Startup Directories in 2026: Free and Paid Sites We Checked
Most founders need three to five directories, not a hundred. For a launch-day crowd, use Product Hunt. Before launch, BetaList. For people comparing software, SaaSHub and AlternativeTo. For AI tools, There's An AI For That. For a page that stays up, IndieNeed, which we run.
Checked by Rahul Ajmera · · We run IndieNeed
| Directory | Best for | Cost | Link type | Badge needed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Hunt | Coordinated public product launches | Free | Not checked | Not checked |
| BetaList | Pre-launch and early-access startups | Paid only; price shown at checkout | Featured listing: the "Visit Site" button is do-follow | Not checked |
| SaaSHub | Established SaaS and software alternatives | Free + paid | Not checked | Not checked |
| There's An AI For That | AI tools looking for task-based discovery | Free + paid | Not checked | Not checked |
| IndieNeed | A product page that stays up after launch day | Free + paid ($15-$120, one-time) | Free listings are nofollow. Any paid plan ($15-$120, one-time) includes a dofollow link, and a free listing can add one for $3, one-time. A followed link is not a promise of a higher ranking. | No |
Quick picks by goal
Launch-day crowd
Product Hunt. For other launch boards, see Product Hunt alternatives.
Pre-launch
BetaList: paid only, with the price shown at checkout.
Free with a followed link
Smol Launch with its badge on your site, or Uneed at an upvote score of 20.
SaaS buyers comparing tools
SaaSHub and AlternativeTo.
AI tools
There's An AI For That, Futurepedia, Dang.ai. Browse IndieNeed categories for AI and developer tools.
Developer tools
DevHunt, Peerlist Launchpad, Show HN (Hacker News).
India
SoftwareSuggest. Startup India is a government program.
All 19 startup directories compared
Cost, link type and rules come from each site's own pricing or FAQ page on the date in the row. IndieNeed's come from our code. "Not checked" means we have not verified it.
| Directory | Type | Best for | Cost | Link type | Badge or backlink required? | Account needed? | Last checked | Submit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Hunt | Launch board | Coordinated public product launches | Free | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Submit | |
| BetaList | Launch board | Pre-launch and early-access startups | Paid only; price shown at checkout | Featured listing: the "Visit Site" button is do-follow | Not checked | Not checked | Submit | |
| Uneed | Launch board | SaaS, AI, and productivity tools | Free (join the line) + paid ($14.99 Fast-track) | Do-follow at an upvote score of 20; guaranteed with Skip the line | Not checked | Not checked | Submit | |
| SaaSHub | Catalog | Established SaaS and software alternatives | Free + paid | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Submit | |
| Fazier | Launch board | Maker-led startup launches | Not verified | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Submit | |
| AlternativeTo | Catalog | Products with clear software alternatives | Free | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Visit site | |
| Launching Next | Catalog | New and upcoming startup listings | Free + paid | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Submit | |
| Peerlist Launchpad | Launch board | Developer-built products and projects | Not verified | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Visit site | |
| Smol Launch | Launch board | A week-long launch window | Free (verified) + paid ($19 Premium, $39 Premium+) | Unverified free launches: nofollow. Premium: permanent backlink, no badge | Yes, for the free verified launch | Not checked | Visit site | |
| TinyLaunch | Launch board | Free launches; a backlink for the top 3 | Free + paid ($39 Premium Launch) | Free: backlink only for the top 3. Premium: guaranteed backlink | Not checked | Not checked | Visit site | |
| Show HN (Hacker News) | Community | Technical products people can try now | Free | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Visit site | |
| Startup India | Program | Eligible DPIIT-recognized Indian startups | Free | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Visit site | |
| DevHunt | Launch board | Developer tools and open-source launches | Free listing; launch $19 one-time ($49 boosted) | Free listing: nofollow. $19 launch: dofollow | Not checked | Not checked | Submit | |
| Futurepedia | AI directory | AI products that need category discovery | Free + paid | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Submit | |
| There's An AI For That | AI directory | AI tools looking for task-based discovery | Free + paid | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Visit site | |
| Dang.ai | AI directory | Curated AI software discovery | Free + paid | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Visit site | |
| Indie Hackers | Community | Bootstrapped products and founder feedback | Free | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Visit site | |
| SoftwareSuggest | Review site | SaaS products selling into India | Free + paid | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | Submit | |
| IndieNeed | Launch board | A product page that stays up after launch day | Free + paid ($15-$120, one-time) | Free listings are nofollow. Any paid plan ($15-$120, one-time) includes a dofollow link, and a free listing can add one for $3, one-time. A followed link is not a promise of a higher ranking. | No | Yes | Submit |
Directory notes
BetaList
BetaList's FAQ says: "All submissions are paid. There is no free submission option." You get a full refund if you are not selected. The price is shown only at the end of the submit form, which did not render for us, so we do not quote it. The "Visit Site" button on a featured listing is do-follow.
Checked 14 Oct 2026 on betalist.com/faq.
Uneed
The free "Join the line" launch gets a date at most 5 months out. An upvote score of 10 keeps you published, and 20 earns the do-follow backlink, which is "guaranteed with Skip the line". $14.99 is labelled "Fast-track" (launch a new product and choose your date). $29.99 is the stated worth of one "Skip the Line", included with the $99/yr Pro plan (list price $139). Uneed says it has 125K monthly visitors and DR 75.
Checked 14 Oct 2026 on uneed.best/pricing.
Peerlist Launchpad
Weekly launches (Week 42 was Oct 12-18). The page is rendered by JavaScript and its FAQ and how-it-works pages returned 404, so we could not verify the cost, the link type or any profile requirement.
Checked 14 Oct 2026 on peerlist.io/launchpad.
Smol Launch
The free verified launch ($0) needs Smol Launch's badge on your site; unverified free launches are nofollow. There are 50 verified slots a week, platform-wide, and the free launch covers only a product's first launch. When we checked, the queue showed the next free week as Dec 7. Premium is $19 (permanent backlink, no badge, no queue), Premium+ $39, Maker Pass $99/yr, Launch Everywhere from $99, and a Featured Spot $19/wk (link marked sponsored). Smol Launch says it has DR 76 (Ahrefs).
Checked 14 Oct 2026 on smollaunch.com/pricing.
TinyLaunch
The Standard Launch is free, with a high-authority backlink only for the top 3. The Premium Launch is $39: a guaranteed backlink and no queue.
Checked 14 Oct 2026 on tinylaunch.com/pricing.
Show HN (Hacker News)
Free, and for things people can try. The Show HN guidelines say "Don't post landing pages or fundraisers"; sign-up pages and reading material are off topic, and you must not ask for upvotes.
Checked 14 Oct 2026 on news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html.
DevHunt
Listing is free, with a permanent page and a nofollow link. A launch costs $19 one-time: you pick the week, get a newsletter spot, and the link becomes dofollow. The boosted launch is $49. The homepage shows DR 65 (Ahrefs) and 7,136 tools launched. We leave out the ad price: the homepage and the FAQ state different figures.
Checked 14 Oct 2026 on devhunt.org/faq.
IndieNeed
We run IndieNeed. A launch board plus a page per product that stays up. The free listing is reviewed before it goes live. Free listings are nofollow. Any paid plan ($15-$120, one-time) includes a dofollow link, and a free listing can add one for $3, one-time. A followed link is not a promise of a higher ranking. Limitation: a newer and smaller audience than Product Hunt or Uneed.
Checked 14 Oct 2026 in our code. Submit at indieneed.com/submit; link rules on pricing.
Free vs paid listings: when paying makes sense
Pay to skip a queue or remove a badge rule, not for a promised ranking.
- Smol Launch Premium is $19: a permanent backlink, no badge, no queue.
- DevHunt's $19 launch lets you pick the week, and the link becomes dofollow.
- Uneed's $14.99 Fast-track lets you choose your date.
- IndieNeed's paid plans are $15-$120, one-time.
Do startup directories help SEO and AI answers?
Dofollow, nofollow, sponsored
- Nofollow: the link is there, and Google is told not to treat it as a vote.
- Sponsored: the link was paid for. It should not pass ranking credit.
- Ordinary (dofollow) links: counted as a vote.
Badge-for-link schemes
Many "free dofollow" offers need a badge on your site. Smol Launch's free verified launch is one: without the badge, a free launch is nofollow.
Getting cited by ChatGPT and Perplexity
Use a consistent name, URL and description everywhere, and point listings at specific pages.
Directories to skip
- No editorial check: scraped or keyword pages instead of real descriptions.
- Dead submit forms.
- Pay-to-list link farms. Buying links so they pass ranking credit conflicts with Google's spam policies.
Submission kit
- Name
- A 60-character tagline
- 160- and 500-character descriptions
- A 512px logo
- 3 screenshots
- Pricing
- A UTM per site, so you can see which one sent real users
Track your submissions with the CSV tracker. The launch order is on where to submit your startup, and the SaaS launch checklist covers launch day.
Startup directories in India
SoftwareSuggest is the India marketplace on this list. Startup India is the government recognition portal, a program rather than a product directory. Use it if you want that program, not if you want a product launch. Worldwide directories still apply when buyers are outside India.
How we check this list
Rahul Ajmera opens each site's own pricing, FAQ or submit page and records the cost, the rules and the link type the site states there, with the date. IndieNeed's link type comes from our code. We do not copy Domain Rating or traffic from other sites; where a site states its own, we attribute it. We re-check monthly. When a destination or form stops working, the row comes off.
Changelog
- 14 Oct 2026: Added Smol Launch, TinyLaunch and Show HN. Re-checked Uneed, DevHunt, BetaList, Peerlist Launchpad and IndieNeed. BetaList is now paid only. Fazier and Peerlist Launchpad costs marked not verified. Microlaunch left out: its site returned an error on 14 Oct.
- 27 Sep 2026: Published with 16 directories, opened on 20 Sep 2026.
FAQ
What are the best free startup directories in 2026?
Product Hunt, AlternativeTo, DevHunt, Launching Next, Indie Hackers and IndieNeed all have a free path. Several others are free only if you add their badge to your site or wait in a queue. The table marks which.
Which startup directories give a dofollow link for free?
Only a few, and most attach a condition: a badge on your site (Smol Launch), enough upvotes (Uneed), or a top-of-day finish.
How many directories should I submit my startup to?
Three to five that match your buyers, done well. Add more later if they send visitors.
Are startup directories worth it in 2026?
For steady discovery and an accurate public mention, yes. For a traffic spike, no. Expect small, slow returns.
Do directory listings help my product appear in ChatGPT or Perplexity?
They can, if the listing is specific and matches your site's name and description. A thin copy-paste listing rarely gets cited.
Does IndieNeed give a dofollow link?
Free listings are nofollow. Any paid plan ($15-$120, one-time) includes a dofollow link, and a free listing can add one for $3, one-time. A followed link is not a promise of a higher ranking.
List your product on IndieNeed
Free $0: reviewed before it goes live, nofollow link, up to 2 active products. Starter $15 for 7 days, Pro $30 for 14 days, Premium $60 for 14 days, Ultimate $120 for 30 days, one-time, each with a dofollow link. A free listing can add a permanent dofollow link for $3, one-time.