5 Best Free Classifieds WordPress Themes in 2026

In an era when subscription-based services dominate the WordPress ecosystem, finding high-quality free classified ads themes has become increasingly challenging. Most premium solutions require ongoing payments, which can be a barrier when you’re just starting out or want to test your business idea before committing to a significant investment.

That’s where free classifieds WordPress themes become invaluable. If you’re working with a limited budget or simply want to validate your concept before scaling up, these free solutions offer a practical starting point. You can launch your platform, gather user feedback, and prove your business model — all without financial risk.

The easiest way to create a classified ads website like Craigslist or OLX with WordPress for free is by using a well-coded theme and a reliable plugin that includes all the necessary features. While premium themes often offer more advanced features, the free options we’ve curated below provide solid foundations for building functional classifieds websites.

We’ve created this collection of the best free classifieds WordPress themes to help you choose the one that suits your project. Also, before diving in, feel free to check our overview of the best classifieds WordPress plugins.

So let’s get started!

The Most Popular Free Classified Ads WordPress Themes

ListingHive

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At the time of writing, ListingHive is the most popular free classifieds WordPress theme in the WordPress.org repository. It’s a multipurpose theme that makes it possible to create whatever kind of classified ads website you want to have. 

ListingHive shows its true potential when combined with HivePress, free classifieds WordPress plugin. It powers most of the theme’s features and allows you to keep all the data even if you decide to switch the theme later.

Some of the noteworthy features include:

• Location-based Search – allows users to search for listings using map or radius search;
• Ratings & Reviews – lets website visitors rate listings and write reviews;
• Favorites – allows registered users to keep a list of favorite listings;
• Messages – this feature allows users to send messages and attachments to each other.

The ListingHive theme is crazy customizable since there are no hard-coded fields, and you can easily create custom categories (both for listings and vendors), listing fields & filters, and vendor fields & filters.

Also, the theme is fully integrated with the Gutenberg block editor, so it won’t be an issue to create stunning layouts with the drag-and-drop feature.

Finally, this classified WordPress theme includes built-in monetization capabilities. You can allow business owners to claim their listings for a fee, creating a sustainable revenue stream for your directory.

Please note that ListingHive is also integrated with WooCommerce, the most popular e-commerce plugin, so all the payments on your website are going to be fast and secure.

ListingHive Extensibility

Since ListingHive is powered by the HivePress plugin, you can use any HivePress add-on on your classifieds website to extend its core functionality. At the time of writing, there are 15+ HivePress extensions and here are some of them:

• Bookings – allows users to book listings;
• Memberships – let you charge users for viewing, adding listings and more;
• Social Login – allows website visitors to sign in via third-party services like Google or Facebook;
• Tags – allows users to set listing tags;
• Search Alerts – notify users automatically when new listings match their saved search preferences.

ListingHive is fully compatible with all HivePress add-ons. Moreover, by combining various add-ons, you can create a classified website with unique functionality.

ListingHive Support

The ListingHive support is provided by its developers, people who know all the nitty-gritty elements of their product, so any issue is resolved in the best way possible. Plus, a 24/7 AI assistant trained on all HivePress products provides instant help whenever you need it, day or night.

Found a bug, need help with settings, or have a question about ListingHive? Create a new topic on the community forum, and the developers’ team will reply quickly.

ListingHive Pricing

This classifieds WordPress theme is completely free, and you can install it in a few clicks from your WordPress dashboard. Also, there are free and premium extensions available. The price for a premium extension varies from $29 to $39 for a lifetime license.

ListingHive Key Takeaways

Active Installations	9000+
Average Rating	5 out of 5 stars
Extensibility	✔️

CL Classified

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The next free classifieds WordPress theme on our list is CL Classified. It’s a nice theme with a modern design and many useful features for starting your own Craigslist. Some of the main features include:

• User Dashboards;
• Favorite Listings;
• Currency Control;
• Reviews & Ratings;
• reCAPTCHA.

Also, there are some cool features like unlimited custom fields, category and location AJAX filter, auto account creation and so on.

This free classifieds WordPress theme allows you to make money with your website by promoting certain listings for an extra fee. It supports PayPal, Stripe and Authorize payments, so it won’t be an issue for users to make payments on your classified ads website.

CL Classified is fully integrated with the Gutenberg page builder and WordPress customizer, which means that you can set up your website in the way you like. Additionally, the child theme is already included, giving you more control over the theme customization.

CL Classified Extensibility

The theme is powered by the Classified Listing Plugin (by RadiusThemes) and supports all the add-ons available for this plugin. For example, some of the premium extensions include: 

• Memberships – allows you to restrict access to certain listing categories;
• Coupons – allows you to create custom coupons;
• BuddyBoss Integration.

To get a better understanding of the available add-ons, please visit the official theme’s website.

CL Classified Support

On the official website, you can find an email for support, as well as general documentation and the FAQs section.

CL Classified Pricing

The theme itself is free, but if you want to purchase some of the premium add-ons, then the price starts from $21 per license.

CL Classified Key Takeaways

Active Installations	No Data
Average Rating	No Data
Extensibility	✔️

Classified Ads

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Now, let’s take a look at Classified Ads. It’s a free classifieds WordPress theme with a minimalistic design and basic functionality. The free version of the theme is pretty limited since such essential features as the front-end ad submission, featured ads, payments, category images, and many others are available only in the pro version.

Also, this free classifieds theme doesn’t support WooCommerce and is not integrated with any payment gateway, so you won’t be able to accept and process payments on your website without additional code tweaks.

Keep in mind that most of the required features for launching a classifieds website will require additional customization if you are using the free version.

Classified Ads Extensibility

The theme doesn’t support any add-ons, but there’s a premium version of the Classified Ads theme that you may consider for your project. Compared to the free version, the pro one goes with a better design, many crucial features and several monetization options for your classifieds website.

Classified Ads Support

There’s no support on the official website for the free Classified Ads theme, so the only way you can reach out to developers in case of any issues is by using the WordPress.org support forum.

Classified Ads Pricing

This free Classified Ads theme can be found in the official WordPress repository and installed directly from your WP dashboard. The premium version of the Classified Ads theme goes for $50 per one license.

Classified Ads Key Takeaways

Active Installations	300+
Average Rating	4 out of 5 stars
Extensibility	❌

Classified Listings WordPress Theme

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Classified Listings by VW Themes is a fully responsive and highly functional free classifieds WordPress theme with a professional design that adapts seamlessly to all devices. This theme combines clean aesthetics with practical functionality, making it a good choice for entrepreneurs testing their classified ads website concept.

The theme features beautiful page layouts with flexible sidebar options, giving you control over your site’s structure. Through WordPress Customizer tools, you can easily add or remove elements, customize text, colors, and fonts for different sections—all without touching code.

While Classified Listings is more limited compared to its premium counterpart, the free version provides enough functionality to test your business idea and validate demand. Once you’ve proven your concept and generated revenue, you can upgrade to the pro version for advanced features and expanded customization options.

Classified Listings Extensibility

The free version of Classified Listings doesn’t include official add-ons or extensions. However, VW Themes offers a premium version with enhanced features and additional customization capabilities. For extended functionality, you can also integrate compatible WordPress plugins from the repository.

Classified Listings Support

Seamless customer support is not available in the free version, but you can still access general documentation and support resources on the VW Themes official website. For more comprehensive assistance and faster response times, premium support is included with the pro version.

Classified Listings Pricing

This classifieds WordPress theme is completely free and can be downloaded from the VW Themes website or installed directly from the WordPress theme repository.

Classified Listings Key Takeaways

Active Installations	200+
Average Rating	4 out of 5 stars
Extensibility	❌

NexProperty

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NexProperty is a free classifieds WordPress theme that allows you to build directory and classified ads websites hassle-free. While it’s primarily tailored for real estate agencies, it’s versatile enough for building any type of listing websites.

Since this free classifieds WordPress theme is mostly built for Elementor, you can easily customize any part of it using the drag-and-drop builder. Also, some prominent features include:

• Listing & category management
• OpenStreetMap integration
• Front-end dashboard for managing bookings and agents

Whether you’re running a real estate directory or a broader classifieds site, NexProperty provides the tools to create a well-working platform. Moreover, it already comes with demo content to help you get started quickly.

NexProperty Extensibility

While NexProperty provides a functional base for creating a classifieds website, its extensibility might be limited compared to other themes mentioned in this list. The theme doesn’t include official add-ons or advanced extensions for integrating additional functionalities. It means that you’ll have to play around with code to add additional features.

NexProperty Support

There’s a support ticket system on the official website where you can ask questions. However, for free themes, the waiting time may be longer. Additionally, if you encounter any issues or need assistance, you can also reach out through the WordPress.org support forum.

NexProperty Pricing

This free classifieds WordPress theme is available in the official WordPress repository and can be installed directly from your WP dashboard. Additionally, there’s a premium version of NexProperty and it can be purchased for $49 per license.

NexProperty Key Takeaways

Active Installations	1,000+
Average Rating	5 out of 5 stars
Extensibility	❌

Final Words

That wraps up our collection of the best free classifieds WordPress themes. We hope that this article was useful to you and that now you have a better understanding of the available options. Rather than building your site from scratch, you can choose one of the listed-above themes with the features you need and start creating your own classifieds website.

If you haven’t decided which classified theme to use, we recommend checking out ListingHive one more time. It’s a highly customizable classified ads WordPress theme with tons of features available right out of the box. Moreover, it’s the most popular free classifieds theme that is already trusted by 9000+ website owners around the globe, which speaks for itself.

Additionally, you may want to check our overview of the most popular free directory WordPress themes.