BuddyPress

BuddyPress is a free, open-source community plugin for WordPress that turns a site into a social network. It adds the features people expect from an online community, and is used by creators, small businesses, enterprises and governments.

What BuddyPress offers

• Member profiles — personal profiles with account settings for each user.
• Groups — spaces where members gather around shared interests.
• Activity streams and notifications — feeds of site activity and alerts for members.
• Friendships and private messaging — connections between members and one-to-one messages.
• Modular components — site owners switch on only the parts they need, and unused features stay out of menus and pages.
• Forum integration — works with bbPress to add discussion forums.

Who it works with

Typical uses include campus-wide networks for universities, schools and colleges, internal company communication, niche interest groups and communities built around a product or service.

Key facts

• Licence: GPL open source
• Platform: WordPress
• Maintained by: a volunteer community of contributors, with long-term backing credited to WebDevStudios and Automattic