9 places to submit an open source project (2026)
Open source is an awkward fit for most launch directories, because their forms are built around a product with pricing and a signup. These nine take a repository as the thing itself. Show HN is first for the same reason as always: an audience that will read the code and tell you what is wrong with it, from a domain that has been indexing threads since 2007.
The rest divide by how much they will do for you. MCP Directory reads your repository and writes the entry, which is the least work available anywhere and also its own eligibility rule, since a private repo has nothing to read. DevPages syncs your star count weekly once a person has decided the tool belongs. DevTool.io and DevHunt want the tool to be genuinely developer-facing and will say so. Boilerplate Hunt and Open Source Boilerplates are for starter kits, with the second one running an explicit link swap on its Tools page. Startups.fm and LaunchBoard both take open source but are general boards, so read what their free lane actually returns before you spend an evening on either.
Across the 9 platforms on this list, median approval time is 4 days across the 8 that state one, 6 of 9 give dofollow backlinks, 6 are free to submit. Median domain rating: 41.
Show HN
The most technical audience you can reach for free, and the least forgiving.DR 91freeInstantDevHunt
A weekly leaderboard for developer tools only, run by the community.DR 57paidAbout a weekDevPages
77 developer tools, hand-picked, no paid placement and no account: a one-screen form and a human who emails you either way.DR 22free3-5 daysMCP.Directory
An MCP server registry that reads your GitHub repo for you, which is also the reason a closed-source server cannot get in.DR 33freeSame dayDevTool.io
No account, one form, and the $29 tier ticked for you before you touch it.DR 41freemium2-4 weeksStartups.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 daysBoilerplateHunt
Starter kits only, paid only: $19.90 buys three dofollow links, instant publishing and no badge on your site.DR 23paidInstantOpen Source Boilerplates
A GitHub-sourced boilerplate list with a side door: the Tools page takes any product, free, and links back if you link first.DR 17freeNot statedLaunchBoard
A weekly launch board whose free lane charges you a footer badge and four community chores, and returns no backlink at all.DR 48freemiumAbout a week
