Submit to three kinds of sites: launch platforms (a day or week of attention), directories (a permanent listing that people and search engines keep finding) and communities (conversations, not listings). Start with 10–15 that fit your product rather than 100 that don't, and do them over two weeks, not one afternoon.
Why directories are still worth it
A new site has no links, no search history and no brand. Directories fix the first problem cheaply: every listing is a page on an established site that says your product exists, what it does and where it lives. Search engines use those pages to discover and understand you, AI assistants read them when someone asks for a tool like yours, and a few of the listings send real visitors on their own.
What directories won't do is make you rank for competitive terms. Treat them as the foundation: they get you found, indexed and taken seriously, and the rest of your marketing builds on that.
Launch platforms
These give you a spike: a day or a week on a front page where people vote and comment. Pick two or three and space them out so each one gets your full attention.
- Product HuntThe biggest daily launch leaderboard. Worth doing once you have an audience to rally; a cold launch there usually sinks by lunchtime.
- Show HN (Hacker News)Hacker News' section for things you've built. Best for developer tools and technical products. Write plainly and answer every comment.
- IndieLaunchFree launches for indie makers, live the day they're approved, with a dofollow link for makers who add our badge.
- UneedA daily launch platform for makers, with a queue for free launches.
- Peerlist LaunchpadA weekly launchpad on Peerlist, a professional network for people who build.
- MicrolaunchA launch platform for small products and side projects.
- FazierA launch platform with daily launches and a maker community.
- DevHuntA launch platform just for developer tools.
- TinyLaunchA launch platform for small startups and indie projects.
- BetaListEarly-stage startups looking for their first users. Good before or right after you open signups.
Best startup and SaaS directories
Directories are slower and longer-lived: your listing stays up and keeps getting found. The ones built around alternatives ("X alternatives") are the best for traffic, because people search them by the name of a tool they already know.
- SaaSHubA software directory built around alternatives and comparisons. List yourself against the tools you compete with.
- AlternativeToCrowdsourced alternatives to well-known software. People search it by the name of the tool you replace.
- OpenAlternativeOpen-source alternatives to proprietary software. Only for open-source products.
- Launching NextA long-running directory of new startups.
- Startup FameA startup directory and launch platform.
- PeerPushA directory where makers list and discover new products.
- ScrollLaunchA launch platform and directory for new products.
- Smol LaunchA launch platform for small products.
- Findly.toolsA directory of tools for makers and teams.
- ufind.bestA product directory for new tools.
- Dofollow.ToolsA directory of tools and of other directories to submit to.
- CodeHypeA directory of products, with a focus on things built with code and AI.
- Twelve ToolsA curated directory of new tools.
- LaunchtoryA launch directory for new products.
AI startup directories
If AI does the main job in your product, these are where people go to look for tools like it. Skip them if AI is a side feature; they're strict about fit.
- There's An AI For ThatThe largest AI tool directory. Worth it for any product where AI does the main job.
- FuturepediaAn AI tool directory with categories and reviews.
- ToolifyAn AI tool directory with a large catalog and traffic rankings.
Communities
Not directories, but they are where most early users actually come from. The rule everywhere: give something (a story, numbers, a lesson) before you ask for anything.
- Indie HackersA founder community. Post what you learned building it (numbers help), not an ad.
- r/SideProjectA subreddit for side projects. Read the rules, show the thing, and reply to everyone.
The order to do them in
- Get the basics ready once: a 60-character tagline, a 160-character description, a square logo, three screenshots, and your pricing. You'll paste them everywhere.
- Week one: five or six directories that fit your category, plus one launch platform where you can show up all day to answer comments.
- Week two: the rest of the directories, one community post about what you learned, and a second launch platform.
- After that: a bigger launch (Product Hunt, Show HN) once you have users who'll turn up for it.
- Keep a spreadsheet of where you submitted, the listing URL and whether the link is followed, so you can update listings when your product changes.
Start with IndieLaunch — it's free
Launches go live the day they're approved, you get a product page that search engines index, and adding our badge makes your link dofollow.
Frequently asked questions
- How many startup directories should I submit to?
- Ten to fifteen that fit your product is plenty to start. Relevance beats volume: a listing in a directory your customers actually browse is worth more than fifty in ones they never see.
- Do startup directories help SEO?
- Yes, modestly. They get a new site discovered and indexed, give search engines and AI assistants consistent facts about your product, and some pass followed links. They won't rank you for competitive keywords on their own.
- Should I pay for directory submissions?
- Only when a paid option buys something concrete, like a featured spot on a site with real traffic or a guaranteed dofollow link. Avoid services that submit you to hundreds of low-quality directories at once.