Best WordPress Directory Plugin – 6 Popular Directory Plugins

Directories are often used to find new businesses or service providers on the basis of a particular niche, category, or search criteria. To give you an example, these directories can be about local businesses, peoples, sites, online listings, and more.
As time is passing the online directories’ popularity has increased. Now it is considered one of the most famous forms of online business. But the problem is that there are hundreds of directories. It’s tough to pick the best WordPress directory plugin for your site and know how you can find it.

Well, we can help you with this as in this article, we are going to discuss some plugins. They are all competent contenders to be the best WordPress Directory plugin. These plugins can handle enormous traffic and are easy to manage.

Here is the rundown of some of the best WordPress directory plugins that can help you create directories on your website.

Best WordPress Directory Plugins

1.Business Directory Plugin

Business Directory Plugin has over 20 thousand active installations. Hence, it is considered the best WordPress directory plugin in the market by many. The reason for its success is that it lets the users create website directories with ease by allowing them to have proper control over the plugin.

This WordPress directory plugin allows you to create customized front-end forms to let the people or visitors submit the listing. In case you have too many listings, there is also a way for you to import them through CSV.

And if you are looking to monetize your directory, the Business Directory plugin gives users popular payment gateways like, Paypal, Stripe and more. Business Directory plugin has both free and paid versions for its users.

The paid version of the business directory has a few premium add ons that the free version has not; for instance, it is integrated with Google Maps, Access additional payment gateways, support multiple locations, accept user reviews, improve the user search, lets the users claim listings, and offer discount codes.

This WordPress plugin directory also offers the users some premium directory templates. Therefore, users can customize how their directory looks like. Business Directory Plugin is best for Local Businesses (Restaurants, coffee shops), service providers (Electricians and plumbers), real estate listings, address book, or staff directory.

If we talk about the price, you can purchase the individual add-ons at the cost of $69.99. But if you want to buy a package for all add-ons, you will have to pay $199.9. As for the themes, each theme costs $49.99, while if you want to have access to all the themes, then the price is $99.99.

2.GeoDirectory

GeoDirectory WordPress directory plugin that gives its users an opportunity to create advanced location-based business directories. It has the ability to make any WordPress theme into a more powerful and robust directory.

To start with its interface, GeoDirectory has a lightweight, scalable interface that has the ability to control massive growth and high traffic. GeoDirectory gives you 13 field types to construct forms and make them fit your site.

And also you can create forms for the purpose of user reviews, business inquiries, and others. Furthermore, it also allows people to submit, edit listings with a drag-drop feature option, and import files in the CSV format.

The WordPress directory plugin provides its users with 18 premium paid add-ons; for instance, it has the function of adding multi-location support, improves the search, custom posts for multiple types, charging people for listing, accepting more detailed user reviews.

Suppose you want to check the performance of businesses that have submitted their listings; GeoDirectory offers you Google Analytics to check how effective you are in helping to grow their business.

Moreover, the plugin also offers some themes if you are looking to start from scratch. The price of individual add-ons, including the themes, is $19 to $38, and if you want all add-ons of the GeoDirectory, then they come at the cost of $99 for four months.

Lastly, we just want to say that the free version may help you create a simple yet functional directory, but in this case, you want to monetize your directory and cover different locations. you may want to buy some of the premium add-ons of GeoDirectory.

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3.DirectoryPro

Directory Pro is another popular WordPress Directory Plugin that has a colorful interface with some powerful features to help the users run their directories without any worry. That is the main reason the plugin has got a nice 4.5 rating on most review websites.

To start with its interface, the Directory Pro has an intuitive and colorful dashboard. It has a control panel that is designed well and is easy to use at both the front end and back end of the website.

Moreover, you do not need to have any knowledge about coding at all because the plugin already integrates with the Visual Composer, which does all the designing work for you. If you are looking to monetize your site, there are certain payment gateways that the plugin provides; they include PayPal, Stripe, and WooCommerce.

You can use this feature to offer visitors businesses both free and paid listings, and also, this could help you in offering them a variety of memberships. Furthermore, with this WP directory plugin, you can take payments for any booking, or you can also make reservations at restaurants and other places.

Not only this, but the plugin is also SEO friendly, meaning that it can make your website rank better in the Google rankings; this can be beneficial for you when you have monetized your content. Directory Pro allows you to create multilingual directories.

That’s why this plugin can be a great option for both international and local business listings. If we talk about the price of the Directory Pro plugin, its regular license comes at the price of $39, while you can buy the Extended License for $140.

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4.Connections Business Directory

Connections Business Directory is a WordPress Directory plugin that allows its users to create any kind of directory with its simple design, functions, and a vast array of unique features. This plugin is best to use in creating a simple address book, staff directory, or link directory.

This WordPress directory plugin is developer-friendly with open source code that can be used to create a unique directory. Also, API is open for you to play with things like settings and emails which shows many customizations and scaling opportunities.

Connection Business Directory also has a flexible granular template engine, which is update-safe; this could be beneficial for you in a situation that needs some coding skills from you. Moreover, there are several templates that are being offered to help you have control over the design of your website.

Still, if you do not find a directory that fulfills your requirement, there is a feature Template customizer that can help you adopt a template that fits your needs. The unique feature about this plugin is that it lets you save Anniversaries and birthdays dates in the directory so you can keep track of your employee’s birthdays and other important stuff.

The plugin also offers its users free plugin extensions to improve their directory listings and management process. Along with the free extensions, there are also some premium add-ons that users can purchase individually or in a pack.

As we know the core features of the plugin are free to use, there are some paid extensions that come between the cost of $2.99 to $14.99 each. As for the all add-ons bundle, you can buy them at $29.99. In comparison, the templates come at the price of $19.99 each, and to have access to all the templates, you need to pay $59.99.

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5.Sabai Directory

Sabai Directory is a WordPress directory plugin that is used to create business directory listings online for local businesses, restaurants, stores, and more. To start with its features, the plugin has more than 16 different interactive map styles that have different colors, overlays, and attractive features with playful icons.

Also, the search bar of the listing is sleek and easy to use with different search filters based on ratings, pricing, location, and date. When we talk about the forms, users can create custom fields with the help of Sabai’s visual editor that can help them make different front-end forms that are easily submitted with the listings.

Sabai Directory also allows its users to give reviews on the directory and the best part about those reviews is that the users can add their content like images in the review section; just like how Amazon lets its users upload different content when they are writing a review on a page.

Moreover, you can also add a multicriteria rating system in your directory, for instance, you can set different rating systems based on the quality and price of the product, services provided by the company, or organization. The plugin has free add-ons meaning that you get everything in the core features of the plugin.

If we talk about the price, you can buy the Regular License at $29 (Only available for 6 months support), while the Extended License can be purchased at $150 (This also has a 6 months support but it can be upgraded to a whole year at the price of $9).

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6.Name Directory

Name Directory is the last WP directory plugin on our list, and it has a unique approach. It is more like a glossary directory where the admin of a website generates a list of the data and makes it available for the people to see it internally or externally.

After the plugin has been installed on the site, you can embed a list using shortcodes into different posts, pages, and widgets of your WordPress website. This feature helps you to handle the directory easily because you do not have to start the work on a new website to make it work.

Name Directory also provides its users with the ability to create multiple directories. This means that you can install several directories and display them throughout the website with the help of shortcodes. In this plugin, the customization options are somewhat limited that means you have a speedy setup.

For instance, in a situation where you need to make changes in the styles of a directory, you will have to do them through shortcodes. Moreover, the Name Directory also offers its users with few configuration options; for example, they have the power to show or hide any title, suggestion form, or search section.

Furthermore, users also have the ability to choose the number of characters that they want to add to the description box. They can also add a Read More button for more information. The best feature about this WordPress directory plugin is that it lets you perform bulk import functions.

It’s especially helpful in a situation when you have a huge list of people, terms, or business and do not have any time to type them at all. If you are wondering about its price then you should know that the Name Directory plugin is available for free.

How We Choose the Best WordPress Directory

When you are buying the best WordPress Directory for your website, there are some things that you should know. Following are those factors that you need to look at in the best WordPress directory.

Customizable Form Fields

When you are looking for the best WordPress Directory for your site, make sure you can customize form fields. Because it is perhaps the best way to search, submit forms to the category of your listing.

Suppose your directory does not have the ability to customize form fields; in that case, you may not be able to add essential information on the site. Therefore, it will eventually become difficult for the users to find the information they were looking for.

Media Support

Ensure that you are buying a directory that supports media content like pictures. For instance, if you are making a directory for real estate, your plugin must be able to show the pictures and images of the houses and other places. Because that is the only way visitors can be influenced to make a purchase.

This factor also applies to the logos of a brand. For example, if you can not show a brand’s logo on your site, they may choose another directory to show their listings.

Monetization

The majority of the people make a directory website for the purpose of making money, and for this reason, you need different payment gateways to take payments from your members. So, make sure that you are buying a plugin that offers different up to standards payment gateways.

User-Friendly Interface

This may be the most important thing to look for in a WordPress Directory plugin. Because if your plugin interface is difficult, you will waste all of your time just figuring out where the different functions are and how to use them. So, make sure your WordPress directory plugin has an easy-to-use and user-friendly interface.

Support

Support is a very handy tool to have by your side when you do not have any coding skills. It is because when your plugin crashes or stops working for some reason, you may need some help to make it functional again. Otherwise, you may need to hire a professional developer, and this may cause you big bucks.

Final Verdict

As we know, there are a lot of WordPress directory plugins on the market right now. All of them have different functions and features. To know what is the best WordPress directory plugin for you, you need to decide what features you want in your plugin. Because, at the end of the day, everything depends on your preference.

We are hopeful that this guide has helped you find the best WordPress directory plugin for your website. And in case you have not found the perfect option, then read and review this guide again. Because the plugins in our list may help you create an attractive, user-friendly site for listings.