Are you looking to create a business directory in WordPress? Want to know which is the best WordPress directory plugin? There are several free and paid options available which makes it hard to choose the right one. In this article, we have hand-picked some of the best WordPress directory plugins to help you save some time and money.
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1. Gravity Forms Directory Add on
Gravity Forms is the most beginner friendly form plugin in the market. It allows you to quickly add contact forms to your site. What most people don’t know is that it can be used in many ways such as create a survey, add user submitted content, quizzes and many other things.
Gravity Forms Directory is a free add-on plugin for Gravity Forms, and it allows you to create a web directory using Gravity Forms. Simply create a form that users will use to submit entries into your directory and then display directory entries on a WordPress page.
For detailed instructions, take a look at our tutorial on how to create a web directory in WordPress.
2. Business Directory Plugin
Business Directory Plugin is a free WordPress plugin to create a business directory. While the basic plugin is available for free, several features require you to purchase paid add-ons.
With more than 20,000 active installs, Business Directory Plugin offers a comprehensive set of features required to run a web directory. It allows you to offer paid listings, so you can make money from adding sites to your directory. You can sort entries into categories and tags, create featured entries, customize entry forms, etc.
The front-end display of the directory allows your users to sort and search entries, or browse the directory. It works with any WordPress theme and the directory layout is fully mobile friendly.
3. Connections Business Directory
Connections is a powerful directory plugin for WordPress. The basic plugin is available for free with many paid extensions available from the plugin website.
Connections makes it super easy to set up a business directory. It comes with a great set of custom fields that can be used to create almost any kind of web directory. There are privacy settings where users or admins can set privacy level of certain custom fields like phone numbers or IMs.
Displaying your directory on the front-end is very easy. You can do that by just adding a simple shortcode to a WordPress page. Their shortcode comes with a lot of powerful options which you can use to customize the appearance of your directory. Connections also comes with template support, so you can choose a layout for your listings from pre-built templates.
4. GeoDirectory
As the name suggests GeoDirectory allows you to create a location based business directory like Yelp, TripAdvisor, YellowPages, etc. The base plugin is available for free, but you will need paid extensions to take full advantage of the plugin.
GeoDirectory comes with a powerful set of features to create a location based directory. It has an easy to use front-end interface allowing users to submit entries. Entries are pointed on the map and users can search for locations, businesses, neighborhoods, etc.
With paid extensions, it can be used to monetize your website by selling listings. You can also create event based listings, create multi-location directories, add payment gateways, etc.
5. Simple Directory
Simple Directory is another free WordPress directory plugin. It allows you to easily create a business or personal directory. It comes with two templates for single listing and archive listing page. This makes it super easy to customize if you know how to work with WordPress theme templates.
Simple Directory requires installation of Piklist plugin and recommends Category Images plugin for optimal performance. There is also a premium version of plugin which comes with some extra features.
We hope this article helped you find the best directory plugin for your WordPress site. You may also want to check out our list of 13 free user management plugins for WordPress.
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I want a directory plugin with logins for each business, so that they can create and edit text and photos on their own pages.
Do any of these do this, if not are there others that do this?
John
For something like that, you would likely need to look into membership plugins for them to edit their own listing.
I am using the WordPress 2016 theme but it doesn’t have a free plugin.
Sorry… had given this s cursory look, just spotted it in your list…
Have been using this for years and it is such a comprehensively excellent product I have never been tempted to replace it, though I check out similar plugins every time I build a website that requires one.
You forgot THE best Directory plugin: Connections
What directory business application or plugin can I purchased to add ecommerce function to a listing directory
I need a listing directory site to function like Just eat, so user can can purchse listed items from suppliers
Hi. Am trying to make a directory for accounting firms and accountants in my country. But am having trouble getting a goof plugin to use. Could you please suggest me a plugin that could help me out. Thanks. Great post by the way.
I have been using Simple Link Directory WordPress plugin. Pretty good!
Thank you for sharing this post. It has really been helpful
i want to start a web directory along with my already running site.
I want the look and feel to remain same.
The directory will be of web designers and developers.
Which directory plugin you prefer the most?
Regards,
Yakin.
Hi I have installed Business Directory but one thing i need to edit is, when i open listings its auto generated page Title as Archives. I want to remove it. Kindly advice.
Please check
Regards
I am using business directory plugin. I installed & activated. But it doesn’t appear anywhere in my site. My site is , I am new to wordpress. I don’t know how to use. I am not a tech guy. please guide me
You should see a directory menu item in the WordPress admin bar.
In Dashboard, on the left hand side list, Just above “appearance” I have “Directory” and “Directory Admin” Are those the ones you are talking about??
Yes.
Can you please write an in-depth review of GeoDirectory?
We usually don’t write reviews. But we will try to cover it in a how to tutorial in the future.
Thanks for the info, perhaps someone can help me with something I’m developing.
I’d like to create a business directory with the ability to display directory results contextually alongside the relevant article entries. This is for a historic motorsport website.
My plan is to tag articles and also directories with common relevant tags,then display contextual results. For example, an article on Porsche will have alongside it relevant entries for Porsche specialists. An article on Le Mans will have useful accommodation for leMans alongside.
The critical thing seems to be a plug in that uses the same tags as main entries and allowing businesses to enter and edit their own info.
Any ideas will be very welcome, thanks for the article.
Hi Neill – wondering if you have found an answer to this. I’m thinking you’ll want to stick with creating something with ACF, but if you’ve found a directory that will work like this, that’s wonderful! Curious if you’ve found a solution!
I have the developer license for Gravity Forms and I don’t se a directory addon anywhere. Can you provide a direct link to it?
Gravity Forms Directory plugin.
Thanks for mentioning Simple Directory!
hi its very nice in the feature i need to come back here again to read just one more time I’m going to use one of them soon
thanks for adding
Thanks for this sharing this excellent list of wordpress directory plugins. I was looking for the same query as i need to develop a business directory in wordpress. I find this blog very useful and i hope i will help me professionally as well.
I’ve been looking at putting a directory on one of my sites . . . I had no idea you could set one up in Gravity Forms. That simplifies my life, thanks! I’ll give a couple of the others a look, but why install a new plugin when an old dog has some new tricks after all?
thank you for mentioning GeoDirectory!