Earning dofollow backlinks from high-DR directories is one of the more effective things a startup can do for long-term organic search. Unlike nofollow links, dofollow links pass PageRank, so each listing contributes to your domain's authority. Of the 182+ directories tracked by backlinks.fyi, 172offer dofollow links. Prioritizing them during your launch campaign builds a solid SEO foundation early.
172
Dofollow Dirs
144
Free to Submit
DR 93
Top Score
Every backlink is either dofollow or nofollow. Dofollow links pass PageRank — Google's measure of a page's authority — to your domain. Nofollow links do not. For an early-stage startup building its domain authority from scratch, the distinction is significant.
A few dozen high-DR dofollow backlinks will typically do more for your rankings than a far larger number of nofollow links, assuming comparable content quality. Directory submissions are one of the fastest ways to build a dofollow backlink profile because the process is standardized and repeatable; you are not waiting months for an editorial mention.
Of the 172 dofollow directories in the backlinks.fyi database, 144 are completely free to submit to. Start there.
Authority Range
DR 0–93
Median DR 47
Cost Mix
83.7% free
144 zero-cost dofollow options
Submission Friction
3.5% require backlink
17 instant-approval dofollow options
Not every dofollow listing is equally easy. Start with high-DR, free, low-friction directories to build authority quickly, then work through paid or higher-friction profiles once baseline DR growth is visible.
SourceForge
⏱ 3-7 days
Crunchbase
⏱ 1-3 days
Capterra
⏱ 3-7 days
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GeekWire
⏱ 7-14 days
Tech in Asia
⏱ 5-10 days
MakeUseOf
⏱ 14-30 days
G2
⏱ 3-7 days
Software Advice
⏱ 5-10 days
GetApp
⏱ 3-7 days
Get App
⏱ 5-10 days
F6S
⏱ Instant
Devpost
⏱ Instant
Clutch
⏱ 3-7 days
FinancesOnline
⏱ 5-10 days
Changelog
⏱ 3-7 days
TrustRadius
⏱ 3-5 days
StackShare
⏱ Instant
AlternativeTo
⏱ 1-3 days
SiteJabber
⏱ Instant
Built In
⏱ 5-10 days
Webwiki
⏱ Instant
EU-Startups
⏱ 7-14 days
SoftwareSuggest
⏱ 3-7 days
Inc42
⏱ 7-14 days
Dang
⏱ 1-3 days
Gust
⏱ 3-7 days
CrozDesk
⏱ 3-7 days
SaaSHub
⏱ 1-3 days
SoftwareWorld
⏱ 3-7 days
Tool Pilot
⏱ 1-3 days
SaaSworthy
⏱ 1-3 days
e27
⏱ 5-10 days
Alternative.me
⏱ 3-7 days
Slant
⏱ Instant
Toolify
⏱ 1-3 days
Side Projectors
⏱ 1-3 days
CrowdReviews
⏱ 3-7 days
Tekpon
⏱ 3-7 days
Uneed
⏱ 1-3 days
PeerSpot
⏱ 3-7 days
Land-book
⏱ 7-14 days
Peerlist
⏱ Instant
Startup Stash
⏱ 3-7 days
AppSumo
⏱ 14-30 days
BetaList
⏱ 3-7 days
Future Tools
⏱ 7-14 days
Futurepedia
⏱ 2-3 days
Netted
⏱ 14-30 days
Arctic Startup
⏱ 7-14 days
GoodFirms
⏱ 3-7 days
KillerStartups
⏱ 3-7 days
Tiny Startups
⏱ 3-7 days
FlowGPT
⏱ Instant
StartupBlink
⏱ 3-7 days
Next Big What
⏱ 5-10 days
VentureRadar
⏱ 3-7 days
All My Faves
⏱ 5-7 days
Devhunt
⏱ Instant
DevHunt
⏱ Instant
TechDirectory
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Ranking
⏱ 1-3 days
Magnitt
⏱ 5-10 days
SaaS AI Tools
⏱ 3-7 days
StartupBase
⏱ 1-3 days
Serchen
⏱ 5-7 days
TopAI.tools
⏱ 3-7 days
That AI Collection
⏱ 3-7 days
AppAgg
⏱ 3-7 days
FoundrList
⏱ 3-7 days
BetaBound
⏱ 3-5 days
InnMind
⏱ 3-7 days
backlinks.fyi
⏱ 1-2 days
Pressfarm
⏱ 3-7 days
Snapmunk
⏱ 5-10 days
BetaPage
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Inspire
⏱ 3-7 days
AllTopStartups
⏱ 3-7 days
Insidr AI
⏱ 3-7 days
FiveTaco
⏱ 3-7 days
SimilarSiteSearch
⏱ 5-10 days
Workspaces
⏱ 5-10 days
SaaSPirate
⏱ 3-7 days
Postmake
⏱ 3-7 days
Altern
⏱ 3-7 days
Bens Bites News
⏱ 7-14 days
Owwly
⏱ 3-7 days
Cuspera
⏱ 5-10 days
Tapscape
⏱ 5-7 days
Startup Tracker
⏱ 1-3 days
TechPluto
⏱ 5-10 days
Discover Cloud
⏱ 5-7 days
Startup Buffer
⏱ 1-3 days
AppVita
⏱ 3-7 days
The Startup Pitch
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Beat
⏱ 5-7 days
AI Tools Directory
⏱ 3-7 days
Tech Map
⏱ 3-7 days
AI Search
⏱ 3-7 days
NoCodeList
⏱ 3-7 days
Launching Next
⏱ 7-14 days
BetaTesting
⏱ 3-5 days
Awesome Tools
⏱ 3-7 days
LaunchDirectories
⏱ Instant
Fazier
⏱ Instant
All Startups
⏱ 3-7 days
Victrays
⏱ 3-7 days
TopApps
⏱ 3-7 days
Apps Mamma
⏱ 3-5 days
Launched
⏱ 1-3 days
DoMore.ai
⏱ 3-5 days
NoCodeDevs
⏱ 3-7 days
Feedough
⏱ 7-14 days
Website Hunt
⏱ 3-5 days
Startup Benchmarks
⏱ 5-7 days
RocketHub
⏱ 3-7 days
OpenFuture
⏱ 3-7 days
Project Hatch
⏱ 5-10 days
AIHunt
⏱ 3-5 days
The Startup INC
⏱ 3-7 days
10words
⏱ 1-3 days
Apps Listo
⏱ 3-5 days
ProfitHunt
⏱ 3-5 days
SaaSRow
⏱ 3-5 days
Get Worm
⏱ 3-7 days
Robin Good Tools
⏱ 7-14 days
Startups Watch
⏱ 3-7 days
Tiny Launch
⏱ 3-5 days
AI Valley
⏱ 3-7 days
Startups Gallery
⏱ 3-5 days
Simple Lister
⏱ Instant
Startups.fyi
⏱ 3-7 days
Toolio
⏱ 1-3 days
LaunchIgniter
⏱ 3-7 days
9Sites
⏱ 1-3 days
PitchWall
⏱ 1-3 days
Startup88
⏱ 3-7 days
AwesomeIndie
⏱ 3-7 days
Trendy Startups
⏱ 3-7 days
WebAppRater
⏱ 7-14 days
EarlyHunt
⏱ 1-3 days
ToolScout
⏱ 3-7 days
Startups FIY
⏱ 1-3 days
Product Canyon
⏱ 1-3 days
AppRater
⏱ 7-14 days
PayOnceApps
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Heroes
⏱ 1-3 days
Invent List
⏱ 1-3 days
AppsThunder
⏱ 3-7 days
BuildHop
⏱ Instant
TheMacApps
⏱ 1-3 days
TheSaaSDir
⏱ not explicitly stated
Twelve Tools
⏱ reviewed within 72 hours; free tier queue ~30 days, $36 Pro lists within 24 hours
Webspot
⏱ 1-2 weeks
SaaSBison
⏱ not explicitly stated
Neobanque
⏱ 1-3 days
Direct2App
⏱ 1-2 weeks
ListMySaaS
⏱ Instant
Nick Launches
⏱ weekly cycle; listing stays live for 7 days on current week's board
AZ Charged
⏱ 1-3 days
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Start Tracking for Free →A dofollow backlink is a standard hyperlink that passes "link equity" (PageRank) from the linking site to your site. When a high-DR directory links to your startup with a dofollow link, Google treats that as a vote of authority for your domain. Nofollow links do not pass PageRank. For startups building their SEO foundation, prioritizing dofollow links in directory submissions gets you the most from the time you spend.
There's no magic number, but a targeted campaign of 20-30 high-DR dofollow submissions is typically enough to move your domain rating, especially if you are starting from a low DR. The impact compounds: each additional high-DR dofollow link adds authority, which improves rankings across your site.
No — DR matters significantly. A dofollow link from a DR 90 directory is worth far more than one from a DR 20 directory. Prioritize high-DR dofollow directories first, then work down the list. Also consider topical relevance: a dofollow link from a directory that covers your product's category carries more topical authority signal than a generic link.
Dofollow links pass PageRank and are the most valuable for SEO. Nofollow links (rel="nofollow") tell Google not to pass PageRank — they have indirect SEO value through referral traffic and brand visibility but don't directly boost domain authority. Sponsored links (rel="sponsored") are a newer attribute indicating a paid relationship, and Google treats them similarly to nofollow. For directory submissions, dofollow is always preferred.