15 Jul BuddyPress Vs WP-Symposium Pro which is better for social network

We live in a world of groups, communities, social networks and corporations. The one thing that makes the human being is the ability to come together and build a powerful social group. The online world is not different. It also offers the same opportunity for us to bring the best. The powerful creative force within us enables us to be a part of a larger group, where we share and manage our experiences well.

If you are reading this article, then you already know what the WordPress ecosystem holds for us. There are plenty of plugins out there and you can even create a social network on your website.

The name, “BuddyPress” is not new on the plate. It has been the only social networking plugin for WordPress. But, things change quickly, and we see a competition on the horizon, the WP-Symposium Pro. The Symposium Pro has taken the social network building and maintenance experience to a new level, and today I will discuss the BuddyPress vsWP-Symposium Pro and find the answer which is better for creating and maintaining a social network.

Also see: BuddyPress VS bbPress – Which is the Better Forum Software for WordPress?

BuddyPress Vs WP-Symposium Pro

But, before we start the comparison, let’s give both of the WordPress plugins a simple introduction.

BuddyPress: BuddyPress is an extremely popular social network plugin for WordPress website. It has been downloaded more than  3 million times and have an active installation of 10,000+. The plugin is developed by the team of Automattic and hence easily carries the credibility for it to become the leader in social network solutions.

WP-Symposium Pro: With only 21 K downloads, the WP-Symposium Pro is the new entrant in the online world of social network plugins. It has 1000+ active installations and is created by Simon Goodchild.

We will gauge both the plugins through some of the predefined points. So, why the wait? Let’s start the countdown already.

1. Installation

Well, what’s in the installation? There not much, but I don’t want to miss a single point. Installation for both the plugins is easy. For WP-Symposium Pro, the menu options are offered right after a successful installation. Moreover, the visibility is quite good in terms of WP-Symposium Pro.

On the other hand, BuddyPress offers options deep down into the settings bar.

2. SetUp

The setup of BuddyPress is quite impressive. It comes with most of the features out of the box. But, there are some basic features that need to be loaded after the basic installation. For example, BBPress.

On the other hand, the basic setup of WP-Symposium is quite good. It offers minimal setup so that you are able to customize it, according to your requirements.

3. Extension

With Setup done, we now gauge which plugins has better extensions. BuddyPress wins this sections easily as currently it offers more than 330 BuddyPress plugins. On the other hand, WP-Symposium Pro does offer a good amount of extensions, but not close to what BuddyPress has to offers.

4. Documentation

BuddyPress has an extensive documentation, and you can find almost every topic explained in the documentation. WP-Symposium Pro do offer a documentation but is not close to the depth of what BuddyPress documentation has to offer.

5. Feature Set

BuddyPress undoubtedly offers a great number of features compared to its competitor. The main difference between the two plugins is that all the features that come with BuddyPress are free of cost, whereas the WP-Symposium Pro features can cost you.

Also, BBPress offers tons of features compared to the equivalent in WP-Symposium Pro. The lack of features can be the age of the WP-Symposium Pro and it still require some time to mature and become a true competitor of BuddyPress.

6. Integration

WordPress themes are diverse and that can cause some issues on integration. But, that’s not true in the case of both BuddyPress and WP-Symposium Pro.

Both the plugin integrates seamlessly with the existing theme. In case of the WP-Symposium Pro, shortcodes are used for proper implementation.

7. Support

Support is one of the main features of any service online. If you are looking for a well-supported plugin, then WP-Symposium is for you. The team behind the plugin offers great support for their plugin.

On the other hand, BuddyPress offers support through the community. It does not have a dedicated support and if you are running a high-grade community and is looking for a dedicated support, then WP-Symposium Pro is for you.

8. Price

BuddyPress is free of cost and that makes it a great option over WP-Symposium Pro. Well, WP-Symposium Pro is also available for free download, but the extensions and features can cost you a hefty blow.

For enjoying the best of the features of WP-Symposium Pro, you need to buy a minimum $100 subscription.

Wrap Up

And, the winner is BuddyPress. If you have followed the article until now, BuddyPress beat down the WP-Symposium Pro in most of the categories and sections. It is also free and comes at no additional cost.

With tons of free extensions, you can add any feature of your liking in no time. On the other hand, WP-Symposium Pro requires you to invest a minimum $100 for better utilization and rich feature set. The only section that WP-Symposium Pro wins is the support. It offers dedicated support and can fix all queries on immediate effect. BuddyPress users have to rely on the community for all the support.

The paid service is mainly targeted a big enterprises or companies that do not want to invest time on issues with their social network.

Overall, it was a battle of the giant with a budding player in the market. WP-Symposium Pro does hold a lot of potential and according to the team behind the WP-Symposium, they want to make the plugin free of cost and move to other venues to fund the costing of the development and maintenance of the plugin.

BuddyPress is still the best choice for creating a social network, and we will ask our readers to use it. If you are interested in dedicated custom support, WP-Symposium Pro is not a bad choice as well.

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