Smart Directory Pro pricing is $99 Basic (1 site), $199 Pro (5 sites), and $399 Agency (unlimited sites) per year. All tiers auto-renew annually with price lock + 14-day refund + cancel anytime. Basic suits solo operators on a single directory; Pro covers the full feature set (7 AI features + Elementor widgets + programmatic SEO + EDD packages) across 5 sites; Agency adds unlimited site activations, white-label branding removal, and multisite dashboard for operators scaling a portfolio.
The 60-second answer: which tier is right for you?
- One directory, testing the waters, AI features can wait: Basic at $99.
- Solo operator with 1 to 5 directories, wants the full feature set including AI + Elementor + programmatic SEO: Pro at $199.
- Portfolio operator with 6+ directories, wants white-label branding + multisite dashboard + onboarding call: Agency at $399.
Pro is the most-purchased tier because it covers the full feature set for 5 sites at the same price as one month of an equivalent SaaS subscription.
What you get at each tier
Basic: $99/year, 1 site
- Theme + plugin bundled
- Listings, categories, claim flow, reviews, CSV import, frontend submission form
- LocalBusiness schema, FAQPage schema, Breadcrumb schema
- AI Semantic Search (the customer-facing AI search)
- Standard SEO module (NAP consistency, basic sitemap, OG tags)
- Email lead delivery on claimed listings
- 1 year of updates and support, 14-day refund
Basic is intentionally limited. It does not include the 6 admin-facing AI content generation features (audit, FAQ generator, categorisation, meta gen, tag suggestions, content enricher), EDD package selling, Elementor widgets, or the programmatic SEO page generator. Best fit: operators who want to ship one directory and validate the niche before scaling.
Pro: $199/year, 5 sites
Everything in Basic, plus:
- 6 additional AI features: AI SEO Audit (30-factor scoring on claimed listings), AI FAQ Generator (auto-generates FAQPage schema FAQs per listing), AI Categorisation (auto-assigns categories during bulk import), AI Meta Generator (writes titles + descriptions), AI Tag Suggestions (recommends taxonomy tags), AI Content Enricher (rewrites thin descriptions)
- 9 Elementor widgets + 11 dynamic tags for Elementor Pro Theme Builder integration
- EDD integration for selling SEO packages, sponsorships, featured slot bundles
- Programmatic SEO page generator: auto-generates city × category landing pages with AI content enrichment. See the programmatic SEO directory guide.
- Priority email support (24-hour response window)
- 5 site activations instead of 1
Pro covers freelance SEO operators managing 1 to 5 client directories with the full feature set. At $199 per year for 5 sites, the per-site annual cost ($39.80) sits well below Brilliant Directories Essentials at $299/year per site or eDirectory Professional at $891/year per site.
Agency: $399/year, unlimited sites
Everything in Pro, plus:
- Unlimited site activations (technically 999 in the licensing schema)
- White label: removes “Powered by Smart Directory Pro” attribution where it shows
- Multisite dashboard: cross-directory metrics view (planned 2026 ship)
- Onboarding call: 30-minute setup call with the Smart Directory Pro team
Agency covers portfolio operators running 6+ niche directories who need unlimited activations, white-label client work, or the multisite dashboard. The upgrade from Pro to Agency pays back after the 6th directory site at $200 / 6 = $33 per additional site marginal cost. Pro and Agency ship the same feature set (AI + Elementor + programmatic SEO + EDD packages); Agency is about scale and branding, not extra features.
Full feature matrix
5-year total cost: Smart Directory Pro vs SaaS alternatives
Smart Directory Pro is annual subscription priced at $99 / $199 / $399 per year. Over 5 years that’s $495 / $995 / $1,995 per site. Compared to SaaS competitors at $299 to $799 per year, SDP Pro and Agency are competitively priced for the feature density they bundle (7 AI features, programmatic SEO, Elementor widgets, theme + plugin) in the base plan.
SDP Pro at $199/year sits in the same price band as GeoDirectory unlimited ($229/year) and Directorist Pro ($110-$118/year), at a premium over HivePress bundle ($99/year). The competitive case for SDP is feature density at this price band, not headline cost savings: 7 AI features + programmatic SEO + 9 Elementor widgets + theme bundled, all included in the base Pro price.
For the full WordPress directory pricing comparison, see our 9 best directory website builders guide.
Upgrade path: Basic → Pro → Agency
Upgrades work via the difference in price. Basic to Pro is $100. Pro to Agency is $200. Basic to Agency is $300. Upgrades preserve your existing install and add the additional features instantly via license activation.
What’s NOT included (honest disclosure)
To set expectations clearly:
- Hosting is not included. Smart Directory Pro requires a WordPress-compatible host. Budget $100 to $300 per year for hosting at Kinsta, SiteGround, or WP Engine. Shared hosting is not recommended.
- OpenAI / Anthropic credits are not included for AI features. SDP’s AI features run through the SDP server with bundled credits at each tier, but high-volume users may exceed the included quota. Bring-your-own-key option available at the Agency tier.
- Premium support after year 1 requires renewal. The install keeps running, but bug fixes and updates after 12 months require an optional 50% renewal ($49.50 / $99.50 / $199.50 depending on tier). Most operators choose to renew because the alternative is reinstalling on a future stable version manually.
- Custom development is not included. For bespoke features beyond what ships in core, we offer a Custom Directory build service starting at $5,000.
- No native booking engine. For reservation-based directories, integrate Booqable or Lodgify separately.
14-day refund policy: how it works
Every Smart Directory Pro purchase comes with a 14-day refund window. Request a refund via the support form or directly to support@smartdirectorypro.com within 14 days of purchase. No justification required; we process refunds within 2 business days back to your original payment method.
The 14-day window starts at purchase, not at first activation. Use the time to install on staging, run the setup wizard, import test data, and verify Smart Directory Pro fits your build. If it doesn’t, we’d rather refund than keep a customer who isn’t happy.
Common questions before purchase
- Can I switch tiers later? Yes, upgrades preserve your install and credit the price difference. Downgrades are not currently supported; if you bought Agency and want to drop to Pro, contact support.
- Does it work with Elementor free or only Elementor Pro? Both. The 9 widgets work with Elementor free. The 11 dynamic tags require Elementor Pro because dynamic tag support is a Pro feature.
- What’s the hosting recommendation? Kinsta or WP Engine for production directories. SiteGround GoGeek for budget-conscious operators. Avoid shared hosting because directory queries are heavier than typical WordPress sites.
- Can I move the license between sites? Yes. Deactivate from the old site via /my-account/, then activate on the new site. Activation slots free up immediately on deactivate.
- What happens if my license expires? The install keeps running at the version installed when the license was active. New updates require renewal. Customer support remains available for existing customers regardless of renewal status.
Decision tree: 4 operator profiles → tier
- Hobbyist building a single directory for a niche you care about, want to learn WordPress + directory mechanics before committing
- Freelance SEO managing 1 to 5 client directories, AI features and Elementor integration are part of your client deliverable
- Portfolio operator running 6+ niche directories, wants white-label client work + multisite dashboard
- Operator on a single-country, single-vertical directory with high volume (10,000+ listings) where uptime matters more than tier
- → Basic at $99 (1 site, no AI, no Elementor; upgrade later if it validates)
- → Pro at $199 (5 sites, full AI + Elementor + EDD integration)
- → Agency at $399 (unlimited sites + white label + multisite dashboard + onboarding call)
- → Pro at $199 is sufficient unless you want the white-label branding removal or unlimited activations; then Agency
What auto-renewal looks like in practice
Smart Directory Pro bills annually at $99 / $199 / $399 per year. Each year your card is charged the same price you paid on day one (price lock). Cancel any time from your account; the install keeps running on the version you have until you choose to upgrade.
The annual model funds ongoing updates: new features, WordPress core compatibility, security patches, and customer support. Operators who cancel renewals stop receiving updates after the paid year ends but the existing install keeps working.
For the broader pricing comparison against SaaS competitors (Brilliant Directories at $299-$799/year, eDirectory at $891-$1,791/year for cloud) and other WordPress directory plugins (GeoDirectory at $139-$229/year, Directorist Pro at $110/year), see our WordPress vs SaaS directory cost comparison.
How much does Smart Directory Pro cost?
$99 Basic (1 site), $199 Pro (5 sites), $399 Agency (unlimited sites). All tiers are annual subscriptions billed yearly with a 14-day refund and cancel-anytime policy. Price lock means your renewal stays at the same rate you paid on day one.
Which Smart Directory Pro tier is the most popular?
Pro at $199 is the most-purchased tier because it covers the full AI suite, Elementor widgets, EDD package integration, and 5 site activations at the price of a single-site SaaS subscription for one month.
When should I pick Agency at $399 instead of Pro at $199?
Pick Agency if you’re running 6+ directory sites (the upgrade pays back after the 6th site), if you want to remove “Powered by SDP” branding for white-label client work, or if you need the multisite dashboard + onboarding call. Pro already includes programmatic SEO + all AI features + Elementor widgets, so the only reason to upgrade is for scale + branding.
Does Smart Directory Pro auto-renew?
Yes. Smart Directory Pro is an annual subscription that auto-renews each year at the same price you paid on day one (price lock). Cancel anytime from /my-account/; the install keeps running on the version you have until you choose to upgrade.
Is there a free trial of Smart Directory Pro?
No traditional free trial. Instead, the 14-day refund window lets you install on staging, run the full setup wizard, import data, and verify fit before the refund window closes. Refunds are no-questions-asked.
Can I upgrade from Basic to Pro or Pro to Agency later?
Yes. Upgrades preserve your install and credit the price difference: Basic to Pro is $100, Pro to Agency is $200, Basic to Agency is $300. Activation happens instantly via license sync.
How many sites can I install Smart Directory Pro on?
Basic covers 1 site activation. Pro covers 5 site activations. Agency covers unlimited (technically 999) site activations. Move between sites by deactivating from one and activating on another via /my-account/.
Is hosting included with Smart Directory Pro?
No. Hosting is separate. Budget $100 to $300 per year at Kinsta, SiteGround, or WP Engine. Shared hosting is not recommended for directory queries.
What’s NOT included in Smart Directory Pro?
No hosting, no OpenAI / Anthropic API credits beyond the bundled allocation per tier, no native booking engine, no custom development beyond the bundled feature set. Custom development available separately as a paid service.
How does the 14-day refund work?
Email support@smartdirectorypro.com or use the support form within 14 days of purchase. No justification required. Refunds process to your original payment method within 2 business days.
