Free startup directories to submit your product
Listed when the directory's basic listing costs nothing. Directories that only offer a free tier alongside paid upgrades are on the full index, not here.
In short
36 of the 108 startup directories we track are free to submit to — a basic listing costs nothing. 11 of them gave a verified dofollow link when we read a live listing page, 0 were nofollow, and 25 we have not been able to verify. 0 ask for a reciprocal backlink badge in return. Most recent check: September 16, 2026.
- Directories on this list
- 36
- Verified dofollow
- 11
- Free to submit
- 36
- Require a backlink badge
- 0
- Most recent check
- September 16, 2026
- Whole index
- 108
The list
Price, link type, badge requirement and the date we last read each link.
| Directory | Price | Link type | Badge required | Last checked | Submit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10words10words.ioDirectory that forces every product into a ten-word description. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| AICyclopediaaicyclopedia.comAI tool directory with news and a free submission form. | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| AIToolMallaitoolmall.comAI tool catalogue with short editorial write-ups per category. | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| AI Tools Directoryaitoolsdirectory.comAI tool listing with an open submit-tool form. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| Alternative.mealternative.meSoftware alternatives site — the second stop after AlternativeTo. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| AlternativeToalternativeto.netCrowd-sourced catalogue of software alternatives, ranked by user votes. | Free | Not verified | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| Betaboundbetabound.comBeta-test recruitment board — testers, not upvotes. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| Brick Launchbricklaun.chLay a brick — a small directory of dofollow-backlink tools for builders. | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 16, 2026 | Submit |
| Crunchbasecrunchbase.comThe reference database of companies, funding rounds and investors. | Free | Not verified | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| Dev Huntdevhunt.orgOpen-source weekly leaderboard for developer tools only. | Free | Not verified | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| EasyDoFolloweasydofollow.dev"List your site, get a real dofollow backlink — no nonsense." | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 16, 2026 | Submit |
| F6Sf6s.comFounder network built around grants, accelerators and funding programmes. | Free | Not verified | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| Future Toolsfuturetools.ioMatt Wolfe's hand-curated AI tool library, free but selective. | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| GPTEgpte.aiAI tool index with an open submission form. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| GrowthHackersgrowthhackers.comGrowth marketing community with a submitted-links feed. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| Hacker News (Show HN)news.ycombinator.comPost your own project to a technical audience under the Show HN tag. | Free | Not verified | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| Httpsterhttpster.netWeb design inspiration gallery; no public submit form. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| Indie Directoryindiedirectory.comSmall indie product listing with an open submission form. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| Indie Hackersindiehackers.comFounder community with a products database and a daily Build Board. | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| Insidr AIinsidr.aiAI tools directory plus long-form reviews, aimed at business users. | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| KillerStartupskillerstartups.comVeteran startup news site, still publishing, submissions not self-serve. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| LaunchPandalaunchpanda.dev"Launch everywhere" directory index — no listings live yet. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| LibHuntlibhunt.comTrending open-source projects and their alternatives. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| Lobsterslobste.rsInvite-only technical link aggregator — no self-serve submission. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| New Startupsnewstartups.comStartup listing site behind a browser-check wall. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| NoCodeListnocodelist.coDirectory of no-code tools and resources. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| Peerlist Launchpadpeerlist.ioLaunch board inside a professional network for builders, free to enter. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| Product Huntproducthunt.comThe largest daily launch board, ranked by community upvotes. | Free | Not verified | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| Slantslant.coCommunity Q&A that ranks products by crowd-written pros and cons. | Free | Not verified | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| StackSharestackshare.ioDeveloper-facing catalogue of tools and the stacks companies build with them. | Free | Not verified | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| Startups.fyistartups.fyiCurated feed of profitable startups and online business ideas. | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| Startup Stashstartupstash.comLarge curated catalogue of tools and resources, organised by startup need. | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| StartupTabsstartuptabs.comStartup discovery engine; submission path not publicly confirmed. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| ToolHunttoolhunt.netGeneral tool directory with an open submission form. | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 1, 2026 | Submit |
| TopApps.aitopapps.aiAI app directory; submission path not publicly confirmed. | Free | Not verified | No | Not checked | Submit |
| Vibe Coding Listvibecodinglist.comCurated list of AI coding tools and platforms. | Free | Dofollow | No | Sep 16, 2026 | Submit |
Frequently asked questions
Which startup directories are free to submit to?
36 directories in our index cost nothing for a basic listing: 10words, AICyclopedia, AIToolMall, AI Tools Directory, Alternative.me, AlternativeTo, Betabound, Brick Launch and 28 more. Listed when the directory's basic listing costs nothing. Directories that only offer a free tier alongside paid upgrades are on the full index, not here.
Which free directories give a dofollow link?
11 of the 36, confirmed on a live listing page: AICyclopedia, AIToolMall, Brick Launch, EasyDoFollow, Future Tools, Indie Hackers, Insidr AI, Startups.fyi and 3 more. 25 have not been verified.
Do free directories require a backlink?
None of the 36 asks for a reciprocal badge or backlink in return.
How was the dofollow status checked?
We fetch a real listing page on the directory — a page for a product that is actually listed there — and read the rel attribute on the outbound link to that product. If it contains nofollow, sponsored or ugc, the link passes no authority; if not, it is dofollow. The most recent check on this list was on September 16, 2026. A directory we could not read is marked not verified rather than guessed.
Other shortlists: Verified dofollow · Dofollow, no badge. Or the full index, with how the dofollow check works and every directory we couldn’t verify.