Best directories to submit your startup in 2026, ranked by real data
14 startup and tool directories — including launched.tools and the sites we’re most often compared with — scored on four things a founder can actually check: domain authority, traffic, whether the link is followed, and whether anyone reviews what gets listed.
Every pricing, link and review fact below was read from each directory’s own pages on September 8, 2026. Where a site doesn’t state something, the cell says “not stated” rather than guessing, and the directory gets no points for it.
How the ranking works
Each directory gets a score out of 100 from four parts. The weights below are the ones the page actually computes with, not a description of them.
Ahrefs DR, scaled linearly (DR 50 = 20 pts), pulled September 8, 2026. DR figures a directory prints about itself are ignored; only Ahrefs counts.
Ahrefs monthly organic traffic estimate, pulled September 8, 2026, log-scaled against the largest site in the list so a 50k-visit directory isn’t rounded to zero next to a 1M one. Ahrefs reads 0 for 3 of them — it estimates from keywords in its own index, so a young site with real visitors can still show 0. We use the estimate as-is and score it as 0.
- Dofollow20
- Dofollow, with conditions14
- Dofollow on paid only10
- Nofollow0
- Not stated0
“With conditions” = dofollow only if you keep a badge or link back up, or finish in a daily top three.
- Editorial review + score20
- Human approval13
- Community votes7
- Not stated0
Editorial = someone tests the product and publishes a written verdict or score. Human approval = a person decides what gets in, but nothing is written about you.
launched.tools is on the list and scored by exactly the same rules; its breakdown is shown so you can discount our bias. Pricing is shown but not scored — a free tier and a $500 tier can both be worth it depending on what you need.
Shortlists by what you actually want
Filters on the facts, not the weights: each card lists every directory that meets its rule, first pick first.
Also: findly.tools, TinyLaunch, dofollow.tools, Open Launch, launched.tools
Has a free tier and a dofollow policy. Every one of these attaches a condition — a badge or link back on your site, or a top-3 finish.
Also: Product Hunt, TinyLaunch, Fazier, Open Launch
Community-voted launch platforms: a front-page period and an audience, with the link often tied to how you place.
Someone tests the product and publishes a written verdict or score — the page linking to you says something about you.
Also: Open Launch ($12), Uneed ($14.99), dofollow.tools ($19), findly.tools ($25.20), twelve.tools ($36), Fazier ($49), Toolify ($99)
Lowest one-time price for a paid tier whose link is stated to be dofollow with no badge or ranking condition. Ordered by price.
14 directories, best first
- 1
A long-running showcase of pre-launch and recently launched startups, selected by an editorial team for an early-adopter audience.
- Pricing
- Paid only; plans and prices are shown at the end of the submission form. Full automatic refund if not selected.
- Link
- Dofollow — The 'Visit Site' button on a featured listing is dofollow (it routes through a 301 redirect for click tracking).
- Review
- Human approval — The editorial team reviews every submission before featuring; startups that are not selected are refunded in full.
- Speed
- Depends on the plan chosen; the expected timeline is shown at checkout and in the confirmation email.
- DR
- 76
- Traffic
- 19K / month
77/100DR 30 Tr 14 Ln 20 Rv 13 - 2
A daily-curated directory of startups and web tools that publishes twelve hand-picked tools a day across a large category tree.
- Pricing
- Free (link back required) or Pro $36 one-time
- Link
- 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.
- Review
- Human approval — Submissions are reviewed before listing; the site describes its picks as hand-picked. No written review or score is published.
- Speed
- Reviewed within 72 hours (free); reviewed and listed within 24 hours (Pro).
- DR
- 82
- Traffic
- 1K / month
70/100DR 33 Tr 10 Ln 14 Rv 13 - 3
A launchpad with daily launches, upvotes and a founder community; the free waiting line was closed to new products at verification.
- Pricing
- Paid: Fast-track $14.99 or Skip the line $29.99 (free queue closed)
- Link
- Dofollow — Do-follow link from your launch (the site describes its domain as '75 DR', self-reported).
- Review
- Community votes — Community launch with upvotes; no editorial review or score stated.
- Speed
- Fast-track: a slot in about 14 days. Skip the line: choose your own launch date.
- DR
- 75
- Traffic
- 7K / month
70/100DR 30 Tr 13 Ln 20 Rv 7 - 4
A multi-language AI-tools directory with a single paid listing tier and auto-generated listing copy.
- Pricing
- Paid only: $99 one-time
- Link
- Dofollow — Promises 'no less than 6' dofollow links from the site.
- Speed
- Listed within 48 hours, no queue.
- DR
- 73
- Traffic
- 102K / month
66/100DR 29 Tr 17 Ln 20 Rv 0 - 5
A solo-operated curated directory for indie makers and SaaS founders with 3,552 live listings at verification, plus paid directory-submission and product-review services.
- Pricing
- Free (badge required) or Premium $25.20 one-time
- Link
- Dofollow, with conditions — Free: dofollow while its badge stays on your site. Premium: four dofollow links, no badge, lifetime.
- Review
- 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.
- Speed
- Premium: instant publish. Free: queue time not stated.
- DR
- 81
- Traffic
- 32 / month
64/100DR 32 Tr 5 Ln 14 Rv 13 - 6
A high-traffic AI-tools aggregator with a paid launch model; every submission is manually reviewed by staff, and only AI tools and GPTs are accepted.
- Pricing
- Paid only: $49 one-time (Website only) or $347 (Maximum exposure)
- Review
- Human approval — All submissions are manually reviewed by staff. Accepts AI tools, GPTs and AI influencers (non-human) only.
- DR
- 77
- Traffic
- 1.1M / month
64/100DR 31 Tr 20 Ln 0 Rv 13 - 7
A community launch platform where makers launch products, members upvote and comment, and the top launches each day earn Product of the Day.
- Pricing
- Free to launch
- Review
- Community votes — Community-driven with community guidelines; no editorial review or score.
- Speed
- You schedule your own launch date (the launch guide suggests 12:01 am Pacific).
- DR
- 91
- Traffic
- 290K / month
61/100DR 36 Tr 18 Ln 0 Rv 7 - 8
A launch platform where products compete in launch periods; the top three of each period earn a badge and a high-authority link.
- Pricing
- Free (Standard) or Premium $39 per launch
- Link
- 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.
- Review
- Community votes — Community upvotes decide the top three; no editorial review or score stated.
- Speed
- Standard: launch queue. Premium: skip the queue.
- DR
- 73
- Traffic
- 2K / month
61/100DR 29 Tr 11 Ln 14 Rv 7 - 9
A daily launchpad with upvotes, weekly and monthly leaderboards, product reviews and a Monday newsletter.
- Pricing
- Premium $49 (15 days of homepage placement)
- Link
- Dofollow on paid only — Premium ($49) includes a permanent do-follow link; the link policy for standard launches is not stated.
- Review
- Community votes — Community upvotes; review process not stated.
- DR
- 83
- Traffic
- 484 / month
59/100DR 33 Tr 9 Ln 10 Rv 7 - 10
A large AI-tools directory aimed at professionals; listings are paid and subject to editorial approval.
- Pricing
- Paid only: Basic $247 (sold out at verification) or Verified $497 one-time
- Review
- Human approval — All submissions are subject to editorial approval; tools can be denied or removed if deemed inappropriate for the audience.
- Speed
- Published within 7 days (Basic) or 2 business days (Verified).
- DR
- 72
- Traffic
- 53K / month
58/100DR 29 Tr 16 Ln 0 Rv 13 - 11
A directory of AI tools and SaaS products built around the promise of a permanent dofollow link, with 914 tools listed at verification.
- Pricing
- Free (badge required, 5 slots a day) or paid from $19 one-time
- Link
- 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.
- Review
- Human approval — Free submissions wait in a review queue; paid listings are published within minutes. No written review or score is published.
- Speed
- Free: a 7-day queue with 5 free slots a day site-wide. Paid: live in minutes.
- DR
- 73
- Traffic
- 0 / month
56/100DR 29 Tr 0 Ln 14 Rv 13 - 12
An open-source Product Hunt alternative: products launch daily at 08:00 UTC, get upvoted, and the top three of the day earn a badge and a link.
- Pricing
- Free launch (fully booked into 2027 at verification) or Premium $12 per launch
- Link
- 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.
- Review
- Community votes — Community upvotes decide the daily top three. No editorial review or score is published.
- Speed
- Premium: launch the next day (10 premium slots daily). Free: waitlist, booked into 2027 at verification.
- DR
- 72
- Traffic
- 0 / month
50/100DR 29 Tr 0 Ln 14 Rv 7 - 13 launched.tools this site
An independent directory of AI tools where every listing is test-driven and scored out of 100 against one public five-axis rubric.
- Pricing
- Free (Bootstrap, badge required) or Launched++ $9.99 one-time
- Link
- 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.
- Review
- 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.
- Speed
- Free: live once the badge verifies after the automated check. Launched++: publishes when payment clears.
- DR
- 38
- Traffic
- 0 / month
49/100DR 15 Tr 0 Ln 14 Rv 20 - 14
An independent software marketplace running since 2014, organised around product alternatives, with a free product-submission tool.
- Pricing
- Free to submit and verify a product
- DR
- 80
- Traffic
- 26K / month
47/100DR 32 Tr 15 Ln 0 Rv 0
Every directory in one table
Same data as the ranking, laid out for comparison. Sorted by score.
| # | Directory | Pricing | Link policy | Review process | Speed | DR | Traffic / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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 |
| 2 | 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 |
| 3 | 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 |
| 4 | 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 |
| 5 | 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 |
| 6 | 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 |
| 7 | 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 |
| 8 | 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 |
| 9 | 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 |
| 10 | 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 |
| 11 | 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 |
| 12 | 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 |
| 13 | 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 |
| 14 | SaaSHub Software marketplace | Free to submit and verify a product | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | 80 | 26K |
“Not stated” = the directory’s own site doesn’t say, so we don’t either. Outbound links to other directories are nofollow.
Which directories are worth your time
If you want followed links for $0
Filter the table for a free tier plus a dofollow policy. Most free dofollow links come with a condition — a badge or a link back on your site — so decide up front whether you’re willing to carry one. The trade is usually fair: a small badge for a real link from a real page.
If you want a launch day
Launch platforms (Product Hunt, Open Launch, TinyLaunch, Uneed, Fazier) put you on a front page for a period and let a community vote. The link often depends on finishing near the top, so they reward makers who can bring their own audience on the day.
If you want a page that vouches for you
Only a few directories test the product and write something down. A scored review is the page readers and answer engines cite, which is worth more than the raw DR of the domain it sits on. That’s the whole reason launched.tools exists — and yes, we’re biased, which is why the score breakdown is public.
If you have a budget
One-time fees in this list run from $9.99 to $497. Pay for a guaranteed dofollow link or faster publishing; don’t pay for a listing whose link policy the site won’t state. Nothing here should be a subscription.
Directory-by-directory comparisons
Facts were taken from these pages on September 8, 2026: launched.tools/pricing, launched.tools/trust, launched.tools/submit; twelve.tools, twelve.tools/pricing; dofollow.tools, dofollow.tools/pricing, dofollow.tools/submit; findly.tools, findly.tools/about; open-launch.com, open-launch.com/pricing, github.com/openlaunch-org/Open-Launch; producthunt.com/launch; betalist.com/faq; uneed.best/pricing, uneed.best/submit-a-tool; fazier.com, fazier.com/advertise; tinylaunch.com, tinylaunch.com/pricing; saashub.com/submit; futurepedia.io/submit-tool; theresanaiforthat.com/submit/; toolify.ai/submit. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we’ll re-verify.
Submit your AI tool to the one that reviews it
launched.tools test-drives every AI tool, scores it out of 100, and links to you from an editorial page. Free with our badge, or $9.99 one-time without it.