63 Best Sites for Directory Submission in 2026 (Ranked by Real DR)

TL;DR: The best sites for directory submission in 2026 are the ones with a verified Domain Rating of 70 or higher, since anything below that rarely moves the needle for backlinks or referral traffic. I pulled live DR, monthly traffic, and pricing data for 63 directory submission sites, from Reddit at DR 95 down to DR 70, so you can see exactly which listings are worth your time and which ones you can skip.

I have submitted the same startup to more than 300 directories by hand. Most of that time was wasted.

Here is what nobody tells you before you start. There are 340+ startup, SaaS, and AI directories floating around the internet right now. Only a small fraction of them actually carry enough domain authority to matter for SEO or send you real traffic. The rest are ghost towns with a submission form bolted on, sites that stopped getting crawled by Google years ago, or link farms dressed up as “curated” directories.

I pulled live Domain Rating (DR), monthly traffic, pricing, and link-type data on 340+ directories. Then I filtered down to the 63 that clear DR 70, the threshold where a backlink actually starts contributing to your domain’s authority instead of just sitting there.

This is not a copy-pasted list from 2019. Every DR and traffic number below reflects current data, and I will tell you exactly which ones are dofollow, which ones are paid, and which ones are frankly not worth the form-filling time.

If you only have 10 minutes, browse the full list of 340+ tracked directories with live DR data and let a done-for-you service handle the submissions instead of burning your weekend on it.

Key Takeaways

• DR 70 is the real cutoff. Below that, a directory listing rarely improves rankings or sends meaningful referral traffic; most “500+ free directories” lists pad their count with sites nobody, including Google’s crawler, actually visits anymore.
• Dofollow does not always mean valuable. A dofollow link from a DR 20 directory is worth less than a nofollow mention on Reddit (DR 95) or Product Hunt, because search engines weight the linking domain’s authority, not just the link attribute.
• Free and paid directories both make this list. Price is not a quality signal here. Crunchbase charges $49+ and is worth it; SourceForge is free and DR 93.
• Manual submission to 63 sites takes 40 to 70 hours. Every form wants different fields, different verification steps, and different account setups. That time cost is the actual reason done-for-you submission services exist.
• Directory submission still works for SEO in 2026, but only as one piece of a broader off-page strategy. It builds a foundational backlink profile and gets you in front of real searchers, not a silver bullet on its own.

Table of Contents

• What is directory submission and does it still work for SEO?
• How I picked these 63 directory submission sites
• Quick comparison: the top 10 directory submission sites
• DR 90+: the elite tier
• DR 80-89: high-authority picks
• DR 75-79: strong mid-tier options
• DR 70-74: still worth your time
• How many directories should you actually submit to?
• Common directory submission mistakes to avoid
• FAQ

What Is Directory Submission and Does It Still Work for SEO in 2026?

Directory submission is the practice of listing your startup, SaaS product, or AI tool on websites built specifically to catalogue new products. Each listing does three things at once: it creates a backlink, it puts your product in front of an audience actively browsing for new tools, and it helps a search engine and AI assistants understand what your product does. Yes, it still works for SEO in 2026, but only when you submit to directories with real domain authority and real traffic, not the recycled “1000 free directories” lists that circulated a decade ago.

Google’s own spam policies documentation is clear that low-quality directory links created purely to manipulate rankings can get a site penalized. That is not directory submission’s fault. It is what happens when someone submits to hundreds of low-DR, unmoderated directories in a single week using automated software. A legitimate directory such as Product Hunt, G2, or Crunchbase is a different animal entirely: real editorial standards, real human traffic, and a Domain Rating built over years, not manufactured overnight.

The distinction that matters is between old-school web directories built to sell backlinks and a product discovery platform that happens to also produce a backlink as a side effect. I only included the second kind on this list.

How I Picked These 63 Directory Submission Sites

I started from a tracked database of 340+ startup, SaaS, and AI directories with live DR data, then set a hard filter: DR 70 or higher. That single number cut the list from 340+ down to 63.

Why 70 specifically? Ahrefs defines Domain Rating as a logarithmic score of a domain’s backlink profile strength on a 0-100 scale, and the jump between DR 60 and DR 90 represents an enormous gap in real link equity, since the scale is not linear. A DR 70 domain has already cleared the bar that separates “has some real authority” from “exists.” Below DR 70, you are often looking at a directory that either launched recently, gets crawled irregularly, or has never earned a meaningful backlink itself.

Ahrefs calls this metric DR (Domain Rating); Moz calls its equivalent metric DA (Domain Authority). Different tools, same basic idea: how strong is this domain’s backlink profile. I checked traffic alongside DR too, because a directory can inflate its Domain Rating with old, high-quality backlinks while getting almost no organic visits today. A handful of entries below have modest traffic but still made the cut on DR alone, and I flag that honestly in each entry rather than pretending every listing sends a flood of referral clicks.

One founder in my community, Priya, submitted her AI writing tool to 40 directories over three weekends in early 2026. She tracked referral traffic in GA4 for the following 60 days. Eleven of those 40 sent any traffic at all, and just four sent more than 10 visits total. The other 36 were exactly the kind of low-DR, low-traffic directories this list filters out.

Quick Comparison: The Top 10 Directory Submission Sites

Rank	Site	DR	Monthly Traffic	Pricing	Link Type
1	Reddit	95	1.09B	Free	No Follow
2	Medium	94	26.9M	Free	No Follow
3	Source Forge	93	2.6M	Free	Do Follow
4	Hacker News	91	631.4K	Free	Do Follow
5	ZPlatform AI	54	12K	Freemium	Do Follow
6	Crunchbase	91	3.3M	Paid $49+	No Follow
7	Product Hunt	91	306.3K	Free	Do Follow
8	G2	91	789.9K	Free	Do Follow
9	Capterra	91	346.9K	Freemium	Do Follow
10	AI Tools Neil Patel	91	127	Paid $16+	Do Follow

I am putting ZPlatform at #5 on purpose, and I want to be upfront about why: it is not the highest-DR entry on this page, and I would be lying if I said otherwise. What earns it the spot is that it is not a single directory, it is a done-for-you submission service that manually lists your startup across 340+ of the directories tracked on this exact page, including most of the ones ranked above and below it. If your actual goal is getting listed everywhere that matters without spending 60 hours filling out forms, that is a different value proposition than any single directory on this list can offer.

DR 90+: The Elite Tier

These four sites carry more link equity than the rest of this list combined. If you only have time to submit to a handful of directories, start here.

1. Reddit

DR 95 · 1.09B monthly visits · Free · No Follow

Reddit is not a directory in the traditional sense, it is the largest community platform on the internet, and a well-placed post in a relevant subreddit like r/SaaS or r/startups can send more qualified traffic in a day than most directories send in a year. The link is nofollow, so do not submit here for link equity. Submit here because your actual customers are reading it. The honest limitation: self-promotion gets removed fast if you do not participate in the community first.

2. Medium

DR 94 · 26.9M monthly visits · Free · No Follow

Medium is a publishing platform, not a submission directory, but writing a launch story or case study there and linking back to your product puts you in front of a massive built-in readership. The link is nofollow, and Medium’s algorithm favors accounts with a publishing history, so a single drive-by post rarely performs. Best for founders willing to actually write, not just drop a link.

3. Source Forge

DR 93 · 2.6M monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

SourceForge started as an open-source hosting platform and has expanded into a broader software directory with genuine dofollow links and real search traffic. Submission is free and the review process is light, which makes it one of the easiest DR 90+ wins on this entire list. Best for developer tools and technical products; consumer apps get less relevant traffic here.

4. Hacker News

DR 91 · 631.4K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Hacker News runs on user-submitted links and community voting, so getting your Show HN post to the front page can drive a serious traffic spike and a dofollow link from a DR 91 domain. The catch: the community is famously skeptical of anything that reads like marketing, and most submissions get zero upvotes and disappear within an hour. Best for genuinely technical products with a founder willing to answer tough comments.

5. ZPlatform AI

DR 54 · 12K monthly visits · Freemium · Do Follow

ZPlatform AI is the platform this article lives on, and I am disclosing that plainly. Its DR sits well below the rest of this tier, so here is why it still earns the spot: it is a done-for-you service, not a single directory. It manually submits your startup, SaaS, or AI tool to 100+ hand-picked directories (340+ tracked in total, all with live DR data). That happens in days, not the 40 to 70 hours it takes to do it yourself.

You get a dofollow listing on ZPlatform itself, plus the manual legwork across the other high-DR directories on this page. The honest limitation: it is a service, not a single high-DR backlink, so if all you want is one dofollow link from one domain, a direct submission to a top-tier entry above will do more for that specific metric. See the full directory database and what a done-for-you submission actually includes.

6. Crunchbase

DR 91 · 3.3M monthly visits · Paid $49+ · No Follow

Crunchbase is the default reference database investors, journalists, and other founders check when they want funding history, team size, and company data on a startup. The listing itself is nofollow, so treat this as a credibility and discovery play, not a backlink play. Best for funded startups; the free tier is thin, and the real value sits behind the $49+ paid plan.

7. Product Hunt

DR 91 · 306.3K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Product Hunt remains the single best-known launch platform for new SaaS and AI products, and a strong launch day can put you in front of thousands of early adopters plus a dofollow backlink. The honest catch: a mediocre launch with no hunter, no assets, and no community push gets buried by lunchtime. Best treated as a one-time event to plan around, not a passive listing to submit and forget.

8. G2

DR 91 · 789.9K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

G2 is a B2B software review marketplace, and a free vendor profile with a dofollow link is table stakes for any SaaS product targeting business buyers who research on review sites before purchasing. Reviews take time to accumulate, so a brand-new listing with zero reviews will not rank well inside G2 itself, even though the backlink value is immediate. Best for B2B SaaS with at least a handful of paying customers willing to leave a review.

9. Capterra

DR 91 · 346.9K monthly visits · Freemium · Do Follow

Capterra is part of the same Gartner Digital Markets network as G2 and pulls from a similar buyer-intent audience, with a free basic listing and paid options for enhanced placement. The dofollow link and buyer-intent traffic make the free tier worth claiming regardless of budget. Best for software with a defined category, since Capterra’s directory structure rewards products that fit cleanly into an existing category over ones that need a new one invented.

10. AI Tools Neil Patel

DR 91 · 127 monthly visits · Paid $16+ · Do Follow

This is Neil Patel’s AI tools directory, and it carries his site’s overall DR 91 despite modest standalone traffic on the directory section itself. The dofollow link from a domain with that much accumulated authority is the actual draw here, not discovery traffic. Best for AI tools specifically; it is not a general SaaS directory, so non-AI products should skip the $16+ fee.

DR 80-89: High-Authority Picks

Twelve directories in this range still carry serious link equity, just below the DR 90+ tier.

11. DevPost

DR 88 · 97.9K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

DevPost runs hackathons and hosts a directory of developer projects and tools, with a free dofollow listing and an audience of builders and engineers. Best for developer-facing tools and anything with hackathon or open-source roots; consumer products are a weaker fit for this audience.

12. FinancesOnline

DR 87 · 30 monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

FinancesOnline is a business software review site with a DR 87 built over years, though standalone submission traffic is low. The value here is almost entirely the dofollow backlink from an established domain. Best for B2B and finance-adjacent SaaS with a completed product ready for review.

13. Wellfound

DR 87 · 263K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent) is a startup job board and company directory, and a free company profile with a dofollow link doubles as a hiring page once you start recruiting. Best for startups planning to hire soon; the directory value is real but secondary to its hiring function.

14. GetApp

DR 85 · 112.9K monthly visits · Freemium · Do Follow

GetApp sits in the same Gartner network as Capterra and G2, with a free basic listing that still earns a dofollow link and buyer-intent traffic. Best claimed alongside your G2 and Capterra profiles, since the three share overlapping traffic and reinforce each other in search results for “[category] software” queries.

15. AppSumo

DR 83 · 109.8K monthly visits · Paid · Do Follow

AppSumo is the largest lifetime-deal marketplace for SaaS tools, and getting accepted requires a paid application plus a willingness to offer a steep lifetime discount. The dofollow link and marketplace traffic are real, but the honest tradeoff is giving up significant per-customer revenue upfront in exchange for volume and visibility. Best for tools with healthy margins that can absorb a lifetime-deal pricing structure.

16. F6S

DR 83 · 290.3K monthly visits · Free · No Follow

F6S is a startup community and program directory (accelerators, grants, competitions) with a free profile, though the link is nofollow. The real value is discovery through startup programs and investor networks rather than direct SEO lift. Best for early-stage startups actively applying to accelerators or grant programs.

17. Fazier

DR 82 · 650 monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Fazier is a newer AI and startup launch directory with a free dofollow listing and modest but growing traffic. Best treated as a quick, low-effort addition to a broader submission batch rather than a standalone destination.

18. Indie Hackers

DR 81 · 79.6K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Indie Hackers is a community for bootstrapped founders to share revenue numbers and build-in-public updates, and a product page plus active forum participation earns a dofollow link. The community actively distrusts drive-by self-promotion, so the honest requirement here is genuine participation, not a one-time submission. Best for solo founders and small teams building in public.

19. Dang AI

DR 81 · 9.3K monthly visits · Freemium $29+ · Do Follow

Dang AI is an AI tool directory with a free tier and a $29+ paid option for faster or featured placement. The free tier is a reasonable dofollow win; the paid tier mainly buys speed and visibility, not a different link type. Best for AI tools willing to skip the free-tier review queue.

20. Twelve Tools

DR 81 · 378 monthly visits · Freemium $36+ · Do Follow

Twelve Tools curates a small daily batch of new tools rather than accepting unlimited submissions, which keeps its directory less cluttered but also means slower free-tier acceptance. The $36+ paid tier skips the queue. Best for tools that can wait for a free-tier feature slot; skip the paid tier unless timing matters.

21. Turbo0

DR 80 · 2 monthly visits · Freemium $16.9+ · Do Follow

Turbo0 is a low-traffic AI directory that still carries a DR 80 backlink profile, making it a fine dofollow addition even though it will not send meaningful referral clicks. Best treated purely as a backlink submission, not a discovery channel.

22. SaasHub

DR 80 · 5.5K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

SaasHub is a SaaS alternative-discovery directory, similar in concept to AlternativeTo but focused specifically on SaaS products, with a free dofollow listing. Best for SaaS tools that have a clear set of competitors, since SaasHub’s format leans on “alternatives to X” comparison pages.

DR 75-79: Strong Mid-Tier Options

Sixteen directories in this range are still worth the submission time, particularly the dofollow ones.

23. Stackshare

DR 79 · 9.1K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

StackShare lets companies publicly document their tech stack, and a free dofollow listing works best when actual companies tag your product as part of their stack rather than you self-submitting alone. Best for developer tools and infrastructure products with existing customers willing to share their stack.

24. AlternativeTo

DR 79 · 102.9K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

AlternativeTo is a long-running software alternative-discovery site where users compare and vote on tools, and a free dofollow listing puts you directly in front of people actively searching for alternatives to your competitors. Best for any SaaS or app with an established, well-known competitor to be listed against.

25. Brownbook

DR 79 · 2.7K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Brownbook is a general business directory with a free dofollow listing and broad, non-niche categorization. Best as a quick, low-effort addition to a submission batch rather than a primary discovery channel, since its traffic and relevance to AI or SaaS specifically are limited.

26. Tool Pilot

DR 78 · 2.7K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Tool Pilot is a free AI tools directory with a straightforward submission process and a dofollow link. Best for AI tools looking for an easy, no-cost addition without a long review queue.

27. Software Suggest

DR 78 · 93.7K monthly visits · Paid $99+ · Do Follow

SoftwareSuggest is a business software directory with meaningful organic traffic, but the meaningful placement sits behind a $99+ paid plan. Best for SaaS products with budget for paid directory placement and a category that fits its business-software focus.

28. Eu Startups

DR 78 · 12.9K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

EU-Startups covers European startup news and maintains a free startup directory with a dofollow link. Best specifically for startups based in or targeting the European market; the editorial focus is regional, not global.

29. There’s An AI For That

DR 77 · 1.4M monthly visits · Paid $49+ · Do Follow

There’s An AI For That is one of the highest-traffic AI tool directories that exists, and its 1.4M monthly visits make the $49+ submission fee one of the easier ones to justify on pure discovery traffic alone. Best for AI tools specifically; it does not accept general SaaS or non-AI products.

30. Peerlist

DR 77 · 141K monthly visits · Free · No Follow

Peerlist is a professional network and project-showcase platform for builders, similar in spirit to a portfolio-focused LinkedIn, with a free but nofollow listing. Best for solo builders and small teams wanting visibility among other developers and hiring managers, not primarily for SEO.

31. Siteefy

DR 77 · 10.2K monthly visits · Freemium $19+ · Do Follow

Siteefy is a website and tool directory with a free tier and a $19+ option for faster review. Best as a quick, low-cost dofollow addition to a larger submission batch.

32. Digital Agency Network

DR 76 · 176.7K monthly visits · Unknown pricing · Do Follow

Digital Agency Network is a directory built for marketing and digital agencies rather than SaaS products directly, with a dofollow link and solid traffic. Best for agencies and tools that sell directly to marketing agencies as their core customer.

33. Beta List

DR 76 · 12.6K monthly visits · Paid $28.99+ · Do Follow

BetaList curates early-stage startups still in beta, and getting featured puts you in front of an audience of early adopters specifically looking to try unreleased products. The $28.99+ fee is one of the more reasonable paid tiers on this list given the targeted, high-intent audience. Best for pre-launch or recently launched products, since BetaList’s whole premise is “not fully public yet.”

34. ShowMeBestAI

DR 76 · 11 monthly visits · Freemium $49.99+ · Do Follow

ShowMeBestAI is a smaller AI tools directory with a free tier and a $49.99+ paid option, though standalone traffic is minimal. The dofollow link from a DR 76 domain is the real reason to submit here, not discovery traffic. Best treated as a backlink-only submission.

35. Uneed Best

DR 75 · 3.7K monthly visits · Paid $29+ · Do Follow

Uneed is a daily product-launch platform similar in format to Product Hunt but smaller, with a $29+ fee for guaranteed placement. Best for founders who want a Product-Hunt-style launch moment without competing against Product Hunt’s much larger volume of daily launches.

36. Alternative Me

DR 75 · 98.1K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Alternative.me is another alternative-discovery directory in the same category as AlternativeTo and SaasHub, with a free dofollow listing and solid organic traffic. Best for products with a clear, well-known competitor, submitted alongside AlternativeTo for overlapping search coverage.

37. SaasWorthy

DR 75 · 21.3K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

SaasWorthy is a SaaS discovery and review directory with a free dofollow listing. Best for SaaS products willing to actively request customer reviews, since review volume drives internal ranking on the platform itself.

38. LaunchIgniter

DR 75 · 18 monthly visits · Freemium $12+ · Do Follow

LaunchIgniter is a small launch-platform directory with a free tier and a $12+ option for faster review, though standalone traffic is minimal. Best treated as a cheap, quick dofollow addition rather than a discovery channel.

DR 70-74: Still Worth Your Time

The remaining 25 directories all clear DR 70. Traffic varies widely here, so I have flagged the low-traffic ones honestly rather than oversell them.

39. Active Search Results

DR 74 · 7 monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Active Search Results is a long-running general web directory with a free dofollow listing and negligible current traffic. Best treated purely as a backlink submission from an aged domain, not a discovery channel.

40. Whatsthebigdata

DR 74 · 169.4K monthly visits · Paid $599+ · Do Follow

Whatsthebigdata covers AI and big data news with real editorial traffic, but the $599+ fee is the steepest on this entire list. Best reserved for well-funded AI products where the traffic and brand association justify the premium price; most bootstrapped startups should skip this one.

41. Crozdesk

DR 74 · 48.8K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Crozdesk is a business software comparison and recommendation directory with a free dofollow listing and decent organic traffic. Best for B2B SaaS products with a clearly defined category.

42. ToolFame

DR 74 · 153 monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

ToolFame is a free SaaS and tool directory with modest traffic but a genuine dofollow link. Best as a quick, no-cost addition to a larger submission batch.

43. Orynth

DR 74 · Under 100 monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Orynth is a newer AI tools directory with a free dofollow listing and traffic still building. Best treated as a pure backlink play from an already-DR-74 domain while the site’s own traffic grows.

44. Good AI Tools

DR 74 · Under 100 monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Good AI Tools is a free AI directory with minimal current traffic but a real dofollow link. Best as a low-effort addition; do not expect referral clicks yet.

45. Dofollow Tools

DR 73 · Under 100 monthly visits · Paid $9.99+ · Do Follow

Dofollow Tools is explicit about its value proposition in its name: a cheap, guaranteed dofollow link for $9.99+. Best for anyone specifically stacking dofollow links on a budget; do not expect meaningful discovery traffic.

46. Software World

DR 73 · 14.6K monthly visits · Unknown pricing · Do Follow

Software World is a B2B software directory with a dofollow link and moderate traffic. Best for B2B SaaS looking for another category-specific listing beyond the bigger names like G2 and Capterra.

47. Viesearch

DR 73 · 761 monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Viesearch is a human-edited general web directory with a free dofollow listing and light traffic. Best as a quick, no-cost dofollow addition rather than a primary discovery channel.

48. StartupBlink

DR 72 · 12.4K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

StartupBlink maintains a global startup ecosystem directory and ranking, with a free dofollow company profile. Best for startups that also want visibility in city and country-level startup ecosystem rankings, not just a standalone listing.

49. Comparecamp

DR 72 · 156 monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

CompareCamp is a software comparison and review directory with a free dofollow listing and light traffic. Best as a supplementary listing alongside the higher-traffic comparison sites earlier in this list.

50. SaaS Browser

DR 72 · Under 100 monthly visits · Paid $36+ · Do Follow

SaaS Browser is a paid SaaS directory with minimal current traffic. Best skipped unless you are specifically stacking dofollow links and the $36+ fee fits a larger submission budget.

51. Getlatka

DR 72 · 15K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Getlatka is a B2B SaaS company database with revenue and growth data, and a free dofollow profile. Best for SaaS founders comfortable sharing revenue metrics publicly, since that transparency is the platform’s core hook.

52. Toolify.ai

DR 72 · 54.1K monthly visits · Paid $99+ · Do Follow

Toolify.ai is a large, well-established AI tools directory with solid organic traffic, though meaningful placement sits behind a $99+ fee. Best for AI products with budget for paid placement and a genuine need for AI-specific discovery traffic.

53. FoundrList

DR 72 · 82 monthly visits · Freemium $19+ · Do Follow

FoundrList is a smaller startup directory with a free tier and a $19+ option for faster review. Best as a quick, low-cost addition rather than a standalone destination.

54. Tekpon

DR 72 · 2.5K monthly visits · Paid $249+ · Do Follow

Tekpon is a software marketplace and review directory, and its $249+ fee is one of the priciest on this list relative to its traffic. Best reserved for SaaS products with marketing budget specifically earmarked for paid directory placement.

55. Futurepedia

DR 72 · 52.1K monthly visits · Paid · Do Follow

Futurepedia is a well-known AI tools directory with real organic traffic and a paid submission model. Best for AI products willing to pay for placement in one of the more established AI-specific directories.

56. TinyLaunch

DR 72 · 1.8K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

TinyLaunch is a free daily launch platform in the same category as Product Hunt and Uneed, just smaller. Best for founders wanting an extra free launch-day moment beyond the bigger platforms.

57. Aura ++

DR 71 · 936 monthly visits · Freemium $17+ · Do Follow

Aura++ is a smaller AI and SaaS directory with a free tier and a $17+ paid option. Best as a low-cost, low-effort addition to a broader submission batch.

58. Sidebar

DR 71 · 4.8K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

Sidebar curates a daily digest of design and product links, and a free dofollow mention puts you in front of its curated newsletter audience. Best for design-forward products and tools with strong visual appeal.

59. SideProjectors

DR 71 · 4.8K monthly visits · Free · Do Follow

SideProjectors is a marketplace for buying, selling, and showcasing side projects, with a free dofollow listing. Best for solo founders open to eventually selling the project, since that audience intent shapes who visits.

60. Killer Startups

DR 71 · Under 100 monthly visits · Freemium · Do Follow

KillerStartups is a long-running startup listing directory with a free tier and a dofollow link, though current traffic is minimal. Best as a quick, no-cost addition to a larger batch.

61. DeepLaunch

DR 70 · Under 100 monthly visits · Paid $9.9+ · Do Follow

DeepLaunch is a low-cost launch directory with minimal traffic but a genuine DR 70 dofollow link for under $10. Best purely as a cheap backlink addition.

62. PeerPush

DR 70 · Under 100 monthly visits · Freemium $30+ · Do Follow

PeerPush is a smaller product directory with a free tier and a $30+ paid option, though traffic is minimal. Best skipped unless you are specifically stacking dofollow links on a tight budget.

63. Tiny Startups

DR 70 · 308 monthly visits · Paid $49+ · Do Follow

Tiny Startups is a directory built for small, bootstrapped products, with a $49+ fee and light but real traffic. Best for indie and bootstrapped founders who want their listing surrounded by similarly small, non-VC-backed products rather than funded startups.

How Many Directories Should You Actually Submit To?

Submit to every directory on this DR 70+ list that fits your product category, then stop. Chasing beyond DR 70 into the hundreds of lower-authority directories most “free directory” lists push adds submission time without adding meaningful backlink value.

If you can only pick ten, take the top 10 from the comparison table above; they cover the highest DR, the most relevant categories (AI, SaaS, launch platforms), and a mix of dofollow and high-traffic nofollow placements. If you have a full weekend, work through all 63 in this list category by category, starting with whichever tier matches your product type. Anything beyond these 63, from the remaining 277+ directories in the full tracked database, should be treated as optional volume, not core strategy.

Ready to skip the form-filling entirely? See the done-for-you directory submission service and the complete 340+ directory database.

Common Directory Submission Mistakes to Avoid

Submitting identical, copy-pasted descriptions everywhere. Directories with editorial review (Product Hunt, G2, BetaList) reject or bury listings that read like generic marketing copy pasted across 60 sites. Write a version tailored to each directory’s audience.

Ignoring inconsistent business details. Your product name, URL, and description should match across every directory. Inconsistent details across dozens of listings look sloppy to both users and to Google when it crawls your backlink profile.

Submitting to directories below DR 70 in bulk. This is the single biggest time sink I see founders fall into. Forty hours spent on DR 20-40 directories produces less link equity than four hours spent on this list’s top 10.

Treating Product Hunt and similar launch platforms as passive listings. A launch-day platform needs an actual launch plan (assets, timing, an engaged network to notify), not a submit-and-forget approach. Treat it as an event, not a form.

FAQ

Is directory submission still good for SEO in 2026?

Yes, but only when you submit to directories with real Domain Rating and real traffic. High-DR, editorially reviewed directories like Product Hunt, G2, and Crunchbase still pass genuine link equity and referral traffic. Low-DR, unmoderated directories add little value and can look spammy in bulk.

Are directory submissions free?

Some are, some are not. Of the 63 directories on this list, roughly a third are completely free. Another third are freemium, with a paid tier for faster review or featured placement. The rest require payment upfront, ranging from $9.99 to $599 depending on the directory’s traffic and audience.

Does the directory offer dofollow links?

Most directories on this list are dofollow, but several of the highest-DR entries, including Reddit, Medium, Crunchbase, and Peerlist, are nofollow. Check the link-type column in each section before assuming every high-DR listing passes direct link equity.

How do I submit a website to directories?

Create a company profile with your product name, URL, logo, a short description, and category, then complete each directory’s specific submission form and any verification step. Doing this manually across dozens of directories typically takes 40 to 70 hours; a done-for-you service compresses that into a few days.

How many directories should I submit to for optimal results?

Start with the DR 90+ tier, then work down through DR 70+ based on your product category. Submitting to all 63 directories on this list covers the meaningful range; going beyond DR 70 into lower-authority directories adds time without adding much backlink value.

What is local directory submission?

Local directory submission means listing a business on location-based platforms like Google Business Profile, Yelp, or regional chambers of commerce, which is a different practice from the startup and SaaS product directories covered on this list. Local listings prioritize NAP (name, address, phone) consistency over Domain Rating.

The Bottom Line

Sixty-three directories clear DR 70 out of the 340+ I have tracked, and that ratio alone tells you most “best directory submission sites” lists are padding their count with domains that will not move your rankings. Start with the DR 90+ tier, work down through the rest based on your product category, and treat anything below DR 70 as optional volume rather than core strategy.

If you would rather not spend a weekend filling out 63 different submission forms, browse the full 340+ directory database and see what the done-for-you submission service covers. Either way, you now have the actual DR, traffic, and pricing data to make that call yourself instead of trusting a recycled list.