PeepSo vs wpForo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, PeepSo grades higher than wpForo: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
PeepSo grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PeepSo
WordPress social network plugin with a free core and yearly bundles
wpForo
WordPress forum plugin with optional paid AI features
Which one is for you
Pick PeepSo if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want a member social network
- Works for course sites that run LearnDash, Tutor LMS or MasterStudy
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to host a site, as it runs only on self-hosted WordPress
- Tight if you stay free, because removing the Powered by PeepSo badge needs the Community bundle
- Watch out: site counts and a Lifetime option change the price, and only the 1-site yearly prices were readable
- Watch out: renewals are not refundable, and staging sites use a license seat
Pick wpForo if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want boards, groups and points on your own domain
- Works for communities that want AI search and moderation without leaving WordPress
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't run WordPress, since it runs nowhere else
- Pricey if you want the add-ons, at $190 for 8 or $290 for all, billing basis unstated
- Tight if you plan to lean on AI, as each feature costs 1 to 4 credits and credits can't be refunded
- Not for you if you want someone else to host and update it
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAPeepSoGood | 2.2GPAwpForoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$149 a year for one site is about $12.42 a month, inside the cheapest quarter ($20). The Ultimate bundle is $249 a year. | CThe plugin is $0, but it needs your own WordPress hosting, and AI credits start at $15 a month. Add-on bundles are $190 and $290. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free bundle has profiles, an activity stream, groups, friends, media and chat with no time limit. It shows a Powered by PeepSo badge. | BThe plugin is free with no stated cap and the AI service has a 500-credit trial. You still pay for hosting. |
| Features | BA social network core, chat, white-label tools, a mobile app, and course and store integrations. The listing shows no gap in the core job. | BSeveral boards, five layouts, groups, reputation, reactions and built-in spam protection. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core forum job. |
| Ease of use | DIt needs a self-hosted WordPress site, and no store rating is on record. | DIt is a plugin you install, host and maintain on WordPress yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android, with LearnDash, Tutor LMS, WooCommerce and others on the list. No desktop app. | CWeb only, inside WordPress, with WPML, Polylang and reCAPTCHA as its listed connections. |
| Best for | social networks inside WordPress | a feature-heavy forum inside 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: PeepSo and wpForo. How we grade
Price against what you get
PeepSo starts at $12.42 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. wpForo starts at $15 a month and scores 2.0.
PeepSo scores higher and starts $2.58 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 1 scores higher than PeepSo for less, and 10 score higher than wpForo 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
- PeepSo also covers templates and online courses.
- wpForo also covers AI search.
At a glance
| PeepSo | wpForo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $149 per year for 1 site | $15 per month for optional AI credits |
| Free plan | PeepSo Free: profiles, activity stream, groups, friends, photos and media and chat, with no time limit and "Powered by PeepSo" shown. | The wpForo plugin is free, with over 100 core features according to the vendor; only the AI service and paid add-ons cost money. |
| Free trial | None listed | AI service free trial of 500 credits, plus free indexing credits sized to your forum |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | PeepSo | gVectors Team |
| Price read from | peepso.com | wpforo.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
PeepSo
- It runs only inside a self-hosted WordPress site; hosting is your job.
- The free bundle shows "Powered by PeepSo"; removing it needs the Community bundle.
- Site counts (1, 5 or 10) and a Lifetime option change the price; only the 1-site yearly prices were readable.
- Renewals are not refundable, and staging sites use a license seat.
wpForo
- It runs only inside WordPress, so you host and maintain it yourself.
- AI features need credits: a feature costs 1 to 4 credits by quality tier, and credits cannot be refunded.
- Premium add-ons are sold in bundles by gVectors, $190 for 8 add-ons and $290 for all of them, listed with an unlimited-sites license.
- The vendor's pages did not state a billing basis for the add-on bundles.
Key features
PeepSo
- Social network core
- Member profiles and an activity stream, with public and private groups, friends, a member directory and photo and media sharing.
- Real-time chat
- Chat is part of the free bundle, with a block theme and a Gecko theme included.
- White-label and growth tools
- The Community bundle removes the "Powered by PeepSo" mark and adds email digests, social login and invitations.
- Mobile app
- The Ultimate bundle includes PeepSo Mobile App Lite for iOS and Android.
- Course and store integrations
- Ultimate links to LearnDash, TutorLMS and MasterStudy LMS for courses, and to WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads and others for selling.
- Stories and achievements
- Ephemeral story posts and an achievements system for gamifying a community are part of the Ultimate bundle.
wpForo
- Multiple boards and layouts
- Runs several independent forums from one WordPress install with Extended, Simplified, Q&A, Threaded and Boxed layouts.
- Members and reputation
- Profiles, user groups with permissions, a points-based reputation system, reactions and @mentions.
- AI search and summaries
- Semantic search, topic summaries and suggestions run on the credit-based wpForo AI service.
- AI moderation
- The AI service checks posts for spam, toxicity and rule violations; it works alongside the built-in spam protection and reCAPTCHA v3.
- Forum as support tickets
- A forum can be set so topics are private to the author and the support team.
- Paid add-ons
- Add-ons such as private messages, user custom fields and topic custom fields are sold by gVectors.
Plans
PeepSo
PeepSo Free$0
Social network core with groups, friends, media and chat; shows "Powered by PeepSo".
Community Bundle$149
per year for 1 site, shown as $12.42 a month
Adds white-labeling, email digests, social login, invitations, file uploads, pages and user limits; 1 year of updates.
Ultimate Bundle$249
per year for 1 site, shown as $20.75 a month
Adds the Mobile App Lite for iOS and Android, stories, achievements, and store, course and event integrations; 24/7 support.
wpForo
wpForo plugin$0
Free plugin you host on your own WordPress site: multiple boards, 5 layouts, profiles, reputation points, groups and RSS.
AI Starter$15
per month for 1,000 AI credits
Optional wpForo AI service; credits accumulate and carry forward, with a feature costing 1 to 4 credits by quality tier.
AI Professional$25
per month for 3,000 AI credits
Optional wpForo AI service with 3,000 credits each month added to your balance.
AI Business$49
per month for 9,000 AI credits
Optional wpForo AI service with 9,000 credits each month added to your balance.
Ways to pay less
PeepSo
- Lifetime license
Lifetime license option
The pricing page has a Lifetime pay-once toggle for the Community and Ultimate bundles; lifetime licenses do not renew. The amounts were not readable in the page text.
wpForo
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, PeepSo or wpForo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, PeepSo is cheaper to start with: $12.42 a month when paid by the year, against $15 a month for wpForo. PeepSo starts at $149 per year for 1 site, and wpForo starts at $15 per month for optional AI credits.
Which has a free plan, PeepSo or wpForo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both PeepSo and wpForo have a free plan.
Which platforms do PeepSo and wpForo run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only PeepSo lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.