Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing a product through one of these links generates a commission for us at no additional expense to you.
“These themes are hand-picked for their outstanding design quality, features, and customer reviews.”
Directory sites are an excellent way to help visitors find resources and make money while you do it. Niches can range from bars and restaurants to hotels and local businesses.
The themes below are beautiful and mobile-friendly. Plus, they have all the features you need to build a business with a directory site.
Ready to get started? Scroll down to check out my recommendations for the best directory WordPress themes.
If you like your existing theme, you could install one of these directory WordPress plugins instead to add listing functionality.
WordPress directory themes
Each theme below is up-to-date with WordPress and responsive. There’s a huge variety of functionality available and styles that will fit any niche.
Here are my top picks for best directory WordPress themes for 2024.
1. Aryan by Exact Themes (Themeforest)
Theme Description
Aryan is a super-advanced WordPress theme for building directory websites. Using this premium theme, you can create a directory for any niche you’d like. It even comes with pre-made listings for events, restaurants, automobiles, and real estate properties. Regardless of what kind of directory you want to create, you’ll find Aryan has all the features you need, and a modern style to match.
Unlike some competitors, Aryan is an all-in-one solution that doesn’t require you to purchase expensive plugins and add-ons. You’ll be able to build a robust and profitable website without patching together numerous products. It includes support for six payment methods, such as PayPal, Stripe, and PayFast out-of-the-box allowing you to monetize your website by charging for claimed listings and featured placements.
While you don’t need other plugins to build your directory with Aryan, it is fully compatible with popular plugins like WP All Import, Elementor, WooCommerce, WPML, and more. Click the link below if you want to explore all of Aryan’s features and screenshots.
2. ListingPro by Cridio Studio (Themeforest)
Theme Description
ListingPro is a premium WordPress theme with a great design and all the features you’d expect from a directory site. It’s the most popular directory theme on Themeforest and has a 4.85/5.00 rating, which is quite impressive given there are over 1,700 reviews.
What sets ListingPro apart is that it includes everything you need without requiring additional plugins to be installed. This is pretty impressive considering the massive amount of functionality included to make a Yelp-like directory site.
The newest version of ListingPro brings some exciting new features like the auto-location discovery that updates the site’s results based on the visitor’s location. In addition, you can now charge members a one-time listing fee or a recurring monthly subscription to list a business on your website. There are so many more amazing features, too, like search suggestions, advanced filtering options, the complete review system – you’ll need to check out ListingPro yourself to see everything it can do.
3. Listable by Pixelgrade (Themeforest)
Theme Description
It’s clear the team at Pixelgrade knows what they’re doing. Listable is a truly professional-quality theme for building a directory site.
Listable is beautiful and extremely user-friendly. In fact, Listable has been through UX testing via usertesting.com to learn how visitors interact and improve the design. As you browse around the live demo, it’s easy to picture this theme being used on your site.
Listable has a great mix of features. It has all the directory-specific functionality you need, like one-time and subscription listing payments (via WooCommerce), user reviews, and advanced search with filtering. Listable also comes with classic site customization options like custom colors, hundreds of fonts to choose from, and a simple drag-and-drop page builder for the homepage and listing pages.
4. Directory Theme by PremiumPress
Theme Description
Setup your own directory website in minutes with this popular Directory theme for WordPress. It’s quick to install and set up, requires no third-party plugins, and allows you to build your own SEO friendly directory website Google will love!
Popular features include Custom Pricing Tables, Claim Listing, Country/City and Distance Search, Built-in Memberships, and lots more.
Don’t miss out. Give this theme a try today!
5. Vehica by TangibleDesign (Themeforest)
Theme Description
Vehica has a gorgeous, modern style. In my opinion, it’s the best looking directory theme in this collection. The only reason it didn’t earn the #1 spot in this collection is that most readers aren’t looking specifically for a theme to make a car dealer website or auto parts store, but if you are, then Vehica is an obvious choice.
Beyond its excellent aesthetic, the Vehica theme is supremely customizable. It is fully integrated with the Elementor page builder, which gives you an intuitive drag-and-drop system for creating your pages and page templates. There’s also a demo importer so that you can import pre-made pages from the demo website.
In addition to the site-building tools, Vehica has custom fields for adding data to listings. This would mean adding information like the make and model to a car listing. Once you’ve added these custom fields, visitors can use the advanced search feature to narrow down their results using filters based on these custom fields.
Overall, Vehica theme is an awesome theme and the best choice for making a car dealer or car-reselling website.
6. Listify by Astoundify (Themeforest)
Theme Description
Listify is an impressive directory theme. It is very customizable, clean, and easy-to-use.
Listify’s design is simpler than ListingPro, and I find it easier to use and navigate. There is more emphasis on filters on the category pages, and the location pages are better organized. Visitors may have an easier time navigating and finding success when using the Listify theme.
While Listify includes fewer features than ListingPro, it still comes packed with site-building tools. There’s the drag-and-drop builder for creating a custom homepage, seven ways to monetize the site (including subscriptions), and a built-in review system.
7. Bello by BoldThemes (Themeforest)
Theme Description
Bello has a great style for creating a local directory website. It can be used for any niche, but you’ll do well to use it for local businesses, like restaurants and tourist attractions.
Like some of the other directory themes listed here, Bello allows for custom fields, making it extremely customizable. For example, you can add a custom field called “Free Wi-fi” and add this as an amenity for any listing. If your site will be a directory for restaurants, you could include the type of cuisine and availability of outdoor seating as custom fields.
The BoldThemes developers have tons of five-star themes on Themeforest, so they’re a reliable developer to buy from. Like most of their themes, Bello is compatible with third-party page builders and comes with the Bold Builder plugin, which many users find a bit easier to use.
8. Listings by Templatic
Theme Description
Listings is a multipurpose directory theme. It can be used as a directory portal for any niche, from cars to real estate.
Listings have numerous beautiful templates for displaying businesses, users, and locations. Templatic has made this theme responsive, so it looks good and runs smoothly on mobile devices.
While Templatic isn’t as flexible as the themes built with page builders, it is easier to setup. Instead of editing every aspect of the template, you can immediately start with a fully styled directory site.
9. Vantage by AppThemes
Theme Description
Vantage has been getting better for years as the team at AppThemes continues to invest in it.
Vantage makes great use of custom fields that let you supply a listing with any data you want. Users get their own dashboard where they can review their listings and update their profile.
This premium directory theme also has a neat “claim listing” feature. This lets you add a business to the site yourself and charge said company to take over their listing. It’s an excellent tool to promote local businesses and earn for boosting their visibility online.
10. Eventum by Templatic
Theme Description
While some themes on this list handle events well, Eventum is designed for the sole purpose of listing events.
The Eventum WordPress events directory theme is ideal for promoting events like conferences, festivals, and sporting events. Visitors can confirm attendance, see who else is going, and get event reminders.
Use calendars to schedule one-time or recurring events. You can even sell tickets using WooCommerce or Templatic’s Event Ticket Booking plugin.
11. Directory by Templatic
Theme Description
The appropriately named Directory theme is designed to fit any niche. Use it to list cars, houses, restaurants, hotels, and anything else you can think of.
This mobile-friendly WordPress theme has templates for listings, search results, advertisements, and more. With a variety of payment options, monetizing the site is easy regardless of your business model.
Use Directory for reservations and bookings too. It integrates with OpenTable, eZee Reservation, and WooCommerce Booking.
12. YellowPages by Templatic
Theme Description
YellowPages doesn’t share the same flashy, sexy aesthetic of other themes here. It has a classic and straightforward design that many will find refreshing.
Conventional and easy to use, YellowPages makes finding one business amongst thousands quite easy. In fact, much easier than in the actual Yellow Pages.
This WordPress directory theme has customizable colors, Google Maps embeds, and advanced search. Use it as a web directory or local business directory.
13. Classifieds by Templatic
Theme Description
Classifieds is a no-frills directory and classified ads theme. Forget about the huge image sliders; Classifieds gets visitors straight into the products and categories, so they can find what they’re looking for.
With filtering options in the sidebar, Classifieds makes it easy to find relevant ads amidst thousands of listings. Like other Templatic themes, members can sign up and add listings, and you can charge them for it. This is a great all-in-one solution that won’t require an additional classified ads plugin to create a profitable directory site because Templatic bundles everything you need in one package.
14. DirectoryEngine by EngineThemes
Theme Description
DirectoryEngine is a robust and modern business directory theme. It’s highly customizable and search engine optimized to increase traffic.
Perhaps most importantly, DirectoryEngine assists your profitability. Offer multiple pricing plans and sell featured listings for submissions. DirectoryEngine works with major payment processors like PayPal, Stripe, SagePay, and more.
15. DiningEngine by EngineThemes
Theme Description
DiningEngine is the perfect theme for listing restaurants in a directory. With an emphasis on location, this WP theme makes finding nearby eateries simple.
Perhaps the best part of this theme is how polished adding a listing is. Members are guided through four quick steps that get them to purchase a listing on the site. You’ll have no problem attracting visitors and businesses alike with DiningEngine’s detailed rating system and mobile-friendly layout.
16. HotelEngine by EngineThemes
Theme Description
The first thing you’ll notice in HotelEngine is the huge fullscreen image slider and reservation search bar. This unique approach lets visitors set their check-in and check-out dates, the guest count, and the number of rooms to begin their search.
Unlike other themes listed here, HotelEngine is best used for only a handful of listings. They can be your own properties or 3rd party properties you promote, but visitors cannot register and list their own.
17. ClassifiedEngine by EngineThemes
Theme Description
Classifieds is a simple classified listings site where visitors can find goods and pay to list their own. It’s a good theme to choose if you want to make a site like Craigslist. You can allow free ads, charge based on the length of time the ad is listed, and even charge for multiple ad packages.
This theme comes with the standard customization controls and frontend editor from EngineThemes.
18. Locales by Tesla Themes
Theme Description
Locales is a fresh directory theme made to list businesses such as restaurants, bars, and cafes. Every location includes a custom Google Maps embed showing its location.
Showcase the best spots around your city and share them with your visitors through a Yelp-like interface. The drag-and-drop builder makes page creation straightforward and flexible. This theme would make for an excellent travel directory. It also comes with Visual Composer for drag-and-drop page building.
Locales allows user submission but doesn’t have payment levels and similar features you’ll find in some other themes. For that reason, it’s best used for curation.
Which directory theme is right for you?
With all of these awesome themes, it’s tough to choose just one, so here are a few parting tips.
ListingPro gets the top recommendation because of its extreme customizability. The developers have really thought of everything.
No matter what you need from a directory, one of the WP themes above has it.
Remember to pick a theme based on a balance of aesthetics and good design from a business perspective. You want your site to make money, too, not just look great.
Thanks for browsing this collection of the best directory WordPress themes.
