Directify vs Dirstarter A Dirstarter alternative built for directory websites

Directify vs Dirstarter: own the code or rent the builder

Dirstarter and Directify solve the same problem from opposite ends. Dirstarter is the Next.js codebase that Piotr Kulpinski runs OpenAlternative on, packaged as a boilerplate: you pay $150 or $200 once, clone a private repo, deploy it to Vercel and own every line. Directify is a hosted builder: you type a sentence about your niche, AI generates the structure and sample listings, and the directory is live on a subdomain before you've finished your coffee.

What Dirstarter actually is

Dirstarter is a complete directory application, not a UI kit. Out of the box you get a public site, an admin panel with data tables and bulk actions, a submission form with a moderation queue, scheduled publishing, Stripe-powered listing tiers (free, one-time Standard, recurring Premium), a blog, split sitemaps with JSON-LD and generated Open Graph images, owner verification, outbound webhooks, and two MCP servers: an admin one so Claude Code or Cursor can add and enrich listings, and a public one so Claude or ChatGPT can search your catalogue and recommend your listings. The stack is current (Next.js 16, TypeScript, Prisma on Postgres, Tailwind, Better Auth) and the changelog shows it's actively maintained.

The economics are the headline. One license, unlimited directories, lifetime updates, a 30-day money-back guarantee. For a developer who plans to run three or four sites, that's hard to argue with on price.

Three things are worth knowing before you buy, and none of them is hidden on Dirstarter's site:

• It expects a developer. The FAQ says basic React and JavaScript knowledge will be helpful. In practice that means a terminal, environment variables, Prisma migrations, Stripe webhook secrets, a cron job and a Vercel account. AI coding agents make this far less scary than it was two years ago, and Dirstarter Pro ships skills for them, but you are the operator.
• The data model is shaped for software tools. A listing is a "tool" with a name, description, URL, screenshot and favicon, plus categories and tags. That is exactly right for OpenAlternative, DevSuite or an AI-tools directory. A plumber directory needs addresses, opening hours, phone numbers, a map and reviews, and Dirstarter's own business-directory page lists maps as something you'd add. Every extra field is a schema change.
• Hosting is yours. Vercel's Hobby plan is non-commercial, so a monetised directory sits on Pro at $20 a month, plus a Postgres database, Resend for email, S3 for media and a screenshot API if you want AI enrichment.

Where Directify is the right call

Directify is built for the people and the niches that a boilerplate serves least well.

• You don't code, or don't want to run infrastructure. Sign up, describe the directory, and AI creates categories, tags, custom fields and sample listings. Hosting, SSL, CDN, backups and every update are included on every plan, including the Free one.
• Your directory is about places, people, products or events. Typed custom fields, maps and location search, opening hours, galleries, reviews, lead forms and 17 templates (local business, events, real estate, jobs, restaurants, weddings, coupons, members and more) are already there.
• Your data lives in a spreadsheet or on Google Maps. CSV import with field mapping, two-way Google Sheets sync and a Google Maps import that pulls businesses with contact details, hours, photos and reviews. Dirstarter has no CSV importer; bulk data goes in through a script or the MCP server.
• You want more than one way to charge. Paid submissions, listing upgrades, banner ads, pay-per-lead credits and a membership paywall, paid into your own Stripe, PayPal, Lemon Squeezy or Creem account. Directify takes 0% of it.
• You need real multi-language. Translated listing content with separate URLs, hreflang and AI translation. Dirstarter's next-intl setup translates the interface strings and ships English-only.
• You still want AI agents. The MCP server has 49 tools with OAuth sign-in and is listed in the Claude Connectors Directory, and the REST API starts on the $12 Starter plan. What Directify doesn't have yet is Dirstarter's public, read-only MCP server that lets assistants search your listings on behalf of their users.

Where Dirstarter is the right call

Being specific, because this is where the two products genuinely diverge.

Pick Dirstarter if you are a developer, or you work comfortably with Claude Code or Cursor, and any of the following is true:

• You want to own the code and the database, full stop. No platform can change your plan, raise your price or shut down under you.
• You're building a software, SaaS, AI-tool or alternatives directory, especially one monetised with affiliate links. That is the shape Dirstarter was extracted from, and its /go redirects, click tracking and paid-link disclosures are better than anything we offer for that model.
• You plan to run several directories. One license, unlimited sites. On Directify, unlimited directories is the $149 a month Agency plan.
• You need a custom page type, ranking formula or data model that a builder's settings can't express. In Dirstarter it's a code change; in Directify it's a feature request.
• You want AI assistants to find your listings. Dirstarter's public MCP server is a real differentiator, and the docs even walk you through submitting it to the Claude and ChatGPT directories.

If that's you, Dirstarter is the better product and we'd rather you were happy there than frustrated here.

What each one costs over three years

The pricing models point in opposite directions, so the fair comparison is total cost over a realistic period, not the headline price.

One monetised directory on Directify Pro costs $1,170 over three years on yearly billing, or $1,404 month to month. The same directory on Dirstarter Pro comes to about $920: a $200 license plus Vercel Pro at $20 a month, before a paid database tier, email, storage or any usage above Vercel's included credit. Three directories widen the gap, because the license is paid once: Directify Growth is $2,070 over three years, Dirstarter stays at $920 if all three sites share one Vercel team.

Two things that calculation leaves out, in both directions:

• Small directories flip it. A directory under 50 listings runs on Directify Starter for $10–12 a month, which is $360 over three years and less than Vercel Pro alone. The Free plan costs nothing for as long as you like.
• Your hours are real. Deploys, boilerplate updates merged into your fork, Next.js and Prisma upgrades, rotating API keys. Dirstarter's updates come as git merges, so the more you customise, the more each update costs you. Directify does all of that invisibly. Whether that is worth $20–30 a month is your call, and it depends entirely on what an hour of your time costs.

Moving between the two

From Dirstarter to Directify: export your tools table from Postgres to CSV (name, description, URL, categories, tags) and import it with Directify's CSV mapper. Create custom fields first if you have extra columns. Add 301 redirects for any URL paths that change in the Settings cluster, then point your domain. Paid listings need re-creating in the Monetize hub and a note to their owners.

From Directify to Dirstarter: export your listings to CSV from the dashboard, map them to Dirstarter's Prisma schema, add any fields you need to the schema, and import with a short script or by connecting an agent to the admin MCP server. Set up 301 redirects for any paths that change so your rankings follow.

Neither direction locks you in. That's deliberate on both sides.

Final recommendation

The deciding question is who builds and runs the site.

If the answer is "a developer, me or my agent" and the directory is about software, buy Dirstarter. You'll own a current, well-built codebase from someone who runs profitable directories on it, and the lifetime price is fair.

If the answer is "me, and I don't want to see a terminal", or the directory is about anything with an address, start on Directify's Free plan today. It covers 10 listings on a subdomain with no time limit. Every paid plan starts with a 7-day free trial, full access, cancel any time before day 7. And if a year from now you've outgrown the builder, your listings export to CSV and Dirstarter will be waiting.