Free + dofollow is the best combination for a startup link-building campaign. These 194 directories list your startup at no cost and pass PageRank to your domain, which supports your search rankings. Of the 330+ directories tracked by backlinks.fyi, these are the first ones to submit to before spending any budget on paid placements.
194
Free + Dofollow
16
Instant Approval
DR 93
Top Score
A free directory that gives you a dofollow backlink beats a paid directory or a nofollow one, everything else being equal. You pay nothing and the link still counts toward your authority.
Free means zero acquisition cost. Dofollow means the link passes PageRank, the signal Google uses to rank websites. For an early-stage startup, that combination is hard to beat. Work through this list before spending on paid placements or nofollow-only sites.
Of these 194 directories, 16 offer instant approval, so your listing can go live within hours of submission. Start there.
Authority
Median DR 50
Range DR 2–93
Speed
8.2% instant
16 listings can go live quickly
Friction
42.8% account-required
0.5% require reciprocal links
Ordering still matters within this list. Start with DR 80+ directories and instant approvals to get crawled early, then work through the rest in DR order.
SourceForge
⏱ 3-7 days
Clutch
⏱ 3-7 days
Capterra
⏱ 3-7 days
G2
⏱ 3-7 days
Crunchbase
⏱ 1-3 days
Product Hunt
⏱ Instant after launch
Devpost
⏱ Instant
AngelList / Wellfound
⏱ 1-3 days
FinancesOnline
⏱ 5-10 days
Software Advice
⏱ 5-10 days
MakeUseOf
⏱ 14-30 days
Built In
⏱ 5-10 days
GeekWire
⏱ 7-14 days
TrustRadius
⏱ 3-5 days
GetApp
⏱ 3-7 days
F6S
⏱ Instant
Tech in Asia
⏱ 5-10 days
Fazier
⏱ Instant
Dang
⏱ 1-3 days
SiteJabber
⏱ Instant
Findly.tools
⏱ a few days to 1-2 weeks
Inc42
⏱ 7-14 days
AlternativeTo
⏱ 1-3 days
SaaSHub
⏱ 1-3 days
Tool Pilot
⏱ 1-3 days
Changelog
⏱ 3-7 days
EU-Startups
⏱ 7-14 days
StackShare
⏱ Instant
Wired Business (ToolListed)
⏱ instant after badge/crawl verification
SoftwareSuggest
⏱ 3-7 days
e27
⏱ 5-10 days
Peerlist
⏱ Instant
Uneed
⏱ 1-3 days
ToolFame
⏱ 1-3 days
SaaSworthy
⏱ 1-3 days
LaunchIgniter
⏱ 3-7 days
Alternative.me
⏱ 3-7 days
Gust
⏱ 3-7 days
Good AI Tools
⏱ Unknown
AI Agents Directory
⏱ Unknown
PeerSpot
⏱ 3-7 days
Webwiki
⏱ Instant
StartupBase
⏱ 1-3 days
CrozDesk
⏱ 3-7 days
Tiny Launch
⏱ 3-5 days
Land-book
⏱ 7-14 days
Launch Llama Tools
⏱ 1-3 days
Toolify
⏱ 1-3 days
SoftwareWorld
⏱ 3-7 days
FoundrList
⏱ 3-7 days
Tekpon
⏱ 3-7 days
Tiny Startups
⏱ 3-7 days
Side Projectors
⏱ 1-3 days
Feedough
⏱ 7-14 days
All My Faves
⏱ 5-7 days
Supertools (The Rundown AI)
⏱ 3-7 days
SaaSFame
⏱ not explicitly stated
RocketHub
⏱ 3-7 days
Slant
⏱ Instant
Future Tools
⏱ 7-14 days
acidtools.com
⏱ 1-3 days
CrowdReviews
⏱ 3-7 days
Serchen
⏱ 5-7 days
SaaSPirate
⏱ 3-7 days
FlowGPT
⏱ Instant
DevHunt
⏱ Instant
Startup Stash
⏱ 3-7 days
EarlyHunt
⏱ 1-3 days
Magnitt
⏱ 5-10 days
Stacker News
⏱ Instant
TechDirectory
⏱ 3-7 days
TopAI.tools
⏱ 3-7 days
Arctic Startup
⏱ 7-14 days
AI Tool Trek
⏱ 1-3 days
Next Big What
⏱ 5-10 days
OpenAlternative
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Ranking
⏱ 1-3 days
Startup Benchmarks
⏱ 5-7 days
Startup Inspire
⏱ 3-7 days
Unite List
⏱ 3-7 days
BetaBound
⏱ 3-5 days
AIxploria
⏱ 1-3 days
OpenFuture
⏱ 3-7 days
VentureRadar
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Beat
⏱ 5-7 days
TechPluto
⏱ 5-10 days
SaaS AI Tools
⏱ 3-7 days
BetaPage
⏱ 3-7 days
Altern
⏱ 3-7 days
My Launch Stash
⏱ Unknown
Snapmunk
⏱ 5-10 days
BuildHop
⏱ Instant
Bowora
⏱ 3-7 days
SimilarSiteSearch
⏱ 5-10 days
InnMind
⏱ 3-7 days
AI Tools Directory
⏱ 3-7 days
backlinks.fyi
⏱ 1-2 days
AppAgg
⏱ 3-7 days
Promote Project
⏱ 3-7 days
Tapscape
⏱ 5-7 days
BotsFloor
⏱ 1-3 days
Open Source Alternative
⏱ 3-7 days
Tech Product Finder
⏱ Unknown
Cuspera
⏱ 5-10 days
Ramen.Tools
⏱ Instant
Postmake
⏱ 3-7 days
Workspaces
⏱ 5-10 days
Insidr AI
⏱ 3-7 days
Netted
⏱ 14-30 days
Bens Bites News
⏱ 7-14 days
Public APIs
⏱ 1-3 days
Dev Tool Chest
⏱ Unknown
SaaS Radar
⏱ Unknown
Free SaaS Directory
⏱ Unknown
That AI Collection
⏱ 3-7 days
Appscribed
⏱ 3-7 days
Web Tools Directory
⏱ Unknown
LaunchDirectories
⏱ Instant
AppVita
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Buffer
⏱ 1-3 days
AI App Hub
⏱ Unknown
Saaspa.ge
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup Tracker
⏱ 1-3 days
Productivity Directory
⏱ 3-7 days
AI Resource Hub
⏱ Unknown
Startups Watch
⏱ 3-7 days
Awesome Tools
⏱ 3-7 days
Victrays
⏱ 3-7 days
SaaS List IO
⏱ Unknown
EuroAlternative
⏱ 3-7 days
LLM Relevance
⏱ 3-7 days
AwesomeIndie
⏱ 3-7 days
Micro SaaS Hub
⏱ Unknown
TopApps
⏱ 3-7 days
API List
⏱ 1-3 days
The Startup Pitch
⏱ 3-7 days
Indie Hacker Dir
⏱ Unknown
NoCodeList
⏱ 3-7 days
Indie Makers Directory
⏱ Unknown
Toolfolio
⏱ 1-3 days
9Sites
⏱ 1-3 days
Launching Soon
⏱ Unknown
AI Parabellum
⏱ 1-3 days
FiveTaco
⏱ 3-7 days
AI Valley
⏱ 3-7 days
The Startup INC
⏱ 3-7 days
Launched
⏱ 1-3 days
Startups.fyi
⏱ 3-7 days
Startups Gallery
⏱ 3-5 days
Discover Cloud
⏱ 5-7 days
Indie Dev Tools
⏱ Unknown
AppRater
⏱ 7-14 days
Robin Good Tools
⏱ 7-14 days
Tulimoa
⏱ 3-7 days
10words
⏱ 1-3 days
Resource.fyi
⏱ Unknown
Website Hunt
⏱ 3-5 days
Prime Club
⏱ 3-7 days
Project Hatch
⏱ 5-10 days
Simple Lister
⏱ Instant
ToolScout
⏱ 3-7 days
Trendy Startups
⏱ 3-7 days
DoMore.ai
⏱ 3-5 days
Product Canyon
⏱ 1-3 days
Invent List
⏱ 1-3 days
ProductLaunchpad
⏱ 1-3 days
Get Worm
⏱ 3-7 days
SaaSRow
⏱ 3-5 days
Startup88
⏱ 3-7 days
Owwly
⏱ 3-7 days
AIHunt
⏱ 3-5 days
All Startups
⏱ 3-7 days
PayOnceApps
⏱ 3-7 days
SEOFAI
⏱ 1-3 days
Startups FIY
⏱ 1-3 days
BestWebDesignTools
⏱ 1-3 days
Indie Tools
⏱ 1-3 days
Founder Resources
⏱ Unknown
MadGenius
⏱ 1-3 days
Apps Listo
⏱ 3-5 days
Apps Mamma
⏱ 3-5 days
TheSaaSDirectory
⏱ Unknown
AI Directory Org
⏱ Unknown
Sustainability Softwares
⏱ 1-3 days
Tools For Creators
⏱ Unknown
PromptZone
⏱ 1-3 days
Startup Heroes
⏱ 1-3 days
Product Hunt Alternatives
⏱ Unknown
AI Search
⏱ 3-7 days
Tech Map
⏱ 3-7 days
ProfitHunt
⏱ 3-5 days
App Directory Online
⏱ Unknown
TheMacApps
⏱ 1-3 days
SaaS Pulse
⏱ Unknown
Free dofollow startup directories are platforms where you can list your startup at no cost and receive a dofollow backlink in return. A dofollow link passes PageRank, Google's measure of authority, directly to your domain. For early-stage startups with no budget, they are the best place to start.
Free + dofollow is the best combination for a startup SEO campaign. You're getting the full PageRank benefit of a dofollow link while paying nothing. By contrast, paid directories cost money, and nofollow directories don't pass link equity. Start with every free dofollow directory before spending a dollar on paid placements or investing time in nofollow-only directories.
With prepared listing assets (product name, URL, one-liner, longer description, logo), submitting to all 194 free dofollow directories takes 6-10 hours spread over a few days. The 16 instant-approval directories can be done in one sitting and go live within hours.
Prioritize by Domain Rating (DR) and submit to the highest-DR directories first. High-DR dofollow backlinks carry more weight in Google's algorithm. If you have limited time, start with the top 10 free dofollow directories by DR; the full list builds on that.