AI tool directory statistics 2026: 122 directories checked

Overview

Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.

• AI tool directories: 122 checked by hand, each with traffic, Domain Rating, cost, link type and submit requirements recorded.
• 70% (85 of 122) have a free route to a listing.
• 70% (85) give a dofollow product link.
• The median Domain Rating is 42 and the median site gets about 7,093 visits a month.
• 19% ask for a badge or link back; 11% need an account.

Cost and free routes

Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.

• 36 of 122 AI tool directories (30%) are free with no conditions.
• 25 (20%) are free only if you show their badge or link back.
• 24 (20%) are free with optional paid upgrades such as featuring or a faster review.
• 34 (28%) have no free route at all.
• 60 (49%) are both free and dofollow.
• 41 are free, dofollow and need no badge.
• 30 are free, dofollow, need no badge and need no account.
• 22 are free, dofollow and have a Domain Rating of 50 or more.

Link types

Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.

• 85 AI tool directories (70%) gave a dofollow link in our checks.
• 22 (18%) used a nofollow link.
• 4 (3%) were mixed: followed only on a paid plan or with a badge.
• 11 (9%) couldn't be confirmed, usually because the listing page wasn't public.
• Among AI tool directories with DR 70 or more, 50% gave a dofollow link.
• Among paid-only AI tool directories, 68% gave a dofollow link.
• By comparison, 56% of the 230 other directories gave a dofollow link.

Domain Rating

Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.

• The median Domain Rating across 122 AI tool directories is 42; the middle half fall between DR 29 and DR 56.
• 14 (11%) have DR 0 to 19.
• 41 (34%) have DR 20 to 39.
• 43 (35%) have DR 40 to 59.
• 23 (19%) have DR 60 to 79.
• 1 (1%) have DR 80 to 100.
• 8 have a DR of 70 or more, and 0 have DR 90 or more.
• Other directories in our catalog have a median DR of 53.

Traffic

Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.

• The median AI tool directorie gets about 7,093 visits a month (estimates); the middle half get 1,853 to 33K.
• 10 (8%) get under 1,000 visits a month.
• 55 (45%) get 1,000 to 9,999 visits a month.
• 44 (36%) get 10,000 to 99,999 visits a month.
• 11 (9%) get 100,000 to 999,999 visits a month.
• 2 (2%) get 1 million or more visits a month.
• The 10 busiest AI tool directories get 82% of all the monthly visits across the 122.

Badges, accounts and CAPTCHAs

Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.

• 13 AI tool directories (11%) require an account before you can submit; 82 don't.
• 12 offer Google sign-in and 7 offer GitHub sign-in.
• 23 (19%) require a badge or link back for the free listing.
• 23 (19%) show a CAPTCHA on the submit form.
• 14 use Cloudflare Turnstile, 9 use reCAPTCHA and 3 use hCaptcha.

Submit flows

Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.

• When our agent walked the submit flows of 122 AI tool directories, 10 (8%) needed an account during the flow.
• 3 sent an email verification code before the submission could continue.
• 6 sent us to an external tool, such as a Google Form or a sign-in provider.
• 5 asked for media uploads (logo, screenshots or video) during the flow.
• 30 flows (25%) ended at a final review and submit step.
• 22 (18%) ended at a choice between free, badge and paid plans.
• 22 (18%) ended at a qualification check, such as a badge, backlink or eligibility rule.
• 13 (11%) ended at a payment page.
• Our agent completed the full flow to a final screen on 88 of 122 (72%); the rest stopped at a CAPTCHA, payment or approval step a person has to take.

Prices

Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.

• 69 of 122 AI tool directories (57%) sell at least one paid option, 115 options in total.
• The median paid option costs $29.99; the middle half cost $19 to $89.70.
• Prices range from $4.50 to $499.
• 88% of paid options are one-time payments, with a median of $29.99.
• 10 options are monthly subscriptions, with a median of $89 a month.

AI agent directories

The smaller group of directories that list autonomous agents rather than AI tools in general.

Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.

• AI agent directories: 8 checked by hand, each with traffic, Domain Rating, cost, link type and submit requirements recorded.
• 75% (6 of 8) have a free route to a listing.
• 75% (6) give a dofollow product link.
• The median Domain Rating is 39.5 and the median site gets about 19K visits a month.
• 0% ask for a badge or link back; 0% need an account.
• 4 of 8 AI agent directories (50%) are free with no conditions.
• 0 (0%) are free only if you show their badge or link back.
• 2 (25%) are free with optional paid upgrades such as featuring or a faster review.
• 2 (25%) have no free route at all.