> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://docs.wbcom.biz/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# BuddyPress, BuddyBoss, PeepSo or BuddyNext - which should you use?

This decision shapes everything else, so it is worth ten minutes now.

## BuddyPress

The original. Open source, free, maintained by the WordPress community, huge plugin ecosystem. Most of our add-ons target it. Pick it if you want the widest choice of extensions and no platform licence.

## BuddyBoss Platform

A **fork of BuddyPress**, maintained by the BuddyBoss team. It shares BuddyPress roots, so much of the BuddyPress ecosystem works with it - but it diverges over time, and their theme and app are commercial products on their own pricing.

Our themes work with BuddyBoss. If something breaks inside the BuddyBoss theme itself, that is their code and their support team.

## PeepSo

A separate community plugin with its own architecture. Some of our products support it explicitly - check the product page.

## BuddyNext

Our own engine: profiles, activity, spaces, messaging, notifications. Free. It is **not** a BuddyPress plugin and not a fork, so BuddyPress add-ons do not automatically work with it.

It is the foundation our newer products bridge into - Jetonomy, Eventonomy, Learnomy, Listora, WP Career Board, Mediaverse, WB Gamification and others.

Pick it if you want a modern engine built alongside the plugins you will run on it. Check add-on compatibility first if you depend on specific BuddyPress extensions.

## Can you switch later?

Not trivially. Community data - profiles, activity, groups - lives in platform-specific tables. Treat this as a decision you make once, and ask us before committing if you are unsure.

## Where our themes fit

**Reign** and **BuddyX** are themes. They style whichever engine you choose. Reign is paid; BuddyX has a free version on WordPress.org. Neither adds community features - the engine does that.

## Still deciding?

Tell us in chat what you are building, roughly how many members you expect, and whether you need any specific add-on. We will tell you which engine fits.