Directory software comparison
Directorist Alternative: JReviews for WordPress & Joomla
JReviews is the all-in-one, first-party directory and reviews suite for WordPress and Joomla. Pick it over Directorist when reviews are central to what you're building — a review-driven directory of restaurants, clinics, outfitters, schools, or service providers where the rating system is the reason people visit. JReviews leads with a deep reviews engine: editor and user reviews, multi-criteria scores like quality, value, and service, rating histograms, owner replies, and moderation — and reviewers can attach photos, video, audio, and files to a review, not just to the listing. It runs on WordPress or Joomla, so the same suite covers both platforms, and Professional bundles every add-on with one-click installation.
Directorist is a WordPress-only business-directory plugin focused on listings — submitting, categorizing, and monetizing them — with reviews as a built-in feature rather than the centerpiece. It fits a straightforward, listings-led directory that will only ever run on WordPress and doesn't lean on reviews to build trust. The moment the public directory is review-driven — where multi-criteria ratings, reviewer-uploaded photos, video, audio, and file attachments, owner replies, and moderation are the reason people visit — or you want one suite to cover Joomla as well as WordPress, JReviews is the one designed for it.
Side-by-side comparison
How JReviews and Directorist stack up for directory owners.
| Category | JReviews | Directorist |
|---|---|---|
| Product model | First-party directory and reviews suite for WordPress and Joomla, built around a deep reviews engine. One integrated suite where listings, custom fields, search, reviews, media, maps, and payments are designed to work together. Professional bundles every add-on with one-click installation. | WordPress-only business-directory plugin with a free core on WordPress.org and a multi-directory system. Listings, custom fields, search filters, and monetization are the focus; reviews are an included feature rather than the core of the product. |
| Platform reach | ✓ Runs on both WordPress and Joomla. One directory suite covers either platform, so agencies and multi-site builders aren't locked to a single CMS. | WordPress only. There is no Joomla edition, so a Joomla site can't run Directorist. |
| Reviews and trust signals | ✓ Reviews are the core of the product: user and editor reviews, multi-criteria scores (e.g. quality / value / service), rating histograms, smarter top-list ranking, reviewer ranks, review discussions, owner replies, and moderation. | Includes a listing review and rating feature, but it's one feature inside a listings-first plugin rather than a multi-criteria editorial review system. |
| Media depth | ✓ Photos, video (upload your own self-hosted files or embed from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Twitch, and Cloudflare Stream), audio, and file attachments — on both listings and reviews, as core features. Reviewers, not just listing owners, can attach photos, video, audio, and files to a review out of the box. | Listing images and galleries are core, with video added through a custom field. Letting reviewers attach photos to a review requires the paid Advanced Review extension and is limited to images — no video, audio, or file attachments on reviews. |
| Directory depth | Multiple directories, listing types, custom fields, advanced filters, media, claims, inquiries, related listings, comparison pages, structured data for Google, and full control of how each listing page looks. | Multi-directory system with custom fields, configurable search filters, geolocation and radius search, and a listing form builder — a capable, well-rounded listings toolkit on WordPress. |
| Maps and monetization | MapsPro and PaidListings are bundled on Professional and paid extras on Standard — for distance-from-here search, map views, trail/route files (GPX, KML, GeoJSON), paid submissions, listing upgrades, featured placement, coupons, taxes, and subscriptions. | Built-in monetization in the paid plans: paid listings, featured upgrades, subscription pricing, and payments through Stripe, PayPal, and offline methods, plus geolocation and radius search. |
| Pricing model | Annual software licensing: Standard at $179/year, Professional at $427/year with every paid add-on bundled. Hosting and CMS maintenance are your responsibility. | Free core on WordPress.org, with paid plans roughly $97/year (1 site) to $142/year (unlimited sites) and lifetime options; premium themes and extensions are bundled in the paid plans. |
| Try before you buy | No free edition by design — JReviews is a premium, fully supported product with no ad-supported tier or upsell nags. You evaluate the whole suite risk-free on the live WordPress and Joomla demos, then buy with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Licensing starts at $179/year. | A free core on WordPress.org lets you start at no cost, with deeper features added through paid plans and extensions later. |
When JReviews is the better pick
Choose JReviews when reviews are the point of the directory. A restaurant guide, a medical-specialist directory, an outfitter or tour-operator directory, a school or course directory — anything where visitors come for ratings and opinions — needs more than a star field bolted onto a listing. JReviews gives you editor and user reviews, multi-criteria scores, histograms, owner replies, reviewer ranks, and moderation as the core of the product, not an add-on afterthought.
Choose JReviews when you need both WordPress and Joomla, or want the option later. The same suite runs on either platform, so an agency or a multi-site owner isn't tied to one CMS. Directorist can't follow you to Joomla.
Choose JReviews when you want one integrated suite rather than assembling a directory from separate pieces. Custom fields, advanced search, reviews, media, claims, inquiries, maps, and paid submissions are first-party and designed to work together, and Professional bundles every add-on with one-click installation.
When Directorist is the better pick
Directorist fits when the directory will only ever be a straightforward, listings-led site on WordPress — submit, categorize, and browse business listings — and reviews stay a minor feature rather than the reason people show up. If a basic star rating on each listing is genuinely all the trust signal you'll ever need, a listings-first WordPress plugin covers that job.
Everything past that basic case is where JReviews pulls ahead. A review-driven directory runs on multi-criteria scores, reviewer-uploaded photos, video, audio, and file attachments, owner replies, review discussions, moderation, and ranking that weighs both score and review count — from one first-party suite that runs on WordPress or Joomla. When the reviews are the product, and the media on them is part of the trust you're building, JReviews is the one designed for it.
Frequently asked questions
Is JReviews a Directorist alternative?
Yes. JReviews and Directorist both build directories, but they lead with different strengths. Directorist is a WordPress-only, listings-first plugin with a free core. JReviews is a reviews-first directory suite that runs on both WordPress and Joomla, with a multi-criteria review engine at its center. JReviews is the stronger alternative when reviews drive the directory or you need Joomla as well as WordPress.
What is the best Directorist alternative?
It depends on what you're building. For a review-driven directory — restaurants, clinics, outfitters, schools — JReviews is a strong Directorist alternative because reviews, multi-criteria scoring, reviewer-uploaded photos and video, owner replies, and moderation are its core, and it runs on WordPress or Joomla. If all you need is a basic listings site with a star rating bolted on, Directorist's own core covers that. Pick JReviews when the reviews and the media on them are what make the directory worth visiting, or when you need Joomla as well as WordPress.
Does Directorist work on Joomla?
No. Directorist is a WordPress-only plugin with no Joomla edition. JReviews runs on both WordPress and Joomla from the same directory and reviews suite, so a Joomla site can build the same kind of directory.
Which is better for a review-driven directory, JReviews or Directorist?
JReviews. Its reviews engine is the core of the product: editor and user reviews, multi-criteria scores such as quality, value, and service, rating histograms, reviewer ranks, review discussions, owner replies, and moderation. Directorist includes a listing review feature, but it's one part of a listings-first plugin rather than a full editorial review system.
Can reviewers add photos and video to reviews in JReviews?
Yes. In JReviews, reviewers can attach photos, video (uploaded or embedded), audio, and file attachments to their own reviews — built in, on every plan, with no extra add-on. The same media types also work on listings. In Directorist, letting reviewers add media to a review requires the paid Advanced Review extension and is limited to images, with no video, audio, or attachments on reviews.
Is JReviews free like Directorist?
JReviews is a premium, fully supported product, and having no free edition is deliberate: no ad-supported tier, no upsell nags — you get the full suite and first-party support from day one. You try it risk-free on the live demos — the Joomla demo at demo.jreviews.com and the WordPress demo at wp-demo.jreviews.com — backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, with licensing from $179/year. Directorist has a free WordPress.org core; JReviews competes on review depth, reviewer media, and support rather than on a free tier.
How does Directorist pricing compare with JReviews?
Directorist starts free, with paid plans roughly $97/year (1 site) to $142/year (unlimited sites) plus lifetime options, and bundles premium themes and extensions in those plans. JReviews is annual software licensing — Standard at $179/year and Professional at $427/year with every paid add-on bundled. They're priced for different jobs: Directorist for a low-cost start on WordPress, JReviews for a premium, fully supported reviews-and-directory suite that runs on WordPress or Joomla, with reviewer-uploaded media, owner replies, and moderation at its core. Both require your own hosting.
Are premium features like maps and paid listings included with JReviews?
On the Professional plan ($427/year), every add-on is bundled with one-click installation, including MapsPro and PaidListings. On the Standard plan ($179/year), those premium add-ons are available as paid extras. MapsPro adds distance-from-here search, map views, and route files; PaidListings adds paid submissions, featured placement, upgrades, coupons, taxes, and subscriptions.
Can I see JReviews running before buying?
Yes. Use the hosted Joomla demo at demo.jreviews.com and the hosted WordPress demo at wp-demo.jreviews.com, then compare current plans on the JReviews pricing page. Current plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Related solutions
- JReviews for classifieds directories Build a classifieds marketplace on WordPress or Joomla with paid ads, expiration, featured upgrades, per-category plans, and payments through PayPal, Stripe, or Mollie.
- JReviews for healthcare directories Build a provider directory where patients filter by specialty or location and rate each provider on bedside manner, wait time, and clarity of advice with multi-criteria reviews.