BuddyPress vs Simple Membership
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
BuddyPress leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #478, ahead of Simple Membership at #871. Over the last 7 days BuddyPress climbed 1 place and Simple Membership slipped 2 places. BuddyPress has the largest install base, roughly 2.3× the next: 90K+ active installs against 40K+ for Simple Membership. Downloads this week: Simple Membership 15,328 and BuddyPress 5,502. Ratings: BuddyPress 4.1★ from 375 and Simple Membership 4.6★ from 475 reviews.
| Metric | BuddyPress | Simple Membership |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #478 ▲ 1 | #871 ▼ 2 |
| Active installs | 90K+ | 40K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 5,502 | 15,328 |
| Rating | 4.1★ (375) | 4.6★ (475) |
| Last updated | Jul 29, 2026 | Sep 12, 2026 |
| Current version | 14.5.2 | 4.8.3 |
| Best rank on record | #467 | #861 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Apr 2009 | May 2014 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 1 | 0 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, BuddyPress or Simple Membership?
By active installs, BuddyPress: 90K+ sites run it against 40K+ for Simple Membership, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 14, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, BuddyPress or Simple Membership?
BuddyPress, at #478 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Simple Membership at #871. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are BuddyPress or Simple Membership alternatives to each other?
Yes. All of them are membership plugins, so a site would normally run one of them. The figures above show which one more WordPress sites choose and how that has changed over time.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.