Directory apps are one of the smartest ways to build a profitable niche business—connecting local buyers with sellers, job seekers with employers, or renters with property owners. These five directory app ideas prove that launching a hyperlocal marketplace has never been more accessible.
The fastest path to a successful directory app is building with Adalo—a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps, one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This means you can launch your real estate listings, job boards, or local service directories to the widest possible audience with app store distribution and push notifications to keep users engaged.
Here are five directory app ideas you can build and launch as an MVP quickly—maximizing your reach across web, iOS, and Android from day one.
Why Directory Apps are a Great Business Opportunity in 2022
A directory is an online list of businesses, products, or services within a particular niche, location, or category. Directory apps let you catalog products or services, and can also allow people to book, purchase, or interact with these listings. One way local businesses can get found by online searchers is by being included in directories.
It helps to keep your directories hyperlocal, meaning they will cater to a specific town, suburb, school, or community. This way you can make sure that people get the maximum value from your app.
Here are some great directory app ideas that you can run with.
A Real Estate App
Most people look online when they’re trying to buy, rent, or sell property. A well-designed, local real estate directory app can be a great opportunity to bring the market together, connect buyers and sellers, and help people find what they’re looking for all in one place.
A real estate directory app can be used by property owners to submit their listings under specific categories like houses, apartments, condos, vacation homes, or commercial properties.
Feature ideas for a real estate app
📍 Proximity search
🌍 Map-based view
📸 Image gallery
❤️ Wishlist
💬 Messaging/call functionality to connect buyers and sellers
📲 Social sharing
Monetization ideas for a real estate app
💰 Selling ad spaces
💰 Offering a premium version with more features
💰 Sponsored ads from other real estate platforms
💰 Affiliate programs that let you earn commission for referral customers
Check out this amazing template for a real estate app!
A Job or Internship Listing App
Employment or internship opportunities have moved almost entirely online. Because of this, job directory platforms (either as websites, or apps) have become the most widely used tools for recruitment, connecting job seekers and employers.
Most apps like these will include multiple industries, locations, and options like part-time, remote, full-time, etc. If you expect to create a directory for jobs it should have the following features. Alternatively you could build an industry-specific job board that caters to design jobs, healthcare jobs, or remote jobs, for example.
Feature ideas for a job board app
👥 User profiles and resume upload
👀 Job listing dashboard
🔎 Search and filtering options
✅ Notifications for job alerts
💬 Messaging boards
Monetization ideas for a job listing app
💰 Fees to post app
💰 Charging for access
💰 Hosting ads
💰 Featured resumes
You can use this cloneable kit to add a chat feature to your app!
A Product or Service Directory App
There are many different kinds of product or service directory apps (commonly known as business directory apps). Some can just be a catalog of items like furniture items, clothing, or electronics. Or in the case of services, you can catalog salon services, rent camping equipment, find fitness classes, repair services, and more.
These lists can contain tags, descriptions, and the option to be added to wishlists. Most eCommerce apps take a business directory one step further by adding additional functionality like payments integration, location services, and shopping carts.
Feature ideas for a product directory app
❤️ Wish lists
😍 Option to favorite items
👇🏼 Filter by categories
📲 Social sharing
Monetization ideas for a product directory app
💰 Ad space
💰 Percentage of transactions
💰 Payment for business promotion
This slick template is perfect for cataloging, buying, or selling products!
A Recipe App
A great way to connect cooking enthusiasts is through a recipe app. You can curate it based on specific cuisines, special occasions, localities, and communities.
You can choose a specific niche like cocktail recipes, vegan recipes, or healthy recipes. Allow people to filter based on main ingredients, time, or difficulty level. It’ll be great if people can rate recipes and leave comments to help establish a community.
Feature ideas for a recipe app
🍔 Filter options
⭐️ Star ratings
💬 Comments
📹 Gallery and video library
Monetization ideas for a recipe app
💰 Ad space
💰 Gated content like premium recipes and communities
Try this awesome recipe app template on Adalo or integrate this YouTube component on your app.
An Events App
People are always on the lookout for niche events around their area that would fit their interests – whether that’s live music, parties, film screenings, or child-friendly events. The tricky thing with events is that they have to be hyperlocal. Usually, people end up following multiple Instagram accounts to find events that they’d like to attend.
The opportunity with an events app is that it can be super niche, super local, and super curated. If you define your audience well and know the events that would interest them, you’re guaranteed to find success.
Feature ideas for an events app
📆 Filter by locality or date
🟢 Payment integration for ticket booking
📲 Social sharing
📹 Video gallery
✅ Push notifications
📆 Integration with calendar
Monetization ideas for an events app
💰 Ad space
💰 Commissions
💰 Payment for event promotion
Use this amazing template for an events app or try this cloneable kit for an integrated calendar on your app!
Ship Your No-code Business Quickly!
If you're looking for ways to make money with a no-code app, we've compiled some great ideas. Remember that with directory apps, you'll need a good, solid database to keep track of your records. Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. Its built-in database is both powerful and easy to use.
Learn more about how to do user research, designing your app, and amplifying your reach through these proven marketing techniques.
No coding? No problem! Thanks to no-code technology, you can now build fully responsive mobile apps with ease. This game-changing innovation has made software development more accessible and affordable than ever before, with tools like Adalo allowing anyone to create high-quality software without extensive coding knowledge or expensive development teams.
To get ahead of the curve and benefit from this evolution, visit the Adalo App Academy for tutorials on building apps without coding. And if you're already experienced with no-code tools, don't miss out on the opportunity to monetize your skills and become an Adalo Expert. Join the future of software development today!
FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can I easily build a directory app without coding experience? | Yes, with Adalo's No Code App Builder, you can easily build a directory app without any coding experience. Adalo provides templates and cloneable kits for various directory types including real estate, job boards, events, and product catalogs, allowing you to launch your business quickly. |
| Why choose Adalo over other App Builder solutions? | Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This publishing capability is crucial because getting your app into the app stores is often the hardest part of launching a new app or business—it's essential for marketing and distribution. With Adalo's built-in powerful database, you can easily manage the listings and records that directory apps require. |
| What types of directory apps can I create? | You can create a wide variety of directory apps including real estate listings, job and internship boards, product or service catalogs, recipe collections, and events directories. The key to success is keeping your directory hyperlocal and niche-focused to provide maximum value to your target audience. |
| How can I monetize a directory app? | There are several monetization strategies for directory apps including selling ad space, offering premium versions with additional features, charging fees for listings or access, taking a percentage of transactions, and using affiliate programs. The best approach depends on your specific niche and target audience. |
| What features should I include in my directory app? | Essential features vary by directory type but commonly include search and filtering options, user profiles, messaging functionality, wishlists or favorites, social sharing, and image galleries. For transaction-based directories, you'll also want payment integration and booking capabilities. |
| Why are hyperlocal directory apps recommended? | Hyperlocal directories that cater to specific towns, suburbs, schools, or communities provide maximum value to users by offering highly relevant, targeted listings. This focused approach helps you build a loyal user base and stand out from larger, more generalized directory platforms. |
