Best startup directories in 2026, ranked by real traffic

The best startup directories by traffic are SourceForge (22.5 million visits a month), Product Hunt (3.7M), Crunchbase (3.2M), G2 (2.2M) and AlternativeTo (2.1M). For a launch day, Product Hunt is still the biggest. For credibility with investors and partners, Crunchbase and F6S. For buyers comparing tools, G2, TrustRadius and AlternativeTo.

Most directories are far smaller than their lists make them look. We track 397 active directories in the AgentLaunch catalog, and the median one gets about 5,200 visits a month. Only 30 of the 222 startup, SaaS, review and launch directories pass 100,000 visits a month. That's the list below, ranked by monthly traffic, not by domain rating.

AI tool and MCP directories have their own lists: where to submit your AI tool and free AI directories.

The 30 startup directories with real traffic

#	Directory	Type	Monthly visits	DR	Cost to list	Link
1	SourceForge	Review site	22.5M	93	Free	Dofollow
2	Product Hunt	Launch platform	3.7M	91	Free	Dofollow
3	Crunchbase	Startup database	3.2M	91	Free	Nofollow
4	G2	Review site	2.2M	91	Free	Nofollow
5	AlternativeTo	Alternatives	2.1M	80	Free	Dofollow
6	F6S	Startup database	1.3M	83	Free	Dofollow
7	Alternative.me	Alternatives	713K	75	Free	Dofollow
8	MCP Servers	MCP directory	686K	71	Free	Not checked
9	Dealroom	Startup database	496K	78	Free	Not checked
10	Peerlist	Launch platform	486K	77	Free	Nofollow
11	SaaSHub	Alternatives	407K	81	Free	Mixed
12	European Alternatives	Alternatives	371K	73	Free	Not checked
13	Software Suggest	Review site	358K	77	Free, paid extras	Nofollow
14	TrustRadius	Review site	290K	85	Free	Dofollow
15	BetaList	Launch platform	259K	76	Behind sign-in	Dofollow
16	CrozDesk	Review site	255K	74	Free	Dofollow
17	Open Alternative	Alternatives	250K	60	Paid	Dofollow
18	SaaSworthy	Review site	220K	75	Free, paid extras	Dofollow
19	StartupBlink	Startup database	212K	72	Free	Nofollow
20	Open Source Alternative	Alternatives	203K	50	Free, paid extras	Not checked
21	PulseMCP	MCP directory	195K	71	Free	Not checked
22	PeerSpot	Review site	186K	74	Free	Nofollow
23	Uneed	Launch platform	173K	76	Free, paid extras	Dofollow
24	Tool Finder	Tools directory	144K	60	Paid	Nofollow
25	Serchen	Review site	143K	67	Free	Dofollow
26	Startup Ranking	Startup database	139K	61	Free, paid extras	Dofollow
27	Startup Stash	Startup database	139K	65	Free	Dofollow
28	Spot SaaS	Review site	134K	66	Free	Dofollow
29	SelectHub	Review site	122K	74	Free	Dofollow
30	Appvizer	Review site	119K	52	Free	Dofollow
Traffic is the whole directory's monthly visits, from our catalog checks in September 2026. "Badge" means the free listing needs a badge or link on your site. Link type is what we recorded on live listings; "Not checked" means we haven't confirmed it yet.

Why we rank by traffic, not domain rating

Most "best startup directories" lists sort by domain rating (DR), or don't sort at all. DR measures how strong a site's backlinks are. It says nothing about whether anyone will see your listing.

The gap is big. In our catalog, 126 directories have a DR of 60 or more, and 42 of those get fewer than 10,000 visits a month. A DR 85 site with 8,000 visitors sends you less than a DR 60 site with 500,000.

Monthly visits	Directories in our catalog
1 million or more	12
100,000 to 1 million	46
10,000 to 100,000	106
1,000 to 10,000	149
Under 1,000	84

Launch platforms are where this bites hardest. Of the 119 launch platforms and maker communities we track, 87 get fewer than 10,000 visits a month. Many are worth a free submission for the link and the mention. Few will send you users.

The best startup directories by type

Launch platforms: Product Hunt, Peerlist, BetaList, Uneed

A launch platform gives you a day or a week on its front page, with upvotes deciding the order. Product Hunt is the only one with millions of visitors, and the competition matches: over 30 days we measured, the #1 product of the day had a median of 443 upvotes. See how to launch on Product Hunt and is Product Hunt worth it.

Peerlist (486K visits) runs a Launchpad for makers with a verified Peerlist profile. BetaList (259K) lists pre-launch and early products and is known for its wait: see is BetaList worth it. Uneed (173K) runs a daily launch with a free queue and paid skips. Smaller platforms like Fazier, TinyLaunch and MicroLaunch bring less traffic but are easier places to place in the top three. Our list of sites like Product Hunt covers the rest.

Startup databases: Crunchbase, F6S, Dealroom, StartupBlink

Databases are where investors, journalists and partners look you up. They don't send many buyers, but a missing or wrong profile looks odd. Crunchbase (3.2M) is the one people check first; profiles are free and you verify with a company-domain email (how to list on Crunchbase). F6S (1.3M) adds programs, deals and accelerator applications (F6S guide). Dealroom (496K) is strong in Europe. StartupBlink (212K), Startup Ranking (139K) and Startup Stash (139K) round it out.

Software review sites: SourceForge, G2, TrustRadius, SaaSworthy

Review sites matter once you have customers who can review you, and most only list B2B software. SourceForge is the largest site in our whole catalog, mostly from open-source downloads. G2 (2.2M) is free for B2B products out of beta (how to get listed on G2). TrustRadius (290K) favours long, detailed reviews (TrustRadius guide). SaaSworthy (220K) and Software Suggest (358K) have free listings with paid placement on top (SaaSworthy, SoftwareSuggest). If you're choosing between the two biggest, read G2 vs Capterra.

Alternatives directories: AlternativeTo, SaaSHub, Alternative.me

These send people who are already switching away from something. If your product replaces a known tool, they're often the best free traffic on this list. AlternativeTo (2.1M) is the biggest (how to add your software). SaaSHub (407K) puts you on competitors' alternatives pages (SaaSHub guide). Alternative.me (713K) is also free (Alternative.me guide). European Alternatives (371K) only lists European products, and Open Alternative lists open-source ones.

What listing costs

Across the 397 directories we track:

• 329 (83%) have a free way to get listed.
• 101 (25%) only list you free if you add their badge or a link on your site.
• 67 (17%) are paid only. Prices on the paid ones run from under $10 to $437 for There's An AI For That's top plan.

Among the 30 above, only Open Alternative and Tool Finder are paid only, and none needs a badge. The big directories don't need your link; the small ones do.

Which link you get

A directory listing is a link from a page on their site to yours. Whether it passes ranking credit depends on the rel attribute. Of the directories where we've recorded it, 85 give a dofollow link, 33 nofollow and 41 a mix (dofollow on some listings, or only after a badge or a paid upgrade). Big review sites often go nofollow: G2, Crunchbase, Software Suggest and PeerSpot all do.

Don't pick directories for the link alone. A nofollow listing on a site your buyers browse beats a dofollow one nobody visits. For the link-first list, see dofollow directories for startups, and to judge one yourself, how to check directory backlink quality.

A launch order that works

1. Before launch day: Crunchbase, F6S and your main review site profiles, so people who look you up find something.
2. Launch week: your main launch platform, plus Peerlist or Uneed and 10 to 20 free directories that fit your category.
3. The next two to four weeks: the rest of your list, with copy written for each form. Spreading them out gives you time to answer the directories that email back.
4. Once you have customers: G2, TrustRadius and SaaSworthy, where reviews count.
5. Ongoing: alternatives directories next to each tool you replace, and a check every few months that your listings still show the right pricing and logo.

Keep a simple record of what you submitted, what's live and each listing's URL. Our directory submission tracker guide has a template, and the SaaS directory submission checklist covers the assets to prepare once.

Submitting to all of them with your AI agent

AgentLaunch is a directory-submission kit you open in Claude Code, Codex or Cursor. Your agent reads your site, drafts a product brief, picks the directories that fit from the 300+ in our catalog, writes copy sized for each form and fills the forms in a real browser. It stops for payments, CAPTCHAs and two-factor codes, and records every listing URL when it goes live. The Self-Host License costs $149 once.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best startup directory?

By traffic, SourceForge, but it's mostly open-source downloads. For a startup launch, Product Hunt is the biggest, with about 3.7 million visits a month. For credibility, Crunchbase.

Which startup directories have real traffic?

Only 30 of the 222 startup, SaaS, review and launch directories we track get more than 100,000 visits a month. They're the table above. The median directory in our catalog gets about 5,200.

Are startup directories free?

Most are. 83% of the directories we track have a free option, though a quarter of those want a badge on your site in return.

How many startup directories should I submit to?

Start with 30 to 60 that fit your product, spread over a few weeks. Relevance beats volume: a listing next to your competitors on AlternativeTo is worth more than 50 generic ones.

Do startup directories help SEO?

Relevant ones can, through followed links and brand mentions, and they're among the sources AI assistants read when they recommend tools. They won't rank a weak page on their own. See why DR doesn't always rise after backlinks.

Is it worth paying for startup directories?

Sometimes. Paying to skip a queue on a directory your buyers use can be worth it. Paying for a "featured" spot on a site with 3,000 visits a month rarely is. Our SaaS launch budget guide breaks down where launch money goes.

Related guides

• Startup listing sites: where to list your startup for free
• SaaS listing websites: 92 places to list your SaaS
• Sites like Product Hunt, ranked by real traffic
• Automated directory submission tools compared
• Why directory submissions get rejected

Browse all 300+ directories with traffic, prices and link types in the AgentLaunch catalog.