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.
Classified ads are an excellent way to monetize your traffic.
Or, maybe you want your site to revolve around ads and make your own site like Craigslist.
Either way, the plugins listed here can help.
These WordPress plugins range from simple to incredibly complex. You can add any feature you can imagine to your site, and most often, completely free of charge.
Keep reading to see what I mean…
Don’t have a gorgeous design yet? Check out our list of the best classified ads WordPress themes before you go.
Classified ads plugins
You’ll find both free, paid, and freemium plugins included here. Every plugin has excellent user reviews and has been updated recently so it will work excellent with the newest version of WordPress.
Here are the top picks for the best classified ad WordPress plugins.
1. HivePress
Plugin Description
HivePress is a free WordPress plugin that lets you create any type of directory you want, whether it’s a business directory, service marketplace, or real estate listing website.
HivePress includes the essential functionality needed, such as the ability to add new directory listings and accept user submissions. There’s also a handful of free extensions for adding reviews, paid listings, on-site messaging, and more.
One of the most significant challenges users face when choosing a WordPress classifieds plugin is integrating it with their theme. That’s why the HivePress team has also developed a variety of premium WordPress themes that integrate seamlessly with HivePress. Together, you can create a fantastic directory website.
You can install HivePress by searching for it in your Plugins menu or downloading it from their site by clicking the link below.
2. Classified Listing
Plugin Description
Classified Listing has a great design that is clean and easy to navigate. It works well with any theme, but the developers do have their own themes available that integrate especially well.
This ad plugin handles filtering especially well. The main listing page design includes a sidebar that lets visitors select a category, location, and price range if they want. They can even use a sorting option at the top of the page to order by criteria like price.
When it comes to posting the ads across your site, Classified Listing includes a great variety of options. There are four different widgets and a very customizable shortcode. Between these two options, you can feature advertisements, ad categories, and ad search bars anywhere on your site.
3. Classifier
Plugin Description
Classifier is an impressive plugin for adding all the functionality you need to create your own classified ads website. You can include a global search bar with category and location filters, let visitors browse by category, list featured ads, and even organize advertisements by location.
The Classifer plugin is made to work with any theme but it works especially well with the Beaver Builder plugin. The drag-and-drop page builder allows you to create custom template designs for featuring ads and interactive elements like the search bar.
You can allow members to register for free and post as many ads as they want, or charge them in a number of ways. You can charge them to become members, or charge per ad and include upsells like featured placement on the site. There’s also a built-in review system, detailed member dashboards, and Facebook chat on-site.
4. WPAdverts
Plugin Description
The WPAdverts plugin is simple yet incredibly feature-rich at the same time. While there are paid add-ons, you’ll find the free version works wonderfully well which is why it has such impressive user reviews.
With WPAdverts, you can allow visitors to register on your site and submit ads for review. Once you approve them, they’ll be published to the site. The advertisements are managed in the admin just like regular posts. You can edit them any time there. They also have categories that allow visitors to narrow down their search to certain types of products.
The free version of WPAdverts even lets you charge members to place ads on the site. The only payment gateway available in the free version is direct bank transfer, but there are add-ons for using PayPal and WooCommerce instead. Some other paid add-ons include Google Analytics integration, Fees per category, and BuddyPress integration.
5. AWPCP - Classifieds Plugin
Plugin Description
AWPCP is completely free and might be the most comprehensive classified ads plugin on the market. While the design is a bit dated, you can’t complain about the huge number of features available.
This classified ads plugin lets users search for ads based on the city, state, country, the username of the seller, or a simple keyword. You can charge members to post ads and monetize further by adding AdSense ads throughout the pages.
AWPCP includes a nice variety of styling options to adjust everything from the size of the ads to the actual HTML used for each ad. Add sharing buttons to help bring more attention to each ad, import ads via CSV, and even allow members to post videos of the products.
The notification features are especially cool since they can let members know when new ads are posted or if someone contacts them on the site about a listing. There are loads more features not covered yet and even more available with the paid add-ons. Click the link below to see what else is possible with AWPCP.
6. Classified Maker
Plugin Description
Classified Maker is much simpler than the other plugins featured here. It is an excellent option for developers that want a basic classified ads plugin to customize to their needs. There is very little CSS to override and plenty of “hooks” that make modifying the functionality easy.
You can use shortcodes to add listings to any page you want. List all of the ads on one page with pagination or embed a single listing on a page. Visitors can register and post ads, but there are not any paid submissions built into Classified Maker.
Overall, Classified Maker is a simple and versatile plugin for classified ads that is easy to update with your own code. Since posting ads is free and simple, it’s probably the best choice for making a site like Craigslist.
Which classified ads plugin is best?
Classifier is the first plugin I would check out for creating a classified ads site. It has a wonderful balance of feature availability and beautiful design.
Classified Maker is the plugin I would recommend for developers who want a simple solution to work off of.
Otherwise, you would do well with any of the remaining plugins. Just be sure to list out all the features you’ll need for your site and make sure the plugin you select has them included.
Please use the comments section below to post any questions you have about these classified ads WordPress plugins.
