14 SaaS directories with dofollow backlinks (2026)
A followed link is the only part of a directory submission that keeps working after launch week, and 579 of the 842 platforms here pass one. The useful question is not which links are dofollow, it is what each one costs. These fourteen are the dofollow listings from DR 40 upwards, in domain rating order, which is the order they are worth having and not the order to submit in.
Seven of them want money: AppSumo, There's An AI For That, BetaList, Uneed, MicroLaunch, DevHunt and Startups.fm have no free route that ends in a link. Five want a badge instead, which is a cheaper price with a longer tail: Neeed, AI Toolz Dir, Launch Llama, Toolfio and Wayfind.io all hold the dofollow until their mark is live on your site, and some recheck it. Treat any rating a directory advertises about itself as a claim rather than a measurement, and check the link on a listing that is already live before you spend anything.
Across the 14 platforms on this list, median approval time is 5 days across the 13 that state one, 14 of 14 give dofollow backlinks, 8 are free to submit. Median domain rating: 70.
Product Hunt
The default launch stage. High traffic for one day, a permanent backlink after.DR 91freeSame dayAppSumo
A marketplace of deal-hunting buyers. Real revenue, on their terms.DR 83paid1-2 monthsThere's An AI For That
The largest AI tool index. Heavy search traffic, paid submission.DR 77paid1-2 weeksPeerlist
A professional network for builders with a weekly project spotlight.DR 77freeAbout a weekBetaList
Early-stage startups shown to an audience that expects rough edges.DR 76paid1-2 weeksUneed
A small, well-run tools directory with a daily and weekly leaderboard.DR 75freemium1-2 weeksNeeed Directory
A small maker-tools directory with the fairest badge deal around: free listing, no floors, dofollow the moment you host their badge.DR 72freemiumInstantAI Toolz Dir
A tight AI-tools directory that trades a dofollow listing for a plain text link on your site, with no account in the way.DR 68freemium1-2 daysLaunch Llama
A tool directory whose real asset is the 55k-founder newsletter behind it, and whose free tier charges you in upvotes.DR 67freemiumNot statedMicroLaunch
Daily launches for small products, with far less competition than the big boards.DR 62paidSame dayToolfio
A 300-tool SaaS and AI directory where the free dofollow listing costs you a permanent badge instead of money.DR 61freemium3-5 daysDevHunt
A weekly leaderboard for developer tools only, run by the community.DR 57paidAbout a weekWayfindio
A 2,000-tool AI directory that gives free listings a real dofollow link, in exchange for a permanent badge in your footer.DR 51freemium1-2 daysStartups.fm
A paid-only startup directory that says so on the form, charges GBP 49 once, and delivers the dofollow it advertises.DR 49paid1-2 days
