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BuddyBoss alternative

Leaving BuddyBoss? Stay on open BuddyPress

26 community plugins on the open BuddyPress engine. Members, groups and activity carry over, and you can see exactly what does not.

Compare three years of cost See the switch, step by step
Switching BuddyBoss Platform to BuddyPress

Carries over

  • Members and profile fields wp_users, bp_xprofile_*
  • Activity history bp_activity
  • Groups and memberships bp_groups, bp_groups_members
  • Friends and messages bp_friends, bp_messages_*
  • Notifications bp_notifications
  • Forums, with bbPress active forum, topic, reply posts

Stays in BuddyBoss-only tables

  • Photos, videos and albums
  • Documents
  • Follows
  • Reactions
  • Activity topics
  • Moderation reports

Test the switch on a staging copy first. Deactivating BuddyBoss Platform does not delete that data; BuddyPress simply does not read it.

3-YEAR BUDGET

Three years of BuddyBoss web plans next to three years of the bundle.

BuddyBoss list prices from buddyboss.com/pricing, retrieved 2026-09-17: first year at the intro price, renewals at full price. BuddyBoss does not list site counts on that page.

Three-year cost by plan, in US dollars
PlanYear 1Year 2Year 33 years
BuddyBoss Start $99 $199 $199 $497
BuddyBoss Launch $199 $399 $399 $997
BuddyBoss Scale $349 $699 $699 $1,747
Community Bundle Personal (1 site) $249 $174 $174 $597
Community Bundle Professional (5 sites) $399 $279 $279 $957
Community Bundle Agency (unlimited sites) $599 $419 $419 $1,437

BuddyBoss Start costs less over three years. Launch and Scale cost more than the bundle tier with the same site reach. Compare what each plan includes before the price.

What each route includes

BuddyBoss sells one platform. The bundle is 26 plugins you switch on.

BuddyBoss web plans

  • Native mobile app, priced on its own tab
  • Photo, video and document uploads
  • BuddyBoss Memberships and Courses
  • Real-time messaging and web push (Launch and up)
  • LearnDash, Tutor LMS and LifterLMS integrations (Launch and up)
  • BuddyBoss Theme (Launch and up)
  • Gamification and member blogs (Scale)

From buddyboss.com/pricing, 17 September 2026.

Community Bundle

  • Member business pages with reviews, services and hours
  • Location check-ins on member and group maps
  • Profile visitor logs and notifications
  • Anonymous posting, quote posts, stories and status
  • Friend suggestions by profile match
  • Members-only areas by role, LearnDash, LifterLMS or membership level
  • Moderation queue with auto-hide after a set number of reports

Not in the bundle

Photo and video uploads
MediaVerse, free with a Pro version
A native mobile app
Not included

COMING FROM BUDDYBOSS

Switch on a staging copy first, then move production.

BuddyBoss Platform keeps its core community data in the same tables as BuddyPress. Some BuddyBoss features store data in tables BuddyPress does not read, so check those before you switch.

  1. Back up the site

    Take a full database and files backup with your host or a backup plugin.

  2. Make a staging copy

    Deactivate BuddyBoss Platform on staging, then activate BuddyPress. Members, groups, activity, friends, messages and profile fields read from the same tables.

  3. Check what does not carry over

    Media, documents, follows, reactions, activity topics and moderation reports live in BuddyBoss-only tables. Decide what you need to rebuild or replace.

  4. Add bbPress if you use forums

    BuddyBoss forums use bbPress post types. Activate bbPress on staging so forums, topics and replies show again.

  5. Install the bundle and switch production

    Activate the plugins you need, match your settings, then repeat the switch on production.

Twenty-six plugins on one license, instead of a platform plan.

Pay once and own it forever, or pick the annual plan. All features included in every plan, no hidden add-ons.

Personal
1 site
$699 one-time
or $249/year
  • 1 site
  • All 26 community plugins
  • Updates and priority support, annual or lifetime
  • Annual renewals at 30% off
Get Personal
Most popular
Professional
5 sites
$999 one-time
or $399/year
  • 5 sites
  • All 26 community plugins
  • Updates and priority support, annual or lifetime
  • Annual renewals at 30% off
Get Professional
Agency
Unlimited sites
$1,699 one-time
or $599/year
  • Unlimited sites
  • All 26 community plugins
  • Updates and priority support, annual or lifetime
  • Annual renewals at 30% off
Get Agency

The plugins keep working. Updates and support stop until you renew.

Annual licenses include a year of updates and support and renew at 30% off. Lifetime licenses are a one-time payment and never expire.

Switching from BuddyBoss, answered

How does the cost compare with BuddyBoss?
On 2026-09-17 buddyboss.com listed Start at $99 for the first year then $199, Launch at $199 then $399, and Scale at $349 then $699. Over three years that is $497, $997 and $1,747. The Community Bundle Personal license is $597 over three years, Professional (5 sites) $957 and Agency (unlimited sites) $1,437. BuddyBoss Start is the cheapest option; compare what each plan includes.
Will my members and posts survive the switch?
Members, groups, activity, friends, private messages, notifications and profile fields are stored in tables BuddyPress also reads, so they carry over. Forums carry over once bbPress is active. Data from BuddyBoss-only features, such as media, documents, follows, reactions, activity topics and moderation reports, is stored in separate tables that BuddyPress does not read. Test the switch on a staging copy first.
What does BuddyBoss have that the bundle does not?
A native mobile app, built-in media and document uploads, BuddyBoss Memberships and Courses, real-time messaging, web push notifications and a Zoom integration. For media uploads, our MediaVerse plugin is a separate option, and for forums there are bbPress and our Jetonomy plugin.
What does the bundle include that BuddyBoss plans do not list?
BuddyBoss's pricing comparison (checked 2026-09-17) does not list member business pages with reviews and hours, location check-ins with maps, profile visitor logs, anonymous posting, quote posts, stories, status updates or friend suggestions by profile match. The bundle includes all of them, each as a separate plugin you can switch on or leave off.
What is the difference between BuddyPress and BuddyBoss Platform?
BuddyPress is the free community plugin maintained on WordPress.org. BuddyBoss Platform is BuddyBoss's own community plugin built from BuddyPress, sold with its plans. Both add member profiles, groups, activity and messaging to WordPress, and share the core database tables.
What happens when my annual license expires?
The plugins keep working. Updates and support stop until you renew, and renewals are 30% off, so a Personal renewal is $174 a year.
Is there a free trial?
There is no time-limited trial. Every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can install the bundle, test it on your community and ask for a full refund if it does not fit.

Other ways to plan the move

Keep your community on open BuddyPress

26 plugins on one license, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Choose a plan Review the switch steps