Best Startup Directories in 2026 (Dofollow, DR-Ranked)

Best Startup Directories in 2026: 30 Dofollow Sites, Ranked by DR

Ranked by domain rating, the strongest startup directories with a dofollow link are Startup Fame (DR 84), Fazier (DR 84), F6S (DR 83), BetaList (DR 77) and PeerPush (DR 77). Each comes with a catch: a badge on your site, a fee, or a link we haven't yet seen on a live listing.

If you only do three things this week:

• Free and curated: submit to Startup Stash (DR 65). Editors write the category shortlists, and advertising doesn't affect placement.
• Free and fast: Build voyage (DR 43) and LLM Relevance (DR 40) both state about two days' review, with links we've seen followed live.
• Still in beta: Betabound (DR 56) is free, and its staff write your announcement.

The full ranked table of 30 startup directories is below.

How we built this list

Most lists of startup listing sites sort by one number, traffic or DR, which hides what decides whether a listing is worth your time: whether the link is followed, what "free" actually costs, and how long the queue is.

We started from the 136 startup directories DirPilot tracks. As of October 2026, 81 of them give a dofollow link, 114 have a free option and the median DR is 44. To make this list, a directory had to:

• link dofollow in our records, on at least one plan;
• score 60 or more out of 100 on the DirPilot Score, which weighs authority, indexation, link type, cost and approval speed;
• have a DR of 40 or more;
• be built for startups or software products. We left out general link directories, design galleries and entries we don't have notes on yet.

That leaves 30, sorted by Ahrefs' Domain Rating (DR) with ties broken by DirPilot Score. DR estimates the strength of a whole site's backlinks; it isn't a Google metric. Where we lack a value, the table shows "—".

Disclosure: DirPilot sells directory submissions, and LaunchIt (#17) is our sister site, held to the same checks as the rest.

The 30 best startup directories, ranked by DR

How to read it. "Yes": our records show a dofollow link. "Reported": from the directory's own claim or an older record, not yet seen on a live listing. "Needs badge": the free listing is followed only if your site shows the directory's badge. "Freemium": a free listing plus paid options, usually faster review. "Approval time": the directory's stated review time for its main listing.

Three patterns stand out:

• The top of the table always has a catch. High authority and a free, unconditional followed link rarely come together, as the top five show.
• Free is common, and paid is cheap. 10 of the 30 are free with no paid plan, and another 13 are freemium. Listed prices for paid-only directories run from $16 (ToolsFine.com) to $49 (MicroLaunch).
• Queues vary a lot. Of the 12 directories that state an approval time, six take a week or less and five take over a month. Firsto's free queue is about 180 days.

Big startup directories with no followed link

These high-DR startup directories give no followed link, or we haven't checked theirs yet. Several still deserve a profile for the audience alone.

• Product Hunt: its Visit links carry rel="ugc", which Google treats much like nofollow. Our comparison of 13 Product Hunt alternatives covers other launch boards on link, price and wait.
• Wellfound: a free company profile and job posts, useful for hiring rather than product discovery.
• GeekWire: only private tech startups headquartered in Washington, Oregon, Idaho or British Columbia and founded less than 15 years ago.
• EU-Startups: a database sorted by European country. On the sample profile we checked, the website was plain text, not a link.
• Peerlist: launches go live immediately in the open week; a new one opens each Monday. You need a verified profile, and only the week's top 5 get a backlink.

Across the 246 directories in our dofollow vs nofollow study, DR didn't predict link type. A nofollow listing that sends real visitors can still beat a dofollow one nobody opens.

Two general-purpose extras often appear on lists like this: ActiveSearchResult (DR 74, free, ~1 day) and Viesearch (DR 72, free, ~4 days), both dofollow in our records, though reported, not checked. As general web indexes, not startup directories, they're quick extras rather than core listings. Viesearch rejects sites whose content is mostly AI-generated.

How to pick the right startup directories

A ranked table is a shortlist, not a to-do list. Here's how to narrow it down.

1. Start with the narrowest fit

The best startup directory for you is often the narrowest one you qualify for: one of a few relevant entries beats one of everything.

• Pre-launch: BetaList. Every submission is paid and editorially reviewed, and startups not selected get a full refund.
• In beta, with free access: Betabound. It's free, and you can't pay for a post.
• B2B software: Business Software (best for accounting, CRM, ERP and HR tools) and Comparecamp.
• Micro-SaaS and indie products: Build voyage, MicroLaunch and JustHunt.
• AI products: AIToolly, ToolsFine.com and The Rundown Tools.
• Funded startups: Startups Gallery, which filters by funding stage and investor.
• Small-business tools: LLM Relevance, which only takes tools for small business owners.
• By region: EU-Startups for Europe, GeekWire for the Pacific Northwest.

2. Read the conditions on "free"

A free listing often costs you something else:

• A badge on your site. Startup Fame's free plan requires one on your homepage; its paid plans (from $19 a month) don't. Fazier, Huzzler and LaunchIt also ask for one on free listings. Google's spam policies count a required link as a link scheme unless you can mark it nofollow, so check whether the badge check accepts that.
• Upvotes. On Firsto, a free launch stays followed only with enough launch-day votes.
• Time. Startup Ranking states 60 or 80 days for free approval, and Huzzler about 72.
• Indexing. Huzzler says its free listings aren't indexed, and a followed link on an unindexed page passes nothing.
• Paid-only links. Free Startup Ranking profiles are nofollow; only the paid Premium Profile is followed.

For listings without those strings, our free dofollow directories list includes only directories with a followed link we've seen live, and flags badge requirements.

3. Use DR to shortlist, not to decide

DR scores the whole domain; your listing is one new page on it, often several clicks from the homepage. A strong domain helps your page get crawled and indexed sooner, but the page doesn't inherit the score. A DR 49 directory your buyers use beats a DR 84 one they never visit. For the strongest domains first, our high-DR directories list covers every directory we track at DR 70 or above, across all categories.

4. Pay for speed or readers, not for the link

A paid tier is worth it to hit a launch date or reach more readers. Paying mainly for a followed link is different: Google's spam policies treat paid links that pass ranking credit as link spam. Watch for subscriptions, too: Startup Fame says its backlinks stay active only while a listing is current. If timing matters most, start with the directories that approve within a week.

5. Skip the link dumps

Good signs: a person reviews each submission, listings carry real details, and the newest entries are recent. Warning signs: a footer stuffed with gambling links, a form with no website field, or a backlog bigger than the directory itself. When we checked, Site Promotion Directory showed 7,193 active links and more than 205,000 pending. Google's spam policies name low-quality directory links as link spam.

Submission tips that get you approved the first time

Prepare once, submit in a batch, then check the results.

1. Build a fact sheet. Founding year, address, team size, stage and funding. GeekWire verifies your address before publishing, and Startup Tracker asks how much you've raised, though you can hide it.
2. Write descriptions at three lengths. About ten words for Startups Gallery, then 160 and 500 characters for Startup Stash. Adapt the angle for each directory.
3. Use a work email and your own domain. Startup Stash rejects non-work addresses, and Viesearch refuses sites on free hosting subdomains.
4. Join the slow queues first. Enter the long free queues (Firsto, Startup Ranking, Huzzler, LaunchIt) weeks ahead; leave two-day reviews for last.
5. Decide on badges up front. Where they go, how many, and whether they're nofollow.
6. Keep a log. Directory, date and listing address. On Startup Ranking and WebCatalog, you must claim or verify the listing before you can edit it.
7. Check again after 30 days. Is each listing live, linking to the right page, followed and indexed? Our free dofollow link checker reads the link on any listing page. For indexing, search Google for the listing's address.

Our guide on how to submit your startup to directories without hurting your SEO has description templates, a worked example and a log you can copy.

FAQ

What is a startup directory?

It's a site that gives startups and new products a profile that stays put, so people find it through search or by browsing. Examples include company databases like Startup Ranking, regional lists like EU-Startups and curated lists like Startup Stash. A launch platform is different: it gives you a day or a week on a ranked board, with votes and comments. Some sites, like StartupBase and Fazier, do both.

How many startup directories should I submit to?

There's no right number. Start with the five to ten that fit your stage, region and audience, then add a few broad, well-kept ones. Stop when the next site on your list is one you'd never visit yourself. For most products, 20 to 40 well-chosen directories cover the audiences that matter.

Do startup directory backlinks help SEO?

A little, if the link is followed, the listing page gets indexed and the directory is relevant to what you make. Many big ones are nofollow, including Product Hunt and GeekWire. The more reliable benefit is an accurate profile on the sites people use to research companies. Count any followed link as a bonus.

Which startup directories are free and dofollow?

In the table above, 10 directories are free with no paid plan and show a dofollow link, including Startup Stash, Betabound, Business Software and LLM Relevance. Two of them, F6S and Comparecamp, are reported rather than checked. Freemium sites like Startup Fame and Build voyage also give a followed link on their free plan, with Startup Fame asking for a badge. Our free dofollow list only includes directories where we've seen the followed link on a live listing.

How long does approval take?

Anywhere from about a day to about six months. In this table, AIToolly states about a day, while Build voyage, LLM Relevance and AllTopStartups state about two. Firsto's free queue is about 180 days. Approval isn't always the same as going live, either: launch boards may schedule you weeks after they approve you.

Rather hand it over?

Submitting to 30 well-chosen directories by hand takes most founders a few full days, and the follow-up takes longer. If you'd rather spend that time on your product, DirPilot does it for you: we pick the directories that fit, write a description for each, submit by hand and report every live link.

• Economy, $99: 30+ free, medium-DR directories.
• Business, $149: 60+ high-DR free and paid directories, with listing fees included.
• First, $199: 100+ directories, every one worth it, plus help on launch day.

Each plan is a one-time payment with no subscription, and work starts within one business day. If a directory rejects your product, we replace it with one of similar authority at no extra cost. Compare the plans or use the table above to do it yourself. Either way, pick for fit before big numbers.