BuddyPress · Free forever · Multi-platform
Members tag where they are - like Facebook, on your community. Without a separate check-in plugin per member.
BuddyPress has no built-in location feature. Members can't say 'I'm at the conference' or 'visiting Tokyo' the way they instinctively expect from every other social platform. BuddyPress Check-ins fixes that with Google Places autocomplete on every activity update, a Check-ins tab on member profiles, and a map view of every location-tagged post.
★★★★★ 4.8/5 from 90 Trustpilot reviews · 8+ years shipping (since 2017) · BuddyPress + BuddyBoss support
This week · 14 check-ins
Built for
Six audiences already using BuddyPress Check-ins in production.
Each of these started with a specific community problem. Pick the one closest to yours and use it as a starting template.
01
Event communities
Conference attendees check in from the venue, hallway, after-party. Activity feed becomes a real-time map of where the community is. Easier to find each other than relying on the conference app.
02
Travel and adventure communities
Members tag destinations they've visited. Profile Check-ins tab becomes their personal travel log. The community map surfaces who's been where, who's nearby right now.
03
Local meet-up groups
Members check in from the meet-up venue. Activity stream confirms attendance without a separate RSVP plugin. The map shows the geographic reach of your local group at a glance.
04
Educational + alumni networks
Students and alumni tag campus visits, study locations, internship cities. The alumni network becomes a literal map of where the community lives and works.
05
Fitness + wellness communities
Members log workouts with location - gyms, parks, trails. Profile check-ins build a fitness journal. The community map surfaces popular spots organically.
06
Photography and travel-blog communities
Members geotag every uploaded photo or trip log. Posts get location context without manual EXIF parsing. The community map becomes a discovery tool for photo locations.
See it in action
How BuddyPress Check-ins looks on your site.
Switch between the previews to see each surface the plugin adds to your community.
What it covers
Location-tagged activity, free, on every BuddyPress site.
The free plugin gives every member the ability to tag location on any activity update, see their own check-ins on their profile, and browse the community map. Pro extends with reusable Places (tag a venue once, members re-use it), check-in counts/leaderboards, and BuddyBoss-specific integration.
01
Google Places autocomplete in activity composer
Members tag location inline while posting. Start typing a place name, autocomplete suggests matching venues from Google Places. Pick one, the location attaches to the activity. No separate form, no manual coordinate entry.
02
Profile Check-ins tab per member
Every member gets a Check-ins tab on their BuddyPress profile. Shows every location-tagged activity they've posted, chronologically. Becomes a personal travel log, fitness journal, or attendance record depending on community context.
03
Activity map view (community-wide)
Every location-tagged post pins on a Google Map. Filter by date range, group, member. The map shows where your community is, geographically, in real time. Discovery tool for local meet-ups and shared interests.
04
Location xprofile field
Members can set a permanent 'lives in' location on their profile separately from per-activity check-ins. Google Places autocomplete on the xprofile field too. The community gains a structured location dimension without manual freeform entry.
05
Multi-platform: BuddyPress + BuddyBoss
Native BuddyPress integration. Auto-detects BuddyBoss Platform and integrates with BuddyBoss's activity composer + profile pattern. Works in either platform without configuration differences.
06
Google Place API integration (bring your own key)
Free plugin uses the Google Places API. You provide your own API key (Google's free tier covers most community sites). One key, configured once in admin, works for every member's check-ins.
Made for
Six audiences. One product.
Event communitiesTravel and adventure communitiesLocal meet-up groupsEducational + alumni networksFitness + wellness communitiesPhotography and travel-blog communities
Pricing
Free covers the complete check-in workflow. Pro adds Places + leaderboards.
The free plugin is the complete member check-in experience: composer autocomplete, profile tab, map view, xprofile location. Pro adds reusable Places (tag a venue once, members re-use it), check-in counts and leaderboards, and BuddyBoss-specific extensions for communities that want gamified location features.
Free
$0forever
Complete check-in workflow. Composer + profile + map + xprofile field. Unlimited members, unlimited sites, forever.
- Use on unlimited sites
- Google Places autocomplete in activity composer
- Profile Check-ins tab per member
- Community-wide activity map view
- Location xprofile field with autocomplete
- BuddyPress + BuddyBoss native integration
- Bring-your-own Google Places API key
- Community support via WordPress.org forums
Pro · Personal
$49 / year
or $149 lifetime
Reusable Places + leaderboards + BuddyBoss extensions on a single community site.
- Use on one site
- Everything in Free
- Reusable Places (tag a venue once, members re-use it)
- Check-in counts + leaderboards (top check-in members, top places)
- BuddyBoss-specific extensions (gamified check-ins, member type filters)
- Custom map markers + cluster grouping
- Premium email support
Pro · Agency
$129 / year
or $349 lifetime
Unlimited sites - for agencies shipping community + location features for every client.
- Use on every site you run
- Everything in Developer
- White-label ready - hide our branding
- Senior engineer on Slack for emergencies
- Quarterly review with the maintainer
- Google Maps API key sharing help (one key, multiple sites)
Before you install
Questions community operators ask.
Answered by the team that's been shipping BuddyPress Check-ins since 2017. Anything else, hit the contact page.
- 01
Do I need a paid Google Places API key?
Google offers $200 of free Maps Platform credit per month, which covers thousands of autocomplete queries and map loads. Most community sites stay within the free tier. You provide your own key so usage is billed to you directly, not to us - no per-member usage limits hidden in the plugin license.
- 02
Does it work with BuddyBoss?
Yes. Native BuddyPress integration plus auto-detection for BuddyBoss Platform. The activity composer autocomplete and profile Check-ins tab appear in both. Pro adds BuddyBoss-specific extensions like member-type filtering on the map view.
- 03
What happens if a member posts an activity without a location?
Nothing changes - the post behaves like any standard BuddyPress activity. The location field is optional. Members opt in to location-tagging per post; it's never mandatory.
- 04
Can I limit which roles can use check-ins?
Pro adds role-based access control for check-ins. Restrict to members, contributors, or specific BuddyPress member types. Free plugin allows check-ins for any user who can post activity.
- 05
Where does the location data live?
Google Places autocomplete suggests place IDs from Google's database. When a member selects one, the place name + coordinates are stored in BuddyPress activity meta on your own WordPress database. No third-party server has your member's check-in history.
- 06
Can members delete their check-in history?
Yes. Members delete activities through the standard BuddyPress workflow - the location data goes with it. The xprofile location field can be cleared from the profile edit screen.
- 07
Will it conflict with other map plugins (WP Google Maps, Maps Builder)?
No. BuddyPress Check-ins uses the Google Places JavaScript API for autocomplete + the Google Maps JavaScript API for the activity map. It loads its own instance and doesn't interfere with other map plugins running on the same site. Both can coexist.
- 08
Does it work on Multisite?
Yes. Activate per-site or network-wide. Each site has its own check-ins, its own activity map, and uses the API key configured in its own admin. One Google Places key can be reused across sites - check Google's API console for shared-key usage limits.
Add location to your BuddyPress community in 5 minutes.
Install the free plugin, paste your Google Places API key into admin, activate. Members get autocomplete in the activity composer instantly. The map view fills in as soon as the first check-in posts.