ai · saas · dev · indie
IndieAI: requirements, how to submit, and what you actually get
Curated indie-built AI tools, and the free lane wants a text link rather than a badge.
indieai.directory
Eligibility
Who IndieAI accepts
You need
An account, by Google
An icon and a cover image, each under 500KB
Their text link on your site, for the free lane
Up to five tags and one of fourteen categories
You'll be rejected if
Anything not built by an indie developer, a small team or a solo founder, which is their stated bar
AI toolsIndie productsSaaS productsDeveloper tools
What you actually get
A manually reviewed listing among tools built by solo founders and small teams, appearing in category pages, search and their guides. The free lane is reviewed within 30 days and they check the link stays up afterwards.
How to submit to IndieAI
- Sign inGoogle only, from the Log in to Submit panel on the submit page.
- Fill the formName, URL, a 200 character summary, up to 2,000 characters of markdown, a category, up to five tags, an icon and a cover.
- Verify the linkSubmitting opens a Free Plan Verification dialog with an anchor to paste on your site, then a Verify button.
IndieAI requirements
An account on the site
Their text link
an anchor, not an image badge
Short description
max 200 characters
Long description
max 2,000, markdown
Icon
max 500KB
Cover image
max 500KB
Tags
up to five
Gotchas
The free lane asks for a plain text anchor reading Listed on IndieAI Directory, not an image badge, so a site whose only slot is an image badge strip needs somewhere else to put it.
They say they re-check the link and unpublish the listing if it disappears, so this is a permanent commitment rather than a one-time step.
Thirty days is the quoted review window on the free lane, against instant for the $19 tier.
Their bar is who built it: solo founders, small teams or indie developers. A product from a funded company is outside what they say they accept.
Let your agent submit to IndieAI
Connect SubmitMap to your AI over MCP and this page stops being something you read and copy. Your agent asks for the IndieAI playbook and gets the brief for this exact form, with the values already taken from your submission pack instead of placeholders you fill in by hand.
What it does for this platform
Checks your product against the 5 IndieAI rules above, so you find out you would be rejected before you open a tab.
Hands your agent all 7 fields this form asks for, none of them optional, already filled from your pack.
Warns you that IndieAI looks for its badge on your site, so it has to be live before you submit rather than after.
Tells you what paying buys here, so you pick it on purpose: free needs their text link on your site and is reviewed within 30 days. Fast Track is $19 one-time and goes live instantly with no backlink, Premium $39 adds seven days featured, and Unlimited $69 adds a banner and a dedicated blog post.
Types it into IndieAI in your own browser, and stops for you when the form wants a sign-in.
Records what it sent, so the dashboard can answer "did I ever submit to IndieAI?".
Connect your agentHow this worksTools and endpointsWorks with Claude Code, Claude, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Hermes.
IndieAI FAQ
How long does IndieAI approval take?
IndieAI's typical time from submission to going live is 1-2 months.
How much does it cost to submit to IndieAI?
IndieAI has a free submission option plus paid placement (Free needs their text link on your site and is reviewed within 30 days. Fast Track is $19 one-time and goes live instantly with no backlink, Premium $39 adds seven days featured, and Unlimited $69 adds a banner and a dedicated blog post.).
Does IndieAI give a dofollow backlink?
Yes, a listing on IndieAI carries a dofollow link. The site has a domain rating of 48.
Does IndieAI require a backlink to your site?
Yes, IndieAI expects a link back from your site as part of listing.
What gets you rejected from IndieAI?
Anything not built by an indie developer, a small team or a solo founder, which is their stated bar.