BuddyBoss vs MemberPress (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BuddyBoss and MemberPress share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan and they start at the same price, so the choice depends on whether you care more about features, where BuddyBoss grades higher, or ease of use, where MemberPress does.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BuddyBoss
Self-hosted WordPress community, course and membership platform
MemberPress
WordPress plugin for paid memberships, courses and communities
Which one is for you
Pick BuddyBoss if
- Fits if you run WordPress and already use LearnDash or MemberPress
- Works for people who want a branded mobile app for their community
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a free plan or a trial, as there is neither
- Pricey if you stay a second year: the $199 and $349 intro prices double at renewal
- Watch out: extra sites are $99 each, and the mobile app is a separate subscription
- Watch out: Done For You builds start at $2,149 in year one, and hosting is yours
Pick MemberPress if
- Fits if you want a membership business on a WordPress site you control
- Works for owners who want posts, courses and coaching under one login, with member data on their own host
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try before you pay, as there's no trial or free version
- Skip it if you don't want to look after WordPress and hosting
- Pricey if you budget on year one, since every plan renews at double the first-year price
- Watch out: each plan covers one site, and up to 15 more are separate yearly subscriptions
- Watch out: Launch takes 4.9% a payment, and Zapier, the API, webhooks and affiliates need Scale at $999 a year
How we grade them
| 1.8GPABuddyBossWeak | 1.8GPAMemberPressWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CRenewal is $399 a year for one site, about $33 a month, close to the category's middle of $37. The first-year price is $199, and the page says renewals are at full price. | CLaunch is $399 a year at renewal plus 4.9% of every payment, about $131 a month at $2,000 of sales. Growth drops the fee: $699 a year at renewal, about $58 a month ($349.50 in the first year). The middle of this category, with hosting on top. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial are on record. | FNothing free: no free version and no trial in the listing. You buy a yearly license to see it. |
| Features | BCommunity features, messaging, courses and memberships, gamification and a branded mobile app. The app is a separate subscription. | CPaywall rules, memberships, a course builder, quizzes and certificates on Growth, ClubSuite forums and a member directory, and CoachKit coaching. It needs a WordPress site to be useful, and Zapier and the API wait for Scale. |
| Ease of use | DIt needs a self-hosted WordPress site, and no store rating is on record. | CNo rating on record. You need WordPress on a host before anything else, then content rules and memberships to set up, so it takes some learning. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with LearnDash, MemberPress, Tutor LMS, WooCommerce, Stripe and more on the list. The mobile app costs extra. | BRuns in the browser inside WordPress, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, Zapier, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Kit. The REST API and webhooks are on Scale. |
| Best for | branded WordPress communities | paid memberships on your own WordPress site |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BuddyBoss and MemberPress. How we grade
Price against what you get
BuddyBoss starts at $33.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MemberPress starts at $33.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 8 score higher than BuddyBoss for less, and 8 score higher than MemberPress for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BuddyBoss also covers templates.
At a glance
| BuddyBoss | MemberPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $399 per year at renewal, after a first year at $199 | $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | BuddyBoss | Caseproof, LLC |
| Price read from | buddyboss.com | memberpress.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BuddyBoss
- Listed prices are introductory; the page says all renewals are at full price, so year two costs double.
- One license covers one production site; extra sites are $99 each.
- The mobile app is a separate subscription, and Done For You builds cost more.
- It runs only inside a self-hosted WordPress site; hosting is your job.
MemberPress
- MemberPress needs a WordPress site. Each plan covers one site activation, staging sites included; up to 15 more are sold as separate yearly subscriptions.
- Launch takes 4.9% of every payment and accepts Stripe only; Growth and Scale drop the fee, though Stripe or PayPal charges still apply.
- First-year prices are half the list price, and every plan renews at full price: $399, $699 or $999 a year.
- Forums, coaching and quizzes start on Growth; Zapier, the REST API and webhooks, and affiliates need Scale.
Key features
BuddyBoss
- Community features
- Member profiles and types, groups, invitations, reactions, polls, photo and video uploads, and social login.
- Messaging and notifications
- Real-time messaging through Pusher and web push notifications through OneSignal on Launch and Scale.
- Courses and memberships
- Sell with BuddyBoss Memberships and Courses, or integrate LearnDash, MemberPress, Tutor LMS and LifterLMS.
- Gamification
- Points, achievements, badges, member ranks and leaderboards on the Scale plan.
- Media and global reach
- Scale adds offloading media to Cloudflare, a CDN on a custom domain, image and video optimization and multilingual support.
- Branded mobile app
- A separate subscription adds your own branded iOS and Android app, with Solo, Launch and managed tiers.
MemberPress
- Paywall and content rules
- Smart Rules protect pages, posts, custom post types, categories, tags, files or parts of a page by membership; dripping content on a schedule needs Growth.
- Memberships and checkout
- Unlimited one-time and recurring memberships with upgrades, downgrades and pausing, coupons, a multi-item cart and a self-serve member dashboard.
- Courses and quizzes
- A drag-and-drop curriculum builder for unlimited courses and lessons; quizzes, assignments and certificates come with Growth.
- AI Course Generator
- Describe a course and AI drafts the sections, lessons and quiz questions, using a yearly allowance of AI credits that grows with the plan.
- ClubSuite community
- Forums and private groups called Circles, member profiles and a searchable directory on Growth, with direct messaging added on Scale.
- CoachKit coaching
- Run coaching programs with unlimited coaches, clients and cohorts, milestone and habit tracking, and dashboards for coaches and clients.
Plans
BuddyBoss
Launch$399
per year for 1 site, after a first year at $199
BuddyBoss Theme, every LMS integration, messaging, notifications and access controls. First year is $199 (50% intro discount).
Scale$699
per year for 1 site, after a first year at $349
Adds points, badges, ranks and leaderboards, multilingual support, media offload, member blogs and domain restrictions.
Done For You Web$2,499
per year, after a first year at $2,149
Scale license plus a $1,800 build service: setup, rebranding, migration, maintenance and a project manager.
MemberPress
Launch$399
per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50
$199.50 the first year. One site, unlimited members and courses, Stripe only, 25,000 AI credits. MemberPress takes a 4.9% fee on each payment.
Growth$699
per year at renewal, after a first year for $349.50
$349.50 the first year. No transaction fee, PayPal and Square, forums and member directory, CoachKit, quizzes, certificates, dripping, 50,000 AI credits.
Scale$999
per year at renewal, after a first year for $499.50
$499.50 the first year. REST API and webhooks, Zapier, Easy Affiliate, direct messaging, gradebook, corporate accounts, Authorize.net, 100,000 AI credits.
Ways to pay less
BuddyBoss
- Other savings
50% introductory first-year price
Launch is $199 and Scale $349 in the first year, then renew at $399 and $699 a year. The page says all renewals are at full price.
MemberPress
- Other savings
Half price for the first year
The pricing page sells the first year of Launch at $199.50, Growth at $349.50 and Scale at $499.50; renewals are at the full $399, $699 and $999.
- Nonprofit
Introductory price for life for nonprofits
Qualifying nonprofits keep the introductory price at every renewal, which MemberPress describes as up to 50% off all plan levels.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BuddyBoss or MemberPress?
As of Nov 13, 2026, they start at the same price. BuddyBoss starts at $399 per year at renewal, after a first year at $199, and MemberPress starts at $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50.
Which has a free plan, BuddyBoss or MemberPress?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither BuddyBoss nor MemberPress has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.