Whether you’re building a business listing site, a classifieds platform, or a local service directory, choosing the right plugin is critical. With WordPress continuing to dominate the CMS space, the directory plugin landscape has evolved significantly. Every day, it introduces smarter, faster, and more scalable tools.
To save you time and help you avoid costly mistakes, we’ve handpicked the top 5 business directory plugins for 2025, ranked and reviewed based on features, flexibility, pricing, and performance.
What are business directory plugins?
Business directory websites are more than just digital phone books. They’re revenue-generating platforms, local business hubs, service marketplaces, and niche communities. This is why these websites are in growing demand; most tech-savvy professionals aim to build niche-specific business listing websites, known as directories, with minimal effort.
WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) that is powered by around 60K plugins worldwide. These plugins come with various categories and purposes, and one of the popular niches is the directory plugin niche. Directory plugins come with all the features to effortlessly build business directory websites on WordPress.
WordPress Business Directory Plugins – Our Top 5 Picks
There are at least dozens of directory plugins available for WordPress. However, not all are created equal. Some focus on location-based listings, others on modular flexibility, and a few now even harness AI to automate your setup and reduce development time.
In this article, we’ve done the research for you. After testing the most used plugins, we’ve curated the top 5 WordPress directory plugins to watch in 2025, ranked by features, ease of use, customization, scalability, and overall value. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or a first-time site owner, there’s a plugin here that fits your project and budget. So let’s dive in.
1. Directorist – Best Overall in 2025
- Starting Price: $79 (3 Months)
- Best For: Business listings, classifieds, niche directories, and AI-powered setup
- Active Installs: 20,000+
- Rating: 4.7/5.0
Directorist tops our list this year and for good reason. It’s the only plugin that has surpassed the 20 thousand active installations landmark, making it the most used in this niche. The free plugin is powerful enough to create unlimited listing-based multi-directory websites. With various extensions and integrations, the premium plan becomes a complete solution.
Top Free Features
- Unlimited listing with multi-directory
- Bulk Import listings in CSV
- Build directories with AI
- Frontend submission for listing owners
- Compatible with Elementor and Gutenberg builder
- Supports Google Maps (API key required).
- Migrate listings from the Connections plugin to Directorist (additional plugin required).
- Integrate with FormGent for building a form with customized fields.
- Export listings in CSV with custom fields.
- Advanced search feature with custom filters.
- Built-in SEO optimization system for listings.
- List and grid view for categories, locations, and listings pages.
- The Loco Translate plugin supports multilingual site building.
Top Pro Features
- 30+ extensions supporting various advanced features and integrations.
- Job manager extension to effortlessly manage job board sites.
- Business hours extension to display multiple business types of hours.
- Pricing plan extension for creating various pricing plans for businesses.
- Integration with BuddyPress, WPML, BuddyBoss, PayPal, and Stripe.
- Universal Search feature for multi-directory listings.
- Ad manager extensions for effortlessly managing ads within the site.
- Highly functional theme templates suited to your directory niche.
- Digital Marketplace and booking/reservation management using extensions
- Compare the advanced features of listing and claim listings.
Overall, Directorist is highly suitable for all sorts of classified ads, business directories, and listing-based websites on WordPress. At this price point, the pro version guarantees a value-for-money output.
2. GeoDirectory – Built for Location-Based Directories
- Starting Price: $115 (4 Months)
- Best For: City guides, map-based listings, scalable directories
- Active Installs: 10,000+
- Rating: 4.7/5.0
GeoDirectory is purpose-built for geo-targeted directories. Whether you’re managing listings across cities or countries, it handles large-scale location data with ease. The free version is ideal for creating community-focused or travel-related directories. Its strong scalability and robust architecture make it a preferred choice for developers and power users.
Top Free Features
- The Drag and Drop Builder is available.
- It is compatible with Elementor and Gutenberg.
- Bulk uploading listings using CSV is possible.
- Front-end listing submission is possible.
- Multilingual site support is available.
- Dynamic search and filtering options
- Compatible with any directory theme
- Comes with multiple free themes
- Elementor directory templates
Top Pro Features
- Global business with multi-location and branch management
- The advanced search feature is available.
- Pricing manager to manage various pricing plans.
- Event ticket selling is facilitated through the marketplace add-on.
- The Claim and Compare listing is available.
- Booking marketplace to create an Airbnb-type booking platform.
- Integration with BuddyPress, WPML, and Google Analytics.
Overall, GeoDirectory is highly dynamic and recommended for local business-based directories. Free users can use basic features, and pro users can scale their listings across countries or even continents.
3. HivePress – Modular & Lightweight
- Starting Price: Free (Core), $398 (Full Bundle)
- Best For: Modular setups, free starters, Gutenberg users
- Active Installs: 10,000+
- Rating: 4.9/5.0
HivePress is a minimalist directory plugin with a modular approach. While the core plugin is lightweight, you’ll need to install several extensions to unlock standard features. Like Directorist, it also combines multi-purpose features such as business directories, classifieds, job boards, and real estate listings to empower users to create various directories.
Unlike other plugins, it also offers a free directory-building feature along with paid extensions for enhancement.
Top Free Features
- Search for listings based on location.
- Front-end Listing Submission.
- User profile customization.
- Integrated with the Gutenberg editor.
- Supports transactions in other languages.
- Add custom fields to the user profile.
- Custom search filters
- Multi-directory creation
Top Pro Features
- 6 different niche-based themes
- 18 extensions in total for enhancement
- Booking and marketplace management
- Charge listing owners for membership
- Users can request items and receive offers.
- Listings tag and statistics.
- Rating and review listings.
- Search via Geolocation.
If you’re comfortable with Gutenberg and enjoy piecing together custom solutions, HivePress is a strong option. However, there are a few features that require payment, which are generally the top ones given for free.
4. Business Directory Plugin – The Lost Promise
- Starting Price: $149
- Best For: Traditional business listings
- Active Installs: 10,000+
- Rating: 4.6/5.0
If you’re after stability and long-term performance, the Business Directory Plugin is a solid bet. However, recent activities suggest they have not updated their features for a while, and numerous support issues remain unresolved on the forum, making it the lost promise many directory builders once wished to get fulfilled.
Top Free Features
- Fully customizable form fields.
- Paid (with Stripe) and free listing options.
- Recurring payment support is available.
- Widgets for Featured, Latest, and Random listings are accessible.
- Built-in CSV import and export.
- Avoid spam listings with ReCAPTCHA.
- Quick-search and sorting bar.
- Multilingual directories with WPML
- Restrict the number of images per listing.
Top Pro Features
- Upload the file as attachments with a listing.
- Restrict features for free users.
- Location-based listing result filtering.
- Ratings and Reviews on listings.
- Display geolocation on listings.
- Claim Listings is available.
- Zip/Postal code-based search is available.
- Offer customized discount/coupon codes.
Thousands trust our business directory plugin, which provides excellent value for established directory businesses. We hope they will continue to update features, providing users with the tools they need to stand out.
5. Classified Listings – Niche Classified Ad Listings
- Starting Price: $149
- Best For: Classified ad sites, buy-sell platforms
- Active Installs: 10,000+
- Rating: 4.8/5.0
The Classified Listing plugin comes with all the features necessary for building a classified listing website. It is a plugin that integrates with its built-in themes well to offer a classified ads website experience to users.
Top Free Features
- Drag & Drop Form Builder.
- Build filters with a drag-and-drop feature.
- Custom fields with conditional logic are available.
- Listing CSV Import/ Export is possible.
- Live chat communication is available.
- Geolocation search using Google Places API & OpenStreet Map.
- Frontend listing management is possible.
Top Pro Features
- An AI-powered form generator is available.
- Digital Marketplace Addon for online ordering is available.
- Advanced Search & Filters are accessible.
- Multiple Mapping Sources are available.
- Multilingual sites for RTL languages are available.
- Control posting through membership packages.
Its setup is straightforward and best suited for non-developers looking to launch a simple, practical classified platform quickly.
Business Directory Plugins – Comparison Table
| Rank | Plugin | Best For | Starting Price | LTD Available | Active Installs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Directorist | All-in-one with AI | $79 | Yes | 20,000+ |
| #2 | GeoDirectory | Location-based directories | $115 | No | 10,000+ |
| #3 | HivePress | Modular & free-first approach | $398 (Bundle) | Yes | 10,000+ |
| #4 | Business Directory | Traditional listings | $149 | No | 10,000+ |
| #5 | Classified Listings | Classified ad platforms | $149 | Yes | 10,000+ |
Final Thoughts
The best directory plugin in 2025 will depend on your specific needs:
- Choose Directorist for an AI-powered setup, Elementor support, and multi-directory functionality.
- Go with GeoDirectory for map-heavy or location-based listings.
- Try HivePress if you’re comfortable building features modularly via Gutenberg.
- Pick the Business Directory Plugin for a traditional approach with solid SEO and multilingual support.
- Use Classified Listings to launch a niche buy-sell platform quickly.
Whatever your choice, each of these plugins offers a unique path toward building a profitable and functional directory site on WordPress in 2025.
