Statistics · 109 numbers
Launch directory statistics 2026: 352 directories checked by hand
We checked 352 launch platforms, AI tool directories, SaaS directories, review sites and registries by hand, then had our agent walk every submit flow. Here is what founders actually face when they submit a product, with the full dataset to download.
The dataset
Every directory in our catalog of product directories, with no link farms, agency lists, local business or job directories. Categories:
Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.
- Directories: 352 checked by hand, each with traffic, Domain Rating, cost, link type and submit requirements recorded.
- 84% (294 of 352) have a free route to a listing.
- 61% (214) give a dofollow product link.
- The median Domain Rating is 49 and the median site gets about 7,598 visits a month.
- 24% ask for a badge or link back; 20% need an account.
- 122 are AI tool directories (35%).
- 103 are launch platforms (29%).
- 41 are SaaS and startup directories (12%).
- 28 are software review sites (8%).
- 14 are developer tool directories (4%).
- 12 are alternatives directories (3%).
- 9 are startup databases (3%).
- 8 are MCP registries (2%).
- 8 are AI agent directories (2%).
Cost: free, badge, paid
How much it costs to get listed, and what the free routes ask in return.
Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.
- 129 of 352 directories (37%) are free with no conditions.
- 86 (24%) are free only if you show their badge or link back.
- 79 (22%) are free with optional paid upgrades such as featuring or a faster review.
- 51 (14%) have no free route at all.
- 178 (51%) are both free and dofollow.
- 121 are free, dofollow and need no badge.
- 81 are free, dofollow, need no badge and need no account.
- 95 are free, dofollow and have a Domain Rating of 50 or more.
- 70% of AI tool directories have a free route.
- 94% of launch platforms have a free route.
- 83% of SaaS and startup directories have a free route.
- 89% of software review sites have a free route.
- 100% of developer tool directories have a free route.
- 83% of alternatives directories have a free route.
- 100% of startup databases have a free route.
- 88% of MCP registries have a free route.
- 75% of AI agent directories have a free route.
Link types
Whether the link to your product is followed by search engines. We read the rel attribute on live listings.
Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.
- 214 directories (61%) gave a dofollow link in our checks.
- 79 (22%) used a nofollow link.
- 19 (5%) were mixed: followed only on a paid plan or with a badge.
- 40 (11%) couldn't be confirmed, usually because the listing page wasn't public.
- Among directories with DR 70 or more, 62% gave a dofollow link.
- Among paid-only directories, 61% gave a dofollow link.
- 70% of AI tool directories gave a dofollow link.
- 59% of launch platforms gave a dofollow link.
- 51% of SaaS and startup directories gave a dofollow link.
- 54% of software review sites gave a dofollow link.
- 57% of developer tool directories gave a dofollow link.
- 58% of alternatives directories gave a dofollow link.
- 44% of startup databases gave a dofollow link.
- 38% of MCP registries gave a dofollow link.
- 75% of AI agent directories gave a dofollow link.
Domain Rating
Ahrefs Domain Rating, read in September 2026.
Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.
- The median Domain Rating across 352 directories is 49; the middle half fall between DR 35 and DR 64.
- 22 (6%) have DR 0 to 19.
- 91 (26%) have DR 20 to 39.
- 118 (34%) have DR 40 to 59.
- 103 (29%) have DR 60 to 79.
- 18 (5%) have DR 80 to 100.
- 69 have a DR of 70 or more, and 5 have DR 90 or more.
- The median DR of AI tool directories is 42.
- The median DR of launch platforms is 51.
- The median DR of SaaS and startup directories is 43.
- The median DR of software review sites is 73.
- The median DR of developer tool directories is 51.5.
- The median DR of alternatives directories is 51.
- The median DR of startup databases is 65.
- The median DR of MCP registries is 70.
- The median DR of AI agent directories is 39.5.
- When we compared the DR directories advertise or other tools report with Ahrefs for 165 directories, the median gap was 5 points; 59 differed by 10 or more and 30 by 20 or more.
Traffic
Estimated monthly visits from third-party traffic tools. Treat small-site numbers as an order of magnitude.
Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.
- The median directorie gets about 7,598 visits a month (estimates); the middle half get 2,154 to 50K.
- 39 (11%) get under 1,000 visits a month.
- 149 (42%) get 1,000 to 9,999 visits a month.
- 106 (30%) get 10,000 to 99,999 visits a month.
- 46 (13%) get 100,000 to 999,999 visits a month.
- 12 (3%) get 1 million or more visits a month.
- The 10 busiest directories get 71% of all the monthly visits across the 352.
- The median AI tool directory gets about 7,093 visits a month.
- The median launch platform gets about 4,750 visits a month.
- The median SaaS and startup directory gets about 3,256 visits a month.
- The median software review site gets about 103K visits a month.
- The median developer tool directory gets about 61K visits a month.
- The median alternatives directory gets about 22K visits a month.
- The median startup database gets about 139K visits a month.
- The median MCP registry gets about 271K visits a month.
- The median AI agent directory gets about 19K visits a month.
- Domain Rating and traffic only loosely agree: the correlation between DR and the log of monthly visits was 0.36.
- 15 of 71 directories with DR 70 or more had fewer than 10,000 monthly visits.
Requirements: badges, accounts and CAPTCHAs
What a directory asks of you before a listing goes live.
Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.
- 70 directories (20%) require an account before you can submit; 226 don't.
- 56 offer Google sign-in and 34 offer GitHub sign-in.
- 83 (24%) require a badge or link back for the free listing.
- 56 (16%) show a CAPTCHA on the submit form.
- 35 use Cloudflare Turnstile, 21 use reCAPTCHA and 3 use hCaptcha.
- 19% of AI tool directories ask for a badge.
- 40% of launch platforms ask for a badge.
- 37% of SaaS and startup directories ask for a badge.
- 0% of software review sites ask for a badge.
- 7% of developer tool directories ask for a badge.
- 17% of alternatives directories ask for a badge.
- 0% of startup databases ask for a badge.
- 0% of MCP registries ask for a badge.
- 0% of AI agent directories ask for a badge.
Submit flows recorded by our agent
Our submission agent walked each directory's submit flow and recorded the route, fields and where it ended.
Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.
- When our agent walked the submit flows of 352 directories, 88 (25%) needed an account during the flow.
- 12 sent an email verification code before the submission could continue.
- 12 sent us to an external tool, such as a Google Form or a sign-in provider.
- 13 asked for media uploads (logo, screenshots or video) during the flow.
- 80 flows (23%) ended at a final review and submit step.
- 46 (13%) ended at a choice between free, badge and paid plans.
- 41 (12%) ended at a qualification check, such as a badge, backlink or eligibility rule.
- 28 (8%) ended at a payment page.
- Our agent completed the full flow to a final screen on 197 of 352 (56%); the rest stopped at a CAPTCHA, payment or approval step a person has to take.
Paid options
Directories' own prices for featured spots, fast-track reviews and paid listings, as listed on their pricing pages.
Source: AgentLaunch directory catalog, checked by hand in September 2026.
- 190 of 352 directories (54%) sell at least one paid option, 310 options in total.
- The median paid option costs $29; the middle half cost $14 to $50.
- Prices range from $2.90 to $499.
- 84% of paid options are one-time payments, with a median of $25.45.
- 29 options are monthly subscriptions, with a median of $49 a month.
Methodology
Scope. 352 product directories in the AgentLaunch catalog: launch platforms, AI tool and agent directories, SaaS and startup directories, software review sites, developer and alternatives directories, startup databases and MCP registries. Link farms, general web directories, agency lists, local business, job and event directories are excluded.
Checks. Each directory was visited by hand in September 2026. Cost, badge and account rules were read from submit and pricing pages. Link type was read from the rel attribute of live product links; "mixed" means it depends on the plan or a badge. Domain Rating is Ahrefs DR; monthly visits are third-party estimates.
Submit flows. Our submission agent walked each directory's submit flow in a real browser and recorded whether it needed an account, an email code, an external form, media uploads, and the final screen it reached. It did not pay, solve CAPTCHAs or accept terms.
Download. The full table is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page. Profiles for every directory are at our directory lists.
Download the dataset (CSV) · free to reuse with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).
Cite this page
Writers and researchers are welcome to use these numbers. Please link to this page as the source.
Launch directory statistics 2026: 352 directories checked by hand. AgentLaunch, November 2026. https://www.agentlaun.ch/statistics/launch-directory-statistics/<a href="https://www.agentlaun.ch/statistics/launch-directory-statistics/">Launch directory statistics 2026: 352 directories checked by hand</a> (AgentLaunch)FAQ
How many startup directories are free?
294 of the 352 we checked (84%) have a free route; 129 are free with no badge, upgrade or queue attached.
What share of directories give dofollow links?
61% in our checks, with large differences by category.
Can I use this data in my article?
Yes. Cite this page with a link; the CSV is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.