Wbcom Designs WordPress Private Community Plugin
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Free + Pro10 membership enginesBuddyPress + BuddyBoss + bbPressSelf-hosted

WORDPRESS PRIVATE COMMUNITY PLUGIN

Lock BuddyPress. Pick who gets in.

Free version locks the site or per-area URLs with wildcards. Pro adds gating by membership level on PMPro, MemberPress, LearnDash, LifterLMS, WooCommerce Memberships + 5 more.

See pricing Try free first
  • 400+ active installs on WordPress.org
  • 5 / 5 from 50 verified buyer reviews
  • Free version covers most communities
  • Pro adds 10 membership-engine integrations
  • BuddyPress + BuddyBoss + bbPress native
  • Shipping since March 2018
Free version Site-wide + per-area lock, login form
Pro starts at
$49 / 1 site
Membership engines (Pro)
10 supported
Platforms
BuddyPress · BuddyBoss · bbPress
Since
2018 · 5 / 5 from 50 reviews
UPDATED 2026-05-29

OUR HISTORY

Shipping private-community plugins for WordPress since 2018.

Free version on WordPress.org with 400+ active installs. Pro version on EDD with 50 verified buyer reviews. Both maintained continuously for 7+ years.

  1. 2018 Wbcom Designs

    Private Community for BuddyPress v1.0 ships free on WordPress.org. Site-wide lock with URL list.

  2. 2019 Wbcom Designs

    Pro version ships with membership-level gating on PMPro and MemberPress.

  3. 2021 Wbcom Designs

    Free version adds wildcard URL patterns. Pro adds LearnDash + LifterLMS course gating.

  4. 2023 Wbcom Designs

    Pro integrations expand to 10 systems including WooCommerce Memberships, Restrict Content Pro, WishList Member, GamiPress, s2Member, Memberium.

  5. 2025 Wbcom Designs

    Free v2.1.2 ships. Pro v3.1.0 ships with profile completion enforcement, tab-level access, customizable locked-content templates.

FREE COVERS THE BASICS · PRO ADDS THE GATING ENGINE

What you get free, and what Pro adds.

Free is enough for most communities. Pro fits sites already running a membership plugin (PMPro, MemberPress, LearnDash, LifterLMS, WooCommerce Memberships, and 5 more).

01

Free — Site lock

Two modes. URL wildcards. Built-in login form. 400+ installs.

For: Communities that need members-only access without per-tier gating.

  • Full Protection (lock everything)
  • Partial Protection (lock specific URLs)
  • Wildcard patterns like /premium/*
  • Built-in login form OR your own
  • Smart redirect to a welcome page
  • wp-login.php always accessible
02

Pro — Membership gating

Gate by membership level on 10 systems.

For: Sites already running a WordPress membership engine that want BuddyPress access tied to paid levels.

  • Paid Memberships Pro
  • MemberPress
  • LearnDash + LifterLMS course gating
  • WooCommerce Memberships
  • Restrict Content Pro, WishList Member
  • GamiPress, s2Member, Memberium
03

Pro — Profile + tab control

Tab-level access. Profile completion. Per-member visibility.

For: Communities where access depends on profile state, role, or who's allowed to see whom.

  • Profile completion enforcement (X% minimum)
  • Per-member profile visibility
  • Tab-level access (hide BP tabs by role)
  • Group join button + status hiding
  • Custom locked-content templates
  • AJAX login with custom messages
Who it's for

Who runs the private-community plugin in production

Company intranets and team portals
Free version locks the whole site to employees. Block the public from seeing internal directories or activity.
Paid Memberships Pro / MemberPress sites
Pro gates BuddyPress areas by membership level. Different tiers see different community sections.
LearnDash + LifterLMS course owners
Pro gates the cohort area by enrolled course. Students see only the community for their cohort.
WooCommerce Memberships stores
Pro gates community by purchased membership product. Customers who bought Premium see the Premium area.
Private course cohorts
Pro forces profile completion before the cohort area unlocks. Members must fill required fields first.
WordPress agencies
Free covers basic locks across every client build. Pro on the Developer license covers unlimited sites with white-label support.
vs. WP defaults and SaaS

How private-community sites get built on WordPress.

The three routes WordPress site owners actually consider when they want members-only community access.

Capability
Wbcom Private Community
Free + Pro
WP default
Built-in
Membership plugin alone
PMPro etc.
Lock BuddyPress site-wide limited
Per-area URL locks with wildcards per page
Built-in login form on locked pages /wp-loginvaries
Gate by membership level (10 engines) Pro only
Profile completion enforcement Pro only
Tab-level access (hide BP tabs by role) Pro only
Per-member profile visibility Pro only
Annual license, no SaaS contract freevaries

Free version handles 'lock the site' on its own. Pro is the route for sites already running a membership plugin who want community access tied to paid tiers.

Features

Everything your community needs

No extensions to buy. No integrations to configure. It ships with all of this.

Member-only lock

Full Protection (lock everything) or Partial Protection (lock listed URLs only). Whitelist the URLs that stay public.

URL wildcards

Patterns like /premium/* or /courses/cohort-* lock entire sections in one rule. No need to list every URL.

Built-in or custom login

Use the built-in login form (styled to your theme) or swap in Gravity Forms / WPForms / Forminator via filter hook.

Smart redirect

Send logged-out visitors to a welcome page instead of the login form. Useful for sales landing pages.

Pro: 10 membership engines

Gate by membership level on PMPro, MemberPress, LearnDash, LifterLMS, WooCommerce Memberships, Restrict Content Pro, WishList Member, GamiPress, s2Member, Memberium.

Pro: Profile completion

Force members to complete X% of their profile before locked areas unlock. Useful for paid course onboarding.

Pro: Tab-level control

Hide BuddyPress profile tabs and group tabs from members by role. Not just lock pages — hide entire tabs from the UI.

WPML + 8 filters

Translation-ready. 8+ developer filters (bplock_whitelist_urls, bplock_locked_urls, bplock_redirect_url, etc.) for custom logic.

Pricing

Simple, honest pricing

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

Free
Unlimited sites
Free
  • Unlimited sites
  • Full Protection mode
  • Partial Protection mode
  • URL wildcards
  • Built-in login form
  • Custom login via your form plugin
  • Smart redirect to welcome page
  • Community support on WordPress.org
Get Free
Most popular
Pro · Personal
1 site
$149 one-time
or $49/year
  • Everything in Free
  • Membership gating on 10 systems
  • Profile completion enforcement
  • Per-member profile visibility
  • Tab-level access control
  • Custom locked-content templates
  • Group join button hiding
  • Premium email support
Get Pro · Personal
Pro · Agency
Unlimited sites
$349 one-time
or $129/year
  • Everything in Personal
  • Unlimited sites
  • White-label ready
  • Senior engineer on email for emergencies
Get Pro · Agency

Lifetime: pay once, own it forever. All future updates included.

Annual license. Renews at 30% off the list price. Cancel anytime before renewal.

30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked.
FAQ

Common questions

What is the best WordPress private community plugin?
Wbcom Private Community for BuddyPress (free) plus its Pro extension. The free version is on WordPress.org with 400+ active installs and locks BuddyPress site-wide or per-area with URL wildcards. The Pro version adds gating by membership level on 10 systems (PMPro, MemberPress, LearnDash, LifterLMS, WooCommerce Memberships + 5 more) plus profile completion, tab-level access, and per-member visibility. Both ship from Wbcom Designs and have been maintained since 2018.
How do I make a BuddyPress site private?
Install the free plugin from WordPress.org, activate it, go to Settings → Private Community, pick Full Protection mode, save. The whole site now requires login. To keep some pages public, whitelist them in the same tab. URL wildcards like /premium/* lock entire sections in one rule.
Can I make my front page private on BuddyPress?
Yes. In Full Protection mode the front page requires login by default. In Partial Protection mode, add the front-page URL to the lock list. Both modes preserve wp-login.php access so admins never lock themselves out.
Which membership plugins does Pro support?
Ten engines, auto-detected from your active plugin: Paid Memberships Pro, MemberPress, LearnDash, LifterLMS, WooCommerce Memberships, Restrict Content Pro, WishList Member, GamiPress, s2Member, and Memberium. The Membership Restrictions tab exposes whichever engine's level list is active on your site.
Do I need Pro if I already have a membership plugin?
Yes if you want BuddyPress access gated by membership level. Membership plugins alone gate content pages — they don't lock BuddyPress profiles, groups, activity feeds, or messages. Pro adds that gating layer on top of your existing membership engine.
What does the free version cost?
Free forever. WordPress.org-hosted at /plugins/lock-my-bp/. Use on unlimited sites. Support via the WordPress.org forums.
What does Pro cost?
Personal $49/yr or $149 lifetime (1 site). 5-Site $99/yr or $349 lifetime (5 sites). Developer $129/yr or $299 lifetime (unlimited sites + white-label). Annual renews at 30% off the list price. All tiers include the full Pro feature set; pricing differs only by site count.
Does it work with BuddyBoss and bbPress?
Yes. The URL patterns and component names are compatible with BuddyBoss Platform and bbPress — same plugin runs on all three. Activity locks, profile visibility, group restrictions, and bbPress topic / reply gating all work.
Pair private community with

Round out the locked-community stack

Pick your tier. Lock your community.

One license. Instant download. Works with any WordPress theme.

Buy WordPress Private Community Plugin Read the docs