twelve.tools vs launched.tools: which should you submit to?
Short version: twelve.tools is a broad daily directory that lists any web tool, with a free tier (link back required) and a $36 Pro tier that buys three permanent dofollow links within 24 hours. launched.tools is a narrower directory of AI tools where every listing is test-driven and scored out of 100, with two dofollow links free (badge required) or four for $9.99 one-time.
They overlap on the thing most founders search for — a followed link from a real directory — and differ on almost everything else. Below is what each actually does, read from their own pages, and where each one wins.
Facts below were read from both sites on September 8, 2026. Looking for more options? twelve.tools alternatives →
twelve.tools vs launched.tools at a glance
Rows a site doesn’t address are dropped rather than filled in.
| twelve.tools twelve.tools | launched.tools launched.tools | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A daily-curated directory of startups and web tools that publishes twelve hand-picked tools a day across a large category tree. | 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 (link back required) or Pro $36 one-time | Free (Bootstrap, badge required) or Launched++ $9.99 one-time |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Paid from | $36 one-time | $9.99 one-time |
| Link policy | 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. | 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page and the Reviewed Wall), conditional on keeping the badge on your site — a listing whose badge goes missing is unpublished after a 7-day grace period.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. |
| Badge or link back required (free) | Yes | Yes |
| Review process | Human approval. Submissions are reviewed before listing; the site describes its picks as hand-picked. No written review or score is published. | 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. |
| Time to listing | Reviewed within 72 hours (free); reviewed and listed within 24 hours (Pro). | Free: live once the badge verifies after the automated check. Launched++: publishes when payment clears. |
| Domain Rating (Ahrefs) | 82 | 38 |
| Organic traffic / month (Ahrefs) | 1K | 0 |
What twelve.tools actually is
twelve.tools does one thing consistently: it picks twelve tools a day and lists them. The catalog is large — the Artificial Intelligence category alone had 994 entries at verification — and the category tree is broad enough that most web tools have a home. Listings are cards: name, tagline, link, category.
Pricing is clear. Free costs a link back to twelve.tools on your homepage or footer, gets you one dofollow link, and is reviewed within 72 hours. Pro is $36 one-time (a FROGDR coupon on the page cuts it to $25.20): three dofollow links described as permanent, no link back, reviewed and listed within 24 hours, and rotating homepage features. The header advertises a DR82 link; that figure is the site’s own.
What you don’t get is a review. twelve.tools curates what enters, but it doesn’t test products or publish verdicts, so the page pointing at you is a directory card rather than something a reader would cite.
What launched.tools actually is
launched.tools lists only AI tools, and every listing goes through an automated fit check and then a test-drive scored out of 100 across capability, usability, value, reliability, and docs & support. The result is a review page with a verdict, the score breakdown and a clear read on who the tool is for. Most submissions don’t make it.
Pricing: the free tier (Bootstrap) needs our badge on your site and earns two dofollow links, from your listing and the Reviewed Wall. Launched++ is $9.99 one-time: no badge, publishes when payment clears, and four dofollow links (adding your category hub and launch-month page). The score is never for sale on either tier.
The limits are real: if your product isn’t an AI tool it won’t be listed, and the catalog is smaller than twelve.tools’ because depth costs time.
Any category
twelve.tools takes any web tool or startup. If you’re not an AI tool, this comparison is over: submit there.
Catalog depth
Twelve a day for years produces category pages with hundreds of entries and an established domain. Our catalog is deliberately smaller.
Nothing to evaluate
A card, a link, done. If you don’t want your product tested and written about, twelve.tools is the simpler transaction.
The page itself
An editorial review with a score, not a card. That’s what readers and answer engines cite, and it’s what makes the link worth having beyond a DR number.
Price for a no-badge listing
$9.99 one-time against $36, and four dofollow links to three.
Credibility
A listing means you cleared a public bar. The badge on your site says “reviewed”, not “listed”.
Evergreen placement
Category hubs are ranked by score and re-rank as tools are reviewed, so a good tool stays visible. twelve.tools’ front page turns over daily by design.
Submitting to twelve.tools and launched.tools
Yes, and most makers should. They aren’t exclusive, and the cost doesn’t add up to much: twelve.tools free (link back) plus launched.tools free (badge) is $0, and both paid tiers together are under $50 one-time.
If you only do one, pick on scope. Not an AI tool: twelve.tools. An AI tool, and you care what the linking page says about you: launched.tools.
Frequently asked questions
Is twelve.tools legit?
Yes. It is an established, daily-curated directory whose maker also runs Ramen Tools, Wired Business, FrogDR and 500.Tools. Pricing is public and one-time, and the free tier is real.
Is launched.tools free?
Yes. The Bootstrap tier is free forever: add the badge to your site, pass the review, and your listing stays live with two dofollow links. Launched++ ($9.99 one-time) removes the badge requirement and adds two more links.
Which gives more dofollow links, twelve.tools or launched.tools?
On free tiers, launched.tools gives two (badge required) and twelve.tools gives one (link back required). On paid tiers, Launched++ gives four for $9.99 and twelve.tools Pro gives three for $36.
Does either directory sell rankings or scores?
twelve.tools sells placement — Pro listings are featured on its homepage — but doesn’t publish scores. launched.tools publishes scores and never sells them: paying only removes the badge requirement and adds links.
Which is faster to get listed on?
On paid tiers both are quick: twelve.tools Pro is reviewed within 24 hours and Launched++ publishes when payment clears. On free tiers, twelve.tools reviews within 72 hours, and a free launched.tools listing goes live once the badge verifies after the automated check.
Submit your AI tool to launched.tools
Free with our badge, or $9.99 one-time with no badge. Either way it’s test-driven, scored out of 100, and linked with dofollow links from pages people actually read.