BuddyNext - community engine for WordPress

Compare Mattermost

Open-core team collaboration platform

BuddyNext vs Mattermost

Secure team collaboration with channels, threads, calls, playbooks and boards, deployable in private cloud, self-hosted and air-gapped environments.

Mattermost is an open-core team collaboration platform, and there are real reasons to pick it. We name them below, not just the parts where BuddyNext comes out ahead.

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Watch it first

See it on a real WordPress site

A short film on what changes when the community runs on a site you own, instead of a platform you rent.

Online Community Platform You Own: Build It on WordPress3:11Chapters and transcript

All-in-one The work of a dozen tools Community, forums, events, courses, jobs, a marketplace and more, in one platform instead of a dozen separate products to buy and wire together.
Fair price Free to start, Pro from $149 A single fair price for BuddyNext Pro, not a separate plan for every feature, and no per-member SaaS bill that climbs as you grow.
Try it live A real sandbox, not a tour Your own throwaway BuddyNext site with full admin, yours for four hours. It asks for an email. See what you get →
Fast Built for performance Modern and self-hosted, engineered to stay quick from fifty members to fifty thousand.

Side by side

A fair comparison.

Plain facts on the dimensions that actually decide a community platform.

  • What it is MattermostTeam collaboration: chat, calls, playbooks, boards BuddyNextMember community on a WordPress site
  • Platform MattermostStandalone server application BuddyNextWordPress plugin
  • Deployment MattermostPrivate cloud, on-premises, air-gapped, hybrid, sovereign cloud BuddyNextYour WordPress host
  • Licensing MattermostOpen core with paid editions BuddyNextGPL plugin with a free core; Pro is a commercial add-on
  • Real-time delivery MattermostCore of the product BuddyNextFree polls on an interval; Pro adds WebSocket delivery with a server you supply
  • Calls and screen sharing MattermostOffered BuddyNextNot built in
  • Compliance tooling MattermostRetention, legal hold, eDiscovery and more, per its site BuddyNextMember export and delete, retention for reports, notifications and logs
  • Public profiles and directory MattermostNot its model BuddyNextMember profiles and a directory
  • Paid memberships MattermostNot its model BuddyNextPro: paid memberships and gated spaces
  • Mobile MattermostWeb, desktop and mobile clients BuddyNextInstallable web app on Free, web push on Pro; native app in development
  • Migrating in MattermostNot applicable BuddyNextNo Mattermost importer; use bulk CSV invites and space invite links
  • Best fit MattermostA security-conscious organisation that works in chat BuddyNextA membership community people can browse and join

Figures are as of mid-2026. Pricing and features move - always verify the current numbers on Mattermost's own site before you decide. Open core: free builds plus paid editions with extra features, sold on its own terms. Check mattermost.com for what each edition includes.

Cover every base

Everything’s a module you switch on.

This is the real difference. With BuddyNext every capability below installs free and switches on like a module - one platform, one team, all built to work together. With Mattermost, the bases it doesn’t cover mean hunting down a third-party plugin from another maker and hoping it fits.

  • Activity feed & community Mattermost Channels, not a social feed BuddyNext Included
  • Member profiles & directory Mattermost Internal user profiles BuddyNext Included
  • Forums & discussions Mattermost Threads inside channels BuddyNext Included
  • Private & group messaging Mattermost Built in; this is the product BuddyNext Included
  • Courses & LMS Mattermost Not offered BuddyNext Included
  • Events & RSVPs Mattermost Not offered BuddyNext Included
  • Job board & resumes Mattermost Not offered BuddyNext Included
  • Services marketplace Mattermost Not offered BuddyNext Included
  • Directories & listings Mattermost Not offered BuddyNext Included
  • Gamification & leaderboards Mattermost Not offered BuddyNext Included
  • Moderation suite Mattermost Admin controls, retention and audit logs BuddyNext Included
  • Memberships & paywalls Mattermost Not offered BuddyNext Included
Mattermost 2 of 12 built in 10 more you’d bolt on or can’t get
BuddyNext 12 of 12 included every base included; a few have an optional Pro tier

“Included” means a free BuddyNext module you switch on from the same team, not a separate product to source and license. Some modules have an optional Pro tier; the core is free. Verify Mattermost’s current feature set on their own site.

Credit where it's due

Where Mattermost is the better choice.

No hand-waving. These are real strengths, and for some communities they are the deciding factor.

  • Real-time channel chat with threads and direct messages is the core product. BuddyNext is not a chat app, and its free tier polls instead of pushing.
  • Deployment range is far wider: its site describes fully disconnected installs for restricted networks, edge installs and high-availability clustering.
  • It names security and compliance controls as a headline, including SAML, LDAP, SCIM, audit logs, retention, legal hold and eDiscovery export. These are its own claims; verify them for your case.
  • Calls with screen sharing, playbooks for incident response and boards come with the platform. BuddyNext has no built-in calls.
  • Web, desktop and mobile clients exist today. BuddyNext's native app is in development.

The case for BuddyNext

Where BuddyNext is the better choice.

And here is the other side - where owning your community and building on WordPress pays off.

  • BuddyNext is built for a member community: public-facing profiles, a directory, spaces, an activity feed and moderation, rather than an internal workspace.
  • It runs inside WordPress, sharing your theme, login, SEO and plugins, with no second server application to deploy.
  • The free core has no key and nothing in it expires. Pro adds paid memberships and gated spaces with payments through your own Stripe or PayPal account.
  • There is no per-seat model: BuddyNext does not count members as seats.
  • Content in a space keeps its own address and does not scroll away.

The whole platform, in one plugin

Everything BuddyNext gives you, in one plugin.

Most alternatives cover a slice of this, or send you assembling third-party add-ons from other makers to get the rest. BuddyNext ships the whole platform - 74+ features across 11 areas - built by one team, so it all works together instead of just sitting side by side. Here is the full surface, not a footnote.

Pro marks a Pro-tier feature. Everything else is in the free plugin.

Activity & posting 14

  • Feed (For-you / Following / Spaces / Network)
  • Explore
  • Composer (text / photo / link / poll)
  • 6 reactions
  • Threaded comments
  • Polls
  • Reposts + quotes
  • Bookmarks
  • Hashtags + trending
  • @mentions
  • Scheduled posts Pro
  • Multi-pin Pro
  • Announcements
  • Search

Spaces 9

  • Open / private / secret
  • Roles
  • Join requests + invites
  • Bans
  • Categories
  • Per-space notifications
  • Forum (Jetonomy)
  • Gated spaces Pro
  • Branding Pro

Members 8

  • Profiles
  • Custom fields
  • Directory
  • Member types
  • Following
  • Connections
  • Blocking / muting
  • Presence

Accounts 6

  • Brandable registration + login
  • Social login
  • Email verification
  • 2FA
  • Onboarding wizard
  • Privacy / data export + delete

Messaging & email 7

  • Direct messages
  • Notification center
  • Notification preferences
  • Email templates
  • Digests
  • Broadcasts Pro
  • Drip sequences Pro

Moderation 8

  • Reporting
  • Queue
  • Warn / strike / suspend / shadow-ban
  • Appeals
  • Safeguards
  • Auto-moderation Pro
  • AI moderation Pro
  • Bulk moderation Pro

Engagement 6

  • Gamification
  • Leaderboard
  • Real-time updates
  • Web push Pro
  • WebSocket realtime Pro
  • PWA app

Monetization 5

  • Membership tiers Pro
  • Gated spaces Pro
  • Stripe Pro
  • Content protection Pro
  • Subscriptions Pro

AI 3

  • Feed ranking Pro
  • Moderation Pro
  • Reply suggestions Pro

Analytics 2

  • Dashboard Pro
  • Profile views Pro

Extend 6

  • REST API
  • Hooks
  • 18 Gutenberg blocks
  • Outbound webhooks
  • Companion integrations
  • You own it

The honest verdict

So which should you pick?

Choose Mattermost if…

You need a Slack replacement for a team, particularly one with strict security, compliance or network requirements. Mattermost is built for that and BuddyNext is not.

Our pick, honestly stated

Choose BuddyNext if…

You are running a community of members rather than a company workspace, and you want profiles, a directory, spaces and optional paid access on a WordPress site you own.

Get BuddyNext free →

Sandbox demo

Try it on a live demo community

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.

Launch the demo (opens in a new tab) Get BuddyNext free

Prefer to watch first? See the tutorials.

What to try in the demo

  1. Open a space and its feed, then the member directory, to see what a community looks like.
  2. Open a direct message conversation and notice what is one-to-one on Free.
  3. As the owner, open Privacy & Data and read the retention settings.

From the same team

Add the pieces your community needs

BuddyNext runs on its own. These are separate plugins from the same team, for when the community needs more than a feed and spaces.

Honest answers

Questions buyers ask first.

BuddyNext or Mattermost: which should I choose?

Choose Mattermost if you need a Slack replacement for a team, particularly one with strict security, compliance or network requirements. Mattermost is built for that and BuddyNext is not. Choose BuddyNext if you are running a community of members rather than a company workspace, and you want profiles, a directory, spaces and optional paid access on a WordPress site you own.

Is Mattermost a community platform?

It is a team collaboration platform aimed at organisations, and its own site leads with security, regulated industries and government. It can host a group, but it does not give you a public member directory, a social feed or paid memberships.

Is Mattermost free to self-host?

Its project README calls it open core, with compiled builds under an MIT licence and a separate enterprise licence for paid features. Read the licence files and the edition list on mattermost.com before you decide.

Does BuddyNext replace Mattermost?

Not for team chat, calls or compliance work. BuddyNext is a WordPress member community. Some groups run both: Mattermost for the team, BuddyNext for the public-facing community.

Can I import Mattermost channels into BuddyNext?

There is no importer. Choose what is worth keeping, recreate channels as spaces, then send bulk CSV invites or space invite links.

Already thinking of switching? Read our honest Mattermost alternative guide →

Comparing a few options? See all BuddyNext comparisons →

Be part of what’s next.

BuddyNext is live. Start free, own your community, and upgrade only when you grow.

Get BuddyNext free Try the live demo →

What customers say on Trustpilot

WBCOM Designs is Amazing!

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…

Edward S.US