Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress vs HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin

Build a business directory or member directory on WordPress, complete with a listing manager and directory website builder. No developer needed. Business Directory Plugin for WordPress The Business Directory Plugin is the easy WP directory plugin for building a business directory or member directory without writing a line of code. Run a restaurant directory for your town, or a staff directory for your own team, and it’s live in minutes. If you’re not a developer, no problem. This WordPress directory plugin doesn’t require any coding knowledge. Activate it, then click the setup notice’s “Create required pages for me” button, and your directory page is live with the [businessdirectory] shortcode already in place. Need to show listings somewhere else, too? Drop the [businessdirectory-listings] shortcode into any page to display a specific category or tag, or add the Featured, Latest, Random, or Search widgets to any sidebar. See the full shortcode reference for everything else you can do. See a live demo. Business Directory Plugin Premium Plans This free plugin covers the core of your business directory. Paid annual plans add features like Google Maps, ZIP code search, ratings and reviews, claim listings, and discount codes. Which ones you get depends on the plan. See plans and pricing. If Business Directory Plugin is working well for you, leave a review to help other directory builders find it too. An Easy WordPress Directory Website Builder Already have a list of businesses, staff, or members in a spreadsheet? Import it in one upload instead of typing every entry by hand. Add whatever fields your directory needs, like a phone number, hours, a price range, or a photo. Take the listings you want and build almost any kind of directory: a real estate listings site like Zillow, a local business directory like Google Business Profile, a services marketplace like Thumbtack, a connections directory for an address book, a web directory for curated local links, or a book review site like Goodreads. It’s a listing manager and directory website builder for whatever you build. Need a classifieds listings site instead? Try Another WordPress Classifieds Plugin – AWPCP. Build a Member Directory or Company Directory Build more than business listings: a team directory, company directory, medical directory, or any other kind of listing site. Use the same plugin as a member directory for an association, a staff directory or employee directory for your company, a chamber of commerce business directory, or a professional directory for any licensed trade. The setup works the same way no matter who’s listed. Simple Listing Solutions for Every Community The Business Directory Plugin has thousands of users. Here are a few things they’ve already created with this listing manager and directory website builder. Start a listing manager service for providers: counselors, plumbers, electricians, house cleaners, locksmiths, therapists, wedding vendors, veterinarians, consultants, photographers, artists, and authors. Build a ratings-and-reviews directory for local recommendations, connecting travelers to hotels, tours, local businesses, and other visitor attractions. Help a city or small community find local resources: sporting club listings, a church directory, local farms with produce, or a chamber of commerce business directory. Advertise businesses and sell listings directly to the owners. Offer a member directory as a paid membership perk. Build a faculty or staff directory for a school, department, or university. Build the directory your niche doesn’t have yet. Accept Payments for Directory Listings Choose how your directory earns. Offer free listings or paid plans, one-time or recurring, and assign different plans to different categories so premium listings and free listings live side by side. Add featured or sticky placement as a paid upgrade. Stripe and Authorize.net both process real payments in the free plugin. You don’t need a paid plan for either one. Stripe comes with pay-as-you-go pricing (3% per-transaction, on top of Stripe’s own fees) until you upgrade to a paid plan. Authorize.net has no per-transaction fee, ever. Every plan and price stays fully in your control from your own WordPress dashboard. Full Free WordPress Listing Plugin Features This WordPress listing plugin handles the basics free: form fields, image uploads, search, and payments included. See the full list of Business Directory Plugin features. The free plugin has no listing limit and no trial period. Create as many listings as you want, for as long as you want, at no cost. Fully customizable form fields for every business listing Upload images per listing, with limits set by plan Drag-and-drop image uploads, easy reordering, primary image settings, and thumbnail sizing Accept paid or free listings with Stripe and Authorize.net Full support for recurring payments on paid listings Featured and sticky listings available as a paid upgrade Widgets for Featured, Latest, and Random listings, plus a Search widget Multiple listing plans, assignable by category Built-in CSV import and export for fast directory listing creation Block spam listings with reCAPTCHA Sorting options for categories, listings, and front-end search Listing owners edit their own listings without WP dashboard access SEO friendly with Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or All in One SEO Quick-search and sorting bar for simple directory searches Advanced search screen with configurable visible fields Mobile-friendly and responsive with any well-built WordPress theme Multilingual directories with WPML Integrates with popular plugins like NavXT Breadcrumbs and WP-PageNavi Full Premium Directory Plugin Features The free plugin already runs a complete directory on its own. These premium directory software features are there when you want more control over payments, categories, and search. File Upload – let listing owners attach PDFs, text files, and images to their listings. Ratings and Reviews – connect reviews to each listing, with Schema.org markup. It’s a WordPress review plugin built right into your directory. Enhanced Categories – show images or icons with categories, including parent-child category structures. Google Maps – show each listing’s location on a map, with custom sizes for category pages, search results, and listing details. ZIP Code Search – ZIP code and postal code radius and proximity search, supporting a number of countries. Regions – filter listing results by location, so visitors can browse by area. Discount Codes – offer percentage or fixed-amount discounts on paid listings, with expiration dates. Claim Listings – publish claimable listings that other users pay (or don’t) to claim as their own. Restrictions – assign features to your paid or sticky listing plans, giving your customers a reason to upgrade. See plans and pricing. Payment Gateways for Paid Listings Stripe and Authorize.net both come included with the free plugin. Connect Stripe with one click, or add your Authorize.net credentials in settings, to turn either one on. Stripe runs on pay-as-you-go pricing: a 3% fee on each transaction, on top of Stripe’s own processing fees. Upgrading your license removes that 3% fee. PayPal and PayFast are available on premium plans: PayPal Gateway – give buyers another way to pay if they already have a PayPal account. PayFast Gateway – accept payments through PayFast, a popular gateway for South African businesses. Premium Directory Themes Transform your WP directory site the easy way, in a few clicks. These business directory templates are designed to style your listings without taking over as a full WordPress theme. Elegant Grid Theme Modern Theme Business Card Theme Tabbed Theme Elegant Theme Mobile Compact Theme Built by Strategy11 The Business Directory Plugin has helped WordPress site owners build business directories and member directories since 2011, with more than 10,000 active installs and a 4.6-star average across 500+ ratings today. Support comes from a small team that reads and answers tickets personally instead of routing you through tiers — when something breaks, you talk to someone who fixes it. Better Than Hosted Directory Software & Membership Platforms If you’ve looked into directory software before, you’ve probably run into a hosted directory or membership platform. Most lock your business directory behind a monthly SaaS fee and someone else’s server. The Business Directory Plugin runs on your own WordPress site. You own your listings, your member directory, and your data, with no recurring platform tax just to keep your web directory online. The core plugin stays free forever. Premium plans start at $99/year, backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee. Branding Guidelines The Business Directory Plugin is a product of Strategy11. When writing about this WordPress directory plugin, please use the correct branding: Business Directory Plugin (correct) BD Plugin (correct, short form) BusinessDirectoryPlugin (incorrect – no spaces) business directory plugin (incorrect – not capitalized) Business Directory Plugin Resources Documentation Quick Start Guide YouTube Videos Live Demo

HivePress is an all-in-one directory plugin that allows you to create any type of listing website. From business directories and job boards to real estate listings, classified ads, or staff directories – HivePress has got you covered. Demo | Themes | Extensions | Docs | Support It’s a highly customizable directory plugin with flexible custom fields and monetization options available, allowing you to create a directory website for any niche and business model. Moreover, if you’re familiar with coding, HivePress also offers developer-friendly tools and resources, making it easy to customize or extend its functionality. Packed with features This plugin comes with all the essential features for building a directory, marketplace, or classifieds website, allowing users to easily add, manage, and search listings. Custom Fields – create various custom fields for your directory listings with custom validation rules and display settings, allowing you to tailor the listing form and page to your website’s niche and requirements. Search Filters – turn any custom field into a listing search filter, allowing users to quickly find relevant listings in your directory based on specific criteria. Listing Categories – add unlimited multi-level categories with category-specific custom fields to define different listing types and help users navigate your directory. User Accounts – each user registered on your directory has a front-end dashboard where they can add and manage directory listings, or update their public profile. Template Editor – if needed, you can easily customize any page layouts of your directory without coding skills using the familiar WordPress block editor. Email Editor – similarly to templates, you can override any default email notifications and customize them directly in your WordPress dashboard. Note that HivePress is not limited to its core functionality, since it is designed to be modular and allows you to extend its functionality by installing add-ons. For example, you can install free add-ons available in the WordPress plugin repository to enable features such as Favorites, Messages, Geolocation, or Reviews for your directory in just a few clicks. One solution for any niche HivePress is not just a directory plugin – it’s a versatile framework for building marketplaces, directories, and classifieds across any business niche. Below are just a few examples of websites that can be built with HivePress, its themes, and extensions: Business Directory – create a “yellow pages”-style directory where businesses can list themselves, and potential customers can easily find and contact them. Classifieds Website – build a fully featured platform where users can post and manage various classified ads, from items for sale to services. Service Marketplace – launch a multi-vendor marketplace that connects customers with service providers, allowing users to browse and book services. Job Board – build a job listing portal that allows candidates to easily browse companies and job listings, and apply for open positions. Neighborhood Directory – start a local community where residents can discover and connect with businesses and other people in their area. Freelance Marketplace – create a peer-to-peer platform where freelancers can list their services, and clients can post custom jobs and receive offers. Store Locator – offer a portal where users can quickly find nearby stores, branches, or service points, making it simple to discover and access local services. Staff Directory – create a directory showcasing profiles of your company’s staff, make it private or public, and allow users to search for profiles. Car Marketplace – build a car directory where individual sellers or dealerships can add and manage car listings, and allow potential buyers to respond to listings. Restaurant Directory – launch a directory that features local restaurants, complete with menus, reviews, opening hours, and location details. Event Directory – create a website for upcoming events by listing local or global events with detailed descriptions, dates, and venues. Member Directory – run a member-only directory where listings represent member profiles, enabling members to search for and contact each other. Church Directory – create a directory that features local churches, including service times, locations, contact details, and community information. Lawyer Directory – launch a professional directory where law firms and individual lawyers can list their services, allowing users to easily find legal experts. Real Estate – create a real estate or vacation rental directory, allowing users to list properties for rent or sale with detailed descriptions, photos, and pricing details. Beauty & Health – build a doctor directory or list beauty specialists, helping users quickly find experts, view profiles, and check reviews before making a choice. Of course, the above list is not complete, as we have listed the most common ones – there are dozens of different directory and marketplace niches and business models out there, and by choosing the right plugin, backed by the right theme and add-ons, you can build your own. Multiple monetization options With HivePress and its add-ons, you can build a business, not just a listings website. This directory plugin supports several monetization models, helping you turn your website into a revenue stream: Paid Listings – offer listing packages with different restrictions to charge users for adding and renewing directory listings. Featured Listings – allow users to pay to highlight their listings and display them at the top of directory search results. Claim Listings – list businesses on your directory and allow business owners to claim and manage their listings for a fee. Membership Plans – turn your website into a members-only directory, restricting access to viewing listing details or messaging. Marketplace Listings – allow users to sell listings through your directory and charge a commission on each successful sale. Ad Placement – the most common, simple yet effective way to monetize a directory website once you reach decent traffic. The above list is not exhaustive, and you can combine different options into unique monetization models. For example, you can enable bookings for marketplace listings or charge a commission on custom offers. Switch designs with ease There are free and premium themes officially integrated with HivePress, ensuring maximum compatibility, so you can start with a design that matches your requirements or switch your directory website’s design later without losing any data. ListingHive – a free multipurpose directory and classified ads theme, suitable for creating directory websites of any type, such as Yelp or Craigslist. RentalHive – a versatile theme for any kind of rental and booking marketplace that allows you to launch rental marketplaces similar to Airbnb or Vrbo. ExpertHive – an on-demand services marketplace theme, suitable for building platforms with business models similar to TaskRabbit or Thumbtack. MeetingHive – a modern theme for various appointment booking platforms that makes it possible to launch a marketplace similar to Booksy or Preply. TaskHive – a fully featured freelance marketplace theme for creating platforms similar to Fiverr or Upwork, or digital marketplaces like Creative Market. JobHive – a clean and modern theme for building job boards and job portals, enabling you to launch job search websites similar to Indeed or Monster. The platforms and services mentioned above are used only as examples of possible business models. With HivePress themes, you can also build websites for a wide range of other business models. All mentioned names remain the property of their respective owners and do not imply any affiliation or endorsement. Do more with extensions HivePress is extensible by design, which means you can build websites with different functionality using various combinations of extensions, while avoiding bloat by keeping only the features you need. There are numerous free and premium extensions available for HivePress, with many more on the way: Favorites – allow users to keep a list of favorite listings. Messages – enable private messaging so users can reply to listings. Geolocation – enable location-based search for listings and vendors. Reviews – allow users to rate and review listings and vendors. Claim Listings – allow users to claim their business listings and manage them. Memberships – monetize your website by restricting access to certain features. Marketplace – allow users to sell listings and charge a commission on each sale. Bookings – enable bookings for listings, allowing users to manage availability. Requests – allow users to post custom jobs, while vendors can respond with offers. Social Login – simplify registration by enabling login via social platforms. Social Links – allow users to add links to social platforms on their listings. Badges – automatically award user badges based on custom conditions. Opening Hours – allow users to set opening hours and enable filtering by them. Search Alerts – allow users to receive notifications about new listings. Statistics – allow users to view visitor statistics for their listings. Import – allow users to bulk import or update listings via CSV files. Tags – improve search by allowing users to add custom tags to listings. SEO – enhance your directory’s SEO with meta tags and Schema markup. Since HivePress is open-source and has a flexible API, there is a growing ecosystem of custom-built HivePress extensions and ready-made code snippets shared by developers on the community forum. Therefore, the above list of add-ons is not exhaustive, and you can benefit from third-party HivePress solutions or even contribute by developing your own. Help when you need it This directory plugin is directly supported by its developers, the people who know it best, so any issues are handled with a deep understanding of how it works. Plus, there’s an AI Assistant familiar with all the resources and solutions we’ve provided over the years, ready to assist you 24/7, from help with setting up to general developer guidance. Beyond support, HivePress comes with various resources to help you along the way: A comprehensive knowledge base where you can find guidance and solutions to the most common issues. The HivePress blog, where we post detailed tutorials on how to build and monetize directory websites for different niches. A YouTube channel with detailed video courses and screencasts about setting up and using HivePress with its themes. A collection of ready-made code snippets that you can simply copy and paste to customize HivePress functionality. You can also join the community forum to report bugs, suggest features, or simply exchange experiences with other website owners and developers, helping improve HivePress together. Built to be customizable If you need to customize your directory beyond the available features and have at least basic coding skills, then look no further – HivePress is powered by a highly customizable and extensible framework for directory websites: Structured Code – we follow WordPress coding standards, so the codebase is well-structured, readable, and easy to navigate. Easy Theming – styling and overriding layouts is intuitive thanks to block-based templates, clean HTML markup and CSS notation. Hooks API – a collection of action and filter hooks for customizing or extending core HivePress functionality without direct modifications. REST API – there’s an API endpoint for each front-end action, making it possible to integrate HivePress with third-party platforms. Docs & Snippets – a collection of ready-made code snippets, API references, and documentation to help you along the way. AI Assistant – trained on the HivePress codebase and developer resources, it can provide guidance or even suggest code snippets. In addition to the resources above, there’s also a community forum where you can join a growing community of developers sharing code snippets and custom HivePress extensions, or even share your own solutions to help and contribute to HivePress. Secure at the core When developing HivePress, we follow WordPress coding standards and best security practices, ensuring that all user input is validated and output is safe. Moreover, there are various features available out of the box to keep your directory secure: Built-in Captcha – enable captcha for any available front-end forms. Email Verification – require users to verify their email addresses on registration. Listing Moderation – manually review and approve each submitted listing. Report Listings – allow users to report listings that violate your directory terms. Message Blocklist – automatically block messages containing specific keywords. Message Monitoring – manually review messages to prevent suspicious activity. Restrict Dashboard – restrict access to the WordPress dashboard for regular users. Moreover, since HivePress is open-source and self-hosted software, unlike SaaS alternatives, you fully own your directory data, which is stored entirely in your website’s database, giving you more control over your data, security, and privacy.