Ultimate Member – Friends is a social networking extension that adds a friendship system to WordPress sites running the core membership plugin. It allows members to build personal connections by sending and receiving friend requests, similar to major social platforms. The extension focuses on increasing user interaction through private connections and restricted content visibility.
WPExclusive members get access to Ultimate Member Friends as part of a full plugin and theme library, with plans starting from $9.99/month. See the full Ultimate Member collection →
What Is Ultimate Member – Friends?
Ultimate Member – Friends is developed by Ultimate Member and is a community-focused plugin for WordPress. It serves as an essential add-on for site owners who want to transform a standard directory into a social network. It belongs to the community category on WPExclusive, alongside other tools for user engagement.
The plugin solves the problem of passive user experiences by giving members a reason to return and interact with peers. It is designed for community managers, niche social networks, and educational portals where peer-to-peer relationships are vital.
Ultimate Member – Friends Features
The core feature set is built around managing social connections and controlling how those connections influence the user experience.
Friendship Request System
Users can send, accept, or reject friend requests directly from user profiles or member directories. The plugin adds actionable buttons to profile cards, allowing for quick networking without leaving the directory page. Once a request is sent, the recipient receives a specific email notification to encourage a timely response. This creates a standard flow found in modern community engagement platforms.
Profile Integration & Statistics
Ultimate Member Friends adds dedicated tabs to user profiles for displaying a list of friends and pending requests. It also displays followers and following statistics, providing social proof and transparency within the community. Administrators can see these connections, while users gain a sense of belonging through their visible network list.
Privacy and Content Restriction
A significant aspect of the plugin is the ability for users to restrict their profile visibility to their friends only. This ensures that personal information and activity are protected from the general public or non-connected members. It empowers users to manage their own privacy, which is crucial for building trust in an online environment.
Cross-Extension Synergy
The plugin integrates with other official extensions to enhance its utility. For example, it can limit Private Messaging so that only friends can message each other, or filter the Social Activity feed to show only updates from a user’s friend list. These tiered interactions ensure that the friendship status actually matters across the site’s various functions.
Pricing
Retail pricing for the individual extension ranges from $40 to $90 annually. Check current pricing on the Ultimate Member Friends sales page, or access it through a WPExclusive membership which includes the full suite of add-ons.
| Plan | Price | Sites | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Site | $40/year | 1 | Updates & Support |
| Up to 5 Sites | $50/year | 5 | Updates & Support |
| Up to 20 Sites | $90/year | 20 | Updates & Support |
| WPExclusive Membership | From $9.99/month | Unlimited | Ultimate Member Friends + full library |
For developers managing multiple sites, a WPExclusive membership covers Ultimate Member Friends plus hundreds of other plugins and themes, usually less than the cost of one premium license.
Latest Version
The current version is 2.3.3. The plugin receives regular updates to maintain compatibility with the core membership system and newer WordPress releases. WPExclusive updates plugin files promptly after each developer release.
How to Install
- Download the Ultimate Member Friends .zip from your WPExclusive member account
- In WordPress: Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
- Select the .zip and click Install Now → Activate
- Ensure the core Ultimate Member plugin is installed and active first
- Navigate to Ultimate Member → Settings → Extensions → Friends to configure your global settings
Use Cases
Alumni and Interest-Based Networks
Ideal for university or club portals where users need to locate and connect with specific individuals based on shared history or interests. Using the community features, administrators can foster long-term networking.
Professional Networking and Intranets
Internal company sites can use the friendship system to help employees build workgroups and view professional connections. This facilitates easier internal communication and colleague discovery.
Agencies and Developers Managing Multiple Client Sites
Agencies building social communities for clients can use WPExclusive to provide a consistent suite of engagement tools across multiple projects without recurring per-site licensing costs from the developer.
vs Alternatives
| Feature | Ultimate Member Friends | BuddyPress | PeepSo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integration | Deep with Ultimate Member | Standalone Framework | Proprietary Ecosystem |
| Profile Privacy | Friends-only levels | Group-based | Highly detailed |
| UI Design | Modern/Clean | Classic/Native | Contemporary |
| Starting Price | $40 | Free | ~$49+ |
| Available on WPExclusive | ✅ Yes | ❌ (Free) | ❌ |
Browse the full community plugins on WPExclusive →
Pros and Cons
✅ Strengths
- Seamless integration with the core Ultimate Member profile system
- Lightweight implementation that does not bloat the database like larger alternatives
- Effective privacy controls allows users to secure their own data
- Automatic email notifications keeps users engaged with the site
⚠️ Limitations
- Requires the core Ultimate Member plugin to function
- Limited standalone features without other paid extensions like Social Activity or Private Messaging
- Developer auto-updates require an active license key. WPExclusive publishes updates manually when new versions are released.
Is Ultimate Member – Friends GPL Licensed?
Yes. Ultimate Member – Friends is distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), the same license that governs WordPress itself. GPL gives any user the legal right to use, study, share, and redistribute the software. This is the legal framework that makes WPExclusive’s membership model possible.
WPExclusive distributes 100% original, unmodified files, the same release the developer publishes. No injected code, no alterations, and no security risks.
Get Ultimate Member – Friends on WPExclusive
WPExclusive membership starts at $9.99/month, $87/year, or $149 lifetime, giving you Ultimate Member – Friends plus every plugin and theme in the library, on unlimited sites.
Explore the full Ultimate Member collection → or browse all WordPress plugins →
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Ultimate Member – Friends do?
Ultimate Member – Friends is a community plugin used to enable a friendship system on membership sites. It allows users to send requests, see who they are friends with, and restrict profile content to verified connections.
Is Ultimate Member – Friends free?
The Friends extension is a premium add-on, though it requires the free core plugin. You can access it via WPExclusive from $9.99/month along with all other premium extensions.
What is the latest version of Ultimate Member – Friends?
The current version is 2.3.3. The plugin is actively maintained, and WPExclusive members always receive the most current release as it is made available by the developer.
How much does Ultimate Member – Friends cost?
Retail pricing starts at $40 per year for a single site. Via WPExclusive, it is included in plans from $9.99/month, covering unlimited sites and the full extension library.
Is it legal to use Ultimate Member – Friends via WPExclusive?
The plugin is GPL licensed, which explicitly permits redistribution. WPExclusive provides original, unmodified files, remaining fully within GPL terms to provide affordable access for developers.
Can users be blocked using Ultimate Member Friends?
The plugin allows for friend requests to be rejected or neutralized. When connected with the core system, it provides a comprehensive way to manage who can view profile data or interact with a user’s activity via short name’s privacy settings.
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