For a link that comes with a review. Free with the badge (two dofollow links) or $9.99 one-time with no badge (four), and every listing is test-driven and scored out of 100. AI tools only — if you’re a SaaS without an AI angle, skip to the next one.
Alternatives · Last verified September 8, 2026
The best dofollow.tools alternatives in 2026
dofollow.tools is a directory of AI tools and SaaS products whose name is the pitch: a dofollow link, permanent if you pay ($19 one-time), conditional if you don’t. The free tier is real but tight — five slots a day site-wide, a seven-day queue, and a link that drops to nofollow the moment its badge leaves your site.
That makes it a clean transaction for founders who know they’re buying a link. It also explains most of the searches for alternatives: people who want a free tier without the queue, people who want their $19 to buy more than a card, and people who’d rather earn a link from a page that says something about their product. The comparison below sticks to what each site states publicly.
13 directories compared below, including launched.tools. Facts were read from each site on September 8, 2026; anything a site doesn’t state is marked “not stated”, not guessed. Head-to-head with launched.tools →
What dofollow.tools does well
Credit where it’s due
Cheap permanent paid link
$19 one-time buys a dofollow link the site says is never downgraded, live in minutes, no badge. The only cheaper unconditional link on this page is launched.tools’ $9.99 tier, and that one only lists AI tools.
Honest about the free tier
The pricing page spells out the catch — badge re-checks, the nofollow downgrade, the daily cap — instead of burying it. You know exactly what you’re getting.
Two directories for one fee
The $25.90 Dual Directory plan lists you on dofollow.tools and its sister site firstlook.tools in one purchase.
A form that does the work
Paste your URL and the submit form drafts the listing for you; screenshots, up to three categories, a discount code and an affiliate-program link are optional extras.
Why founders look elsewhere
The reasons people search for dofollow.tools alternatives
01
The free link is on a leash
Keep the badge up or the link goes nofollow. Plenty of directories verify badges, but here removal is the stated trigger for a downgrade, so the free link is only ever as permanent as your footer.
02
Five free slots a day, seven days in the queue
Free submissions compete for five site-wide slots after a week’s wait. If you’re launching this week, the free tier isn’t a launch channel.
03
You’re buying a card, not coverage
Listings are a tagline and a link; there is no written review and no score. If you want the linking page to carry weight with readers, that has to come from somewhere else.
04
A small audience, by its own numbers
The homepage publishes its traffic: 2,974 visitors in the previous 30 days at verification. The link is the product; referral traffic isn’t.
The comparison
dofollow.tools vs 13 alternatives
Every cell comes from the directory’s own pricing, submit or FAQ page. Highlighted rows: dofollow.tools and launched.tools.
| Directory | Pricing | Link policy | Review process | Speed | DR | Traffic / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dofollow.tools AI & SaaS tool directory | Free (badge required, 5 slots a day) or paid from $19 one-time | Dofollow, with conditions Free listings stay dofollow only while its badge is on your site (re-checked; drops to nofollow if removed). Paid listings ($19 Pro, $25.90 Dual Directory, $99 Featured) get a permanent dofollow link with no badge. | Human approval Free submissions wait in a review queue; paid listings are published within minutes. No written review or score is published. | Free: a 7-day queue with 5 free slots a day site-wide. Paid: live in minutes. | 73 | 0 |
| launched.tools Reviewed AI tool directory this site | Free (Bootstrap, badge required) or Launched++ $9.99 one-time | Dofollow, with conditions Free: two dofollow links (your listing page and the Reviewed Wall), conditional on keeping the badge on your site — a listing whose badge goes missing is unpublished after a 7-day grace period. Launched++: four dofollow links (adds your category hub and launch-month page), no badge, unconditional. | Editorial review + score Automated fit check, then a test-drive scored out of 100 on capability, usability, value, reliability and docs & support. The score is never for sale. | Free: live once the badge verifies after the automated check. Launched++: publishes when payment clears. | 38 | 0 |
| twelve.tools Curated tool directory | Free (link back required) or Pro $36 one-time | Dofollow, with conditions Free: one dofollow link, and a backlink to twelve.tools is required on your homepage or footer. Pro: three dofollow links described as permanent, no backlink needed. | Human approval Submissions are reviewed before listing; the site describes its picks as hand-picked. No written review or score is published. | Reviewed within 72 hours (free); reviewed and listed within 24 hours (Pro). | 82 | 1K |
| findly.tools Curated SaaS & tool directory | Free (badge required) or Premium $25.20 one-time | Dofollow, with conditions Free: dofollow while its badge stays on your site. Premium: four dofollow links, no badge, lifetime. | Human approval The site states every listing is reviewed before it goes live. A separate paid Product Review ($79) is a 2,500+ word article on its blog. | Premium: instant publish. Free: queue time not stated. | 81 | 32 |
| Open Launch Open-source launch platform | Free launch (fully booked into 2027 at verification) or Premium $12 per launch | Dofollow, with conditions Free: dofollow only if you finish in the day's top 3 and display its badge on your site. Premium: guaranteed dofollow link. | Community votes Community upvotes decide the daily top three. No editorial review or score is published. | Premium: launch the next day (10 premium slots daily). Free: waitlist, booked into 2027 at verification. | 72 | 0 |
| Product Hunt Launch community | Free to launch | Not stated | Community votes Community-driven with community guidelines; no editorial review or score. | You schedule your own launch date (the launch guide suggests 12:01 am Pacific). | 91 | 290K |
| BetaList Startup showcase | Paid only; plans and prices are shown at the end of the submission form. Full automatic refund if not selected. | Dofollow The 'Visit Site' button on a featured listing is dofollow (it routes through a 301 redirect for click tracking). | Human approval The editorial team reviews every submission before featuring; startups that are not selected are refunded in full. | Depends on the plan chosen; the expected timeline is shown at checkout and in the confirmation email. | 76 | 19K |
| Uneed Launch platform | Paid: Fast-track $14.99 or Skip the line $29.99 (free queue closed) | Dofollow Do-follow link from your launch (the site describes its domain as '75 DR', self-reported). | Community votes Community launch with upvotes; no editorial review or score stated. | Fast-track: a slot in about 14 days. Skip the line: choose your own launch date. | 75 | 7K |
| Fazier Launch platform | Premium $49 (15 days of homepage placement) | Dofollow on paid only Premium ($49) includes a permanent do-follow link; the link policy for standard launches is not stated. | Community votes Community upvotes; review process not stated. | Not stated | 83 | 484 |
| TinyLaunch Launch platform | Free (Standard) or Premium $39 per launch | Dofollow, with conditions Standard: a link only for top-3 finishers, dofollow once you embed its badge linking to tinylaunch.com. Premium: guaranteed high-authority link. | Community votes Community upvotes decide the top three; no editorial review or score stated. | Standard: launch queue. Premium: skip the queue. | 73 | 2K |
| SaaSHub Software marketplace | Free to submit and verify a product | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | 80 | 26K |
| Futurepedia AI tool directory | Paid only: Basic $247 (sold out at verification) or Verified $497 one-time | Not stated | Human approval All submissions are subject to editorial approval; tools can be denied or removed if deemed inappropriate for the audience. | Published within 7 days (Basic) or 2 business days (Verified). | 72 | 53K |
| There's An AI For That AI tool directory | Paid only: $49 one-time (Website only) or $347 (Maximum exposure) | Not stated | Human approval All submissions are manually reviewed by staff. Accepts AI tools, GPTs and AI influencers (non-human) only. | Not stated | 77 | 1.1M |
| Toolify AI tool directory | Paid only: $99 one-time | Dofollow Promises 'no less than 6' dofollow links from the site. | Not stated | Listed within 48 hours, no queue. | 73 | 102K |
“Not stated” = the directory’s own site doesn’t say, so we don’t either. Outbound links to other directories are nofollow.
Full ranking with methodology: Best directories to submit your startup →
The alternatives, one by one
Where each one fits
Same free-with-badge model, but the site states every listing is reviewed before publishing, and Premium ($25.20, one-time) gets four dofollow links with instant publish. Solo-run, with public pricing.
Free with a link back on your homepage or footer (one dofollow link, reviewed within 72 hours), or $36 Pro for three permanent links within 24 hours and homepage features. A much larger catalog.
A launch rather than a listing: $12 gets a guaranteed dofollow link and a next-day launch at 08:00 UTC. The free tier exists but was booked into 2027 at verification.
A launchpad with a community and a do-follow link from your launch. No free queue any more: $14.99 for a slot in about two weeks or $29.99 to pick your date.
For AI tools with budget: $99 one-time, listed within 48 hours with no queue, and the site promises at least six dofollow links plus listings translated into multiple languages.
Free launch competitions where the top three of each period get a badge and a high-authority link, dofollow once the badge is embedded. Premium ($39) guarantees the link.
If your startup is pre-launch or just launched: paid, editorially selected, a dofollow Visit Site link, and a full refund if not picked. More of a showcase than a link source.
Being fair
When dofollow.tools is the better choice
- You want the cheapest unconditional dofollow link from a general AI-and-SaaS directory and you’re not an AI tool: $19, live in minutes, no badge.
- You want two directories for one fee — the $25.90 Dual Directory plan covers dofollow.tools and firstlook.tools.
- You’re fine with a badge and in no hurry: the free tier is genuinely free, and its conditions are stated up front.
- You want a discount-code or affiliate-program field on your listing; the submit form has both.
How launched.tools is different
Fewer listings, each one reviewed
launched.tools shares one thing with dofollow.tools: a badge-verified free tier and a one-time paid tier that removes the badge. The difference is what the link points from. Here it is an editorial review — the tool test-driven and scored out of 100 on five public axes — not a card.
That is also why our paid tier is cheaper ($9.99) and gives more links (four): the value isn’t the link count, it’s that the pages carrying those links — your review, the Reviewed Wall, your category hub, your launch-month page — are pages readers and answer engines actually use.
The catch is scope. We only list AI tools, and the review is a real bar: prohibited categories and thin wrappers are turned away, whatever the tier.
Frequently asked questions
Is dofollow.tools free?
There is a free tier. It requires the dofollow.tools badge on your site, waits seven days in the review queue, competes for five free slots a day site-wide, and its link stays dofollow only while the badge is up. Paid plans start at $19 one-time.
Does dofollow.tools give a permanent dofollow link?
On paid plans, yes — the pricing page says paid listings are never downgraded to nofollow. Free listings are re-checked and drop to nofollow if the badge is removed.
What does the $25.90 Dual Directory plan include?
Everything in One-Time Pro on both dofollow.tools and firstlook.tools: permanent dofollow links, live in minutes, highlighted cards on both sites, paid once.
What is the best alternative to dofollow.tools?
For a cheaper unconditional link with a review attached, launched.tools ($9.99, AI tools only). For a like-for-like free-with-badge directory with reviewed listings, findly.tools. For a bigger catalog, twelve.tools. For a launch day, Open Launch or Uneed.
Can I list on dofollow.tools and launched.tools?
Yes. Neither is exclusive. The two free tiers together cost nothing but two badges; the two paid tiers together are under $30 one-time.
More comparisons
Get reviewed
Listed on dofollow.tools? Add a review that scores you.
Submitting to several directories is normal. Ours is the one that test-drives your AI tool, scores it out of 100, and links to you from an editorial page — free with the badge, or $9.99 one-time without it.