BuddyPress vs Restrict Content Pro
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 | Restrict Content Pro v4.0.5 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 3.1/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 90,000+ | 9,000+ |
| Last updated | October 23, 2026 | October 14, 2026 |
| Editions | BuddyPress | Kadence Memberships · Kadence Memberships Pro ($) |
| Pros | Free and open source with a large add-on ecosystem; Member profiles, groups, activity and messages in one plugin; Blocks and admin tools for building community pages | Restricts posts, pages and custom types by membership level; Stripe payments, discount codes and forms in the free edition; Shortcodes for restricted content, login and registration |
| Cons | Many features to configure before a site feels finished; Heavy database footprint with many custom tables; Needs theme and add-on work for a polished front end | Many gateways and email integrations need paid add-ons; Admin shows Pro upsell pages and add-on listings; Opt-in telemetry prompt appears in the admin |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Member profiles with extended profile fields, Activity streams, Groups with membership management, Private messages between members, Friendships between members, On-site notifications, Member sign-up and activation, Akismet spam checks on activity posts | Restrict content by membership level, Restrict shortcode for member-only content, Shortcode listing paid posts, Registration form shortcode, Login form shortcode, Discount codes, Daily check for expired memberships, Google reCAPTCHA on forms, Content upgrade redirect block, Members, customers, payments and levels admin pages, Why Go Pro upsell page, Paid add-on catalogue for gateways and integrations ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | — | Stripe |
| E-commerce | — | WooCommerce |
| Plugins | bbPress | — |
| Other | Akismet | Google reCAPTCHA |
| Requires WordPress | 6.1 | 6.0 |
| Requires PHP | 5.6 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.0 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | — | api-dev.ithemes.com, www.google.com, api.stripe.com, api.ithemes.com |
| Blocks | 15 | 1 |
| Shortcodes | — | 19 |
| Custom tables | 19 | 7 |