BuddyBoss vs Ultimate Member (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ultimate Member grades higher than BuddyBoss: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
BuddyBoss grades higher on features. Ultimate Member grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use 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
Ultimate Member
WordPress plugin for member profiles, sign-up and directories
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 Ultimate Member if
- Fits if you want member profiles and directories on a WordPress site
- Works for people happy to add extensions one by one
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted service, as it runs only on your own WordPress site
- Tight if you stay free, as groups, messaging, social login and Stripe are paid extensions
- Watch out: its pricing page was blocked to us, so paid prices are not recorded
- Not for you if you want courses or memberships out of the box, since those come through add-ons
How we grade them
| 1.8GPABuddyBossWeak | 2.2GPAUltimate MemberFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo paid price is on record, so this sits in the middle. The listing says paid extensions and plans are sold separately. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial are on record. | BThe core plugin is free on WordPress.org, with registration, profiles, directories and content restriction. Hosting is yours. |
| Features | BCommunity features, messaging, courses and memberships, gamification and a branded mobile app. The app is a separate subscription. | CProfiles, fields, directories and restriction in the core. Groups, messaging, social login and Stripe are paid extensions, which is a gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | DIt needs a self-hosted WordPress site, and no store rating is on record. | DIt needs a self-hosted WordPress site, and no store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with LearnDash, MemberPress, Tutor LMS, WooCommerce, Stripe and more on the list. The mobile app costs extra. | BWeb, with WooCommerce, Stripe, Mailchimp, Zapier and bbPress on the list. No app. |
| Best for | branded WordPress communities | free member profiles on WordPress |
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 Ultimate Member. How we grade
Where they differ
- BuddyBoss also covers templates and online courses.
- Ultimate Member also covers forms.
At a glance
| BuddyBoss | Ultimate Member | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $399 per year at renewal, after a first year at $199 | Not published |
| Free plan | None | The core plugin is listed on WordPress.org; paid extensions and paid plans are sold separately. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | BuddyBoss | Ultimate Member |
| Price read from | buddyboss.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Ultimate Member
- Its pricing page was blocked by a bot check, so paid plan and extension prices are not recorded here.
- It runs only inside a self-hosted WordPress site; hosting is your job.
- Groups, messaging, social login, Stripe and many other community features are paid extensions.
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.
Ultimate Member
- Profiles, registration and login
- Front-end user profiles, sign-up and login forms and a user account page, built with a drag-and-drop form builder.
- Custom fields and logic
- Custom form fields with conditional logic, custom user roles and automated user emails.
- Member directories
- Directories of members that can show author posts and comments on each profile.
- Content restriction
- Restrict content by logged-in status or role, with conditional navigation menus for logged-in and logged-out visitors.
- Paid extensions
- Extensions add Groups, Private Messages, Social Login, Stripe subscriptions, WooCommerce and Mailchimp integrations, and more.
- Free extensions and developer hooks
- Free extensions include Google reCAPTCHA and Online Users, and the plugin exposes actions and filters for developers.
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.
Ultimate Member
Pricing could not be confirmed. See ultimatemember.com.
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.
Ultimate Member
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BuddyBoss or Ultimate Member?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BuddyBoss starts at $399 per year at renewal, after a first year at $199, and Ultimate Member has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, BuddyBoss or Ultimate Member?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Ultimate Member has a free plan. BuddyBoss does not.
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.