BuddyPress Paid Membership: PMPro and BuddyNext

A BuddyPress paid membership site is most often built with Paid Memberships Pro (PMPro) and its BuddyPress and BuddyBoss integration add-on. You create membership levels in PMPro, then use the add-on to lock all of BuddyPress, or only chosen parts, behind those levels. A newer option is BuddyNext, our community plugin, which has its own paid membership plans and can also take a membership bought through PMPro.

This guide explains both routes in plain words, what you need to install, how to set up levels and restrictions, and how to choose. We are the Wbcom Designs team and we build community plugins, so we have set up both paths for real sites. We say plainly where each one fits.

What is the best BuddyPress paid membership plugin?

For a site that already runs BuddyPress, Paid Memberships Pro is the usual starting point. It handles levels, checkout, payments and renewals, and PMPro publishes an official add-on that connects it to BuddyPress. That is why it is the most-searched pairing.

Your options in short:

PMPro + BuddyPress integration add-on. Best if you already have BuddyPress and want a proven membership engine.
BuddyNext with built-in membership plans (BuddyNext Pro). Best for a new community where you want plans, payments and community in one product.
BuddyNext with PMPro behind it. Best if you already sell through PMPro and want those levels to open BuddyNext spaces.
Another membership plugin. Our roundups, best WordPress membership plugins and best WooCommerce membership plugins, compare the others.

Is Paid Memberships Pro still available? (an important 2026 note)

Yes, but where you get it has changed. The Paid Memberships Pro listing on WordPress.org was closed in October 2024 at the author’s request, and the closure is permanent. The same goes for the old PMPro BuddyPress listing. PMPro is now downloaded from the Paid Memberships Pro website, where the core plugin is free and paid plans add support and extras. If an older tutorial tells you to search for PMPro under Plugins > Add New, it is out of date. Check the PMPro site for current plan details and prices before you buy.

How do BuddyPress and Paid Memberships Pro work together?

The two plugins do different jobs:

BuddyPress is the community: profiles, activity, groups and messages.
Paid Memberships Pro is the business side: levels, checkout, payments, renewals and who is allowed to see what.

On their own they do not talk to each other. PMPro’s BuddyPress and BuddyBoss integration is what connects them. According to the PMPro add-on page, it lets you protect community features such as member profiles, forum participation, activity streams, direct messages and notifications, and it works with both BuddyPress and the BuddyBoss Platform.

For a wider view of BuddyPress and its alternatives, see our BuddyPress alternatives list and BuddyPress and BuddyBoss compared.

How do I set up a BuddyPress paid membership site with PMPro?

Step 1: Install the plugins

Install and activate BuddyPress from WordPress.org.
Download Paid Memberships Pro from the PMPro website, upload it under Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, and activate it.
Install the PMPro BuddyPress and BuddyBoss integration add-on from the PMPro site the same way. It needs BuddyPress or BuddyBoss to be active.
Run PMPro’s setup so it creates its checkout, account and levels pages.

Step 2: Plan your membership levels

Write down what each level gives before you create it in PMPro. A simple structure works best:

Free: browse public pages, maybe see the member directory.
Member: join the community, post in the activity feed, join groups.
Premium: private groups, direct messages, and extra content.

For each level decide the name, the description people see, how often it bills and how long it lasts. Keep the number of levels small. Three is a good start.

Step 3: Decide what to lock

The add-on gives you two approaches. You can give members of chosen levels access to all of BuddyPress, which locks everyone without one of those levels out of community features. Or you can leave BuddyPress open and restrict only specific areas by level. If you restrict more than one level, the plugin checks whether the member has any level that grants access.

For most paid communities, a good pattern is: public landing pages and pricing, a paid core community, and a premium tier for extras such as a private group.

Step 4: Set up the “access restricted” page

When a visitor tries to open a locked community page, the add-on sends them to a page you choose. In PMPro, go to Memberships > Page Settings and set the Access Restricted page. If you use your own page, put the [pmpro_buddypress_restricted] shortcode in it. Add a clear message and a button to your pricing page. A dead end here costs you sign-ups.

Step 5: Make the membership pages match your site

Checkout, billing and account pages are where people decide to pay. Use the same fonts and colors as your community, keep the form short, and explain what each level includes. Test the whole path as a new visitor on a phone: land, view pricing, pay with a test payment, and arrive in the community.

What can you charge for in a BuddyPress community?

People rarely pay for “a community” in general. They pay for something specific. Ideas that work:

Private groups for a cohort, a mastermind or a premium tier.
Direct messaging or introductions to experts or mentors.
Premium content such as courses, recordings, templates and reports.
Listings and promotion in a professional or local community, such as job posts or featured profiles.

Our posts on how to monetize a community website and monetizing a WordPress community go further into pricing and offers.

Is there a built-in alternative? Paid access in BuddyNext

BuddyNext is our newer community plugin, built to replace the BuddyPress-plus-add-ons stack. Its free version is the community. The paid features come with BuddyNext Pro, according to its documentation:

Membership plans you define yourself, with a price, a billing schedule and perks. You can run a free plan and paid plans side by side, and sell recurring or one-time access.
Gated spaces: a space only members of a chosen plan can join. Others see an upgrade prompt.
Content protection for single posts or sections, with a teaser and a button to upgrade.
Payment gateways: Stripe and PayPal, plus an offline method you record yourself and a test mode.

Two honest notes. First, these are Pro features, not part of the free plugin. Second, you must turn on memberships and monetization in BuddyNext and connect a gateway before you can take real payments. You can create plans and grant access by hand while you set things up.

Can BuddyNext work with Paid Memberships Pro?

Yes. BuddyNext Pro includes a bridge for Paid Memberships Pro and one for WooCommerce. If someone buys a level in PMPro, they receive the matching plan in BuddyNext, and when the level ends, so does the plan. Per the BuddyNext documentation:

The bridge does nothing until you map a PMPro level to a BuddyNext plan. The mapping is set on PMPro’s level editor. Unmapped levels grant nothing, on purpose.
PMPro keeps handling the money, invoices and cancellations. BuddyNext handles access inside the community. A member billed through PMPro manages billing in PMPro.
PMPro’s own content rules still apply to your posts and pages. The bridge gives BuddyNext’s own features, such as gated spaces, a plan to check against.

So you do not have to choose one or the other. Keep PMPro as your billing system and use BuddyNext as the community. We do not claim it is automatic: you still need to enable monetization and map your levels first.

If you are moving an existing BuddyPress site, BuddyNext has a migration guide. For the bigger picture of the platform, read the complete picture of BuddyNext.

PMPro with BuddyPress or BuddyNext Pro: how do I choose?

Question	PMPro + BuddyPress	BuddyNext + built-in plans	BuddyNext + PMPro bridge
Best for	Existing BuddyPress sites	New communities	Sites already billing through PMPro
Who takes payment	PMPro	BuddyNext Pro (Stripe, PayPal)	PMPro
Where levels live	PMPro	BuddyNext	PMPro, mapped to BuddyNext plans
Locks community features	Through the integration add-on	Gated spaces, plan limits, protected content	Gated spaces and plan limits via mapped plans
Extra setup	Add-on, access restricted page	Enable monetization, connect a gateway	Enable monetization, map each level
Cost	PMPro free core plus paid plans, BuddyPress free	BuddyNext free plus Pro	PMPro plans plus BuddyNext Pro

A simple rule: if your community already exists on BuddyPress and works, add PMPro and its add-on. If you are starting over or your BuddyPress stack feels heavy, look at BuddyNext. If billing is already in PMPro, use the bridge.

Which theme should I use for a paid BuddyPress community?

The theme decides how pricing, checkout and community pages feel together. Our own BuddyPress themes, BuddyX Pro and Reign (both shown in the banners on this page), are built for BuddyPress sites. Whatever theme you choose, check the PMPro checkout and account pages on a phone before launch.

How do I keep paying members around?

Getting a payment is the start. Keep people with a few steady habits:

Welcome them well. Send a short email on the first day with three things to do. Our post on the first seven days of onboarding shows a simple plan.
Post on a rhythm. A weekly question, a monthly live session, a premium resource each month.
Moderate kindly and quickly. Paying members expect a calm space.
Ask for feedback. A short survey twice a year tells you what to improve.
Send useful email. See how newsletters help a community site.

For a check of your community health numbers, see what is community engagement.

Common BuddyPress paid membership problems and fixes

Members pay but cannot see the community. Check that the member’s level is one of the levels allowed access, and that the order completed. Test with a second account.
Locked pages show a blank screen. The Access Restricted page is missing or empty. Set it and add the shortcode.
A bridged member has no BuddyNext plan. The PMPro level is not mapped, or monetization is off in BuddyNext.
Checkout pages look off-brand. Style them in your theme and test on a phone.
Old tutorials do not match. Many predate PMPro’s move off WordPress.org. Trust the vendor documentation over older posts.

Frequently asked questions

Does Paid Memberships Pro work with BuddyPress?

Yes. PMPro publishes a BuddyPress and BuddyBoss integration add-on that lets you restrict community features by membership level.

Can I make a BuddyPress community fully private and paid?

Yes. With the PMPro add-on you can give only members of chosen levels access to BuddyPress, and send everyone else to an access restricted page. Our guide on building a private community covers the wider picture.

Is BuddyPress itself a membership plugin?

No. BuddyPress handles community features. It does not take payments or manage levels, so for a BuddyPress membership plugin setup you add a separate membership plugin, such as PMPro, for paid levels.

Do I need BuddyNext Pro to use the PMPro bridge?

Yes. The WooCommerce and PMPro bridges come with BuddyNext Pro, and you need to map your levels to plans first.

Can I sell memberships without PMPro?

Yes. BuddyNext Pro has its own plans and gateways. You can also pick another membership plugin from our roundups linked above.

Can you set this up for me?

Yes. Our team builds paid communities for clients. See our services or contact us.

Final thoughts on BuddyPress paid membership

A paid community works when the offer is clear, the locks match the offer, and the signup path has no dead ends. PMPro with its BuddyPress add-on is a sound, well-known choice for existing BuddyPress sites. BuddyNext gives you a newer all-in-one route, and works alongside PMPro if you already use it. Start small, test the full path as a new visitor, then grow.

More to read:

BuddyPress Paid Membership: PMPro and BuddyNext Options