BuddyPress vs Paid Member Subscriptions
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | BuddyPress v14.5.4 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.1/5 Visit Details | Paid Member Subscriptions v3.1.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 90,000+ | 10,000+ |
| Last updated | October 23, 2026 | October 20, 2026 |
| Editions | BuddyPress | Paid Member Subscriptions · Paid Member Subscriptions Basic ($) · Paid Member Subscriptions Pro ($) · Paid Member Subscriptions Agency ($) · Paid Member Subscriptions Unlimited ($) |
| Pros | Free and open source with a large add-on ecosystem; Member profiles, groups, activity and messages in one plugin; Blocks and admin tools for building community pages | Subscription plans with registration and login forms; PayPal and Stripe gateways included in the code; Restricts posts, pages and WooCommerce products to members |
| Cons | Many features to configure before a site feels finished; Heavy database footprint with many custom tables; Needs theme and add-on work for a polished front end | Many advanced features need paid add-ons or tiers; Large codebase with many integrations to maintain; Upgrade links appear inside LearnDash content screens |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Member profiles with extended profile fields, Activity streams, Groups with membership management, Private messages between members, Friendships between members, On-site notifications, Member sign-up and activation, Akismet spam checks on activity posts | Subscription plans, Member registration form shortcode, Member login and account shortcodes, Content restriction for posts and pages, Scheduled renewal payments through Action Scheduler, Discount codes feature, Hide restricted WooCommerce product prices, Google reCAPTCHA option on forms, Usage tracking that the site owner must allow |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | — | PayPal, Stripe |
| E-commerce | — | WooCommerce |
| Plugins | bbPress | LearnDash, Elementor, bbPress |
| Other | Akismet | — |
| Requires WordPress | 6.1 | 3.1 |
| Requires PHP | 5.6 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.0 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | — | api.stripe.com, usagetracker.cozmoslabs.com, www.google.com, www.sandbox.paypal.com, www.paypal.com, www.cozmoslabs.com, wordpress.org |
| Blocks | 15 | 8 |
| Shortcodes | — | 1 |
| Custom tables | 19 | — |