Next Gen is out of early access
The Next Gen BuddyBoss app is out of early access. It spent months in the hands of real communities before that point, not in a demo.
If you already have a BuddyBoss app, this is the biggest step forward we have taken since we first launched one. Here is what is new, and why we built it this way.
Why we rebuilt it
We first launched the BuddyBoss App in 2021, after years of building one-off apps for our agency clients. What used to cost $30k to $50k was suddenly $2k. We were extremely proud of it, and the demand was immediate.
It was not all easy. Over the years we battled React Native library changes, device-specific issues, and a steady stream of support work coming from custom development through the Developer Toolkit. Building on a core that was still settling, while supporting custom code sitting on top of it, added overhead and made the whole thing harder to keep stable.
So this time we did it in the other order. We rebuilt the app from the ground up and put the core experience first: fast, steady and reliable every time you open it. We got the fundamentals right before anything else.
The result is an app that is 3X faster than the one it replaces, and noticeably more stable.
And the proof that it holds up is not our word for it. More than 120 apps are already live in the app stores, built on Next Gen, being used by real communities every day. That is the number that tells you this is finished, not forthcoming.
Events, in the app, on day one
Next Gen releases with The Events Calendar integration. The Events Calendar is the most installed events plugin in WordPress, with more than 800,000 active installs, and it is made by Liquid Web. It is their plugin, not ours, and this is an integration with it. If you already run events on your site, they come with you.
Inside the app your members can browse what is on, sign up, and buy a ticket, without ever leaving the app or opening a browser. The event lives where your members already are.
Your courses and memberships, inside the app
This is the part no other WordPress community platform can answer.
Your courses and memberships run natively inside your own branded app. That now includes our own BuddyBoss Memberships and Courses, the new native membership and course product that is free on the Launch and Scale plans. Next Gen also works with the LearnDash and MemberPress setups you may already run. So whichever way you teach and sell today, a member logs into your app and takes your course right there. Nothing has to be exported, rebuilt, or moved to a separate learning app.
One honest caveat, because you should hear it from us and not find out later. Next Gen does not support Tutor LMS yet. Our React Native app does. So if your community runs on Tutor, keep running it where it works today, and we will tell you the moment that changes. We would rather say that plainly than have you build on something that does not fit.
Build your own screens with App Blocks
Next Gen ships with layout App Blocks for carousels, custom post types, videos and images. App Blocks matter more than they sound. They mean you lay out your own native app screens the way you want them, rather than accepting the layout we picked. Your app looks like your community, not like a template.
Light mode and dark mode
Next Gen supports light mode and dark mode, so the app matches how your members like to use their phone, and how you want your brand to feel.
More that comes with it
- Gamification. Add points, ranks and achievements to your community and carry them into the app, through GamiPress, which works in Next Gen the same way it did before, or through the BuddyBoss Gamification Module on the Scale plan.
- In-App Purchases, so you can sell directly inside the app itself.
- Fully white-labelled. Your name, your icon, your brand, in the App Store and on Google Play, with no mention of us anywhere your members can see.
- Access controls, so you decide who sees what inside the app.
Who has Next Gen
Two straightforward cases, and it is worth being precise about both.
If you already have a BuddyBoss app, Next Gen is included in the subscription you already hold. There is nothing new to buy to get it. And you keep your React Native app as well. Existing React Native apps continue to be fully supported. There is no migration deadline. When you are ready to move to Next Gen, we will help you. For as long as you hold your subscription, you have both.
If you are new to BuddyBoss, you get Next Gen. It is the app we build and ship now, and it is what a new app is built on.
Whenever you are ready to build and publish your Next Gen app, our Customer Success team takes you through the whole thing, from setup to store graphics to submission. And if you would rather not do any of it yourself, our Managed service builds it, brands it, publishes it, and keeps it updated for you every month.
Coming soon
We are not finished. Two things we are building next.
App onboarding
Welcome new members properly. A guided first run that shows them around the app, introduces what your community actually offers, and points them at the things worth doing first. It is also a natural place to present your memberships, so someone who arrives curious can become a paying member without you having to chase them.
In-App Purchase improvements
More ways to monetise your app, and to do it beautifully. We are building out purchase triggers so you can decide when an offer appears, the option to show annual and monthly plans together so people can compare and choose, and a good deal more besides.
We are working on both now. We will show them to you when they are ready, rather than putting a date on them we might have to move.
Common questions
How do I move my app to Next Gen?
It is a toggle, not a project.
In your WordPress dashboard, go to BuddyBoss App, then App Next Gen, enable the toggle, and work through the installation and upgrade checklist shown on that page. Then review your settings so they match your branding: logos and images, brand colours, typography, navigation and layout.
Before you start, make sure you are on the latest versions of BuddyBoss Platform, BuddyBoss Platform Pro and the BuddyBoss App plugin. Those updates are applied by you in your dashboard. They do not happen on their own.
Will I lose my app, my listing, my reviews or my members?
No. Nothing is lost. You update to Next Gen, apply your branding, create a build, and submit it to the app stores under a higher version number. It replaces your old app in the same listing. Your App Store and Google Play listings stay exactly where they are, along with your URL, your reviews, your ratings and your download history.
Will my members have to download the app again?
No. Your existing users get the new version in place, as a normal app update. There is no reinstall, and nobody has to find you in the store again.
Do I use my own Apple and Google developer accounts?
Yes, always. Every BuddyBoss app is published under your own Apple Developer and Google Play accounts. That is what keeps it genuinely white-labelled and entirely your brand, and it means the authority and the brand awareness accrue to you, not to us.
Does it support my LMS?
Yes, for BuddyBoss Memberships and Courses, LearnDash and MemberPress. Your courses deliver natively inside your own branded app.
Not Tutor LMS, not yet. Our React Native app does support Tutor, so if your community runs on Tutor, keep running it there and we will tell you the moment that changes.
Can I customise the app with the Developer Toolkit?
The Developer Toolkit only works with React Native. It is the development tool that connects to our servers for custom work, and Next Gen is not compatible with it.
That means new app purchases do not include Developer Toolkit access, and moving an existing React Native licence down to a Next Gen-only plan ends that access permanently. If you run custom development on your React Native app, talk to us before you change anything.
We are focused on the speed, performance and stability of the core app first. We may open custom development up more widely later, and we are not promising that, because promising it and then walking it back would be worse.
Do I get future updates?
On Managed, we do it for you. Monthly app updates are performed by BuddyBoss as part of the service, along with keeping your store listing current.
On the self-managed plans, updates are available to you and you apply them. Worth being blunt about: the most common way an app dies is that it gets published once and never updated again. If that is a job you would rather not own, Managed exists for exactly that.
What is the difference between the app plans?
Solo is one platform. You choose iOS or Android and you get one app. Launch is both iOS and Android. Managed means we build it, brand it, publish it to both stores and keep it updated for you every month, and it includes your app subscription.
Current pricing for all three is on the pricing page.
Is my app really under my own brand?
Yes. Fully white-labelled: your name, your icon, your brand, in the App Store and on Google Play, with no mention of us anywhere your members can see. You also hold the access controls, so you decide who sees what inside it.
Can I sell inside the app?
Yes. Next Gen supports In-App Purchases, so you can sell directly inside the app itself, as well as running memberships and courses through it.
That is what is in Next Gen. If you already have a BuddyBoss app, it is included in the plan you already hold. If you do not have one yet, this is where to start.