Dofollow backlinks from high-DR directories are among the most impactful things a startup can do for long-term organic search performance. Unlike nofollow links, dofollow links pass PageRank — meaning each listing directly contributes to your domain's authority in Google's eyes. Of the 153+ directories tracked by backlinks.fyi, 144 offer dofollow links. Prioritizing these during your launch campaign gives you the strongest SEO foundation for compounding organic growth.
144
Dofollow Dirs
128
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 startup with 30 high-DR dofollow backlinks will typically outrank a competitor with 100 nofollow links in head-to-head searches, assuming comparable content quality. Directory submissions are one of the fastest ways to build a dofollow backlink profile because the submission process is standardized and repeatable — you're not waiting months for an editorial mention.
Of the 144 dofollow directories in the backlinks.fyi database, 128 are completely free to submit to. Start there.
Authority Range
DR 12–93
Median DR 52
Cost Mix
88.9% free
128 zero-cost dofollow options
Submission Friction
0% require backlink
13 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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Tech in Asia
⏱ 5-10 days
GeekWire
⏱ 7-14 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
AlternativeTo
⏱ 1-3 days
StackShare
⏱ Instant
SiteJabber
⏱ Instant
Built In
⏱ 5-10 days
EU-Startups
⏱ 7-14 days
Webwiki
⏱ Instant
SoftwareSuggest
⏱ 3-7 days
Inc42
⏱ 7-14 days
SaaSHub
⏱ 1-3 days
CrozDesk
⏱ 3-7 days
Dang
⏱ 1-3 days
Gust
⏱ 3-7 days
SaaSworthy
⏱ 1-3 days
Tool Pilot
⏱ 1-3 days
SoftwareWorld
⏱ 3-7 days
Alternative.me
⏱ 3-7 days
e27
⏱ 5-10 days
Toolify
⏱ 1-3 days
Slant
⏱ Instant
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
AppSumo
⏱ 14-30 days
Startup Stash
⏱ 3-7 days
Peerlist
⏱ Instant
BetaList
⏱ 3-7 days
Future Tools
⏱ 7-14 days
Futurepedia
⏱ 2-3 days
Arctic Startup
⏱ 7-14 days
Netted
⏱ 14-30 days
GoodFirms
⏱ 3-7 days
KillerStartups
⏱ 3-7 days
StartupBlink
⏱ 3-7 days
Tiny Startups
⏱ 3-7 days
Next Big What
⏱ 5-10 days
FlowGPT
⏱ Instant
VentureRadar
⏱ 3-7 days
DevHunt
⏱ Instant
TechDirectory
⏱ 3-7 days
All My Faves
⏱ 5-7 days
Devhunt
⏱ Instant
Startup Ranking
⏱ 1-3 days
Magnitt
⏱ 5-10 days
StartupBase
⏱ 1-3 days
SaaS AI Tools
⏱ 3-7 days
AppAgg
⏱ 3-7 days
That AI Collection
⏱ 3-7 days
TopAI.tools
⏱ 3-7 days
Serchen
⏱ 5-7 days
BetaBound
⏱ 3-5 days
InnMind
⏱ 3-7 days
Pressfarm
⏱ 3-7 days
Snapmunk
⏱ 5-10 days
AllTopStartups
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Inspire
⏱ 3-7 days
BetaPage
⏱ 3-7 days
Insidr AI
⏱ 3-7 days
FiveTaco
⏱ 3-7 days
SimilarSiteSearch
⏱ 5-10 days
Bens Bites News
⏱ 7-14 days
Postmake
⏱ 3-7 days
Workspaces
⏱ 5-10 days
Altern
⏱ 3-7 days
SaaSPirate
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Tracker
⏱ 1-3 days
Tapscape
⏱ 5-7 days
Cuspera
⏱ 5-10 days
Owwly
⏱ 3-7 days
TechPluto
⏱ 5-10 days
Startup Buffer
⏱ 1-3 days
Discover Cloud
⏱ 5-7 days
The Startup Pitch
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Beat
⏱ 5-7 days
AppVita
⏱ 3-7 days
AI Tools Directory
⏱ 3-7 days
Tech Map
⏱ 3-7 days
AI Search
⏱ 3-7 days
Launching Next
⏱ 7-14 days
BetaTesting
⏱ 3-5 days
Awesome Tools
⏱ 3-7 days
NoCodeList
⏱ 3-7 days
LaunchDirectories
⏱ Instant
All Startups
⏱ 3-7 days
Fazier
⏱ Instant
Victrays
⏱ 3-7 days
TopApps
⏱ 3-7 days
NoCodeDevs
⏱ 3-7 days
Launched
⏱ 1-3 days
Apps Mamma
⏱ 3-5 days
DoMore.ai
⏱ 3-5 days
Feedough
⏱ 7-14 days
Website Hunt
⏱ 3-5 days
Startup Benchmarks
⏱ 5-7 days
The Startup INC
⏱ 3-7 days
OpenFuture
⏱ 3-7 days
Project Hatch
⏱ 5-10 days
AIHunt
⏱ 3-5 days
10words
⏱ 1-3 days
ProfitHunt
⏱ 3-5 days
SaaSRow
⏱ 3-5 days
Apps Listo
⏱ 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
PitchWall
⏱ 1-3 days
LaunchIgniter
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup88
⏱ 3-7 days
AwesomeIndie
⏱ 3-7 days
WebAppRater
⏱ 7-14 days
ToolScout
⏱ 3-7 days
AppRater
⏱ 7-14 days
PayOnceApps
⏱ 3-7 days
AppsThunder
⏱ 3-7 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 gives you the strongest return on submission effort.
There's no magic number, but a targeted campaign of 20–30 high-DR dofollow submissions is typically enough to move your domain rating meaningfully — especially for early-stage startups starting from a low DR baseline. The impact compounds: each additional high-DR dofollow link adds incremental authority, which improves rankings across your entire 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.