Free + dofollow is the ideal combination for a startup link-building campaign. These 128 directories will list your startup at no cost and pass PageRank directly to your domain — improving your search rankings across every keyword you target. Of the 153+ directories tracked by backlinks.fyi, these are the first ones to submit to before spending any budget on paid placements.
128
Free + Dofollow
13
Instant Approval
DR 93
Top Score
Most startup founders treat all directory submissions as equivalent. They're not. A free directory that gives you a dofollow backlink is strictly better than a paid directory or one that uses nofollow links — everything else being equal.
Free means zero acquisition cost. Dofollow means the link passes PageRank — the signal Google uses to rank websites. Together, they represent the most efficient form of link building available to an early-stage startup. Before spending on paid placements or wasting time on nofollow-only sites, exhaust this list.
Of these 128 directories, 13 offer instant approval — meaning your listing goes live within hours of submission, not weeks. Start there for the fastest SEO impact.
Authority
Median DR 52
Range DR 12–93
Speed
10.2% instant
13 listings can go live quickly
Friction
44.5% account-required
0% require reciprocal links
This subset is already the highest-ROI list, but ordering still matters. Start with DR 80+ and instant approvals to trigger early crawl events, then clear remaining DR-priority opportunities for compounding authority gains.
SourceForge
⏱ 3-7 days
Product Hunt
⏱ Instant after launch
Crunchbase
⏱ 1-3 days
Capterra
⏱ 3-7 days
AngelList / Wellfound
⏱ 1-3 days
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
Startup Stash
⏱ 3-7 days
Peerlist
⏱ Instant
Future Tools
⏱ 7-14 days
Supertools (The Rundown AI)
⏱ 3-7 days
Arctic Startup
⏱ 7-14 days
Netted
⏱ 14-30 days
Open Source Alternative
⏱ 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
Snapmunk
⏱ 5-10 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
Productivity Directory
⏱ 3-7 days
Tech Map
⏱ 3-7 days
AI Search
⏱ 3-7 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
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
LaunchIgniter
⏱ 3-7 days
Startup88
⏱ 3-7 days
AwesomeIndie
⏱ 3-7 days
ToolScout
⏱ 3-7 days
AppRater
⏱ 7-14 days
PayOnceApps
⏱ 3-7 days
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. These directories represent the highest ROI submission target for early-stage startups: maximum SEO value at zero cost.
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), a systematic submission campaign through all 128 free dofollow directories takes 6–10 hours across a few days. The 13 instant-approval directories can be completed in a single session and go live within hours.
Prioritize by Domain Rating (DR) — submit to the highest-DR directories first. High-DR dofollow backlinks carry more weight in Google's algorithm. If you have limited time, even submitting to the top 10 free dofollow directories by DR will move your domain rating meaningfully. The full list compounds that effect.