TrueCommunity is a free WordPress community plugin that also includes courses.
The free version on WordPress.org adds an activity feed, member profiles, groups, private messages, notifications and courses with auto-graded quizzes to your own site, using your existing WordPress accounts.
An optional Pro add-on brings advanced course tools, course selling and gamification.
Quick Summary
- What launched: TrueCommunity, a community and LMS plugin for WordPress, free to download from WordPress.org.
- What is free: feed, profiles, member directory, groups, private messages, notifications, courses and quizzes.
- What is Pro: advanced course rules, course selling through WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads, and gamification.
- Price of Pro: $119 a year or $249 once for one site, with plans for 5 and 30 sites.
- Requirements: WordPress 6.3 or higher, PHP 8.0 or higher and pretty permalinks.
Ready to own your community?
What is in the free plugin
The free plugin is meant to be a working community on its own, not a trial with the useful parts removed. The pieces fall into two groups.
Community features
- Activity feed: rich posts, mentions, emoji, links, photo, video and file attachments, polls, reactions, likes, threaded comments, bookmarks and pinned posts.
- Members: a member directory and profiles with a cover image, avatar, bio and location, plus friend requests and blocking.
- Groups: public, private and locked groups with join requests, invitations, admin, moderator and member roles, and a feed for each group.
- Messages and notifications: private messages with attachments, in-app notifications and branded notification emails.
- Your branding: a custom name, URL and logos, modules you can switch on or off, and dark mode.
Course features
- Courses with sections and lessons.
- Auto-graded quizzes with seven question types.
- Enrollment, progress tracking and completion.
- An instructor view of the members in each course.
Members are ordinary WordPress accounts, so anyone who can log in to your site can take part. The What is TrueCommunity guide explains how the community runs in its own layout inside your site and works with any theme.
Key takeaway: you can build a real community with basic courses without paying anything. Free features will not move to Pro later.
What Pro adds
Pro is an add-on that needs the free plugin to be active. It is aimed at people who teach or sell courses.
- Advanced course structure: topics inside lessons, step-by-step navigation, prerequisite courses, seat limits and open and close dates for cohorts, access expiry, and a lesson list shown before enrollment.
- Content delivery: free preview lessons, drip content by days after joining or by fixed date, required video with resume, and minimum lesson time.
- Assessment: assignments with uploads, approval and feedback, challenge exams, quiz submission details and the option to reset student progress.
- Live classes: sessions with attendance, online or in person.
- Selling courses: a buy button with a sale price, automatic enrollment after purchase and renewal of expired access, through WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads.
- Gamification: a points currency you name, ranks, badges, time-limited challenges with prizes, leaderboards and a rewards page.
The Free vs Pro page lists each feature and which version includes it.
Pricing
| Plan | Sites | Yearly | Per site per year | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | 1 | $119 | $119.00 | $249 |
| Studio | 5 | $199 | $39.80 | $399 |
| Agency | 30 | $299 | $9.97 | $599 |
All plans include every Pro feature and differ only by site count and support speed. Yearly plans renew at the same price, there are no per-member fees, and every payment has a 14-day refund window. Purchases are handled by Paddle as merchant of record. TrueCommunity does not take payments from your students: course sales go through your own WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads store, and the fees come from that store and its payment gateway. The pricing page has the current numbers.
Try TrueCommunity free, upgrade when you need more
Requirements and getting started
You need WordPress 6.3 or higher, PHP 8.0 or higher and pretty permalinks, not the Plain setting. On multisite, activate the plugin on each site, because network activation is not supported.
- Install the plugin from WordPress.org. The install guide covers the steps.
- Run the quick setup: name and URL, logos, modules, mail and user migration.
- Choose the community address before you share links. The default is yoursite.com/community, and changing it later breaks old links.
- Set up an SMTP plugin so notification emails are delivered reliably. The mail settings guide explains the options.
What is not included
A new product has gaps, and it is better to list them here than to have you find them later.
- There is no dedicated mobile app yet. The community works in phone browsers.
- Paid memberships and subscription billing are planned and not available.
- There are no certificates, SCORM or xAPI support, course marketplace or multi-instructor payouts.
- Only site administrators can create groups and courses.
- The migration tool covers existing WordPress users. Importing from another community platform is not documented.
When TrueCommunity fits (and when it does not)
It fits if you want a community and courses on a WordPress site you own, with a flat price and no per-member fees. It is less suitable if you want a hosted service, a native app, subscription billing or the deepest LMS features. LearnDash, Tutor LMS and LifterLMS are more mature on certificates, SCORM and reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free WordPress community plugin with courses?
Yes. TrueCommunity is free on WordPress.org and includes an activity feed, groups, messages, courses and auto-graded quizzes. Advanced course tools, course selling and gamification are in the paid Pro add-on.
Does the free version have a time limit?
No. The free plugin is not a trial and has no expiry. There is no separate free trial of Pro, but every payment has a 14-day refund window.
What do I need to run it?
WordPress 6.3 or higher, PHP 8.0 or higher and pretty permalinks. Members use their normal WordPress accounts.
Can I sell courses with TrueCommunity?
Yes, with Pro. Course selling works through WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads, and only private courses can be sold. TrueCommunity does not process the payments itself.
Does it work with my theme?
The community runs in its own layout on its own pages and works with any theme, according to the product documentation.
Where can I get help?
Free users can use the WordPress.org support forum. Pro includes private email support, and the documentation covers setup and features.
Build your community on a site you own