Overview

Osclass is an open-source classifieds platform for building a marketplace on hosting you control. It suits operators comfortable managing a PHP and MySQL site who want to shape a listings business around their own categories and workflows. Its free core is a strong starting point, but commercial add-ons and server upkeep make it a poor fit for buyers seeking a turnkey hosted service.

The project dates to 2011; OsclassPoint has handled active development and maintenance since 2020. The software is self-hosted web software, not a native mobile app.

Key features

Listings and customization

The core brings together listings, nested categories, custom fields, comments, media uploads, users, moderation, locations and currencies, with an oc-admin backoffice for administration. Listing approval and seller messaging support the everyday work of running a marketplace. Themes and plugins use hooks and filters, child themes, custom CSS and JavaScript, and theme routes, allowing tailored changes without editing core files. That flexibility is useful for niche sites, though operators must assemble and maintain their own finished experience.

Search and languages

Canonical URLs, hreflang, relevance sorting, RSS controls, staging noindex settings and custom search URL rules with up to 26 patterns offer useful control over search and SEO. Built-in .po/.mo translation support, multiple active languages and locale currencies help with international directories; right-to-left display depends on theme support. utf8mb4 support also covers emoji.

Payments and integrations

Featured listings, publishing fees, wallets, memberships and payment gateway connections—including Stripe, PayPal, bank transfer and regional gateways—come through the premium Osclass Pay extension, not the core. Free extensions add Cloudflare Turnstile and analytics integrations for GA4, Yandex, HotJar, Piwik and custom header or footer snippets. The distinction matters: a free installation does not itself provide the paid monetization toolkit.

Operations and security

Searchable action logs, IP and email-pattern bans with hit counts and expiry, SMTP diagnostics, backups, maintenance mode and configurable log retention give administrators practical controls. The trade-off is operational responsibility: the site owner must provide and manage the server environment.

Installation and requirements

Osclass requires PHP 7.4 or later with CURL, MySQLi and GD, plus MySQL 5.7 or later or MariaDB. The base install needs 10 MB of disk space. With database credentials ready, uploading the approximately 7 MB package and completing the web installer usually takes about one to two minutes. Themes, plugins, language packs and geolocation SQL data are added separately, so the small core install is only the beginning of a complete deployment.

Pricing

The Osclass core plan is free under the Apache License 2.0 and is self-hosted. It is the natural choice for developers and operators willing to select and configure add-ons themselves. The free core includes the foundational classifieds system, but commercial themes and plugins are sold separately, and the premium Osclass Pay extension is an extra for payment features.

For buyers who want bundled extras, the one-time packages are Starter Bundle: 199.99 EUR per once (20 items, save 55%), Premium Bundle: 399.99 EUR per once (52 items, save 70%), and Ultimate PRO Bundle: 499.99 EUR per once (150+ items, save 85%). The higher bundles include larger item counts, making them more relevant to operators planning to assemble a broader set of paid components; buyers with a narrow needs list may prefer the free core. The bundle descriptions do not define what each item is, so the item counts alone do not establish which specific features a site will get.

Platforms

Osclass runs as self-hosted web software. Custom domains, listing approval, seller messaging, featured listings, payment collection and API access are supported. Mobile access is through the web platform rather than a native app.

Who it's for

Osclass is best for technically capable founders, developers and site operators building classified marketplaces, real-estate or car directories, job boards, or other specialist listing sites. It is especially appealing when control over hosting, categories and extensions matters more than a managed service. Those who do not want to provision a compatible server or source and maintain separate themes, plugins and language data should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros: The Apache-licensed core is free and self-hosted, giving operators a low-cost route to a customizable classifieds foundation.
Pros: Moderation, seller messaging, custom fields, SEO controls and administrative security tools cover important marketplace operations.
Pros: Hooks, filters and child themes support site-specific development without editing core files.
Cons: A compatible PHP and database server is required, and owners remain responsible for running it.
Cons: Themes, plugins, language packs and geolocation data are separate additions, while commercial themes and plugins can add cost beyond the free core.
Cons: Payment monetization depends on a premium extension, so the core alone is not a complete paid-listing business setup.
Cons: It offers a web platform, not native mobile apps.

Alternatives

For a wider range of supported operating systems and mobile platforms, consider UltimateWB Classifieds; it is paid, has a free trial, and its Cloud Starter plan is 25.00 USD per month, with 250 MB of disk space and 7,500 listings. If a WordPress plugin and a free tier are a better fit, WPAdverts offers a free plan and a yearly Start-Up plan at 59.00 USD per year for up to three websites, including extensions, email support and updates. For another free open-source, self-hosted option, OpenClassify makes all code and modules open source.

ShopClass is another free, self-hosted option under GPLv3. If a paid license is preferable, Flynax Classifieds Software offers a one-time software license for 95.00 USD, with unencrypted source code, 42 free plugins and a free responsive template. AWP Classifieds is a freemium WordPress plugin with a free plan. Tamaranga is a paid platform with a free trial and a Standard service renewal at 2600.00 USD per once, billed at $2,600 per half-year. Esvon Classifieds is a paid option with a free trial and a 549.95 USD one-time single-domain lifetime license that includes one year of access to new software versions. Browse the Classifieds Software directory for more options.

Verdict

Choose Osclass if you want a free, extensible classifieds core and are prepared to operate your own PHP and database server. Its combination of marketplace fundamentals and customization hooks makes it a compelling foundation for a focused directory or listings business. Look elsewhere if you need a ready-made hosted service, native mobile apps, or payment monetization without buying and integrating an extension.

	iPublish Classified	Osclass
Free plan		Yes
Paid from		Free
Platforms	Web	self-hosted, Web
Mobile apps	web	web
Free plan		Yes
Custom domain		Yes
Listing approval		Yes
Seller messaging		Yes
Featured listings		Yes
Payment collection		Yes
API access		Yes

iPublish Classified vs Osclass

iPublish Classified

Osclass