Did you know that online communities are projected to grow by over 30% in the next 5 years, reshaping how we interact digitally? Building an engaged online community is essential for educators, businesses, and creators. Reliable community plugins help create platforms with ideal user experiences. This is where community plugins come in. Community plugins allow you to create interactive platforms with features like forums, private messaging, event management, and member directories. Let’s explore three of the best plugins for building community-driven membership websites: BuddyBoss, Fluent Community, and SureDash.
Community plugins help turn your website into an interactive space for users. They offer features like forums, chats, and event management. You can enable learning, reward users with badges, and provide gated content. Plugins make it easier to build engagement and improve user experiences on your site.
Top 3 Best Plugins for Community Sites
A good plugin ensures smooth effective content delivery, user engagement, and the access management, also being flexible and full-featured at the same time. Below are the best 3 plugins that not only you must consider as membership sites, but also, they will help you to create successful online communities:
1. BuddyBoss
BuddyBoss is a powerful and popular WordPress plugin for creating online communities. It offers extensive features to boost social interaction and engagement, making it ideal for e-learning platforms, social networks, and private membership sites. Over 70% of the users watch the content on mobile devices, and BuddyBoss enabled the smooth navigation of the website on smartphones and tablets without any performance impacts. Its strong platform makes WordPress easy to integrate because of its complete compatibility with the large user bases and complex actions. Whether building an online school, professional network, or social platform, BuddyBoss provides the essential tools to grow and engage your community.
Key Features of Buddyboss:
- Connect and Engage: Build vibrant online communities with user profiles, private messaging, and real-time activity feeds.
- Gamify the Experience: Motivate users to stay active with rewards like badges, achievements, and leaderboard rankings using external plugins. BuddyBoss has smooth integration with gamification plugins.
- Offer Seamless Learning: Easily integrate with LearnDash to deliver courses, track student progress, and manage content effortlessly.
- Encourage Discussions: Create forums and discussion boards where members can share ideas and have meaningful conversations.
- Stay Mobile-Friendly: The platform is fully optimized for mobile devices, ensuring users have a smooth experience anytime, anywhere.
- Share with Ease: Let members upload and share images, videos, and documents directly on the platform.
- Organize Events and Groups: Set up dedicated groups for specific topics and plan events to bring your community together.
Pricing:
- 1 Site Bundle: $299 per year (normally $399)
Includes BuddyBoss Theme, Platform Pro, 1 Year Updates, and Priority Support - 5 Sites Bundle: $349 per year (normally $465)
Ideal for business growth with licenses for 5 sites - 10 Sites Bundle: $449 per year (normally $599)
Designed for agencies, includes licenses for 10 sites
App Pricing Options:
- Lite Edition: $79 per month, paid yearly
Best for small businesses, offering basic course features and app access - Full Edition: $179 per month, paid yearly
For serious creators, offering advanced social learning features
BuddyBoss is ideal for large communities and businesses seeking robust community features, online learning, and high customization.
2. Fluent Community
Fluent Community is a lightweight and fast WordPress plugin designed to build online communities with ease. It’s perfect for small to medium websites, such as niche groups, professional networks, or hobbyist forums. With an easy setup and seamless integration with WordPress, you can quickly build interactive spaces where members connect, share ideas, and engage in meaningful discussions. Its simple design doesn’t hold it back this plugin is highly customizable, allowing you to scale and evolve your community as it grows.
Key Features:
- Lightweight Design: Minimal impact on site performance with fast loading times.
- Easy Setup: Beginner-friendly setup with customizable templates.
- User Profiles and Activity Feeds: Allow members to showcase profiles and participate in community activities.
- Event Management: Organize events, webinars, and virtual meetings easily.
- Group Chats: Encourage discussions within specific interest groups.
- Email Notifications: Keep members updated with automated email notifications.
- Secure Access: Control content access with customizable permissions and privacy settings.
Pricing:
- Exclusive Early Birds Lifetime Deal:
- $199: Single Site License (1 domain)
- $399: 5 Sites License (5 domains)
- $699: 15 Sites License (15 domains)
- 50 Sites License: $100/month for 10 months (split payment option available)
All Plans Include:
- Full access to all features
- Lifetime plugin updates and priority support
- Built-in data security
- Unlimited conversions and multi-domain support
- 100% money-back guarantee
Fluent Community works best for small businesses, bloggers, and organizations looking for a cost-effective community-building solution.
3. SureDash
SureDash is an all in one membership and community plugin designed to deliver content and foster user engagement. It’s user-friendly for beginners but at the same time powerful enough for developers. With SureDash, you can easily set up special platforms where members can access premium content, participate in discussions, and collaborate. This is ideal for educational websites, coaching programs, online communities, and creative hubs. The most important features include gated content, real-time chats, and user progress tracking that let you manage memberships and create interactive experiences that are hard to forget or even modify comeback plans.
Key Features:
- Membership Management: Handle multiple membership tiers and payment gateways.
- Community Engagement: Enable forums, private groups, and direct messaging.
- Content Restriction: Provide gated content to premium members.
- User Progress Tracking: Track member progress with activity logs and analytics.
- Live Chat Support: Real-time chat functionality for better communication.
- Built-In Integrations: Works seamlessly with WooCommerce, LearnDash, and other popular tools.
- Customization Options: Customize the design and layout without needing advanced coding skills.
Pricing:
- Unlock Early-Adopter Lifetime Access:
- Starter Plan: $199 (pay once) – Use on 1 site
Includes lifetime product updates, priority support, and courses - Pro Plan: $299 (pay once) – Use on 10 sites
Includes lifetime product updates, priority support, courses, and discussions - Business Plan: $399 (pay once) or 11 x $39/month
Use on 100 sites with access to courses, discussions, events, and a resource library
- Starter Plan: $199 (pay once) – Use on 1 site
SureDash is perfect for educational websites, coaching businesses, and online content creators looking for a combination of membership and community functionalities.
Comparison of BuddyBoss, Fluent Community, and SureDash
When choosing the right community plugin, it’s essential to understand the strengths of each option and how they fit your specific needs.
| Feature | BuddyBoss | Fluent Community | SureDash |
| Best For | Large, complex communities | Small to medium communities | Membership + content creators |
| Ease of Setup | Moderate | Easy | Moderate |
| Social Networking | Full-fledged social features | Basic user profiles and feeds | Forums and groups |
| Gamification | Yes | Limited | No |
| Integration Options | LearnDash, WooCommerce, etc. | Limited integrations | WooCommerce, LearnDash, etc. |
| Customization | Highly customizable | Limited customization | Medium customization |
| Pricing | Premium | Budget-friendly | Moderate |
| Mobile Optimization | Excellent | Good | Good |
Highlights:
- BuddyBoss excels in providing an all-in-one solution for community-driven websites, ideal for businesses that need scalability.
- Fluent Community is lightweight and budget-friendly, suitable for projects that need simplicity without compromising engagement.
- SureDash bridges the gap between community and membership features, making it the best option for sites combining content with social interaction.
Considerations:
- BuddyBoss can be overwhelming for beginners, but it’s perfect for those needing advanced features.
- Fluent Community may lack some advanced integrations, but it’s easy to use and affordable.
- SureDash provides a balanced approach but might require customization for larger-scale communities.
Conclusion
Choosing the right community plugin depends on your project’s size, budget, and goals. If you need robust social networking and customization, BuddyBoss is a clear winner. For small communities on a budget, Fluent Community delivers the essentials. Meanwhile, SureDash is the best choice for businesses that combine membership content and community engagement.
Not sure where to start? Reach out to us for a free consultation on selecting the ideal plugin for your community needs
Contact us today to bring your vision to life and build a thriving online community that keeps your audience coming back.
