5 Best WordPress Directory Plugins

Are you in search of the best WordPress directory plugins to use on your website?

Well, with so many WordPress business directory plugins out there, it may become quite cumbersome to pick the best. I faced the same dilemma while trying to find out the best directory plugins for WordPress for a personal project of mine. After researching in-depth about 20+ top WordPress directory plugins, in this article, I will be sharing my pick of the top 5 best WordPress directory plugins that you can avail currently.

If you’re not so familiar with the concept of directory plugins, let us begin by explaining what they really are.

What Is a WordPress Directory Plugin?

WordPress directory plugin allows you to create a listing of data that you have with a friendly user interface so that people visiting your website can easily access the information that you have to offer. Modern WP directory plugins also allow you to sort the information efficiently and also add additional information such as tags, images, location data, etc.

Key Features of a WordPress Directory Plugin

The logic behind a directory plugin for WordPress is pretty simple, so it must be easy to choose one too, right?

Well, the very reason why there are so many WordPress directory plugins out there is because the term “directory” is quite broad and can be used in many ways, depending on what you have to offer.

Regardless, all the directory plugins for WordPress must have a specific set of common features to make them basically functional.

Below are some of the key features of a WordPress directory plugin that you should look out for while picking one:

• Easy-to-use User Interface
  
  Collecting information and trying to display them in an organized manner is quite a hectic task. The whole purpose of WordPress directory plugins is to make it easier to organize the directory and display the data in a simpler form to the end-user.
  
  To make the plugin actually useful, it has to be simple to use and manage, i.e., has an easy mechanism to add/edit the listings within the directory database.

• Support for Multimedia Content
  
  Directory data are not always in text format. An ideal WordPress listing plugin will support data in all popular formats including video, pictures, documents, etc.
  
  For websites that are displaying places or businesses, the ability to include a map of the location is also highly beneficial.

• The ability for Users to Add Ratings/Reviews
  
  Allowing your website visitors to rank/review the directory listings depending on how useful they found the data is one of the best ways to improve the appeal as well as user interest in the data you’re providing.
  
  If you’re planning to display directory data on your website that can benefit from user reviews, then make sure that the WordPress directory listing plugin that you’re using allows users to add reviews/ratings from the front-end.

• Accept User Submissions
  
  The best way to keep your directory growing is by allowing users to submit their own listings. This way, you can get interesting listing additions from users as well as business owners.
  
  Therefore, make sure that your directory plugin has a feature that allows website visitors to submit their own listings. This way, you can reduce the chores involved in adding each listing data from the backend.

• Shortcode for the Directory Table
  
  The WordPress directory listing plugin that you’re using should also provide you with a shortcode of the directory table. This way, you can easily embed the directory within the inner pages and content of your website without much hassle.
  
  Ideally, the shortcode should be simple enough so that you can customize the data within the directory table depending on where within the website you’re embedding it.
  

The 5 Best WordPress Directory Plugins

Below is my pick of the top 5 best WordPress directory plugins that you can avail of currently.

1. Formidable Forms

Formidable Forms is one of the most popular directory plugins for WordPress. The directory plugin by Formidable Forms is used by over 300,000 businesses worldwide including popular companies such as Apple, Audi, Wells Fargo, Warner Bros., H&M, etc.

Features:

1. Accept free as well as paid listing submissions.
2. Integration with popular payment gateways.
3. Allow users to rate/review the listings on the website.
4. Preset directory templates that are easy to use.
5. Drag-and-drop functionality to customize the listing template.
6. Ability to add contact forms to allow users to get in touch with the listing owner.
7. Style the visual appearance of the directory template without any coding knowledge.
8. Listing templates are responsive and mobile-friendly.

Pricing:

1. The “Basic” plan costs $39.50/year.
2. The “Plus” plan costs $99.50/year.
3. The “Business” plan costs $199.50/year.
4. The “Elite” plan costs $299.50/year.

Pros:

1. 14-day money-back guarantee.
2. Build attractive looking forms easily.
3. Ability to build unlimited custom forms.
4. Export the form entries as CSV files.

Cons:

1. The free version has very limited functionalities.
2. Implementing custom CSS in the forms is not as easy as it should be.

2. Business Directory Plugin

The Business Directory Plugin is best for anyone who’s looking for a plugin to easily implement directory functionality on their website.

Even though this plugin is named “Business Directory Plugin”, the plugin is not only useful for businesses. You can build all kinds of directories using this plugin such as local business directory, hotel directory, restaurant directory, product directory, etc.

Features:

1. Completely customizable listing form templates.
2. Allow users to submit listings.
3. Allow image uploads within the listing submissions and also restrict the number of images added.
4. Accept both free & paid listings.
5. Enable recurring subscription payment facility.
6. Add a search widget for users to easily find what they’re looking for.
7. Ability to add widgets that display random listings, featured listings, or latest listings.
8. Responsive template design that is also mobile-friendly.
9. SEO-friendly with the help of Yoast SEO plugin.

Pricing:

1. The “Basic” plan costs $99.50/year.
2. The “Pro” plan costs $199.50/year.
3. The “Elite” plan costs $299.50/year.

Pros:

1. Easy integration with any WordPress site.
2. 14-day money-back guarantee.
3. Extensive list of category options to choose and implement on your directory.
4. Highly customizable template layout.

Cons: 

1. Even though there is a free version of the Business Directory plugin for WordPress, it does not have support for all the features.

3. GeoDirectory

If you wish to easily turn your WordPress website into a full-fledged business directory site similar to services such as Yelp, then the GeoDirectory WordPress plugin is one of the best choices.

What attracts most people to the GeoDirectory WordPress plugin is that you get access to all the services provided by the company, regardless of which plan you go with.

Features:

1. Easy integration with almost every WordPress theme out there.
2. Ability to easily edit and customize the form template to match your preferred styles.
3. Support for shortcodes & blocks to easily implement the directory form wherever you want.
4. Drag & drop form builder.
5. Add business hours for your business listings so that your visitors know when the business opens, if they’re active, etc.
6. Ability to search the listings based on location or ZIP code.
7. Add ratings/reviews to the listings.

Pricing:

1. $99 for 4 months.
2. $129 for 6 months.
3. $199 for 1 year.
4. $995 for lifetime purchase.

Pros:

1. Lots of add-ons that allow you to customize the plugin functionalities.
2. Easy process to add/edit listings.
3. Free demo to experience the plugin functionality.
4. 30-day money back guarantee.

Cons:

1. Add-ons are required to truly explore the GeoDirectory plugin. However, add-ons are priced separately from the core plugin.
2. There is a learning curve to get used with the GeoDirectory plugin.

4. Sabai Directory

The Sabai Directory WordPress plugin is yet another popular option if you wish to create a directory listing within your website.

All the features & functionalities offered by the Sabai Directory plugin allow you to easily create a directory similar to Google Places, Yahoo! Local, or Yelp, within your WordPress site.

Features:

1. Ability to display the directory listings in different views such as map view, list view, or grid view.
2. Responsive template designs.
3. Ability to search and filter listing results using keywords, location, category, etc.
4. Auto-suggestions are provided to the users based on their search filters.
5. Accept user listings.
6. Ability to accept reviews/ratings from users for existing listings.
7. Add images to the directory listings.
8. Accept both free & paid listings.
9. Provide custom pricing plans to the visitors.

Pricing:

1. A single-use lifetime purchase license priced at $29.

Pros:

1. Map support that shows directions to the selected directory listing.
2. Visitors can upvote/downvote on images.
3. Shortcodes to implement the directory template anywhere on the website.
4. A single-time purchase to access all the plugin features at all times.

Cons:

1. The support documentation provides limited help.
2. Customization options are limited.
3. Limited customer support facilities.

5. Advanced Classified & Directory Pro

The Advanced Classified & Directory Pro plugin for WordPress is yet another best-in-class WordPress listing plugin.

As the name suggests, the Advanced Classifieds & Directory Pro WordPress plugin is aimed at business websites that wish to display classifieds and directory data.

Using this plugin, you can show classified data related to a variety of categories such as vehicles, pets, real estate, etc. Moreover, you can even implement the plugin to display directory listing information across all popular categories.

Features:

1. Support for unlimited categories.
2. Add an unlimited number of custom fields including text areas, radio buttons, check boxes, etc.
3. You can also show location information for listings.
4. Integration with Google Maps also allows you to provide turn-by-turn navigation to the listing location.
5. Easy access to all the directory data from the back-end.
6. Completely customizable directory form layout.
7. Allow users to submit, edit, or delete the listings done from their own profile.
8. Accept both free & paid listings.

Pricing:

1. The “Starter” plan is free of cost.
2. The “Professional” plan starts at $95.88 per year for a single-site license.

Pros:

1. The free version of the plugin has support for almost all the essential features.
2. 30 day money back guarantee.
3. Awesome customer support even for free version users.

Cons:

1. New versions aren’t released as frequently as others.
2. No cheaper subscription plans are available.

Final Verdict: Which Is the Best Directory WordPress Plugin?

I’ve mentioned 5 WordPress plugins for directory listings in this article. All of the options listed in this article are worth it depending on your requirements. However, if I were to pick, then below are my top 3 selections for a WordPress directory listing plugin:

1. Formidable Forms is definitely the best WordPress directory plugin out there. It allows you to easily create & customize your directory template, put it anywhere on your website, and also provides a very user-friendly experience without adding much load on your website.

2. Business Directory Plugin is best for websites that want to implement a business-like directory listing similar to Yelp or Google. Don’t go by the name of the plugin, it works best not only with business listings but any kind of directory listings as well. Moreover, all the templates are completely SEO-friendly and mobile-ready as well.

3. GeoDirectory Plugin is best for any website that aims at displaying local business listings. With GeoDirectory, you can access all the features of the plugin regardless of which plan you go with. There are also lots of add-ons that you can choose from to improve the functionality of the plugin.

Quick Comparison of Best WordPress Directory Plugins