Member-publishing platform · v2.4.0 · BP + BuddyBoss + PeepSo

Run Medium on your own domain.

Members publish. You keep the audience, the data, the dollars.

Every member gets a publishing dashboard on their own profile. Three editor choices, auto-save, custom post fields, post series, group blogs, co-authors - and a credits system that turns your membership tiers into a built-in paywall.

★★★★★ Shipping since 2018 · BP + BuddyBoss + PeepSo native · 30-day money back
yoursite.com/members/sarah/blog/new
Sarah Chen
ActivityFriendsGroupsBlog
12 credits
NEW POST Auto-saved 14s ago
Why we shipped 9 toggleable modules
GroupDesign system team
SeriesBehind the build · Part 3
ScheduleTue, 9:00 AM
Co-author+ Alex Park
Custom fields Reading time · 4 min Topic · Engineering
Required pairing

Pro extends the free plugin. Both layers ship.

The free WB Member Blog plugin gives every member a publishing surface on their profile. Pro layers nine platform modules on top. Install both - the free plugin is the prerequisite, Pro is the upgrade.

Pro · paid

WB Member Blog Pro

The platform layer · 9 toggleable modules · from $49

Layer 2
  • +
    Post Credits - paywall via WC + PMPro + MemberPress + WC Memberships
  • +
    Co-Authors - invite collaborators, shared byline, edit access per post
  • +
    Custom Fields - 15 field types with conditional logic
  • +
    Post Series - multi-part guides with prev/next navigation
  • +
    Group Blogs - BuddyPress + BuddyBoss group admins post for groups
  • +
    Plus - Restrictions, Scheduling, Notifications, Analytics
extends
Free · GPL

WB Member Blog (free)

The publishing surface · required first · WordPress.org

Layer 1
  • Blog tab on member profiles - BuddyPress, BuddyBoss, PeepSo, standalone WP
  • Three editor choices - Editor.js (block), Classic TinyMCE, Medium-style
  • Auto-save drafts every 60s - members never lose work
  • Featured image + media library - same uploader as WordPress authors
  • Categories, tags, activity entries - engagement loops without manual posting
  • Role-based + member-type access - decide who can publish
Get the free plugin →

Pro will not activate without the free plugin installed. Install free first, then Pro layers the modules on top - your existing member posts continue to work.

The trade-off you stop making

Medium asks for three things. You give up none of them.

Every member-published article on Medium pays the same tax. WB Member Blog Pro lets you keep what Medium takes by default.

M Medium hosts your posts
  • ×
    Audience belongs to Medium. Readers follow the writer on medium.com. You can't email them. You can't retarget them. You can't move them off the platform when terms change.
  • ×
    Distribution at Medium's discretion. Topic feeds, recommendations, and the Partner Program payout pool are tuned by Medium. You optimize for what works inside their walls, not yours.
  • ×
    Revenue split capped at Medium's terms. Partner Program pays a share of subscriber reading time across all writers. You can't charge readers directly, can't run your own paywall, can't price for tiers.
yoursite.com You host your members' posts
  • Audience is yours, by URL. Every reader hits yoursite.com/members/sarah/blog. WordPress users table, BuddyPress activity, your email list, your retargeting pixel - all wired up to the same identity.
  • Distribution decisions you make. Yoast / Rank Math index member posts. BuddyPress / BuddyBoss activity feed surfaces them in your community. Your homepage decides what gets promoted. No algorithm tax.
  • Monetization you set. Post Credits + PMPro / MemberPress / WC Memberships / WooCommerce. Map any tier to any credit balance. Charge what your community will pay. Keep every dollar minus payment-processor fees.
"

If a member's writing is good enough to publish, it's good enough to publish under your URL, in front of your readers, paid by your tiers.

The writing experience

Three editors. Members pick the one they think in.

Block-style for the Notion native. Classic WYSIWYG for the WordPress veteran. Medium-style for distraction-free long-form. Admins lock to one editor or allow choice - set per role, per member type.

Block

Editor.js

Notion-style blocks. Each line is its own thing - text, image, embed, code, quote, list.

H1
P
IMG
Quote
Classic

TinyMCE

Familiar WordPress WYSIWYG. The editor every veteran admin already knows.

BIUS··
Medium-style

Distraction-free

Title + body. Formatting on selection. Built for long-form members who came from Medium.

How we ship 9 modules
BI"H1H2link
Auto-save every 60 seconds Featured image + media library Categories + tags + activity entries Mobile-responsive on every theme
2.4.0 headline

Nine modules. Toggle each one. The admin UI shrinks to match.

A site that needs Post Credits + Co-Authors only gets a two-module admin. A site running all nine gets the full platform. Disabled modules drop their admin tabs, profile sub-navs, and frontend endpoints - UI weight scales to what you actually ship.

yoursite.com/wp-admin/admin.php?page=wb-member-blog-pro

Pro Modules

Enable only what this site needs. Disabled modules drop their admin tabs and frontend endpoints.

Post Credits

WC · PMPro · MemberPress · WC Memberships

Co-Authors

Invite collaborators · shared byline

Custom Fields

15 field types · conditional logic

Post Series

Multi-part guides · prev/next nav

Restrictions

Per-role · per-member-type limits

Group Blogs

BP + BuddyBoss group posting

Scheduling

Members schedule future posts

Notifications

Email + on-site, direct post links

Analytics

Per-member publishing dashboard

Monetization

Membership tiers become a writing paywall.

Post Credits + four membership engines, native. Map any tier to any monthly credit balance. Members run out, the restriction popup explains the rule and converts them to your upgrade page. No custom code, no Stripe glue - the paywall ships in the box.

Mapping panel PMPro detected · auto
Membership levelCredits / monthPer post
Free $0 · open registration 0 -
Standard PMPro · $9/mo 10 1
Premium PMPro · $29/mo · most members 50 1
Pro Writer MemberPress · $99/yr 0
WooCommerce Paid Memberships Pro MemberPress WC Memberships
What Sarah sees
3
credits left this month Premium · refills 1st
Tue Why we shipped 9 modules −1
Mon Field schema for product reviews −1
Sun Migrating from Medium · part 1 −1
Limit warning

3 credits left this month. Upgrade to Pro Writer for unlimited posts.

Upgrade → $99/yr
Collaboration

Editorial workflow, not just blogging.

Co-Authors share a byline. Post Series stitch multi-part guides. Group Blogs let BP and BuddyBoss group admins publish on behalf of their group. Three modules that turn member writing into a magazine.

Co-Authors Editing draft

Why we shipped 9 toggleable modules

  • Sarah Chen Owner

    Started · 3 days ago

  • Alex Park Co-author

    Joined · 2 days ago · 4 edits

  • Jordan Lee Pending

    Sent · 1 hour ago

Invite collaborator @username or email
Post Series 5-part guide

Behind the build

A 5-part guide on shipping community plugins. By Sarah Chen.

  1. 1

    Why we chose modular architecture

    Published · 12 days ago

  2. 2

    Cutting 36 native dialogs to zero

    Published · 6 days ago

  3. 3

    Why we shipped 9 toggleable modules

    Reading now

  4. 4

    Custom fields without ACF

    Coming next week

  5. 5

    Co-author workflows for magazines

    Drafting

← Previous Part 3 of 5 Next →

Plus: Group Blogs (BP + BuddyBoss)

Group admins publish for their group. The publish form surfaces a group dropdown (only groups the admin runs). Posts fire group activity actions AND site-wide activity entries. Hidden + private group privacy honored. Group blog tabs paginate. The publishing flow BuddyPress alone never had.

Platform compatibility

Activate the plugin. The right UI appears.

The free + Pro stack detect which community plugin you run and wire themselves up. No template overrides, no theme hooks, no setup tutorial. Members get the Blog tab next page load.

BuddyPress

A new Blog tab appears on every member profile.

  • Posts surface in the activity feed
  • Role-based + member-type access control
  • Notifications via BP notifications API
  • bp_post_* hooks for custom integrations

BuddyBoss Platform

Native member-type and group privacy support.

  • Hidden + private group privacy honored
  • Group admins post for their groups
  • BuddyBoss-app activity action format
  • Member-type rules layer on access control

PeepSo

PeepSo profile tab integration.

  • Profile tab next to Activity / About
  • Posts render in the PeepSo stream
  • PeepSo media library reuse
  • Compatible with PeepSo Member Blog free

Standalone WordPress

No BuddyPress? Members still get a publishing dashboard.

  • Dashboard added to the user profile page
  • Magazine sites + course-platform student blogs
  • WP user role gating, no BP dependency
  • Activate, members publish from /author/sarah/
Also tested with
  • LearnDash
  • LifterLMS
  • Tutor LMS
  • Sensei LMS
  • WooCommerce
  • Yoast SEO
  • Rank Math
  • Multisite
  • RTL languages
Pricing

One platform. Three license sizes. No add-ons.

Every tier ships every Pro module. Annual renews at 30% off; lifetime pays once. 30-day money-back, no questions.

Personal

One community site

$ 49 /year

  • Use on one site
  • All 9 Pro modules
  • Post Credits with WC + PMPro + MemberPress + WC Memberships
  • Co-Authors + Series + Custom Fields
  • Group blogs (BP + BuddyBoss)
  • Premium email support
Get Personal
Most popular

Developer

Up to five sites - the agency sweet spot

$ 99 /year

  • Use on up to five sites
  • Everything in Personal
  • Priority email support
  • Staging + production + client-site coverage
  • First-look access to new Pro modules
Get Developer

Agency

Unlimited sites

$ 129 /year

  • Use on every site you run
  • Everything in Developer
  • White-label support workflow
  • Senior engineer on Slack for emergencies
  • Quarterly review with the maintainer
Get Agency

30-day money-back guarantee · annual renews at 30% off · lifetime pays once

FAQ

Before you upgrade.

Answered by the team building the plugin. Anything else, the contact page gets a same-day reply.

Why this instead of just pointing members to Medium?

Three reasons. (1) Audience: you own every reader on yoursite.com - Medium owns every reader on medium.com/@you. (2) Data: posts live in standard WordPress wp_posts, exportable, indexed by your SEO plugin, rendered by your theme. (3) Monetization: Post Credits + four membership engines let you charge for the writing tier without paying Medium's revenue share.

Do members need wp-admin accounts?

No - that's the point. Posts are created and managed from the member's own profile front-end. Subscribers and contributors publish; their wp-admin access stays at default (none). The plugin handles role-based capability checks behind the scenes.

Will Medium-experienced members understand the editor?

Yes. There's a Medium-style editor option built in: distraction-free long-form, formatting on selection. Plus Editor.js (block-style, like Notion) and Classic TinyMCE (familiar WYSIWYG). Each member picks in profile settings; admins can lock to one editor or allow choice.

How exactly does the Post Credits paywall work?

Each member has a credit balance. Each post deducts a configurable amount (default 1). Four membership integrations - WooCommerce, Paid Memberships Pro, MemberPress, WC Memberships - auto-detect on activation. You map each membership level to a starting credit balance + monthly refill. When a member runs out, a popup explains the cap and links to your upgrade page. The popup is the conversion mechanic.

Does it work alongside my BuddyPress / BuddyBoss / PeepSo site?

Yes - native on all three. BuddyPress: Blog tab on member profiles, activity-feed integration. BuddyBoss: member-type + group-privacy rules honored, BuddyBoss-app activity format. PeepSo: profile tab + stream integration. The plugin detects which platform is active and wires itself up - zero config to start.

Do I need the free plugin installed first?

Yes. Pro extends the free WB Member Blog plugin (handles the profile blog tab, three editor options, auto-save, role-based access). Pro layers the nine modules - Post Credits, Co-Authors, Custom Fields, Series, Restrictions, Groups, Scheduling, Notifications, Analytics - on top. Both are needed; the free plugin alone is fully functional for single-site communities.

Will my existing member posts keep working after upgrade?

Yes. Pro is additive. Existing posts continue to render. New posts get access to custom fields when you create a schema. Co-authors, series, and credits attach to posts going forward. No data migration required.

Can I migrate existing Medium content in?

Yes - via Medium's export + the official Medium importer plugin for WordPress. Medium ZIP → Tools → Import → Medium. Posts land in WordPress as standard posts; reassign them to the right author from the admin posts screen. New content uses WB Member Blog Pro's frontend flow - no need to keep posting on Medium.

Does it work on Multisite?

Yes. Activate per-site or network-wide. Each site has its own module toggles, custom field schemas, post limits, credit settings, and group configurations. Network admins can lock specific settings via wp-config constants.

What's covered by the license?

Annual: 12 months of updates + email support, then renew at 30% off (or skip - the plugin keeps working without updates or support). Lifetime: every future update + support, forever, paid once. 30-day money-back on any new purchase.

Stop renting your audience.

Build the publishing platform Medium will never sell you.

Install Pro over the free plugin. Members get a Blog tab the next page load. Turn on the modules your community actually needs. Keep every reader and every dollar.

30-day money-back guarantee · Annual or lifetime · Used by community sites since 2018