Want to build your own version of Craigslist or eBay, or launch a niche classified ads website? There are several ways to do it, but the software you choose can make a big difference in what you can build, how much control you have, and how easily you can expand the site later.
Some classifieds software solutions are built specifically for classified ads. Some depend on WordPress. Some are hosted platforms. Others give you a complete website builder with classifieds functionality built in.
We’ve updated our Classifieds Website Builder Comparison to compare five different options: UltimateWB, ClassiPress, Yclas, Osclass, and Sharetribe.
ClassiPress
ClassiPress is a classifieds theme for WordPress. It includes features such as custom fields, listing payments, featured listings, membership packages, and other classifieds functionality.
The underlying setup is WordPress plus the ClassiPress theme, with additional plugins and add-ons available for extending the site.
That means managing the WordPress installation, the ClassiPress theme, plugins, updates, and compatibility between the different components, along with any security issues that may arise among them.
ClassiPress is a classifieds solution for WordPress. It isn’t a complete website builder in its own right.
Yclas
Yclas is classifieds and marketplace software available as a hosted service, with a self-hosting option on its Professional plan. It provides classifieds-specific functionality, customization, and marketplace features.
With the self-hosting option, you have more control over the software and hosting environment, while the hosted option provides a managed setup.
Yclas is focused on classifieds and marketplace functionality rather than being a general-purpose website builder with a wide range of other website applications built in.
Osclass
Osclass is a standalone, open-source classifieds platform. Unlike ClassiPress, it does not depend on WordPress. It is self-hosted, so you can choose your own hosting and have control over the software.
Its core focus is classifieds, with listings, categories, locations, users, search, moderation, and other features for running a classified ads website.
Osclass also has a marketplace of themes and plugins that can extend the software. The documentation specifically describes plugins as a way to add new functionality and themes as a way to change the site’s appearance.
That means that if you want functionality beyond the core classifieds system, you will be adding extensions rather than getting those capabilities as part of one integrated website builder.
What Happened to GeoCore Classifieds?
GeoCore Classifieds has an interesting history, even though it isn’t included as a current option in our comparison chart.
GeoCore was originally developed and sold commercially by Geodesic Solutions. When the company eventually shut down, the software could have simply disappeared.
Instead, permission was given for the source code to be released, and the community continued the project as the GeoCore Community Edition under the MIT open-source license. The current GeoCore resources identify version 20.0.0 as the full Community Edition release and describe it as fully open source.
That gave existing GeoCore users a way to continue running their sites after the original company shut down.
The community edition is still available, but development has been largely dormant for several years. That makes its current relevance much greater for existing GeoCore users than for someone choosing software for a brand-new classifieds website today.
We’ll cover the history of GeoCore, the community release, and what happened to the software in more detail in a separate article.
Sharetribe
Sharetribe is a hosted marketplace platform that can be used to build classifieds websites as well as other types of marketplaces. It includes listings, categories, search and filters, messaging, reviews, transactions, and other marketplace features.
Sharetribe is designed around a hosted marketplace model. Its current live plans start at $99 per month when billed annually, with higher plans adding additional functionality and customization options.
It also provides several ways to monetize a marketplace, including transaction commissions, listing fees, and subscription-based access.
For someone looking specifically for a hosted marketplace platform, Sharetribe provides the marketplace functionality without requiring the site owner to install and maintain the marketplace software on their own server.
UltimateWB
UltimateWB takes a broader approach, with classifieds functionality built into a complete website builder.
The Classifieds and Auctions App is built directly into the UltimateWB website builder. You’re not buying a classifieds script and then having to build the rest of your website around it. You get a complete website builder with classifieds, auctions, and marketplace functionality built in.
The Classifieds and Auctions App includes extensive options for monetization and management. You can charge for posting ads, take a percentage transaction fee on sales, charge for photos or videos, and offer paid upgrades such as Featured, Highlighted, or Bold listings. Users can also sell downloadable items through the built-in Credits System.
The auction system supports both increasing bids for item sales and decreasing bids for service quotes. You can offer Buy Now pricing, auto-bidding, customizable bid increments and auction durations, auction previews, automatic auction extensions when bids come in near the end, and other auction controls.
You can organize ads by types, categories, and subcategories and customize the fields for each ad type. You can control who can post or access ads through member group restrictions, and choose whether listings are activated automatically, after member email confirmation, or after admin approval.
Users can find ads through category pages or the Classifieds Search and Advanced Search tools. Location-based sites can also use Distance Search, with customizable miles or kilometers. Featured, new, popular, and highest-rated ads can be displayed in designated areas of the site.
Payments can be handled through the built-in Credits System or PayPal, and social sharing can be enabled for classifieds and auctions.
And the website doesn’t have to stop at classifieds.
UltimateWB also includes built-in functionality for:
- Blog and CMS
- Member profiles
- Social networking
- Forums
- E-commerce
- Forms and surveys
- Articles
- Listings and directories
- Mailing lists
- Rewards points and credits
- Photo, video, audio, and file uploads
- Calendar events
- Advanced site and page management
You can build a classifieds marketplace, local directory, niche community, auction website, or a combination of these without having to assemble those core functions from unrelated plugins.
You also own the software. With the downloadable version, you can choose your own web host and control your website and hosting environment. You can also use UltimateWB hosting or UltimateWB Cloud.
No programming is required for normal setup and management, but if you want to code, you can. UltimateWB allows custom PHP and server-side code, so developers aren’t restricted to whatever a hosted platform happens to provide.
Design customization is built in as well. The Styles Manager gives you extensive control over the appearance of your website without requiring you to edit code for every design change.
See the full Classifieds Website Builder Comparison
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Looking for a classifieds website builder that has more than just classifieds? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.
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