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35 Best Directories to Submit Your App in 2026 (With Domain Authority Scores)

#marketing #saas #seo #indiehackers

You built something great. Now nobody knows it exists.

That's the reality for most indie developers. You spend months building, ship a solid product, and then realize that "build it and they will come" is the biggest lie in tech.

Directory submissions are the lowest-effort, highest-ROI marketing activity for indie devs. Each submission takes 5-15 minutes, gives you a backlink (some dofollow from DA 90+ sites), and puts your product in front of buyers who are actively looking for tools like yours.

I've compiled every directory worth submitting to in 2026, ranked by Domain Authority. DA matters because higher-DA backlinks signal Google that your site is legitimate, which improves your own search rankings over time.

Tier 1: The heavyweights (DA 80+)

These directories have massive organic traffic and carry real SEO weight. Submit here first.

1. Hacker News - Show HN (DA 93)

  • URL: news.ycombinator.com/submit
  • Best time: Monday-Friday, 8-10 AM ET
  • Format: Title must be "Show HN: [Name] - [Tagline]" (80 char limit)
  • Tips: No logo upload. Text post optional but recommended. Dev-focused audience that values technical depth over polish. Don't post the same product twice unless it's substantially different.

2. Product Hunt (DA 91)

  • URL: producthunt.com/launch
  • Best time: Tuesday-Thursday, 12:01 AM PT
  • Format: Name, tagline (60 chars), description (260 chars), logo, screenshots, optional video
  • Tips: GIFs in the gallery get significantly more engagement than static images. Add a Loom or YouTube demo link. You get ONE good launch per product - don't waste it before you're ready.

3. Crunchbase (DA 91)

  • URL: crunchbase.com/add-new
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (500 chars), logo, category
  • Tips: Free basic profile. High-authority dofollow backlink. Useful for credibility even if you're a solo founder. Add milestones and team info to look established.

4. G2 (DA 92)

  • URL: sell.g2.com/create-a-profile
  • Best time: Weekdays (3-5 business day review)
  • Format: Name, URL, description (500 chars), logo, category, pricing, screenshots (1366x768)
  • Tips: Reviews are heavily weighted in rankings. Once listed, actively collect user reviews. Gartner-owned, high buyer intent traffic.

5. Capterra (DA 90)

  • URL: capterra.com/vendors/
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (1000 chars), logo, category, pricing, screenshots (1366x768), video URL
  • Tips: Also Gartner-owned. Free basic listing. Add a YouTube demo link for better visibility. B2B buyers use this for shortlisting.

6. SourceForge (DA 88)

  • URL: sourceforge.net/software/vendors/new
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (1000 chars), logo, category, screenshots (1280x720)
  • Tips: Legacy platform but massive DA. Great purely for the SEO backlink. B2B discovery traffic is a bonus.

7. AlternativeTo (DA 82)

  • URL: alternativeto.net (sign in first, then use the site's own "Add application" flow)
  • Best time: Weekdays, EU/US daytime
  • Format: Name, URL, description (500 chars), category, tags
  • Tips: Community-driven, and submission requires a free account, so there is no direct submit link to bookmark. The real power move is adding your product as an alternative to popular competitors. You show up whenever someone searches "[competitor] alternatives".

8. GetApp (DA 82)

  • URL: getapp.com/vendors/
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (1000 chars), logo, category, pricing
  • Tips: Another Gartner property. Free basic listing. Moderated.

Tier 2: Strong directories (DA 50-79)

Good traffic, solid backlinks, and engaged audiences. These compound over time.

9. Wellfound / AngelList (DA 75)

  • URL: wellfound.com/recruit/overview
  • Best time: Weekdays, US hours
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (80 chars), description (500 chars), logo, category
  • Tips: Strong dofollow backlink. Company profile doubles as a hiring page.

10. StackShare (DA 72)

  • URL: stackshare.io/vendors
  • Best time: Tuesday-Thursday, US business hours
  • Format: Name, URL, description (300 chars), logo, category
  • Tips: Best for developer tools and infrastructure. Claim your listing via the vendor portal.

11. TrustRadius (DA 72)

  • URL: trustradius.com/vendors
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (1000 chars), logo, category, pricing, screenshots (1366x768)
  • Tips: B2B buyer trust platform. Reviews are gated and verified, which means they carry more weight than open platforms.

12. Indie Hackers (DA 67)

  • URL: indiehackers.com/products/new
  • Best time: Weekdays, US hours
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (80 chars), description (500 chars)
  • Tips: THE community for bootstrapped products. Post revenue milestones and updates as separate posts to stay visible. Community engagement matters.

13. Slant (DA 66) - down

  • URL: slant.co/improve
  • Status: The origin server has been unreachable behind Cloudflare (error 526) since September 2026. Nothing to submit to while that lasts. It was comparison-focused, so AlternativeTo below fills the same slot.

14. BetaList (DA 65)

  • URL: betalist.com/submit
  • Best time: Monday-Wednesday morning
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (60 chars), description (300 chars), logo, category
  • Tips: Best for pre-launch or beta products. Free queue takes 2-3 weeks. $129 fast-track option. Great for building an early waitlist.

15. GoodFirms (DA 64)

  • URL: goodfirms.co/add-product
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (500 chars), logo, category, pricing
  • Tips: B2B software review platform. Free listing with moderation. Good for lead generation from buyer-intent searches.

16. There's An AI For That (DA 62)

  • URL: theresanaiforthat.com/get-featured/
  • Best time: Weekdays, morning US
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (80 chars), description (300 chars), category, pricing
  • Tips: Largest AI directory. Only relevant if your product has AI features. Paid submission ($347) or free via their monthly thread.

17. Futurepedia (DA 58) - paid only

  • URL: futurepedia.io/submit-tool
  • Status: Not a free listing. The submission page reads as an ordinary sign-in-gated form and is not one: when it was last measured the tiers were $247 basic (sold out) and $497 verified. Check the current figure on their own page before paying, and treat any free-submission write-up as out of date.
  • Tips: AI tools directory with 400K+ monthly visitors, so it may be worth the spend if your product is AI-related. It is excluded from the Sellular kit for this reason, so nothing here will pre-fill it.

18. SaaSHub (DA 56)

  • URL: saashub.com/services/submit
  • Best time: Weekdays, morning US
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (80 chars), description (500 chars), logo, category, pricing
  • Tips: SaaS-focused. Good for "alternative to" positioning. Free listing.

19. Startup Stash (DA 55)

  • URL: startupstash.com/add-listing/
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (500 chars), logo, category, pricing
  • Tips: Curated directory of startup resources and tools. Free listing.

20. Toolify.ai (DA 55)

  • URL: toolify.ai/submit
  • Best time: Weekdays, morning US/EU
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (80 chars), description (500 chars), logo, category, pricing
  • Tips: One of the largest AI directories with 500K+ monthly visitors. Free submission with editorial review. Only for AI products.

21. Software Suggest (DA 55)

  • URL: softwaresuggest.com/vendors
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (500 chars), logo, category, pricing
  • Tips: B2B software discovery with buyer-intent traffic. Free vendor listing.

22. AlternativeMe (DA 52)

  • URL: alternative.me/how-to/submit-software/
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (500 chars), category
  • Tips: Similar to AlternativeTo. Position your product against competitors to appear in comparison searches.

23. SaaSWorthy (DA 51)

  • URL: saasworthy.com/offerings
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (500 chars), logo, category, pricing
  • Tips: Free listing. Moderated. Keep your profile updated.

Tier 3: Indie and niche directories (DA 30-49)

Smaller audiences but highly targeted. These are YOUR people - indie devs, builders, hackers.

24. DevHunt (DA 45)

  • URL: devhunt.org
  • Best time: Monday-Thursday, morning US/EU
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (60 chars), description (300 chars), logo
  • Tips: Dev tools launchpad. Requires GitHub login. Submissions via GitHub PR. Community voting. Relaunch allowed for major updates.

25. SideProjectors (DA 45)

  • URL: sideprojectors.com/project/submit
  • Best time: Weekdays, morning US
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (100 chars), description (1000 chars), logo, category
  • Tips: Also a marketplace for buying/selling side projects. Account required.

26. OpenAlternative (DA 42)

  • URL: openalternative.co/submit
  • Best time: Weekdays
  • Format: Name, URL, description (300 chars), category
  • Tips: Open-source alternative directory. Best if your product is open source or has a generous free tier. Dev-focused.

27. LaunchingNext (DA 42)

  • URL: launchingnext.com/submit/
  • Best time: Monday-Wednesday
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (80 chars), description (500 chars), logo, category
  • Tips: Free submission. Startup-focused. Moderated.

28. PitchWall (DA 41)

  • URL: pitchwall.co/submit
  • Best time: Monday-Wednesday, morning
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (60 chars), description (400 chars), logo, category
  • Tips: Free submission. Beta/early-stage focused. Good for very early products.

29. Uneed (DA 40)

  • URL: uneed.best/submit-a-tool
  • Best time: Early week for best exposure
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (60 chars), description (300 chars), logo
  • Tips: Daily launches. Free queue or $29.99 to skip. Includes a DR 74 dofollow backlink and exposure to 11K newsletter subscribers.

30. ToolFinder (DA 38)

  • URL: toolfinder.com/submit
  • Best time: Weekdays, morning US
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (80 chars), description (300 chars), logo, category, pricing
  • Tips: AI and SaaS tool directory. Free listing.

31. Launched (DA 36) - defunct

  • URL: launched.io/SubmitStartup
  • Status: The domain no longer resolves as of August 2026. Skip it and spend the slot on Uneed or MicroLaunch instead.

32. StartupBuffer (DA 35)

  • URL: startupbuffer.com/site/submit
  • Best time: Monday-Wednesday
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (80 chars), description (500 chars), logo
  • Tips: Free submission. Startup-focused.

33. MicroLaunch (DA 35)

  • URL: microlaunch.net/premium
  • Best time: Monday-Wednesday for community votes
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (60 chars), description (300 chars), logo
  • Tips: Indie-focused micro launches. Community voting. Premium option available.

34. Fazier (DA 35)

  • URL: fazier.com/submit
  • Best time: Monday-Thursday
  • Format: Name, URL, tagline (60 chars), description (300 chars), logo
  • Tips: Product Hunt alternative with a growing community. Free launch with upvoting system.

35. 1000.tools (DA 30) - down

  • URL: 1000.tools/my/tools/create
  • Status: The site removed its submission path (404) and no submit link remains on the homepage, as of September 2026. Spend the slot on Uneed or Fazier instead.

The submission strategy

Don't just blast all 35 in one afternoon. Here's the order that maximizes impact:

Week 1: Tier 1 directories (DA 80+). These take the longest to approve but carry the most SEO weight.

Week 2: Tier 2 directories (DA 50-79). Good balance of authority and speed.

Week 3: Tier 3 directories (DA 30-49). Fast approvals, targeted audiences.

After submission: Track which directories actually send traffic. Double down on those. Update your listings monthly with fresh screenshots, updated descriptions, and new features.

What you'll need before you start

Prepare these assets once and reuse them across all 35:

  • App name and URL
  • Tagline (keep it under 60 characters for maximum compatibility)
  • Short description (300 characters - fits every directory)
  • Long description (500-1000 characters - for directories that allow it)
  • Logo (square, at least 512x512px, PNG with transparent background)
  • Screenshots (1366x768 for B2B directories, 1270x760 for Product Hunt)
  • Demo video URL (YouTube or Loom, under 2 minutes)
  • Pricing info (even if it's "Free with paid plans")
  • Category tags (SaaS, Developer Tools, Marketing, AI)

Or use a directory submission tool like Sellular that pre-fills these fields across every directory in its catalogue and tells you exactly what each one requires.

The math

Three of the 35 above are down, so 32 are actually submittable. Average submission
time: 10 minutes each. Total time: roughly 5 hours.

In exchange, you get:

  • 32 backlinks (some dofollow from DA 90+ sites)
  • Permanent listings that drive traffic for years
  • SEO authority that improves your Google ranking for every page on your site
  • Direct exposure to millions of monthly visitors across these platforms

Five hours of work for years of compounding returns. There is no marketing activity with a better ROI for indie developers.

Have a product that needs visibility? Sellular is a free toolkit that helps indie developers submit to over 30 curated directories, the ones listed above among them, with pre-filled forms, character limits, and optimal submission timing built in.

Originally published at sellular.online.

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