This is where confusion usually starts. Directory themes and directory plugins often look similar on the surface, but they work very differently behind the scenes.

In this comparison article, we break down two popular directory website solutions using Listeo and Directorist as real-world examples. You’ll see how each option works, what they do best, and where limitations appear. By the end, it becomes clear which solution fits your goals, technical comfort level, and the type of WordPress directory website you plan to build.

Quick Snapshot: Directorist vs Listeo WordPress Directory Theme

What They Are

Directorist is a WordPress directory plugin. It works with most WordPress themes and focuses purely on functionality. Design stays separate, while directory features are added through the plugin and optional extensions.

Listeo is a WordPress directory theme. It combines design and core directory features into a single package. Once installed, it handles listings, bookings, monetization, and front-end user dashboards without relying on many extra plugins.

Each One Is Best For

Beginners & niche site owners (passive income)

• Directorist suits those willing to spend a bit more time configuring in exchange for flexibility and future growth.
• Listeo WordPress theme suits those who want a fast launch with minimal setup.

Developers

• Directorist is better for custom workflows, integrations, more features and long-term extensibility.
• Listeo works best when the default structure fits the project.

Agencies & client projects

• Directorist fits agencies managing multiple sites, custom designs, or reusable systems.
• Listeo is useful for quick, single-purpose directory builds.

1-Minute Recommendation (TL;DR)

Choose Directorist if:

• Flexibility and scalability matter
• Custom themes or page builders are required
• Multiple directory types may exist on one site
• The project involves client work or long-term expansion

Choose Listeo if:

• A quick directory system is needed right away
• Booking, paid listings, and commissions are core features
• The goal is a single niche directory with minimal technical work

Directorist vs Listeo : Which Is Better? (Quick Comparison Table)

Below is a side-by-side comparison of Directorist vs Listeo based on user usage, features, and scalability.

What You’re Actually Buying: Theme vs Plugin Explained

Before comparing features, it’s important to understand what you’re actually purchasing. A directory theme and a directory plugin solve the same problem in very different ways. That difference affects setup speed, flexibility, and long-term control.

Why Theme-Based Directory Solutions Feel Easier

A directory theme bundles design and functionality together. Everything is built to work as one system.

With a theme like Listeo, the layout, listing system, booking tools, dashboards, and monetization features are already connected. Pages are styled. Forms are ready. User flows are pre-defined.

This leads to a faster launch.

• Demo content can be imported in minutes
• No need to decide which plugins to install
• Fewer compatibility questions during setup

For many site owners, this feels simpler and safer. There are fewer moving parts. Less configuration. Less guessing. The site looks and works like the demo almost immediately.

That’s why theme-based solutions like Listeo WordPress theme appeal to first-time directory builders and niche site owners who want to move quickly.

Why Plugin-Based Directory Solutions Scale Better

A directory plugin separates functionality from design.

With a plugin like Directorist, the directory system lives independently of the theme. Listings, submissions, payments, and dashboards are handled by the plugin. The theme only controls how things look.

This structure supports long-term flexibility.

• Themes can be changed without rebuilding the directory
• New tools can be added through extensions
• Custom designs are easier to implement
• Multiple directory types can exist on one site

Plugin-based solutions like Directorist take a bit more time to configure at the beginning. But they give more control over time. As the project grows, features can be added without being limited by a theme’s structure.

This is why maximum users often prefer plugins for serious or future growing projects.

The “Lock-In” Question

This is the part most people don’t think about early enough.

If a theme-based directory needs a redesign later, the directory system is tied to the theme. Changing the theme often means losing layouts, templates, and sometimes functionality. Migration becomes complex and time-consuming.

With a plugin-based directory, listings and core features stay intact even if the theme changes. A redesign mostly affects appearance, not the system itself.

What’s harder to migrate?

• Theme-based directories: design + functionality together
• Plugin-based directories: mainly design, not data

This doesn’t mean theme-based solutions are bad. It means they work best when the design direction is clear from the start. Plugin-based solutions reduce long-term risk when future changes are likely.

Understanding this difference helps avoid costly rebuilds later.

Directorist Overview: Features, Pricing, and Use Cases

Why Directorist Is Built For

Directorist is built for flexibility. You can create almost any directory business model and classified ads websites, without being tied to a specific design or niche.

It works best for:

• Any directory type such as business listings, services, real estate, classifieds, jobs, or professionals
• Multi-directory websites, where different listing types exist on the same site
• Projects that require custom design, integrations, or long-term expansion

Directorist focuses on being a foundation, not a finished layout.

Core Features (Free vs Pro)

Directorist offers strong functionality even in its free version, with advanced features unlocked through paid plans or extensions.

Core features (available in free version):

• Listings with categories and locations
• Front-end listing submission
• User dashboard for managing listings
• Advanced search and filtering
• Form builder with custom fields
• Maps and geolocation support
• Reviews and ratings
• Favorite listings
• Import and export tools (CSV)

For many basic directories, the free version is already enough.

Pro features (via extensions or bundles):

• Paid listings and subscriptions
• Booking and reservations
• Advanced monetization tools
• Extended integrations
• Directorist AI

This structure allows projects to start small and grow gradually.

Add-ons Ecosystem (Where Directorist Gets Powerful)

Directorist becomes significantly more powerful through its add-ons ecosystem.

Key extensions include:

• Booking extension for appointments and reservations
• Pricing plans for paid listings and recurring subscriptions
• Ads manager for featured listings and promotions
• Claim listing functionality
• Directorist Analytics for collecting detail insights
• Private messaging between users and listing owners
• Social login, reCAPTCHA, and email marketing integrations
• Multi-vendor marketplace integrations
• Mobile app availability, which allows directory owners to offer Android and iOS apps

This modular system is a major advantage for complex or evolving projects.

Technical Review

Directorist is built with extensibility in mind.

• Theme compatibility – Works with most well-coded WordPress themes. Design is not locked in.
• Builder support – Supports Gutenberg blocks and integrates smoothly with Elementor and other popular builders.
• Extendability – Offers hooks, filters, template overrides, and third-party integrations. Custom development is realistic and sustainable.
• Scaling considerations – Suitable for large directories when paired with good hosting and optimization. Performance depends more on setup than on the plugin itself.

Ease of Use

Directorist is user-friendly, but not instant.

• Setup flow – The plugin creates required pages automatically. Settings are managed from a dedicated dashboard.
• Learning curve – More options mean more decisions. But the user friendly dashboard makes the process easier to configure fields, plans, payments, and layouts. Some advance options requires some learning but that can be solved by following the documentation section.
• Where beginners struggle – Payment setup, add-on selection, and styling often require extra attention, especially without a directory-ready theme.
• Demo import experience – Directorist offer wpWax Demo Importer which is very useful to create a stunning interface with wordpress directory theme collections.

Pricing & Licensing

Directorist offers a flexible pricing plan.

• Free version – Offers real value and is usable for simple directories.
• Paid extensions vs bundles – Features can be purchased individually or as part of bundled plans.
• Yearly vs lifetime plans – Lifetime licenses are available and are especially cost-effective for agencies and developers.

Real-world cost examples:

• Basic directory: $0–$49
• Paid listings + booking: mid-range bundle
• Agency with multiple sites: lifetime unlimited plan

Pros, Cons, and Best-Fit Scenarios

Pros

• Highly flexible and scalable
• Works with any theme
• Multi-directory support
• Strong add-ons ecosystem
• Agency-friendly licensing

Cons

• Learning curve for some advance options
• More configuration required
• Pre-Design depends on theme choice

Best fit for

• Agencies and developers
• Multi-directory platforms
• Long-term projects that will evolve

Not ideal for

• Anyone expecting a quick directory in one day without extra setup

Directorist is best seen as a long-term platform rather than a quick launch solution.

Listeo Review: Features, Pricing, and Use Cases

Why Listeo Directory Theme Is Built For

Listeo is built for directory websites where transactions and reservations sit at the core of the business model.

It works best for:

• Booking-based directories similar to Airbnb or Booking.com
• Local service directories where users book appointments or time slots
• Multi-vendor marketplace-style directories where listing owners manage their own offerings

Listeo is not trying to be everything for everyone. It is designed for directories that need clear user roles, bookings, and monetization from day one.

Core Features (What You Get Out of the Box)

Listeo includes most essential directory features without relying on many third-party plugins.

• Front-end user dashboard – Listing owners can submit, edit, and manage listings from the front end. No WordPress admin access is required.
• Built-in booking system – Supports date-based and time-based bookings. Ideal for rentals, services, and appointments.
• Paid listing packages via WooCommerce – Listings are monetized using WooCommerce products. Packages can limit listing duration, features, and submission count.
• Commission system – The site owner can earn a percentage from each booking made through the platform.
• Claim listing feature – Pre-added listings can be claimed by business owners for a fee, creating an easy monetization path.
• Messaging, reviews, and favorites – Users can message listing owners, leave reviews, and save favorite listings.
• Map support – Works with Google Maps and OpenStreetMap for location-based search and browsing.
• Form builder and custom fields – Listing submission and search forms can be customized visually. Fields can be assigned per category.
• Import tools – Supports CSV/XML imports and includes a Google Places importer to quickly populate listings.

Everything is tightly integrated, which reduces setup decisions and compatibility issues.

Technical Review

Listeo is a feature-rich theme, which comes with technical trade-offs.

• Performance considerations – As an all-in-one theme, Listeo carries more built-in logic than a lightweight theme. Good hosting and caching are important, especially when bookings and maps are heavily used.
• Elementor support – Elementor is the primary page builder. Most layouts and custom pages rely on it.
• Extendability limits – Listeo does not have a large add-on ecosystem. Custom features often require custom development or workarounds. This limits flexibility compared to plugin-based solutions.

Ease of Use

Ease of use is one of Listeo’s strongest advantages.

• Demo import experience – One-click demo import sets up pages, layouts, and sample listings quickly.
• Setup flow – Configuration focuses on maps, payment setup, listing packages, and booking rules. Most settings are guided and well-documented.
• Beginner friendliness – Beginners can launch a functional directory without deep technical knowledge. The trade-off is limited control over deep customization. Listeo prioritizes simplicity over long-term flexibility.

Pricing & Licensing

Listeo follows a traditional premium theme pricing model.

• One-time payment – Purchased via ThemeForest with a single upfront cost per site.
• Support period – Includes limited-time support (usually 6 months). Support can be extended for an additional fee.
• Multiple sites – Each site requires a separate license. There is no native unlimited-site plan.

There are no paid add-ons. All features are included in the initial purchase.

Pros, Cons, and Best-Fit Scenarios

Pros

• Fast setup and launch
• Built-in booking and monetization
• Clean and unified user experience
• Minimal plugin dependency

Cons

• Limited flexibility for custom workflows
• Harder to scale into complex or multi-directory projects
• Theme lock-in if redesign is needed later

Best fit for

• Booking-based directories
• Single-niche directory projects
• Users who want a ready-to-use system quickly

Not ideal for

• Highly customized directory workflows
• Multi-directory platforms on one site
• Projects that expect frequent design or structural changes

Listeo works best when the business model is clear from the start and speed matters more than long-term extensibility.

Directorist vs Listeo: Feature-by-Feature Comparison

This section focuses on real decision points. Not marketing claims. Just how each option behaves in practice.

1. Directory Setup Speed

Who launches faster and why

Directorist takes a bit more time while primary setup. However the Pages and layouts setup is quickly possible through the dedicated themes with wpwax demo importer.
Listeo launches faster.
Design, layouts, listings, and monetization are already connected. Demo import does most of the work.

Winner: Listeo
Best when speed matters more than flexibility.

2. Design and Customization

Directorist = design freedom (theme-dependent)

• Works with any theme
• Layout and styling depend on theme and builder
• Full control over appearance

Listeo = pre-designed

• Comes with a fixed visual structure
• Layouts are polished and consistent
• Customization stays within theme limits

Winner: Depends on goals

• Listeo for consistency
• Directorist for creative control

3. Booking Capability

Directorist

• Booking requires a paid add-on
• More flexible booking logic
• Better for advanced or custom booking rules

Listeo

• Booking system included by default
• Supports date and time-based bookings
• Commission handling built-in

Winner:

• Simple booking: Listeo
• Custom booking workflows: Directorist

4. Monetization Options

Both support common directory monetization models.

Paid listings

• Directorist: via pricing plan extensions
• Listeo: via WooCommerce packages

Booking commissions

• Directorist: available through booking add-on
• Listeo: built-in

Claim listings

• Available in both

Ads and promotions

• Both support featured listings and promotions

Subscriptions / memberships

• Both support recurring payments

Winner: Tie
Directorist offers more control. Listeo offers a faster setup.

5. Search, Filters, and Custom Fields

Form builders

• Both provide visual form builders

Custom fields

• Both allow category-based custom fields

Multi-category filtering

• Directorist handles complex filtering better
• Listeo works well for single-niche filtering

Winner: Directorist
Better suited for complex directories.

6. Importing Listings and Site Bootstrapping

Directorist

• CSV import/export
• Manual data preparation required

Listeo

• Google Places importer
• Optional AI-generated descriptions
• Ideal for fast content seeding

Best for quick directory population: Listeo
Best for controlled data imports: Directorist

7. Performance and Scalability

Directorist

• Modular plugin-based system
• Scales better with large datasets
• Performance depends on add-ons, maps, and hosting

Listeo

• Theme-heavy architecture
• Performance depends on hosting and caching
• Suitable for small to medium directories

Biggest speed factors

• Hosting quality
• Number of active add-ons
• Map usage and search complexity

Winner: Directorist
More scalable long-term.

8. Extendability and Ecosystem

Directorist

• Large extension ecosystem
• Marketplace, booking, mobile apps, integrations
• Built for expansion

Listeo

• Most features built-in
• Fewer extensions
• Custom features require custom development

Winner: Directorist
Better for evolving projects.

9. Support and Documentation

Plugin support model (Directorist)

• Documentation-heavy
• Larger community
• Support quality depends on plan

Theme support model (Listeo)

• Centralized support
• Faster for theme-specific issues
• Limited to support period

General expectation

• Beginners get faster answers with Listeo
• Advanced users benefit more from Directorist documentation

Final Takeaway for This Section

• Directorist wins on flexibility and scalability
• Listeo wins on speed and simplicity

This comparison makes one thing clear:
The right choice depends less on features and more on how far the directory is expected to grow.

Best Choice by Business Model (Passive Income Lens)

Different directory business models favor different tools. Listeo works especially well as a booking WordPress theme and create a site a like Airbnb, while Directorist offers more control for subscription-based directory models. This section maps each model to the option that creates the least friction and the highest long-term return.

Best for “Airbnb-Style Booking Marketplace”

Recommended: Listeo

Why it works best:

• Booking system is built in
• Commission tracking is native
• Vendor dashboards are ready out of the box
• No extra booking plugins required

For booking-first marketplaces, speed and reliability matter more than extreme flexibility. Listeo removes technical barriers and allows focus on supply, demand, and marketing.

Best for “Local Business Directory with Paid Listings”

Recommended: Directorist

Why it works best:

• Strong paid listing and subscription models
• Flexible pricing plans
• Works with any theme
• Easier long-term SEO and layout optimization

Local directories grow slowly and depend on long-term stability. Directorist supports that growth without forcing a redesign later.

Best for “Classifieds + Multiple Directory Types”

Recommended: Directorist

Why it works best:

• Native multi-directory support
• Different listing types on one site
• Separate fields, filters, and workflows per directory

Theme-based solutions struggle here. Directorist is a WordPress multi-vendor directory theme designed for this exact use case.

Best for “Agency Building Client Directories”

Recommended: Directorist

Why it works best:

• Reusable system across multiple clients
• Unlimited-site and lifetime licenses
• Easy to adapt per client niche
• Scales with agency growth

Agencies benefit from a flexible core rather than a fixed theme.

Best for “Beginners Launching First Directory”

Recommended: Listeo

Why it works best:

• Fast setup
• Minimal configuration
• Pre-designed layouts
• Lower chance of setup mistakes

For first-time directory builders, Listeo reduces overwhelm and accelerates launch.

Can You Use Listeo and Directorist Together?

At first glance, it may seem logical to combine both tools. One is a theme. The other is a plugin. In reality, using them together creates more problems than benefits.

Why It’s Not Recommended

Listeo and Directorist both try to control the same core system: listings.

This causes overlap.

• Each creates its own listing post type
• Each adds its own submission forms
• Each introduces its own user dashboards
• Each manages search, filters, and maps separately

The result is duplicate workflows and user confusion.
Admins must manage two directory systems. Users see multiple “Add Listing” paths. Features conflict or break when updates are applied.

Instead of gaining flexibility, complexity increases.

Better Alternative Paths

There are two cleaner and safer approaches.

Option 1: Use Directorist with a compatible theme (flexible growth)

• Best for evolving or multi-directory projects
• Full design control
• Easier to scale, redesign, or extend later

This path suits long-term platforms and agency-style builds.

Option 2: Use Listeo only (fast launch)

• Best for a single niche
• Ideal for booking-focused directories
• Minimal setup and fewer moving parts

This path works when speed and simplicity matter more than long-term customization.

Directorist and Listeo solve the same problem in different ways. Mixing them creates friction instead of value. The smarter move is choosing one clear path based on how the directory business is expected to grow.

Final Verdict: Which One Should You Buy?

The decision becomes simple when it’s tied to goals, not features. Below is a clear checklist to help finalize the choice.

Choose Listeo If…

• A directory needs to launch fast
• Booking and reservations are central to the business
• A pre-designed layout is preferred
• Minimal configuration is important
• The project focuses on a single niche
• Long-term custom workflows are not a priority

Listeo works best when speed, simplicity, and an all-in-one setup matter most.

Choose Directorist If…

• Long-term growth matters more than launch fast
• Custom design or branding is required
• Multiple directory types will exist on one site
• The project may evolve over time
• Client work or agency reuse is planned
• Long-term scalability is a priority

Directorist fits projects that are built to grow and adapt.

Our Practical Recommendation

If I were starting a directory today, I’d choose Directorist when the goal is a scalable platform that may change direction, expand into multiple niches, or support long-term growth.

I’d choose Listeo when the goal is a fast-launch, booking-focused site with minimal setup.

The right choice is not only about which tool is better but also which one avoids rebuilding later.

Frequent Asked Questions

Directorist, HivePress, and GeoDirectory are the most popular directory plugins, but how do they compare? What if you choose one only to realize it doesn’t support the custom fields you need, or you struggle with slow loading times as your site grows? Or worse, what if your preferred monetization options aren’t supported? This can lead to frustration, wasted time, and lost revenue opportunities.

In this article, we’ll break down Directorist, HivePress, and GeoDirectory to help you make an informed decision. By understanding the unique features of each, you can choose the right plugin that scales your business, offers essential customization, and maximizes your revenue potential.

So, without further ado, let’s dig deeper.

What Is Directorist?

Directorist is a versatile and highly optimized free WordPress solution for building any type of modern directory or classified website. It offers a complete platform where admins and business owners can easily manage listings from the frontend. With advanced features designed to help businesses grow, Directorist makes it simple to attract more users and expand your reach. Plus, it enables both admins and business owners to generate more revenue with minimal effort, all while providing a seamless experience.

An Overview of HivePress

HivePress is a free WordPress plugin built for creating all kinds of directory and classified websites. Whether you’re setting up a business directory, job board, real estate listings, or any other type of listing site, HivePress offers all the key features you need to get started.

Some Words about GeoDirectory

GeoDirectory lets you create location-based directories with ease. It’s highly customizable and user-friendly, making it simple to build directories for businesses, events, or places. The plugin supports multiple locations, has advanced search features, and comes with a built-in review and rating system.

Comparison of Directorist, HivePress, and GeoDirectory- Which One Takes The Edge?

When selecting a directory plugin for WordPress, Directorist, HivePress, and GeoDirectory are three prominent options. Each plugin has unique features and capabilities that cater to different requirements. Here is a detailed comparison based on their functionalities, customization options, and support features.

Let’s start with active installations and user base

• Directorist: Over 10,000 active installations, rated 4.7 out of 5 stars on WordPress.org.
• HivePress: Also boasts over 10,000 active installations worldwide.
• GeoDirectory: Matches the active installations of the others, but is more niche-focused on location-based directories.

5-Star ratings on WordPress.org

Directorist has received 553 five-star ratings on WordPress.org, reflecting its strong user satisfaction. HivePress has 180 five-star reviews, and GeoDirectory tops the list with 594 five-star ratings. These numbers show just how users have received these platforms.

Features (Free) comparison at a glance

Feature	Directorist	HivePress	GeoDirectory
Unlimited custom fields
Multi Directory
Advanced Custom Filters with drag and drop builder
Geolocation
CSV Bulk Importer
Scale to a Large Volume of of Listings
Featured Listings
Ratings & Reviews
Private Directory
Elementor Page Builder Widgets
Frontend Listing Submission and Management​
Modern, Customizable, and Trending Design
Easy Translation, RTL, and Built-in SEO Solution
Renew Listings
Email Notification
Schedule Task
Save & Bookmark
Custom Badges
Custom user Registration and Login
Author Public Profile
WooCommerce Multivendor Plugin (Dokan, WC WooCommerce Compatibility​)
WPML integration
Tax Ready
Flag & Report
Invoice
Direction & Contact

Customization options

• Directorist: Offers a range of customization options, including unlimited custom fields and advanced form builders. The plugin is designed to be user-friendly, requiring no coding skills for basic customizations for directory or classified websites.
• HivePress: Provides extensive customization capabilities, allowing users to create any directory or classified site.
• GeoDirectory: While it allows for some customization, it is more rigid than HivePress and Directorist. Custom fields and search filters are limited unless premium features are purchased.

Monetization features

• Directorist: Supports monetization through paid listings, feature listings, claim listings, ranked featured listings, pay-per-submit, and subscriptions. However, some of them are locked behind a paywall.
• HivePress: Offers a variety of monetization methods, including paid listings and claim listings, making it versatile for different business models.
• GeoDirectory: Also supports multiple monetization strategies, but its premium extensions can become costly.

Support and community

• Directorist: Provides support through a ticket system, live chat, and community forum for both premium and free users. However, premium users get the services on a priority basis. Moreover, they can ask for customization facilities if needed.
• HivePress: Utilizes a community forum for support, allowing users to ask questions, report bugs, and suggest features.
• GeoDirectory: Offers private ticket support for users with active memberships, while free users can only access basic support.

Mobile app availability

In today’s digital age, people prefer using their mobile devices to browse the internet because of how portable and convenient they are. The ease of carrying a mobile device and the ability to use it anytime make it an essential tool for staying connected in modern life.

Fortunately, Directorist comes with a mobile app (Android & iOS). While other two options, GeoDirectory and HivePress don’t have any mobile apps yet.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory	HivePress
Mobile Apps

Extensions/Add-ons

When it comes to extending the functionality of directory websites, each platform brings a range of add-ons to the table. Directorist leads the pack with an impressive 30 extensions/add-ons, offering robust customization options. GeoDirectory follows with over 25 add-ons, providing plenty of tools to enhance your directory website. HivePress, while smaller in comparison, still packs a punch with 12 add-ons, delivering essential features for a streamlined directory experience.

Niche-specific themes

When it comes to niche-specific themes, Directorist stands out with a total of 14 themes, including 2 free options, giving users a versatile range to choose from. GeoDirectory offers a solid selection with 12 niche-specific themes, while HivePress keeps things simpler with 6 themes.

These themes are designed to cater to a variety of industries, allowing users to build directory websites tailored to specific sectors with ease and customization. Whether you’re looking for a free or premium solution, each platform offers flexibility to match different project needs.

Conclusion

Choosing between Directorist, HivePress, and GeoDirectory depends on your specific needs.

• Directorist is ideal for a comprehensive directory solution with strong customization options and a user-friendly interface for any type of directory, classified websites, or any type of submission sites.
• HivePress is best suited for flexibility and a multi-purpose plugin that can handle various types of directories and classifieds.
• GeoDirectory is tailored for location-based directories and is suitable for users focused on geolocation features.

Evaluating these factors will help determine which plugin aligns best with your requirements. Usually, we recommend the users use the free version of the products just to know how they perform in building a basic directory or classified website.

Finally, if you choose any option from our list, then don’t forget to share your experience with us just by dropping a line in the comment section below.

Practically speaking, Directorist & Toolset Directory, both belong to the directory niche however they differ in many temperaments like features, costs, and many more. But one thing we can assure our audience is that these two powerful directory solutions have made their names with lots of appreciation in the field. 

In this case, choosing a directory solution out of them for a new project might be confusing, and we truly understand your hassle. So, we have decided to share with you everything we know about two of the most popular directory solutions in the directory niche. 

In the following lines, we will cover all the differences and similarities between these two directory solutions so that you can choose your desired one. Let’s set the ball rolling on.  

Before Moving Further, Let’s Have Some Words About Toolset Directory & Directorist

Directorist

Directorist is a  multidirectory free plugin developed by team wpWax. You can use this directory plugin to create any type of modern directory with amazing features. Unlimited custom fields, Advanced search filter, Advanced form builder, and multidirectory facility, all these temperaments make this directory solution stand out of the box. 

Toolset Directory

Toolset Directory is another powerful directory solution in the directory niche. This plugin helps you to create a directory website without writing a single line of code. That is, creating/managing custom post types, taxonomies, and fields, and then display that content on the front-end of your site.

Great Customers Around The World 

Testimonials of people who love Directorist

“This plugin does everything I need it to do (and more)! The support staff is amazing. They are timely and thorough when helping to troubleshoot any issues that may arise. Highly recommended.”

• Thesmokytmtnlife

“This is by far the best-classified plugin. I tried so many other classified plugins, but this one is quick to set up, easy to understand, and works like a charm. Many useful features are included in the free version and paid add-ons offer much more for a small price. The support is done by the best and quickest team, I’ve ever experienced for a free plugin!”

• Maddest

“Directorist is easily the best directory plugin out there that balances user-friendly functionality with powerful customization ability with beautiful aesthetics. Super happy that I went with Directorist!”

• DSecomb

I’ve developed many “directory” plugins and accordingly have used many solutions specific to WordPress. Recently I got a new call for help from another business that was using the Directorist plugin. I hadn’t run across this plugin before so was a bit leary at first. My biggest concerns: Configuration Directory systems have oodles of options that can take a developer a lot of time thus costing clients a lot of money. Bad directory systems waste clients’ money; not this one.

Configuration options are well organized and understandable. Payment Flow It just works, right out of the box. In my case, Stripe was the go-to. Image Handling The Directorist plugins gives ample options for displaying listing images. The support I had one issue with my client’s setup that was baffling and wasn’t sure if it was due to the plugin or externally caused by PHP version, memory limits, Apache configs, etc. Hopping over to the Directorist website their support was instantly available online and solved the issue; did my job for me so THANK YOU!

• Flash Buddy

Testimonials Of Toolset Directory 

“It’s been incredible to watch the progress that the Toolset team has made since I jumped aboard in 2012. Your product has made it possible for my company to excel at building custom-designed WordPress websites for both the front-end UI and the back-end administration. Thank you so much!”

• Ronald E

It looks like I invested in the right company when I bought your software. The toolset is amazing!

• RobertT

Feature Comparison Table 

In case you have very little time on your hand, then having a closer look at the chart will save your time and you will get an overview of these two directory solutions to reach the culmination of your buying point. 

Directorist Vs Toolset: The Similarities (The Ties Triumph)

As we mentioned earlier that both Directorist and Toolset are powerful directory solutions and more surprisingly, there are a number of features that highlight the potency of these two directory solutions. Let’s bring them into the interface with words.

Custom field

Custom fields are a type of metadata that allows you to add custom data to your posts and pages in a more convenient way. They also allow you to add custom fields as search filters to get the best results. With a bucket full of luck, both directory solutions come up with this feature and you can add custom data to your posts and pages using either directory solution.

Front-end submission

The frontend submission system in a directory website allows visitors to submit their listings, renew/change plans, manage listings, and maintain a business without accessing the admin panel. This is really interesting!

No less than fabulous, this feature takes on the shadows of both Directorist & Toolset Directory. Meaning that the users of both directory solutions can add and manage their listings with the utmost possible ease.

Features	Directorist	Toolset
Frontend Listing Submission and Management​
Guest Submission

Modern, customizable & trending design

A directory solution can reach the hearts of its users when it subsists on modern, customizable, & trending design. More fortunately, both directory plugins can boast of this feature.

Amazing customer support

We believe that no business can sustain a long without the proper customer support. In fact, poor customer support drives a business to collapse or irreparable losses. Incredibly enough, the support team from both directory solutions is always agile not to leave any room for customer complaints.

Powerful search & advanced filter

Powerful & advanced or custom search filter allows your users to search listings based on a large number of criteria like custom fields, tags, price range, etc. along with default text field, category, and location fields to elevate the search experience to a greater level. In this feature, both Directorist and Toolset get on the same rail with a few variations.

Developer-friendly

Any developer-friendly tools make a positive vibe for the developers. The more a tool is developer-friendly the more conversions it will get. With no doubt left, we found both directory solutions more friendly for all levels of developers. In fact, the whole system is constructed with clean codes, making both of them shiny and affable for developers.

Feature	Directorist	Toolset
Developer-friendly

CSV Bulk import

It is a compelling user-friendly system that simplifies the migration process by letting you import thousands of listings from a CSV file. Thanks to the team of both directory plugins who brought this amazing feature to the plugins.

Feature	Directorist	Toolset
CSV Bulk Importer

WPML integration

It helps you to make your directory sites multilingual more conveniently & efficiently by switching your directory website from one language to another. Fortunately, both are showered with this integration to make any directory website multilingual.

Live chat

Live Chat is a feature that allows visitors to contact business owners immediately and easily. Moreover, it builds strong trust between business owners and customers. Luckily, both Directorist and Toolset Directory come up with the Live Chat feature. Hence, in this feature, no one is a frontliner.

Source: Reve

How Directorist Differs From Toolset (The Ultimate Evaluations) 

In the above lines, we have drawn the similarities between the Directorist & Toolset Directory. Now, we will epitome the differences between these two directory solutions in the lines to come. Let’s get cracking.

Free vs premium

The majority percent of directory website owners look for an option that can help them to reduce investment cost. In this case, choosing the free plugin to build a directory website will work like a magic in the initial stage. Here on this ground, Directorist overshadows Toolset Directory. Normally, the core version of Directorist is totally free while the Toolset isn’t.

Availability of mobile app

Bringing your directory business beyond your website is within the realm of possibility with a mobile app that encrypts your directory business. The team Directorist has already introduced a mobile app that is compatible with both Android & iOS. However, we didn’t have any speck of a mobile app in the Toolset Directory even on its roadmap.

Source: clutch

Multi directory facility

A subdirectory within a directory is possible when it has multi directory feature in place. Sincerely speaking, this feature allows a user to expand his/her business arena even without enlarging the volume of investment cost. Now, if you choose Directorist then you can enjoy multi directory feature. On the flip side, Toolset Directory lacks this feature and you cannot create multi directory website using this directory solution.

Announcement feature

You might want to post an announcement about recent developments in projects that you’re affiliated with, awards, course-related updates, a new book or article releases, associated news items, etc. The announcement feature will enable you to post and manage the announcements that you would like to publish on your site.  

Interestingly, Directorist comes with this feature which you won’t find in Toolset Directory. And, this feature is something where the Directorist takes the edge.

Feature	Directorist	Toolset Directory
Announcement Feature

All Authors feature

All the authors are the owners of listings. All Author feature allows you to bring all the listing owners under an umbrella. Thus, a listing owner finds another listing owner easily. Meaning, that you are building out a staff directory, and member directory websites. Users can browse through the authors. For example, you build a “hospital directory”.  Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital is an author and the listings under “Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital” are doctors. 

More fortunately, Directorist puts this feature on its table while Toolset stands in need of “All Author Feature”. 

WooCommerce multi-vendor plugin compatibility​

If you want to run a multi-vendor and directory business at one and the same time, then you need a directory system that is compatible with popular multi-vendor plugins like Dokan WC Vendors, WC Marketplace, WCFM, YITH WooCommerce Multi-Vendor. 

Fortunately, Directorist has this feature whereas Toolset Directory lacks WooCommerce multi-vendor plugin compatibility.

Private directory

The private directory enables the option that restricts the websites’ items and sections to the special users who come into the site by logging in with emails. And, it is definitely a wonderful way to enlarge the volume of your email list. 

Being covered with this feature, Directorist towers over Toolset which runs short of the private directory feature.

Feature	Directorist	Toolset
Private Directory

Schema ready

Schema markup is code (semantic vocabulary) that you put on your website to help the search engines return more informative results for users. So, Schema is not just for SEO reasons, it’s also for the benefit of the searchers. 

Directorist folks say on their roadmap that they are working on Schema markup and they will broach it up very shortly. On the other way round, the Toolset directory lacks this feature and no speck of it comes on its roadmap.

Directorist Vs Toolset: Who Would Take The Edge In a Battle? 

We haven’t been here to give judgments on which one is better. Instead, we intend to roll out the similarities and discrepancies between the two simple yet powerful directory solutions out there in the directory niche. Now, the final discretion is over to you. If you think you need a free directory solution with a bunch of sparkling features then Directorist will be a better option to install on your business directory website.

Needless to say, a smart business owner always looks for an option that gives him lots of benefits with little investment. If you are kind of a smart user, then you should look for an easier option that reduces your investment cost. That’s it.

Wrap Things Up

Thank you so much for reading this article to the end. We hope that you have already enjoyed the battle of Directorist vs Toolset Directory. Literally, both directory solutions are super performers in their respective fields. Now, it is your turn to give your preference to either of them.

Our recommendation would be like that “Spend less, Do Bigger” and this is universally true when you just start your business. However, you can move on to the bigger investment when you think you are mature well enough.

Finally, if you liked our posts, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog so that we can notify you once any post is published. Directorist is now on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn! You can also join the Directorist Community for sharing your thoughts and experiences relating to the directory niche. Come and join us to see what we’re up to.

Directories offer a structured, categorized approach, ideal for businesses wanting to provide detailed information with advanced search filters. Classified listings, on the other hand, are simpler, allowing users to post individual ads with minimal sorting.

In this article, we’ll explore the key differences and benefits of each, helping you choose the best option for your website’s needs.

What are Classified Listings?

Classified listings are advertisements or posts organized into categories that help users quickly find specific products, services, or information. These listings are a common feature in directories, websites, and publications that connect buyers and sellers. They are typically used for purposes like selling goods, offering services, real estate, job postings, and more.

Key features of classified listings

1. Categorization: Listings are grouped into categories (e.g., vehicles, jobs, real estate) to make it easier for users to find relevant information.
2. Brief descriptions: Each listing provides concise details about the product, service, or offering, often including a title, description, price, and contact information.
3. User submission: Sellers or service providers can submit their listings, usually through a user-friendly form.
4. Time-bound: Many classified listings are time-sensitive, often valid for a set duration, such as 30 or 60 days.
5. Visibility options: Some platforms allow users to promote their listings through featured spots, highlights, or boosted visibility.

Examples of classified listings

• Product sales: Advertisements for items like furniture, electronics, and second-hand goods.
• Job postings: Listings where employers advertise open positions.
• Real estate: Properties for sale or rent.
• Services: Offers from professionals such as tutors, plumbers, or mechanics.
• Community: Announcements for events, lost and found, or personal ads.

Benefits of classified listings

1. Cost-effective advertising: Often free or inexpensive compared to traditional advertising.
2. Wide reach: Many websites and publications have extensive user bases, increasing visibility.
3. Targeted audience: Users can browse by category, ensuring they see relevant ads.
4. User-friendly: Easy to post and search for ads, making it accessible for all users.

Popular platforms like Craigslist, Gumtree, and OLX exemplify classified listing websites, providing a hub for buyers and sellers to connect. For businesses or individuals looking to create a classified listing site, tools like WordPress themes (e.g., dClassified) and plugins (e.g., Directorist) are valuable for building and customizing such platforms.

What Do You Mean by Directory Listings?

Directory listings refer to a structured catalog of entries or information within a specific category, location, or industry. These listings are commonly featured on websites or platforms designed to organize and display detailed data about businesses, services, individuals, or other entities in a systematic manner. Directory listings aim to provide users with quick and easy access to relevant information for a specific purpose.

Key components of directory listings

1. Title or name: The primary identifier, often the name of a business, service, or individual.
2. Description: A brief summary or overview of the listing’s purpose or offerings.
3. Contact information: Details like phone numbers, email addresses, and website links.
4. Category and location: Information categorized by type (e.g., restaurants, doctors) and location (e.g., city, region).
5. Additional details: These might include business hours, images, reviews, pricing, or maps.

Examples of directory listing platforms

• Google My Business: Free tool to manage business presence on Google Search and Maps.
• Yelp: User-generated reviews and business directories across various sectors.
• Yellow Pages: Classic platform for business information.
• Zillow: Real estate directory for buying, renting, or selling properties.
• TripAdvisor: Travel and tourism directory featuring accommodations, restaurants, and attractions.
• Indeed: Job directory with listings from various employers and recruiters.

Benefits of directory listing platforms

1. Cost-effective advertising: Often free or inexpensive compared to traditional advertising.
2. Wide reach: Many platforms have extensive user bases, increasing visibility.
3. Targeted audience: Users can browse by category, ensuring they see relevant ads.
4. User-friendly: Simple to post and search for ads, making it accessible for all users.

Comparison of Features in a Flash

Directory vs Classified Listings- Key Differences

Understanding the distinctions between directory listings and classified listings is essential for effectively navigating online platforms for buying, selling, or promoting services. Here are the primary differences:

Purpose and focus

• Classified Listings: These are primarily designed for listing items for sale, rental, or services. They are often focused on individual transactions where users can post ads for specific goods or services, such as furniture, vehicles, or job opportunities.
• Directory Listings: In contrast, directories are intended to list businesses or individuals offering services. They serve as a comprehensive resource where users can find service providers across various industries, such as freelancers, restaurants, or local businesses.

Structure and organization

• Classified Listings: Typically organized into specific categories (e.g., real estate, automotive), classified ads allow users to create individual listings with detailed descriptions and contact information. This structure helps users search for specific items or browse through categories efficiently.
• Directory Listings: Directories tend to have a more rigid structure that categorizes listings by business type or service offered. They may include additional details like ratings, reviews, and contact information to facilitate user decision-making.

Scope and scale

• Classified Listings: Often localized, classifieds cater to specific regions or niche markets. They focus on connecting local buyers and sellers for quick transactions.
• Directory Listings: Directories usually have a broader scope and can include listings from various geographic areas. They aim to connect users with service providers on a larger scale, which may include national or international options.

User interaction

• Classified Listings: Users typically interact directly with sellers through contact information provided in the ad. The platform usually does not mediate the transaction but offers a space for communication between buyers and sellers.
• Directory Listings: Users may find additional features such as user reviews and ratings that help them assess the quality of listed services. Some directories also offer advanced search functionalities to filter results based on specific criteria like location or service type.

Monetization

• Classified Listings: Often monetized through ad placements where users pay to post their ads. The pricing structure may vary based on the number of lines or words used in the ad.
• Directory Listings: These may also charge businesses for listing their services but often include subscription models or premium features that enhance visibility within the directory.

Final Thoughts

Directory listings and classified listings serve distinct yet complementary purposes in the digital ecosystem. Directories focus on creating a structured, long-term presence for businesses or services, emphasizing detailed profiles, credibility, and discoverability through features like reviews and SEO optimization.

In contrast, classified listings prioritize short-term advertisements, offering quick visibility for specific items, services, or jobs. Choosing between the two depends on your goals: directories excel in building trust and sustained engagement, while classifieds are ideal for immediate transactions and time-sensitive offers. Together, they can provide a comprehensive strategy for reaching and engaging your target audience effectively.

But these two tools shine in different hues from their own perspectives. Do you know how they differ from each other? If not, grab a cup of tea and give a shot to this comparative guide so that you can get to know which one gives you the better value for money. Now, let’s get the ball rolling. But before we move any further…

A Brief Intro to Directorist

Directorist is a WordPress-based directory solution that allows you to build any kind of Directory websites such as local business listings, restaurant directory, automobile directory, classified ads, and so many more. Surprisingly, it comes with a free version including two free themes which is enough to create a basic directory website with a few advanced features.

The best part is that it is scalable through a host of premium extensions and themes. If you want to customize with your taste, you can do it very easily with the free directory builder. Additionally, as Directorist comes with16 free Gutenberg Blocks, 17 free Elementor widgets, and 17 premium Oxygen Builder components, you can also feel comfortable if you are using one of these page builders. Last but not least, it can also turn your directory website into a native mobile app.

The tool has more than 9000 active installations with a good 4.7 customer satisfaction rating out to 5 on WordPress.org. Even though Directorist joined the party late, it has gone very far and it’s gaining even more momentum. If you are planning to create a directory website just like yelp.com, or Craigslist, or Google+ places, then it is a go-to-go solution for you.

A Brief Intro to Directories Pro

Directories Pro is another WordPress plugin that enables you to create any kind of directory website just like Directorist. It is a useful directory solution that helps you create directories like Google+ Places or Yahoo or Yelp.com. It also ships with a whole slew of features that makes the plugin versatile and scalable.

Directories Pro ships with notable features like fast loading speed and responsiveness, Advanced Search & Facet Filters, Custom Fields management, Content Display Editor, Paid Listings, Frontend Dashboard, Claim Listings, Multi-Directory support, Frontend Submission & Dashboard, etc. The plugin has 6000+ sales on CodeCanyon with a good 4.8 customer satisfaction rating which indicates it is also a popular directory solution.

If you want to create a premium directory website, you can unhesitatingly go for Directories Pro as it does not come with a free version.

Directorist vs Directories Pro (When They Stand in Toe-to-toe)

You are here because you know there is no one size fits all solution, aren’t you? That’s why we are comparing these two giants so that you can make a better-informed decision. Now, let’s demystify the opposite of the tip of the iceberg based on the following criteria:

1. Free Version Availability
2. Pricing Plans
3. Support Duration
4. Mobile Apps Availability
5. Advanced Form Builder
6. Multi Directory
7. Unlimited Custom Fields​
8. Social Importer
9. CSV Bulk Importer
10. Search with Advanced Filters
11. Ease of Migration and Personalization
12. Frontend Listing Submission and Management​
13. Private Directory
14. Exclusive Plugins
15. Exclusive Themes
16. Page Builder Support
17. WooCommerce Multivendor Plugin Compatibility​
18. Develop Booking System
19. Built-in Checkout and Popular Gateways
20. Earn Through Monetization
21. Live Chat
22. Ads Manager
23. Social Login
24. Face Detection
25. More premium features
26. Integrations
27. Growth Rate
28. Miscellaneous

1. Free version availability

It’s a common scenario in the WordPress industry that most of the premium plugin developers build their solutions based on a scalable core version. In most, if not all the cases the core version comes free of cost, and the premium features ship in the form of paid extensions or modules.

In this regard, Directorist includes a free core version but the Directories Pro does not include a free core version.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Free version

2. Pricing plans

Directorist offers 4 pricing plans including a lifetime pricing plan with unlimited sites. The basic plan starts from just $79 (now $55 at a limited time discount offer) per 3 months. However, the most popular plan is the lifetime plan for unlimited sites that costs $999 (now $599 at a limited time discount offer). If you choose the lifetime plan, you don’t have to renew it yearly.

Then again, if you want to save even more, you have the option to pick up the number of sites (for example 1 site or 5 sites to cut the costs.

Directorist pro pricing usually starts from just $79 per 3 months. However, you can get it at $55 per month as of now while I’m writing this article. You can also get the unlimited website plan for a lifetime only at $599 (Usually available at $999).

On the other hand, Directories Pro pricing starts from $39 per 6 months. However, you can extend the support up to 12 months for $29.75 (Now it’s now available only at $12.75)

N.B: Pricing plans from both sides are subject to changes over the time

3. Support duration

Directorist has both yearly and lifetime pricing plans. Consequently, it provides support on a yearly and lifetime basis.

However, you will only get 1-year support for Connections Business Directory as it only has yearly-based pricing plans.

Directorist usually gives 1-year of support but you can get unlimited support without renewal if you go for the lifetime plan. On the other hand Directories Pro gives only 6 months of support which can be extended up to 12 months for $29.75 (Now at $12.75)

4. Mobile apps availability

Mobile apps of your directory solution indicate how efficiently you can reach more customers. Nowadays, more people are using smartphones than ever before. According to Broadband Search,

If we were to look at these numbers for the United States, about 50 percent of people use a desktop while 46 percent of the market share goes to mobile devices. Tablets make up 4 percent.

The fact from above suggests that you must have an app for your directory website to grow faster, acquire and retain more customers.

Directorist has a full-fledged native mobile app but unfortunately, Directories Pro does not have any mobile app.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Mobile Apps	(Android + iOS)

5. Drag & drop directory website page builder

An “Advanced drag and drop directory website page builder” can be a cog in the machine if you are to customize your add listing page, single listing layout, all listing page, and advanced search form builder above all the key pages of your directory website.

Directorist allows you to enjoy a drag-and-drop form builder that helps you to create all these necessary web pages in a playful and smooth way. Similarly, Directories pro comes with a drag and drop content display editor that works well enough to customize the pages. But it is not that extensive and feature-rich like the directory builder of Directorist

Features	Directorist	Directories Pro
Drag & drop based input fields
Advanced drag & drop based search form builder facility
Create and customize the listing card for grid view
Single Page Layout and List Layout Builder
Personalized builder settings panel

6. Multi-directory facilities

You may start with one directory type but later may want to expand your business with other categories. In this regard, the multi-directory feature will help you to a great extent. Both of the directory solutions brag about this feature.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Multi-directory Facility	(Free)	(Paid)

7. Unlimited Custom Fields​

If you don’t want to settle in the preset fields, custom fields are the key. To this end, Directorist and Directories Pro both come up with the custom field option with drag and drop functionalities where you can add as many custom fields as you want.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Custom Fields	(Free)	(Paid)

8. Social importer

Social importer lessens the hassle to import business information and events from Facebook, Yelp, or TripAdvisor using just the URL of your page. However, none of the plugins have this feature in place yet.

To get rid of the hassles to import business information from platforms like Facebook, Yelp, or TripAdvisor, a directory solution may have this feature. Unfortunately, none of them has introduced this feature.

Channel	Directorist	Directories Pro
Facebook
Yelp
TripAdvisor

9. CSV bulk importer

You may use other directory solutions and may switch back to another. To this end, you will have to export the data of your current directory website and import it to the new one. Interestingly, both of the directory solutions come up with the CSV Bulk Importer feature.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
CSV Bulk Importer	(With mapping)

10. Search with advanced customizable filters

Adding a search option with advanced filters is a bare minimum for a directory website. Fortunately both of the directory tools bolster this feature. You can even customize the search form the way you want. For example, you can decide whether to show or hide a field on the search form.

Both of the tools ship with advanced customizable search filters.

Features	Directorist	Directories Pro
Search Filters
Advanced Custom Filters with drag and drop builder

11. Multiple mapping sources & mapping styles

Each of these directory tools arms you with multiple mapping sources and mapping styles.

Features	Directorist	Directories Pro
Multiple Mapping Source
Google Map
Open Street Map
Customize Map

12. Frontend listing submission & guest submission​

With frontend listing submission & guest submission, users can immediately post their listings. It helps you optimize the sales funnel even more. As a result, your users are more likely to become paying customers. Another benefit is that if you restrict your users from logging in to the backend of your website, it decreases the risk of getting hacked.

Other benefits include:

• Submit their listing with just an email
• Submit from frontend dashboard which looks cooler than the dull default WordPress dashboard
• Manage their submitted listings from the front end.

Not only Directorist but also Directories Pro comes with this necessary feature:

Features	Directorist	Directories Pro
Frontend Listing Submission​
Guest Posting
Frontend Listing Management

13. Private directory

Do you want to generate leads for your email list? Then this is the way to go. You can simply restrict your users from seeing your website’s listings to the logged-in users only. Bingo! People will inundate your database with their names and emails. Cool, right?

Directorist allows you to enjoy this prerogative while Directories Pro doesn’t.

Features	Directorist	Directories Pro
Private Directory

14. Exclusive plugins

Plugin integration allows you to extend your directory website’s usability more.

Directorist has a bunch of 30 extensions. They are:

• MailChimp Integration
• Multidirectory Linking
• BuddyPress Integration
• BuddyBoss Integration
• Oxygen Page Builder Integration
• Authorize.net Payment Gateway
• Directorist Coupon
• Directorist Ads Manager
• Compare Listings
• Rank Featured Listings
• Booking (Reservation & Appointment)
• Live Chat
• Mark as Sold
• Social Login
• Post Your Need
• Listings with Map
• Image Gallery
• Listing FAQs
• Listings Slider & Carousel
• Google reCAPTCHA
• Business Hours
• Claim Listing
• Stripe Payment Gateway
• PayPal Payment Gateway
• Pricing Plans
• WooCommerce Pricing Plans
• And more

Currently, Directories Pro is fully paid. All of its features come in the form of core features.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Plugin Integrations		Not Applicable

15. Exclusive themes

Themes are like the catalyst to attract and convert users with their spells. Here are a few interesting facts:

Apart from all other WordPress themes, Directorist, has the following themes integrated:

• OneListing (Free)
• Directoria (Free)
• OneListing Pro
• dPlace
• dRestaurant
• dRealEstate
• dCar
• dDoctors
• dLawyers
• DList
• DService
• Direo
• And more

As of now, Directories Pro does not have any integrated themes on its website. It usually supports the normal WordPress themes.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Theme Integrations	(12)

16. Page builder support

Recently, people love to design their website using page builders like Elementor, Oxygen Page Builder, Gutenberg block editor, Visual Composer, Beaver Builder, Brizy, etc. Each of the directory tool support different page builders.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Page Builder Support	(Elementor, Oxygen Builder, Gutenberg)	(Elementor, Divi, Oxygen Builder)

17. WooCommerce Multivendor Plugin compatibility​

If your directory tool has compatibility with popular WooCommerce based multivendor plugins like Dokan, WC Marketplace, WCFM, WC Vendor, or YITH WooCommerce Multivendor, you can operate your directory business and multivendor business together.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Compatible with popular multi-vendor plugins like Dokan, WC Vendors, WC Marketplace, WCFM, YITH WooCommerce Multivendor.

18. Develop booking system

If you plan to create a booking based directory you must ensure the following features:

• Restaurant Reservation
• Doctor Appointments
• Service Booking
• Event Ticket Booking
• Hotel and Apartment Renting

Directories Pro does not have any built-in Booking system, though Directorist has the Booking system as an extension.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Booking System

19. Built-in checkout & popular gateways

The directory solution you choose should have multiple payments gateways to receive payments. It is necessary to stop cart abandonment.

Payment Gateways	Directorist	Directories Pro
PayPal
Payfast
Stripe
WooCommerce Payment Gateway
Bank Transfer
Authorize.net AIM

20. Earn through monetization

The more ways you have to monetize your directory website, the more revenue you can generate.

Features	Directorist	Directories Pro
Paid Listings
Featured Listings
Rank Featured Listing
Claim a Listing
EU VAT Compliance
Pay Per Submit
Google AdSense
Subscriptions
Recurrent Payment Option
Users Can Post Their Any Kind of Need or Service
Charge for upgrading or downgrading listings

21. Private Live Chat

Most, if not all websites have these features on their website these days. With Live Chat, visitors can chat with the listing owners. Consequently, your website becomes engaging and dynamic. Here is a fact to consider:

Retaining paid customers is way much harder for the listing owners than acquiring new ones for them. Giving private live chat support to customers will allow listing owners to satisfy and retain their existing customers.

Directorist does have this feature in the form of extension whilst Directories Pro is yet to include this essential feature.

Feature	Directorist	Directoreis Pro
Private Live Chat

22. Ads manager

You can not just go for a typical directory tool. With an Ads Manager option, you can earn from the ads on your directory website, by showing ads on targeted pages. With Directorist Ads Manager, you can do this from a single dashboard, and boost your earnings 10X with our powerful yet easy-to-use monetizing features.

Feature	Directorist	Directoreis Pro
Google AdSense
Facebook Ads
Affiliate Marketing

23. Social login

The Social Login feature lessens the hassle of the registration process as it does not need any email verification or so. All the users have to do is to click on a button and Presto! They are signed up & logged in with just a single click.

Again, Directorist ships with this amazing feature while Directories Pro is yet to deliver this feature.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Social Login via Gmail
Social Login via Facebook

24. Face detection

Face Detection tool can be an amazing feature for user directory websites. What it does is it correctly crops and positions a person’s face so that it fits in the frame. Neither of them is yet to have this feature.

Feature	Directorist	Directories Pro
Face Detection

25. More premium features

Some other salient premium features of a directory solution should include features as:

Features	Directorist	Directories Pro
Business Hours or Operational Hours
Mark as Sold
Spam Protection
Listing FAQs
Image Gallery
Listings Slider & Carousel
Compare Listings
WPML Support
RTL Support

26. Integrations

When your business directory solution has integrations with many other platforms, you can enjoy flexibility.

Directorist has integration with the following platforms:

• Google Map Integration
• Open Street Map Integration
• Yoast SEO Integration
• Rank Math SEO Integration
• Theme integrations
• BuddyPress Profile Page integration
• BuddyBoss Profile Page Integration
• WPML integration
• WooCommerce Subscription Integration (upcoming)
• MailChimp Integration
• Elementor Integration
• Oxygen Builder Integration
• Gutenberg Integration
• GamiPress Integration

And Directories Pro contains the following integrations:

• Google Map
• Open Street Map
• WooCommerce my-account page integration
• BuddyPress profile page integration
• Ultimate Member profile page integration
• PeepSo profile page integration
• WPML Integration

27. Miscellaneous

A standard directory tool should include these miscellaneous yet essential features:

Features	Directorist	Directories Pro
Right to left language compatibility like Arabic, Aramaic, Azeri, etc.
Rating & Reviews
Guest Submission
Private Directory
Custom Badges
GDPR Ready
Renew Listings
Email Notification
Scheduling Task (Admin can fix the time frame after which submitted listings will be expired.)
Save & Bookmark
Easy Setup Wizard
Direction & Contact
Invoice
Tax Ready
Flag & Report
Super Responsiveness
Author Public Profile
Elementor Page Builder Widgets
Custom user Registration and Login
Social Media Share
Events Manager
EU VAT Compliance
Franchise Manager

Final Verdict

These two directory solutions glitter equally but differently from their position. We suggest you use the free version first before making any purchasing decision. Unfortunately, Directories Pro does not come up with any free version.

However, if you are using Directories Pro or Directorist, make sure you share your experience in the comment section below. If you liked our posts, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog so that we can notify you once any post is published. Directorist is now on Twitter & Facebook! You can also join the Directorist Community for sharing your thoughts and experiences relating to the directory niche. Come and join us to see what we’re up to. 

Yet they still bear their separate identities and are battling constantly with each other to stay ahead of the curve. Although the GeoDirectory plugin has been around for several years, Directorist has joined the party way later. Nonetheless, the latter has burst into popularity within a very short span of time. So, what are all the fusses about them?

Well!, in today’s article, we will be digging deeper to know which one gains the whip hand over the other after comparing their features. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.

But before we begin…

What Are the Basic Criteria to Judge a Directory Plugin?

Well, it becomes much easier for you to understand the differences if you can see all the features in place. To this end, we would like to simplify the comparison process by dishing out the essential features a standard directory tool usually puts on the table. Here are some of the essential features of a directory plugin:

1. Free Version Availability
2. One Time Pricing
3. User Rating or User Satisfaction Rate
4. Support Duration
5. Mobile Apps Availability
6. Advanced Form Builder
7. Multi Directory
8. Unlimited Custom Fields​
9. Social Importer
10. CSV Bulk Importer
11. Search with Advanced Filters
12. Frontend Listing Submission and Management​
13. Multiple Mapping Source & Styling
14. Private Directory
15. Exclusive Plugins
16. Exclusive Themes
17. Page Builder Support
18. WooCommerce Multivendor Plugin Compatibility​
19. Develop Booking System
20. Push Notification
21. Built-in Checkout and Popular Gateways
22. Earn Through Monetization
23. Live Chat
24. Ads Manager
25. Social Login
26. More premium features
27. Growth Rate
28. Miscellaneous

GeoDirectory vs Directorist – Feature Comparison

Now that you know the basic features of a directory tool, let’s find out the match-up between Geodirectory vs Directorist.

1. Free Version Availability

Those who want to keep their initial investment lower will find this feature the most lucrative one. Both of the plugins come up with a free version. And both of them cover enough features in the free version as well. We will show you the free features as we move forward.

2. Pricing Plans

There is a far cry between GeoDirectory and Directorist when it comes to pricing. Yes, you heard it right!

The lifetime deal for GeoDirectory is $995. But the disadvantage of this plan is it limits to 100 domains.

However, there are 3 other plans too: $199 for 1 year $129 for 6 months, and $99 for 4 months.

And the lifetime deal for Directorist is only $734 with unlimited domains, lifetime updates, and lifetime customer support. The other two lifetime deals will however only restrict your domain number keeping the other privileges intact.

There are also two other cheaper plans available

Now you can easily guess how much cost you can minimize if you go for Directorist.

3. User Rating or User Satisfaction Rate

The user rating refers to the satisfaction rate of users during or after the use of a plugin. In this case, they bear an almost similar degree of rating. However, Directorist has a slight edge over GeoDirectory plugin when they battle for the highest satisfaction rate.

The user rating for GeoDirectory is 4.6 out of 5

whereas Directorist has 4.7 out of 5.

4. Support Duration

This is quite useful if you run into any trouble along the way you are using them. Depending upon the pricing plan you will get 4 or 6 or 12 months or unlimited customer support for the GeoDirectory plugin.

On the other hand, you will get at least 1-year customer support or full lifetime support for Directorist. In this case, Directorist is in a significant lead to ensure the highest possible customer satisfaction rate with their full lifetime customer support service.

5. Mobile Apps Availability

People love to browse the internet with their mobile devices in this era due to their portability.

Fortunately, Directorist comes with a mobile app (Android & iOS). While GeoDirectory doesn’t have any mobile app yet.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Mobile Apps

6. Advanced Form Builder

The advanced form builder is essential to give your directory listing an attractive appearance with an immersive and interactive editing experience. You can build the single listing layout and multiple listing layout designs with drag and drop functionality absolutely with your own preference.

Both of the directory systems will facilitate you with this advanced feature and will also allow you to choose either list view or grid view for the multiple listings layout. Further, GeoDirectory and Directorist have a spot on advanced search form filter building service built-in.

Features	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Drag & drop based input fields
Advanced search form builder facility
Create and customize the listing card for grid view
Single Page Layout and Listings Card Layout
Personalized builder settings panel

7. Multi-directory Facilities

The universe is expanding at an accelerating rate – why not your directory business? You may start with only one directory niche but later you can use the multidirectory feature to expand just like the universe.

To help facilitate your website with this, both of the solutions will take you to the rescue.

However, Directorist can save your bank significantly because this multidirectory feature even comes with the free version.

Both of the plugins will help you create as many directory types as you wish.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Multi-directory Facility	(Free)	(Paid)

8. Unlimited Custom Fields​

The preset fields may not be enough to meet all your needs. You may need customizable fields to insert on the submission form so that you can collect all your required fields from your users.

Luckily they both come up with this custom field feature. Furthermore, if you are using GeoDirectory, you will get 9 different field types whereas Directorist has more than 11 custom fields.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Custom Fields	(11 Field Types)	(9 Field types)

9. Social Importer

Social importer lessens the hassle of importing business information and events from Facebook, Yelp or TripAdvisor using just the URL of your page. GeoDirectory lets you do this using an API application or go through your own import tool. This is a pretty good feature from GeoDirectory whereas Directorist doesn’t have this feature in place yet.

Channel	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Facebook
Yelp
TripAdvisor

10. CSV Bulk Importer

If you are already using a directory solution for your directory business, you may want to switch to GeoDirectory or to Directorist. Assuming that you have at least 1000 listings on your current site, will you import them one by one with manual intervention?

Never! You can use the CSV bulk importer tool to do the migration process automatically. It’s an effective tool that radically saves your time and effort.

These two plugins both will allow you to import data using a CSV importer tool. However, Directorist has a slight edge over GeoDirectory as the former lets you map any field types to listing fields for maintaining accuracy while importing data.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
CSV Bulk Importer

11. Search with Advanced Filters

Gone are the days of only adding a search filter to your directory site. To achieve the highest customer satisfaction you have to bring out state-of-the-art facilities for your customers to run a circle around your competitors.

Meaning, you have to enrich the search experience of the customers by adding criteria like adding custom fields, price range, tags, geolocation and nearby listings, radius search, search widgets, and many more along with regular fields like default text field, category, and location field.

GeoDirectory and Directorist both will offer you search filters. But Directorist comes up with advanced custom search filters that contain a drag and drop builder to use.

Features	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Search Filters
Advanced Custom Filters with drag and drop builder

12. Frontend Listing Submission and Guest Submission​

This is another bare necessity for an advanced directory website. If you enable your users to directory submit the listings from the frontend rather than submitting from the backend, they can submit faster. Apart from the humdrum default WordPress backend, the user can get the opportunity to submit from a different interface with a bodacious and unobtrusive interface.

The two of the directory systems not only do have the frontend submission system but also have the frontend submission management system.

However, Directorist also allows the visitor to directly submit a listing even if s/he is unregistered or visiting the site for the first time. In this case, the visitor will only have to insert his or her email to get a password in his or her email inbox.

Features	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Frontend Listing Submission and Management​
Guest Submission

13. Multiple Mapping Source and Styling

Not all of us bear the same palate. Multiple mapping source helps you to embellish the add listing form or listing submission form with different types of form.

Interestingly, both of the directory plugins boast off from their own perspective. The GeoDirectory plugin focuses on map styling (For instance Default view, satellite view, Hybrid View, etc. while Directorist concentrates more on the mapping source for example Google Map and OpenStreet Map.

Features	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Multiple Mapping Source

14. Private Directory

With the Private Directory option, you can restrict your website’s listings to logged-in users only so that the visitors can not see them without logging in. This way you can grow your email list like never before.

GeoDirectory does not have this feature but Directorist has got you covered with this exclusive feature.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Private Directory

15. Plugin Integration / Addons

Plugin integrations allow you to extend your directory website’s usability more.

Currently, GeoDirectory has 21 extensions. They are:

• Location Manager
• Advanced Search Add-on
• Custom Post Types
• Pricing Manager
• Events
• Claim Listings
• BuddyPress Integration
• Marker Cluster
• MultiRatings and Reviews
• GD reCAPTCHA
• Social Importer
• Custom Map Styles
• WP All Import
• Franchise Manager
• Ajax Duplicate Alert
• List Manager
• Embeddable Ratings Badge
• Compare Listings
• Directory Converter
• WPML Multilingual
• Google Analytics

Surprisingly, Directorist has 30 integrations. They are:

• Authorize.net Payment Gateway
• Directorist Coupon
• Directorist Ads Manager
• Compare Listings
• Booking (Reservation & Appointment)
• Live Chat
• Mark as Sold
• Social Login
• Post Your Need
• Listings with Map
• Image Gallery
• Listing FAQs
• Listings Slider & Carousel
• Google reCAPTCHA
• Business Hours
• Claim Listing
• Stripe Payment Gateway
• PayPal Payment Gateway
• Pricing Plans
• WooCommerce Pricing Plans
• And, more

16. Theme Integration

The appearance of a website matters most because it has the potential to create credibility and an overall good impression on the visitor’s mind.

Thus it is imperative for your directory site to have integration with a host of themes so that your website design resonates with your directory niche.

As of now, GeoDirectory has integration with 8 themes:

• GeoDirectory Framework
• Whoop!
• GDF Modern – GDF Child Theme
• Geo Bold – Genesis Child Theme
• Geo Travel – Genesis Child Theme
• Geo 1280 Genesis Child Theme
• Supreme Directory
• Directory Starter

Conversely, Directorist has the following 3 theme integrations:

• DList
• DService
• Directoria
• Direo

17. Page builder support

As we said already, you don’t have a choice other than implementing a great design for your directory website. Both of the solutions support the popular Elementor page builder to create pages lightning fast reflecting your design philosophy. Directorist has Elementor widgets while GeoDirectory lets you import Elementor templates.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Page Builder support

18. WooCommerce Multivendor Plugin Compatibility​

Directorist is completely compatible with multivendor solutions like Dokan, WC Marketplace, WCFM WC Vendors, YITH WooCommerce Multivendor. However, GeoDirectory is not compatible with them so far.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Compatible with popular multi-vendor plugins like Dokan, WC Vendors, WC Marketplace, WCFM, YITH WooCommerce Multivendor.

19. Develop Booking System

A booking system is a great way to sell services on your directory website. If you have a plan to integrate such services, you must check out if your directory solution supports Booking System development. With booking system, you can create:

• Restaurant Reservation
• Doctor Appointments
• Service Booking
• Event Ticket Booking
• Hotel and Apartment Renting

GeoDirectory does not have any built-in Booking system, though Directorist have the Booking system as an extension.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Booking System

20. Push Notification

Sending push notifications is a great way to increase user engagement with your directory website. Unfortunately, none of them will enable you to send push notifications to your visitors who have subscribed or accepted cookies.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Push Notification

21. Built-in Checkout and Popular Gateways

GeoDirectory and Directorist both are compatible with popular gateways. However, GeoDirectory can’t keep pace with Directorist for not having integration with Stripe payment gateway and not having a Bank Transfer option.

Payment Gateways	Directorist	GeoDirectory
PayPal
Stripe
WooCommerce
Bank Transfer

22. Earn through Monetization

The directory solution you are going to opt for should allow you to monetize in various ways – not just through one or two ways.

GeoDirectory lets you monetize through Paid Listings, Featured Listings, Claim a Listing, Pay Per Submit, Subscriptions, Recurrent Payment Option. Unfortunately, GeoDirectory does not allow your site to rank a featured listing though.

Conversely, Directorist comes up with three more features along with all the GeoDirectory features – One is Rank featured listing, and the other is “Users Can Post Their any Kind of Need or Service”.

Features	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Paid Listings
Featured Listings
Rank Featured Listing
Claim a Listing
EU VAT Compliance
Pay Per Submit
Google AdSense
Subscriptions
Recurrent Payment Option
Users Can Post Their Any Kind of Need or Service

23. Private Live Chat

Live chat is a necessary feature to gain customer credibility and customer satisfaction rate. With this feature, the customers can chat privately and directly with the business owners to solve their problems.

Unfortunately, GeoDirectory does not have this necessary feature while Directorist has this feature to keep your customers’ worry at bay.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Private Live Chat

24. Ads Manager

If your directory solution allows you to monetize by placing ads, it can be a cherry on top. Nowadays, many directory business owners are showing ads using methods like Google AdSense, Facebook Ads, Affiliate marketing to earn extra money.

You can place ads on targeted pages like on all listings or single listings, all categories, all locations, the dashboard to ramp up your earning.

Again, GeoDirectory can not allow you to monetize with ads while Directorist has this feature via premium extension. In Directorist, you can also inject custom HTML/JS to expand the use-cases and level up the personalized ads.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Google AdSense
Facebook Ads
Affiliate Marketing

25. Social Login

The social login feature has become a useful feature not just on a directory website but also on other websites as well. It accelerates the process of signup or registration and login.

With this feature, the users do not need to fill out an entire registration form and wait for the email verification process. This is an effective tool to retain visitors and make your site more user-friendly.

But GeoDirectory has not rolled out this feature yet. Conversely, Directorist has this super convenient feature that lets users log in straight from their social profiles like Facebook and Google.

Feature	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Social Login

26. More Premium Features

Some other salient premium features of a directory solution should include:

Features	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Business Hours or Operational Hours
Mark as Sold
Spam Protection
Listing FAQs
Image Gallery
Listings Slider & Carousel
Compare Listings

27. Growth Rate

Although Directorist has joined the party much later than its competitor GeoDirectory, it (Directorist) has seen a steady growth even during the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, 2020, and early 2021.

As of now, GeoDirectory has seen the highest 0.7% of growth. Conversely, Directorist has seen a whopping 13.3% of growth. Thus Directorist clearly clinches the victory here.

28. Miscellaneous

A standard directory tool should include these miscellaneous yet essential features:

Features	Directorist	GeoDirectory
Right to left language compatibility like Arabic, Aramaic, Azeri etc.
Rating & Reviews
Private Directory
Custom Badges
GDPR Ready
Renew Listings
Email Notification
Scheduling Task (Admin can fix the time frame after which submitted listings will be expired.)
Save & Bookmark
Easy Setup Wizard
Direction & Contact
Invoice
Tax Ready
Flag & Report
Super Responsiveness
Author Public Profile
Elementor Page Builder Widgets
Custom user Registration and Login
Social Media Share
Events Manager
EU VAT Compliance
Franchise Manager

The Final Verdict

Since both are developer-friendly and open source solutions, you can develop and customize their features too in case you need them! In fact, GeoDirectory and Directorist both are pretty cool directory solutions. But in our pick, Directorist is clearly the winner considering its unbelievably lower pricing plans, exclusive premium features, staggering growth rate, lifetime customer support, and great customer satisfaction reviews.

Now, the final decision is up to you which one to choose. However, we would like to encourage you to give the free version a shot so that you can get hands-on experience and make a much better-informed decision. In the end, if you have already used these two awesome solutions, feel free to comment below regarding your experience.

If you liked our posts, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog so that we can notify you once any post is published. Directorist is now on Twitter & Facebook! You can also join the Directorist Community for sharing your thoughts and experiences relating to the directory niche. Come and join us to see what we’re up to. 

Although Business Directory Plugin entered the market much earlier than Directorist did, the latter gained tremendous popularity within a very short span. In today’s article, we will be scrutinizing these two directory systems to determine how well they perform in terms of offering aspects like providing multidirectory functionalities, free version availabilities, CSV bulk importing ability, page builder support, theme and plugin integration, and so on.

Now, let’s get to it!

But before we move any further…

What Are the Basic Criteria While Comparing a Directory Solution with Others?

Selecting the right directory tool can be a cog in the machine for your directory business. But before you choose a suitable directory tool, you need to keep the following criteria in your book:

1. Free Version Availability
2. One Time Pricing
3. User Rating or User Satisfaction Rate
4. Support Duration
5. Mobile Apps Availability
6. Advanced Form Builder
7. Multi Directory
8. Unlimited Custom Fields​
9. Social Importer
10. CSV Bulk Importer
11. Search with Advanced Filters
12. Multiple Mapping Source and Styling
13. Frontend Listing Submission and Management​
14. Private Directory
15. Plugin Integration
16. Theme Integration
17. Page Builder Support
18. WooCommerce Multivendor Plugin Compatibility​
19. Develop Booking System
20. Push Notification
21. Built-in Checkout and Popular Gateways
22. Earn Through Monetization
23. Live Chat
24. Ads Manager
25. Social Login
26. More premium features
27. Growth Rate
28. Miscellaneous

Based on these criteria, you can judge the degree of goodness of any business directory tool.

Business Directory Plugin vs Directorist – Feature Comparison

You can create pretty much any kind of directory website with these two. Still, they shed light on different aspects when it comes to feature comparison. Now that you know the basic features of a directory tool, let’s find out the match-up between Business Directory Plugin vs Directorist.

1. Free Version Availability

If you are a startup owner, you need to check your initial expenses. In this case, you can pursue a solution that ships with free version availability. Thankfully, both of them come up with a free version. As a startup owner, you should keep this freemium aspect of the solution under your consideration so that you can initially get a headstart and later on you become able to scale up your business with all the premium features.

2. Pricing Plans

The two rivals have completely different pricing plans. Business Directory Plugin offers only 3 yearly pricing plans:

• Elite: $299.50/per year
• Pro: $199.50/per year
• Basic: $99.50/per year

Directorist, on the other hand, offers 6 pricing plans so that you can pick the right one. The plans can be categorized as:

• Quarterly plan – $79, after discount usually around $67
• Half-yealy plan – $129, after discount usually around $99
• Yearly plan- $199, after discount usually around $129

All the above plans come with an unlimited sites license!

• The lifetime pricing plans include $399, $699, and $999. In lifetime deals, you will get upto 100 domains to register the plugin and get priority support forever up until the product lifetime.

Again, if you are an agent and create an army of directory websites for others, the lifetime deals with unlimited domains will surely meet your needs as you don’t have to renew over and over again.

Besides, if you want to create a directory website only for you, after the discount the 1 Site plan can save tons of money as you don’t have to renew the license and have unlimited support at the same time.

3. User Rating or User Satisfaction Rate

User rating or user reviews are great ways to judge a plugin. Whenever you are going to choose a solution, you should look for high user ratings and positive customer reviews. If the customer rating is low, there is a high likelihood that the solution is poorly built or it’s having issues like bugs or awful customer support service.

Interestingly engouh, both of the plugins boasts off the same 4.7 user rating out of 5 as of today while we are writing.

The user rating for Business Directory Plugin is 4.7 out of 5.

And here is the screenshot for Directorist:

4. Support Duration

This is quite an imperative aspect if you run into any trouble down the line. Before you buy any software or plugin, make sure you check the span of customer support.

No matter what pricing plan you choose, you will only get 1 year of customer support for the Business Directory Plugin.

On the other hand, Directorist has not only a 1-year-long customer support plan but also unlimited support options for lifetime deals which will give you more flexibility.

5. Mobile Apps Availability

Whether you are in the coffee shop, or in the train, or in the park, you will see that people are scrolling their mobile screens all the time. Here is an interesting statistics:

Directorist team claims on their roadmap and they have delivered! Directorist now has a native mobile app for both iOS and Android.

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Mobile Apps

6. Advanced Form Builder

If you are the type of person who never settles in, you need a dynamic tool. And guess what! Advanced form builder helps you do just that by giving your directory website a customized layout and appearance with the privilege of drag-and-drop functionality.

Business Directory Plugin does not allow you to use any advanced form builder when Directorist has a dynamic drag-and-drop functionality with a sleek design.

With Directorist, you can also choose whether to show your listing in list view or grid view.

Features	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Drag & drop based input fields
Advanced search form builder facility
Create and customize the listing card for grid view		(Via Elegant Grid Theme)
Single Page Layout and Listings Card Layout
Personalized builder settings panel

7. Multi-directory Facilities

You can start with a single-directory website but later you may change your mind to make it a multi-directory website. For example, you may start with an automobile directory website but you can add an automobile parts directory to the existing website.

Unfortunately, you can not create a multidirectory website with Business Directory Plugin due to the lack of this feature.

On the contrary, Directorist comes up with this feature even with its free version.

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Multi-directory Facility	(Free)

8. Unlimited Custom Fields​

Custom fields have become a bare necessity these days. Without them, you can not streamline the submission form the way you want. Luckily enough they both allow you to create as many different types of custom fields as you want.

Luckily they both come up with this custom field feature. However, if you are using Business Directory Plugin you will have to create custom fields by changing their types on your own. And it does not have any built-in drag and drop functionalities either.

On the other hand, apart from a host of preset fields, Directorist has more than 11 preset custom fields which you can customize and add as many as you want. You can also add practically unlimited custom fields with drag and drop functionalities in Directorist.

Feature	Directorist	Busienss Directory Plugin
Custom Fields	(Drag and drop)	(Static)

9. Social Importer

Social importer lessens the hassle to import business information and events from Facebook, Yelp, or TripAdvisor using just the URL of your page. However, none of the plugins have this feature in place yet.

Channel	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Facebook
Yelp
TripAdvisor

10. CSV Bulk Importer

For whatever reason, anyone can switch to a new directory solution. But for this purpose, you will need CSV bulk importer for seamless switching. If not, you will have to export and import each data manually which is a pretty tedious job. Besides, while exporting or importing data manually, there is a high likelihood that you might end up with a number of errors.

Luckily enough, both of these plugins have default CSV bulk importers with mapping features that are easy to use.

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
CSV Bulk Importer

11. Search with Advanced Filters

A search filter is an imperative aspect of a directory solution. With the help of filters, customers or visitors can find their desired listings from thousands of solutions in a second.

You can add filters like:

• adding custom fields,
• price range, tags,
• geolocation and nearby listings,
• radius search,
• search widgets, and
• many more along with regular fields like default text field, category, and location field.

So, you have to ensure that this feature comes with the directory solution you are going to choose.

Surprisingly, both of these directory plugins ship with this feature.

However, Directorist has a big edge over Business Directorist Plugin as the former lets you use unlimited custom fields on your filter form.

Features	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Search Filters
Advanced Custom Filters with drag and drop builder

12. Multiple Mapping Source and Styling

If your directory solution enables you to use different types of maps, it’s a plus for you and your customers or visitors. Business Directory Plugin, however, does not allow to use of multiple mapping sources other than its only mapping source, Google Map.

Conversely, Directorist will allow you to use not only Google Map but also Open Street Map.

Features	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Multiple Mapping Source

13. Frontend Listing Submission and Guest Submission​

We know you want to convert more visitors to customers. For this purpose, you need a frontend list submission feature with a sleek dashboard.

In addition to that, enabling the users to submit their listings with merely their email will be a cherry on top.

Business Directory Plugin neither has the frontend listing submission nor the guest submission option. On the other hand, Directorist takes pride in having both of the features along with frontend listing management. Meaning the end-users will be able to:

• Submit their listing with just an email
• Submit from frontend dashboard which looks cooler than the default WordPress dashboard
• Manage their submitted listings from the front end.

Features	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Frontend Listing Submission​
Guest Posting
Frontend Listing Management

14. Private Directory

With the Private Directory option, you can restrict your website’s listings to logged-in users only so that the visitors can not see them without logging in. This way you can grow your email list like never before.

Business Directory Plugin does not have this feature but Directorist has got you covered with this exclusive feature.

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Private Directory

15. Plugin Integration / Addons

Plugin integration allows you to extend your directory website’s usability more.

Currently, Business Directory Plugin has 6 extensions in its basket. They are:

• Yoast SEO Integration
• WPML Forms
• Authorize.net AIM
• PayPal
• Stripe
• Payfast

Directorist, on the contrary, has an army of 25 integrations. They are:

• Authorize.net Payment Gateway
• Directorist Coupon
• Directorist Ads Manager
• Compare Listings
• Booking (Reservation & Appointment)
• Live Chat
• Mark as Sold
• Social Login
• Post Your Need
• Listings with Map
• Image Gallery
• Listing FAQs
• Listings Slider & Carousel
• Google reCAPTCHA
• Business Hours
• Claim Listing
• Stripe Payment Gateway
• PayPal Payment Gateway
• Pricing Plans
• WooCommerce Pricing Plans

16. Theme Integration

The appearance of a website matters most because it has the ability to create credibility and an overall good impression on the visitor’s mind.

A standard directory solution will offer you a whole range of themes to integrate with. Themes provide your website personalized appearance and it is also helpful to align with your niche. Even, the design or appearance of your website is responsible for credibility, for customers’ purchase decision:

As of now, Business Directory Plugin has integration with 7 themes:

• Elegant Grid Theme
• Modern Business Theme
• Business Card Theme
• Tabbed Business Theme
• Elegant Business Theme
• Mobile Compact Theme
• Restaurant Directory Theme

Directorist, on the other hand, has the following 10 theme integrations:

• DList
• DService
• Directoria
• Direo
• One Listing (Free)
• One Listing Pro
• Dlawyers
• Ddoctors
• Ddrestuarant
• Dplace

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Theme Integrations	(10)	(7)

17. Page builder support

As we said already, you don’t have a choice other than implementing a great design for your directory website. Business Directory Plugin is yet to roll out support for popular page builders.

But Directorist, on the other hand, supports the popular Elementor page builder to create pages lightning fast reflecting your design philosophy accompanied by Elementor widgets.

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Page Builder support

18. WooCommerce Multivendor Plugin Compatibility​

If your Directory solution is compatible with popular marketplaces like Dokan, WC Marketplace, WCFM, WC Vendor, and YITH WooCommerce Multivendor, you can run your directory business and multivendor business in tandem.

However, Business Directory Plugin has not have this feature in place as of now.

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Compatible with popular multi-vendor plugins like Dokan, WC Vendors, WC Marketplace, WCFM, YITH WooCommerce Multivendor.

19. Develop Booking System

A booking system lets you sell services in a more efficient and smarter way. Make sure your directory solution has got this feature covered. With a booking system integrated with your directory solution, you can let your users submit listings for the following niche:

• Restaurant Reservation
• Doctor Appointments
• Service Booking
• Event Ticket Booking
• Hotel and Apartment Renting

Business Directory Plugin does not have any built-in Booking system, though Directorist have the Booking system as an extension.

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Booking System

20. Push Notification

With Push Notification, you or your users can get instant updates on what is going on right now. Your users will receive notifications once they subscribe or accept cookies.

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Push Notification

21. Built-in Checkout and Popular Gateways

The more gateways you employ on your directory website, the more conversion you can expect from. Take a look at the following table to know which one supports what ones:

Payment Gateways	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
PayPal
Payfast
Stripe
WooCommerce Payment Gateway
Bank Transfer
Authorize.net AIM

22. Earn through Monetization

The directory solution you are going to opt for should allow you to monetize in various ways – not just through one or two ways.

Business Directory Plugin lets you monetize through Paid Listings, Featured Listings, Claim a Listing, Pay Per Submit, Subscriptions, and Recurrent Payment Option, though it does now allow you to use features like rank featured listing, EU VAT compliance, Pay Per Submit, etc.

Conversely, Directorist comes up with three more features along with all the Business Directory Plugin features – One is Rank featured listing, and the other is “Users Can Post Their any Kind of Need or Service”.

Features	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Paid Listings
Featured Listings
Rank Featured Listing
Claim a Listing
EU VAT Compliance
Pay Per Submit
Google AdSense
Subscriptions
Recurrent Payment Option
Users Can Post Their Any Kind of Need or Service

23. Private Live Chat

Retaining paid customers is way much harder for the listing owners than acquiring new ones for them. Giving private live chat support to customers will allow listing owners to satisfy and retain their existing customers.

Business Directory Plugin does not have this feature whilst Directory ships with the private live chat feature out of the box.

Feature	Directorist	Businses Directory Plugin
Private Live Chat

24. Ads Manager

Ads Manager is a bonus feature of a directory solution, other than the regular monetizing features. You can place the ads on targeted pages like on single listing, all listings, or all categories, all locations, or a dashboard to skyrocket your earnings. Unfortunately, this exciting feature is completely absent in Business Directory Plugin.

But Directorist will allow you to use the ads manager feature with methods like Google AdSense, Facebook Ads, and Affiliate marketing. Again, Directorist has this feature via premium extension. In Directorist, you can also inject custom HTML/JS to expand the use-cases and level up the personalized ads.

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Google AdSense
Facebook Ads
Affiliate Marketing

25. Social Login

These days, most websites are allowing access by using social website account like Gmail or Facebook. It is a pretty handy and popular way because the users do not have to sign up before logging in. Social Login accelerates the signing-up process without the hassle of email verification. This way you can save the customers valuable time and thus increase leads.

Feature	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Social Login via Gmail
Social Login via Facebook

26. More Premium Features

Some other salient premium features of a directory solution should include:

Features	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Business Hours or Operational Hours
Mark as Sold
Spam Protection
Listing FAQs
Image Gallery
Listings Slider & Carousel
Compare Listings

27. Growth Rate

Even if Business Directory Plugin has been around for quite a while, Directorist has appeared much later and entered the market recently. Yet it had its highest growth of 13.3% whereas Business Directory Plugin had the highest growth of 4.7%.

28. Miscellaneous

A standard directory tool should include these miscellaneous yet essential features:

Features	Directorist	Business Directory Plugin
Right to left language compatibility like Arabic, Aramaic, Azeri etc.
Rating & Reviews
Guest Submission
Private Directory
Custom Badges
GDPR Ready
Renew Listings
Email Notification
Scheduling Task (Admin can fix the time frame after which submitted listings will be expired.)
Save & Bookmark
Easy Setup Wizard
Direction & Contact
Invoice
Tax Ready
Flag & Report
Super Responsiveness
Author Public Profile
Elementor Page Builder Widgets
Custom user Registration and Login
Social Media Share
Events Manager
EU VAT Compliance
Franchise Manager

The Final Outcome

We don’t want to say which one is better or worse. Rather we believe after reading this article, you will be able to decide which one suits your needs better.

However, we would like to recommend you give a try to the free version first, so that you can get a hands-on experience on them. If you have already used them, don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

If you liked our posts, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog so that we can notify you once any post is published. Directorist is now on Twitter & Facebook! You can also join the Directorist Community for sharing your thoughts and experiences relating to the directory niche. Come and join us to see what we’re up to. 

Moving forward, these two giants have been gaining popularity among businesses and consumers, and for a good reason. With their comprehensive listings of companies, products, and services, they have made it easier than ever to find what you need. However, the question remains, which one is the better option?

Will Directorist take the crown with its sleek design and user-friendly interface, or will Connections Business Directory come out on top with its vast network and extensive search options? This epic battle will explore the strengths and weaknesses of each directory, as we strive to find the best fit for you.

So sit back, relax, and get ready for an exhilarating ride as we compare Directorist and Connections Business Directory. Who will emerge as the winner? Only time will tell, so let’s dive in and find out!

But before you judge a business directory plugin, you need to know the standard criteria.

What Are the Basic Criteria While Comparing a Directory Solution with Others?

For business directory solution comparison, we have handpicked the following features as the basic criteria. These will help you find an appropriate business directory plugin for your business.

1. Free Version Availability
2. Pricing Plans
3. Support Duration
4. Mobile Apps Availability
5. Advanced Form Builder
6. Multi Directory
7. Unlimited Custom Fields​
8. Social Importer
9. CSV Bulk Importer
10. Search with Advanced Filters
11. Ease of Migration and Personalization
12. Frontend Listing Submission and Management​
13. Private Directory
14. Exclusive Plugins
15. Exclusive Themes
16. Page Builder Support
17. WooCommerce Multivendor Plugin Compatibility​
18. Develop Booking System
19. Push Notification
20. Built-in Checkout and Popular Gateways
21. Earn Through Monetization
22. Live Chat
23. Ads Manager
24. Social Login
25. Face Detection
26. More premium features
27. Integrations
28. Growth Rate
29. Miscellaneous

Based on these criteria, you can judge the degree of goodness of any business directory tool.

Directorist vs Connections Business Directory – Feature Comparison

You can create pretty much any kind of directory website with these two. Still, they shed light on different aspects when it comes to feature comparison. Now that you know the basic features of a directory tool, let’s find out the match-up between Connections Business Directory vs Directorist.

Despite being good business directory solutions, both of them bear their distinctive features accompanied by some common ones. Now, let’s find which one has edges over the other:

1. Free Version Availability

A free version can give you the opportunity to cut your initial invested capital. Thankfully, both Directorist and Connections Business Directory come up with a free version.

That means, you can, later on, step up your business with their pro version. Besides, cost-cutting, the free version will even give you a rough idea of the overall performance of the pro versions of the tools.

2. Pricing Plans

Directorist offers 4 pricing plans including a lifetime pricing plan with unlimited sites. The basic plan starts from just $79 (now $55 at a limited time discount offer) per 3 months. However, the most popular plan is the lifetime plan for unlimited sites that costs $999 (now $599 at a limited time discount offer). The lifetime plan does not require you to renew every year.

Then again, if you want to save even more, you have the option to pick up the number of sites (for example 1 site or 5 sites to cut the costs.

The two rivals have completely different pricing plans.

Connections Business Directory, on the other hand, comes with only a yearly-based pricing plan. It does not have any lifetime deals. That means you must renew your license per year. But you can purchase the solution depending upon the number of domains you have:

Unlimited sites pricing plan:

• Template Pro Pack: $199.99/per year
• Extension Pro Pack: $199.99/per year
• Pro Pack (Templates + Extensions): $299.99/per year

1-5 sites pricing plan:

• Template Pro Pack: $149.99/per year
• Extension Pro Pack: $99.99/per year
• Pro Pack (Templates + Extensions): $149.99/per year

Single sites pricing plan:

• Template Pro Pack: $59.99/per year
• Extension Pro Pack: $29.99/per year
• Pro Pack (Templates + Extensions): $74.99/per year

However, in more than 60% of the cases, users usually like to buy lifetime deals for Directorist. So, Directorist has got an advantage over Connections Business Directory as it has a lifetime deal option in its pricing plans.

N.B: Pricing plans from both sides are subject to changes over the time

3. Support Duration

Directorist has both yearly and lifetime pricing plans. Consequently, it provides support on a yearly and lifetime basis.

However, you will only get 1-year support for Connections Business Directory as it only has yearly-based pricing plans.

4. Mobile Apps Availability

People, these days, love to browse the internet with their mobile phones particularly when they are outside of their respective homes. Especially, the use of mobile apps has become pretty popular. Thus, not rolling out a mobile app for your users can be a great way to lose traffic.

Directorist released a mobile app that is available on both Android & iOS. Howbeit, Connections Business Directory does not still have mobile apps on their website. So you may have to wait for a while to get the mobile app.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Mobile Apps	(Android + iOS)

5. Advanced Form Builder

Advanced Form Builder is a great way to build and add a listing page or submission page.

As far as Directorist is concerned, it brags not only about its drag-and-drop form builder for the submission page and add listing page but also for the search filter form page. That means you can create both the add listing page and search filter with the drag and drop form builder.

Unfortunately, Connections Business Directory Plugin does not allow you to use any advanced form builder.

With Directorist, you can also choose whether to show your listing in list view or grid view.

Features	Directorist	Connections Directory Plugin
Drag & drop based input fields
Advanced search form builder facility
Create and customize the listing card for grid view
Single Page Layout and Listings Card Layout
Personalized builder settings panel

6. Multi-directory Facilities

Multi-directory is a great way to scale up your directory website. Assuming that you are operating a directory business on automobiles and now you want to add electronics as a new type to it. You can easily do this if your directory solution has this feature built-in.

Luckily, Directorist comes up with this feature even with its free version whereas Connections Business Directory lacks this feature.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Multi-directory Facility	(Free)

7. Unlimited Custom Fields​

Custom fields are effective if you want more flexibility apart from the preset fields.

To this end, Directorist comes up with the custom field option with drag and drop functionalities where you can add as many custom fields as you want whilst the Connections business directory appears with only the preset fields. However, in the Connections Business Directory, you can add more items to the existing preset fields.

When it comes to the ease of use and the freedom to customize, Directorist will clearly be the winner.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Directory Plugin
Custom Fields	(11 drag and drop custom fields)	(You can extend the preset fields only)

8. Social Importer

Social importer lessens the hassle to import business information and events from Facebook, Yelp, or TripAdvisor using just the URL of your page. However, none of the plugins have this feature in place yet.

Channel	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Facebook
Yelp
TripAdvisor

9. CSV Bulk Importer

For whatever reason, anyone can switch to a new directory solution. But for this purpose, you will need CSV bulk importer for seamless switching. If not, you will have to export and import each data manually which is a pretty tedious job. Besides, while exporting or importing data manually, there is a high likelihood that you might end up with a number of errors.

Luckily enough, both of these plugins have default CSV bulk importers with mapping features that are easy to use.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
CSV Bulk Importer

10. Search with Advanced Filters

A search filter is an imperative aspect of a directory solution. With the help of filters, customers or visitors can find their desired listings from thousands of solutions in a second.

You have to extend the functionality of the Search option with advanced filters to show the more accurate and desired results to your users in a second.

You can add filters to the ‘Search’ option like:

• adding custom fields,
• price range, tags,
• geolocation and nearby listings,
• radius search,
• search widgets, and
• many more along with regular fields like default text field, category, and location field.

Directorist lets you use the filters in the search option and you can also add unlimited custom fields with the help of the custom field feature from the admin Dashboard.

Unfortunately, Connections Business Directory does not let you use any kind of filter for their search forms.

Features	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Search Filters
Advanced Custom Filters with drag and drop builder

11. Multiple Mapping Sources and Styling

If your business directory solution comes with multiple mapping sources, you will be able to choose the one you really think fits your directory niche.

Luckily enough, Directorist addresses this aspect with two mapping sources: one is the Google Map and the other is Open Street Map.

However, Connections Business Directory only integrates with Open Street Map.

Features	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Multiple Mapping Source
Google Map
Open Street Map

12. Frontend Listing Submission & Guest Submission​

Who doesn’t want to carry out a task the easiest way? With the frontend listing submission feature, you can let your visitors submit from the frontend rather than making them log into the dull backend.

Thus it is an effective technique to convert your visitors to paying customers.

Directorist not only has a frontend listing submission feature but also has a guest submission feature. In addition to that, Directorist boasts of both of the features along with frontend listing management. Meaning the end-users will be able to:

• Submit their listing with just an email
• Submit from the frontend dashboard which looks cooler than the default WordPress dashboard
• Manage their submitted listings from the front end.

On the contrary, Connections Business Directory only has the Frontend Listing Submission feature and it does not have any Guest Submission feature.

Features	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Frontend Listing Submission​
Guest Posting
Frontend Listing Management

13. Private Directory

With the Private Directory option, you can restrict your website’s listings to logged-in users only so that the visitors can not see them without logging in. This way you can grow your email list like never before.

A good business directory solution will enable you to make your directory listings only restricted to logged-in users. Meaning that your users must log in to see your listings. And it is a great way to generate leads.

Surprisingly enough, both of the plugins proudly possess this vital feature.

14. Exclusive Plugins

Plugin integration allows you to extend your directory website’s usability more.

Directorist has a bunch of 30 extensions. They are:

• MailChimp Integration
• Multidirectory Linking
• BuddyPress Integration
• BuddyBoss Integration
• Oxygen Page Builder Integration
• Authorize.net Payment Gateway
• Directorist Coupon
• Directorist Ads Manager
• Compare Listings
• Rank Featured Listings
• Booking (Reservation & Appointment)
• Live Chat
• Mark as Sold
• Social Login
• Post Your Need
• Listings with Map
• Image Gallery
• Listing FAQs
• Listings Slider & Carousel
• Google reCAPTCHA
• Business Hours
• Claim Listing
• Stripe Payment Gateway
• PayPal Payment Gateway
• Pricing Plans
• WooCommerce Pricing Plans
• And more

Currently, Connections Business Directory has 12 extensions in their basket. They are:

• Anniversary and Birthday Emails
• Authored
• Contact
• CSV Import
• Custom Category Order
• Custom Entry Order
• Enhanced Categories
• Form
• Link
• ROT13 Email Encryption
• SiteShot
• Widget Pack

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Plugin Integrations	(26)	(12)

15. Exclusive Themes

Theme selection is more vital than you might think. You can give your website a unique appearance with proper themes. Here is an important fact if you are not convinced yet:

Apart from all other WordPress themes, Directorist has the following 12 themes integrated:

• OneListing (Free)
• Directoria (Free)
• OneListing Pro
• dPlace
• dRestaurant
• dRealEstate
• dCar
• dDoctors
• dLawyers
• DList
• DService
• Direo

As of now, Connections Business Directory Plugin has integration with only 4 themes:

• Avada,
• Divi,
• Enfold and
• OceanWP.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Theme Integrations	(12)	(4)

16. Page builder support

Like theme integration, the support for popular page builders provides you the ability to shape your directory website exactly the way you want.

Interestingly enough, both of them support popular page builders like Elementor, Gutenberg Block Editor, Oxygen Page Builder, Beaver Builder, Brizy, etc.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Page Builder Support

17. WooCommerce Multivendor Plugin Compatibility​

If your Directory solution is compatible with popular marketplaces like Dokan, WC Marketplace, WCFM, WC Vendor, YITH WooCommerce Multivendor, you can run your directory business and multivendor business in tandem.

Directorist supports this feature; however, Connections Business Directory Plugin does not have this feature in place as of now.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Compatible with popular multi-vendor plugins like Dokan, WC Vendors, WC Marketplace, WCFM, YITH WooCommerce Multivendor.

18. Develop Booking System

A booking system lets you sell services in a more efficient and smarter way. Make sure your directory solution has got this feature covered. With a booking system integrated with your directory solution you can let your users submit listings for the following niche:

• Restaurant Reservation
• Doctor Appointments
• Service Booking
• Event Ticket Booking
• Hotel and Apartment Renting

Connections Business Directory does not have any built-in Booking system, though Directorist has the Booking system as an extension.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Booking System

19. Push Notification

With Push Notification, you or your users can get instant updates on what is going on right now. Your users will receive notifications after they subscribe or accept cookies.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Push Notification

20. Built-in Checkout and Popular Gateways

The more gateways you employ on your directory website, the more conversion you can expect from. Take a look at the following table to know which one supports what ones:

Payment Gateways	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
PayPal
Payfast
Stripe
WooCommerce Payment Gateway
Bank Transfer
Authorize.net AIM

21. Earn through Monetization

The directory solution you are going to opt for should allow you to monetize in various ways – not just through one or two ways.

Connections Business Directory lets you monetize through Paid Listings, Featured Listings, Claim a Listing, Pay Per Submit, Subscriptions, and Recurrent Payment Option, though it does now allow you to use features like rank featured listing, EU VAT compliance, Pay Per Submit,

Conversely, Directorist comes up with three more features along with all the GeoDirectory features – One is Rank featured listing, and the other is “Users Can Post Their any Kind of Need or Service”.

Features	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Paid Listings
Featured Listings
Rank Featured Listing
Claim a Listing
EU VAT Compliance
Pay Per Submit
Google AdSense
Subscriptions
Recurrent Payment Option
Users Can Post Their Any Kind of Need or Service

22. Private Live Chat

Retaining paid customers is way much harder for the listing owners than acquiring new ones for them. Giving private live chat support to customers will allow listing owners to satisfy and retain their existing customers.

Connections Business Directory does not have this feature whilst Directorist ships with the private live chat feature out of the box.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Private Live Chat

23. Ads Manager

Ads Manager is a bonus feature of a directory solution, other than the regular monetizing features. You can place the ads on targeted pages like on single listing, all listings, or all categories, all locations, or dashboard to skyrocket your earnings. Unfortunately, this exciting feature is completely absent in popular business directory solutions.

But Directorist will allow you to use the ads manager feature with methods like Google AdSense, Facebook Ads, and Affiliate marketing. Again, Directorist has this feature via premium extension. In Directorist, you can also inject custom HTML/JS to expand the use-cases and level up the personalized ads.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Google AdSense
Facebook Ads
Affiliate Marketing

24. Social Login

These days, most websites are allowing access by using social website account like Gmail or Facebook. It is a pretty handy and popular way because the users do not have to sign up before login in. Social Login accelerates the signing-up process without the hassle of email verification. This way you can save the customers valuable time and thus increase leads.

Again, Directorist ships with this amazing feature while Connections Business Directory is yet to deliver this feature.

Feature	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Social Login via Gmail
Social Login via Facebook

25. Face Detection

If your business directory solution has this feature, it means an image with a human face will be correctly positioned after cropping. Incorporating a background editor for photos within the solution can further enhance the overall image editing experience, making it more seamless for users. It will definitely save your time as you won’t have to edit them in a photo editor tool.

Directorist does not have this feature yet, while Connections Business Directory brings this feature using advanced algorithms.

26. More Premium Features

Some other salient premium features of a directory solution should include:

Features	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Business Hours or Operational Hours
Mark as Sold
Spam Protection
Listing FAQs
Image Gallery
Listings Slider & Carousel		(via Gutenberg block)
Compare Listings

27. Integrations

When your business directory solution has integrations with many other platforms, you can enjoy flexibility.

And Directorist contains the following integrations:

• Google Map
• Open Street Map
• Yoast SEO
• RankMath SEO
• BuddyBoss
• Private Messaging System
• Theme integrations

Connections Business Directory has integration with the following platforms:

• Open Street Map
• Yoast SEO
• Rank Math SEO
• Theme integrations

28. Growth Rate

Even if Connections Business Directory Plugin has been around for quite a while, Directorist has appeared much later and entered the market recently. Yet it had its highest growth of 13.3% whereas Connections Business Directory had the highest growth of 4.7%.

29. Miscellaneous

A standard directory tool should include these miscellaneous yet essential features:

Features	Directorist	Connections Business Directory
Right to left language compatibility like Arabic, Aramaic, Azeri etc.
Rating & Reviews
Guest Submission
Private Directory
Custom Badges
GDPR Ready
Renew Listings
Email Notification
Scheduling Task (Admin can fix the time frame after which submitted listings will be expired.)
Save & Bookmark
Easy Setup Wizard
Direction & Contact
Invoice
Tax Ready
Flag & Report
Super Responsiveness
Author Public Profile
Elementor Page Builder Widgets
Custom user Registration and Login
Social Media Share
Events Manager
EU VAT Compliance
Franchise Manager

The Final Outcome

We don’t want to say which one is better or worse. Rather we believe after reading this article, you will be able to decide which one suits your needs better.

However, we would like to recommend you give a try to the free version first, so that you can get a hands-on experience on them. After using the free version, it will be easier for you to decide whether to use the pro version or not.

If you have already used these directory solutions, don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

If you liked our posts, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog so that we can notify you once any post is published. Directorist is now on Twitter & Facebook! You can also join the Directorist Community for sharing your thoughts and experiences relating to the directory niche. Come and join us to see what we’re up to.