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. 

Sometimes it may be quite hard to find a simple solution since there are many good premium themes and only a few free ones that have the required functionality. That’s why we created this collection of the best free classifieds WordPress themes and we hope it will help you to 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

ListingHive, a free classifieds WordPress theme.

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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 goes with several monetization models right out of the box. Meaning that you can monetize your website in at least 3 different ways:

  • Paid Listings – you can create different listing packages (e.g., free, standard, premium), and users will have to purchase one of them to add new listings on your site;
  • Claim Listings – you can allow business owners to claim listings for a fee;
  • Featured Listings – promote certain listings for an extra price.

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 listings;
  • Social Login – allows website visitors to sign in via third-party services like Google or Facebook;
  • Tags – allows users to set listing tags;
  • Social Links – let users add social links to their listings.

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. 

Whether you find a bug or need a hand with settings, or simply have a general question about ListingHive, you can create a new topic on the community forum, and the developers’ team will reply asap.

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 Installations9000+
Average Rating5 out of 5 stars
Extensibility ✔️

CL Classified

CL Classified WordPress theme.

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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 $19 per license.

CL Classified Key Takeaways

Active InstallationsNo Data
Average RatingNo Data
Extensibility ✔️

Classified Ads

A free Classified Ads WordPress theme.

Learn More   Live Demo

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 Installations300+
Average Rating4 out of 5 stars
Extensibility 

TerraClassic Classifieds WordPress Theme

TerraClassic, a free classified ads WordPress theme.

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TerraClassic is a free classifieds WordPress theme that allows you to create a classified ads website without a hitch. It’s already packed with several useful features like location-based search, different search filters, contact forms, front-end submission, etc.

The theme is powered by the TerraClassifieds WordPress plugin, and at the moment of writing, there’s only an alpha version of the theme, so it’s not quite stable at the moment. However, with the existing version, you can create a pretty good classified website with most of the essential functions. 

Also, TerraClassic supports different popular page builders, like Elementor, Visual Composer, and Beaver Builder, so you’ll be able to customize your website appearance using layout blocks.

Keep in mind that, in the current version, there are limited monetization options available, which means that you won’t be able to charge users for adding new listings or set up membership plans on your site. The only way to make money with TerraClassic is by displaying ads.

TerraClassic Extensibility

Currently, developers do not offer any extra features for TerraClassic. However, you can combine it with the TerraClassifieds plugin to get some advanced functionality.

TerraClassic Support

There’s no free support for TerraClassic, so you’ll have to set it up on your own since the support ticket system is only available for users with a premium subscription. However, there’s a documentation section that you can use if you have any issues with TerraClassic.

TerraClassic Pricing

This free classifieds WordPress theme is not listed in the official WordPress repository, but you can download it for free from the theme’s official website after registration.

TerraClassic Key Takeaways

Active InstallationsNo Data
Average RatingNo Data
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 7000+ 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.

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