Startup directory statistics (2026)
ScrollLaunch reviewed 864 startup directories: where founders submit a SaaS, AI tool or app for a listing and a backlink. 66% give dofollow links, 80% are free to submit and the median Ahrefs Domain Rating is 44. Updated October 2026.
Directories analyzed
864
Dofollow
66%
Free to submit
80%
Median Ahrefs DR
44
Key findings
- 03
433 directories are free and dofollow
433 directories (50%) are both free to submit and dofollow. 160 of those also have an Ahrefs Domain Rating of 50 or more, which makes them the shortlist to submit to first.
Link to this finding - 04
The median directory is DR 44
The median startup directory has an Ahrefs Domain Rating of 44. 190 (22%) score DR 70 or higher; the highest rated are Chrome Web Store (DR 100), Trustpilot (DR 94) and Women in Technology (DR 94).
Link to this finding - 05
High-DR directories are less likely to be dofollow
49% of directories rated DR 70 or higher give dofollow links, against 70% of directories under DR 30.
Link to this finding - 06
Paid directories are more likely to be dofollow
82% of paid directories give dofollow links, against 62% of free ones. Paid directories have a median DR of 38, free ones 45.
Link to this finding - 07
General Directory is the largest category
The largest groups are General Directory (282 directories, median DR 36), Tech / Startups (121, median DR 50) and AI Tools (119, median DR 39).
Link to this finding
By Domain Rating
High-DR directories are less likely to be dofollow
Each band's size, median DR and how many of its directories are dofollow or free.
By category
Where the directories are
Categories with at least 8 directories. Share is of all 864.
| Category | Directories | Share | Median DR | Dofollow | Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Directory | 282 | 33% | 36 | 94% | 74% |
| Tech / Startups | 121 | 14% | 50 | 38% | 82% |
| AI Tools | 119 | 14% | 39 | 63% | 87% |
| Software Discovery | 114 | 13% | 44 | 58% | 86% |
| Community | 68 | 8% | 52 | 9% | 100% |
| Design Tools | 43 | 5% | 48 | 84% | 77% |
| Launchpad | 32 | 4% | 39 | 81% | 78% |
| Software Reviews | 20 | 2% | 81 | 45% | 60% |
| SaaS Tools | 18 | 2% | 57 | 61% | 89% |
| Indie Hackers | 13 | 2% | 39 | 85% | 85% |
| Marketplace | 9 | 1% | 72 | 33% | 78% |
By pricing
Free, freemium and paid
Submit first
Highest-DR free dofollow directories
| Directory | Category | Pricing | Link | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Better Business BureaU | General Directory | Free | Dofollow | 93 |
| 2. FMHY | General Directory | Free | Dofollow | 93 |
| 3. SourceForge | Open Source | Free | Dofollow | 93 |
| 4. DEV Community | Community | Free | Dofollow | 91 |
| 5. n8n Integrations | Open Source | Free | Dofollow | 90 |
| 6. Angie's List | General Directory | Free | Dofollow | 89 |
| 7. Angellist | General Directory | Free | Dofollow | 87 |
| 8. Startup Fame | Tech / Startups | Free | Dofollow | 85 |
| 9. Fazier | Tech / Startups | Free | Dofollow | 84 |
| 10. CodeProject | General Directory | Free | Dofollow | 83 |
All 433, ranked: free dofollow directories.
Highest authority
Highest-DR startup directories
| Directory | Category | Pricing | Link | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Chrome Web Store | Marketplace | Free | Nofollow | 100 |
| 2. Trustpilot | Software Reviews | Freemium | Nofollow | 94 |
| 3. Women in Technology | Community | Free | Nofollow | 94 |
| 4. Better Business BureaU | General Directory | Free | Dofollow | 93 |
| 5. FMHY | General Directory | Free | Dofollow | 93 |
| 6. SourceForge | Open Source | Free | Dofollow | 93 |
| 7. AI Toolhouse | General Directory | Paid | Dofollow | 92 |
| 8. Notion Marketplace | Productivity | Freemium | Nofollow | 92 |
| 9. Slack App Directory | Marketplace | Free | Nofollow | 92 |
| 10. Tech | Time | Tech / Startups | Free | Nofollow | 92 |
Top 100 by DR on the DR leaderboard.
Methodology
- Source: the ScrollLaunch directory catalog (1018 curated rows), last reviewed 2026-10-18.
- Counted set: 864 directories. One row per domain; Reddit threads, Discord servers, news and media sites, and rows the curator marks as not for software products (local-business and stock-photo sites) are excluded.
- Domain Rating: Ahrefs DR (0-100), refreshed daily from Ahrefs' API. Ties in rankings break alphabetically.
- Dofollow: whether the listing page's link to the product passes link equity, checked by hand. Conditional means it depends on the paid tier.
- Pricing: Free (no charge to list), Freemium (free listing plus paid upgrades) or Paid (no free listing).
- Percentages are rounded to whole numbers, so a breakdown can sum to 99% or 101%.
Cite this research
Free to quote with a link to this page. Link to a single finding with its #anchor. Agents can read the same numbers as markdown.
ScrollLaunch, "Startup directory statistics (2026)", October 2026. https://www.scrolllaunch.com/research/startup-directories
Frequently Asked Questions
How many startup directories are there?
ScrollLaunch tracks 1018 curated rows. After removing Reddit threads, Discord servers, news sites, duplicate domains and listings that are not for software products, 864 distinct startup directories remain. That set is what every number on this page counts.
What percentage of startup directories give dofollow backlinks?
66% (566 of 864). 34% use nofollow links. 49% of directories rated DR 70 or higher give dofollow links, against 70% of directories under DR 30.
Which free startup directories give dofollow links?
433 directories are both free and dofollow, and 160 of those have a Domain Rating of 50 or more. The highest rated are Better Business BureaU (DR 93), FMHY (DR 93), SourceForge (DR 93). The full ranked list is at /directories/free-dofollow.
Is it worth paying for a directory listing?
82% of paid directories give dofollow links, against 62% of free ones. Paid directories have a median DR of 38, free ones 45. Pay when the directory's audience matches your buyers, not for the DR number alone.
Where does this data come from?
ScrollLaunch's directory catalog. Pricing and link type are checked by hand and the catalog was last reviewed on 2026-10-18. Domain Rating comes from Ahrefs and is refreshed daily.
Every directory is ranked on /directories, with filtered lists on /directories/lists. More research on /research.
