BuddyNext to your theme's look

BuddyNext uses a token-based design system. It inherits your theme's body font for most text, and it builds its entire color palette from a single accent color. So matching your theme is two steps: set your colors and fonts in your theme, then set the same accent color in BuddyNext settings. Here is where to do that in the five most popular free themes.

Where to set your color scheme and fonts in popular free WordPress themes, then mirror the accent in BuddyNext.
Free theme	Where to set colors and fonts
Astra	Customize, then Global, then Colors and Typography
OceanWP	Customize, then Typography and General Options for colors
GeneratePress	Customize, then Colors and Typography
Kadence	Customize, then the global color palette and Typography
Neve	Customize, then Colors and Background and Typography

Using a block theme such as Twenty Twenty-Five or Blocksy? Set colors and fonts in the Site Editor under Styles. Then, for any theme, open BuddyNext settings and set the community accent color to your theme's primary color - BuddyNext derives its highlights, buttons, and links from that one value, so the community matches your site. Fonts follow your theme automatically.

Questions

Theme FAQ

Do I need a special theme to run BuddyNext?

No. BuddyNext is theme-agnostic. It ships its own templates, is REST-first, and supports child-theme overrides, so it works with any well-built WordPress theme. The three themes here are simply tuned for community and integrate most cleanly, so your site looks right on day one with the least setup.

Which theme should I start with?

Start with free BuddyX if you want to launch quickly at no cost. Choose BuddyX Pro when you want more design control while staying in the BuddyX family. Choose Reign when you want the widest set of community layouts and integrations for a larger or niche community.

Can I switch themes later?

Yes. Because BuddyNext keeps your community data in its own tables and renders through its own templates, your members, spaces, and content stay intact when you change themes. You can begin on free BuddyX and move to BuddyX Pro or Reign whenever you are ready.

Can I use my own theme instead?

Absolutely. BuddyNext does not depend on any of these themes. If you already have a theme you like, BuddyNext will run on it and you can override its templates from your child theme. The recommended themes just save you styling work.

What is the difference between BuddyX and BuddyX Pro?

Free BuddyX gives you a clean, complete community look at no cost. BuddyX Pro adds premium layouts, more color and typography options, additional homepage sections, starter sites, and priority support, all on the same foundation, so upgrading does not mean rebuilding.

Got your theme? Add the community.

BuddyNext is the community engine that runs on top of any of these themes. Start free and grow into Pro when you are ready.

Get BuddyNext free See BuddyNext pricing