20 Startup Directories Worth Submitting Your Product To in 2026

There are hundreds of startup directories, and most of them will never send you a user. A handful will, if you pick the ones whose readers match your buyers and give each submission real care.

We checked the rules, formats and prices of 20 directories and launch sites on 19 October 2026. This post explains what each one is good for, what it asks of you, and a simple five-point method for choosing where to start.

What counts as a startup directory?

A startup directory is any site that lists products so other people can find them. The word covers several kinds of site that work in very different ways:

• Launch platforms feature new products for a day or a week, usually ranked by votes. Attention peaks fast and fades fast.
• Pre-launch showcases list startups before or just after they open, for early adopters who like trying new things.
• Software directories and alternatives sites organise products by category or by the tool they replace. People arrive from search months later, looking for a solution.
• Startup databases hold company profiles that investors, journalists and job seekers look up.
• AI tool directories catalogue AI products by task.
• Communities and curated lists are places where you share the product yourself, under each community's rules.

Mixing these up is the most common mistake we see. Founders submit to twenty launch platforms in one week, get twenty small spikes, and have nothing left a month later. A better plan uses one or two launch platforms for the spike and three or four evergreen directories for the long tail.

How we scored each directory

We gave every site up to two points on five questions. The scores below are our judgment, based on each site's own pages, not traffic data. Score again for your product: a developer tool and a wedding-planning app will rank these sites very differently.

One rule overrides the total: if audience fit scores 0, skip the site. A free, permanent listing in front of the wrong readers still brings nobody.

The 20 directories at a glance

Launch platforms

Launch platforms reward preparation. You get one day or one week in front of an audience that likes new things, so have your page, your first comment and your replies ready before it starts.

1. Product Hunt

Product Hunt is still the largest launch platform for tech products, and the only one most of your customers will have heard of. Posting is free. In Product Hunt's own words, "Hunting is just posting" (Product Hunt, Before launch (opens in a new tab)), and its guide finds "no discernible advantage to using a third-party hunter" (Product Hunt launch guide (opens in a new tab), both checked 19 October 2026).

What to know before you go:

• You need a personal account; company accounts aren't allowed. New accounts must finish onboarding and wait a week before posting (Product Hunt help centre (opens in a new tab)).
• Each launch day starts at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time, and you can schedule a post up to a month ahead.
• You can't ask people to upvote. Ask them to visit and comment instead.

Score: audience fit varies, cost 2, effort 0, shelf life 2, search value 2. Product Hunt is worth the effort when you plan for it. Our guide to launching on Product Hunt without an existing audience covers the preparation step by step.

2. Show HN on Hacker News

Show HN is the Hacker News section for things you've made. Its rules are strict and worth reading in full (Show HN guidelines (opens in a new tab), checked 19 October 2026):

• It must be something people can try. Sign-up pages, landing pages, blog posts, newsletters and routine updates don't qualify.
• The title begins with "Show HN".
• Don't ask friends to upvote or comment.

Readers are technical and direct. The feedback can be blunt, and it is often the most useful you will get all year. Be in the thread to answer questions, and say plainly what you built and why.

Score: audience fit 2 for developer and technical products, cost 2, effort 1, shelf life 0, search value 1.

3. Uneed

Uneed runs daily launches with a free queue and paid ways to jump it. Its pricing page lists these options (checked 19 October 2026):

On the free option, a score of 10 keeps your listing published. Relaunches cost $15. Prices and terms come from Uneed's pricing page (opens in a new tab).

Score: audience fit 1, cost 1, effort 1, shelf life 1, search value 1. The free queue suits founders who can plan months ahead.

4. Peerlist Launchpad

Peerlist is a professional network for people who build things, and Launchpad is its weekly launch. A new Launchpad opens every Monday and runs for the week. The project must be complete, not a teaser, and the top three get a badge plus features in Peerlist's newsletter and social posts (Peerlist help centre (opens in a new tab), checked 19 October 2026).

Score: audience fit 1, cost 2, effort 1, shelf life 1, search value 1. It works best if you already have a Peerlist profile with some history.

5. DevHunt

DevHunt describes itself as "The best new dev tools, voted by developers" (DevHunt (opens in a new tab), checked 19 October 2026). Launches run weekly, with a Tuesday email to subscribers, and you sign in with GitHub. Products that aren't developer tools are excluded from the vote. DevHunt also sells ads: a banner at $149 a week and an inline placement at $89 a week.

Score: audience fit 2 for developer tools and 0 for anything else, cost 2, effort 1, shelf life 1, search value 1.

6. Microlaunch

Microlaunch ranks products over a whole month rather than a single day, with a weekly and monthly view on its homepage (Microlaunch (opens in a new tab), checked 19 October 2026). A longer window suits early products: you have time to collect feedback and improve the page while the launch is still live. It also offers premium options; check the current terms on the site.

Score: audience fit 1, cost 1, effort 1, shelf life 1, search value 1.

7. Fazier

Fazier's tagline is "Find your next favourite product, every day" (Fazier (opens in a new tab), checked 19 October 2026). It runs daily launches with weekly and monthly top lists, and has its own submit and advertising pages. It is a reasonable second launch a week or two after your main one, when you have screenshots and early feedback to show.

Score: audience fit 1, cost 1, effort 1, shelf life 1, search value 1.

Pre-launch and maker showcases

These sites are for the stage before you have many users. The audience is other founders and early adopters, so expect feedback more than customers.

8. BetaList

BetaList features pre-launch and recently launched startups. Its FAQ is clear that "All submissions are paid. There is no free submission option", and that startups which aren't selected get a full refund automatically (BetaList FAQ (opens in a new tab), checked 19 October 2026). You need your own domain.

Score: audience fit 1, cost 0, effort 2, shelf life 1, search value 1. Worth it when you want early adopters on a waitlist and can afford the fee.

9. Indie Hackers

Indie Hackers (opens in a new tab) is a community of founders building profitable, mostly bootstrapped businesses. It isn't a directory in the strict sense. You get value by posting what you learned: a pricing experiment, a launch result, a mistake. A link to your product in that context draws curious founders, and a bare announcement draws very little.

Score: audience fit 2 for tools sold to founders and 0 for most consumer products, cost 2, effort 1, shelf life 2, search value 1.

Software directories and alternatives sites

These are the slow, steady part of the plan. People arrive with a problem to solve, often by searching for a tool they want to replace.

10. AlternativeTo

AlternativeTo lists apps as alternatives to other apps, which matches how people search: "an alternative to X". Its FAQ sets clear rules (checked 19 October 2026):

• Suggesting an app is free once you verify your email. There is an optional paid priority review, which speeds up the decision but doesn't promise approval.
• The review queue holds "several thousand apps", so the free route can take a while.
• Unreleased apps (closed, invite-only or early access) aren't accepted, and descriptions must be in English with no links.
• Clones, thin AI wrappers, single-purpose web tools and apps for one country are often declined.

Source: AlternativeTo FAQ (opens in a new tab).

Score: audience fit 2 when you replace a known tool, cost 2, effort 2, shelf life 2, search value 2. One of the strongest long-term listings if your product qualifies.

11. SaaSHub

SaaSHub is a software directory with alternatives and comparison pages. Submitting and verifying a product is free, and it also offers a free tool that helps you submit to other directories. A paid option features your product more prominently (SaaSHub submit page (opens in a new tab), checked 19 October 2026).

Score: audience fit 1, cost 2, effort 2, shelf life 2, search value 2.

12. G2

G2 (opens in a new tab) is a business software review site. Buyers compare products by category and read reviews from verified users, so a profile without reviews does little. Vendors can create a basic profile and buy more visibility on top. Ask customers to review you once they have used the product for a few weeks, and follow G2's rules on review requests.

Score: audience fit 2 for B2B software, 0 for consumer apps; cost 1, effort 1, shelf life 2, search value 2.

13. Capterra

Capterra (opens in a new tab) is a software review and comparison site for business buyers, with a strong small-business audience. Like G2, it works on reviews, and paid placements sit alongside free profiles. Capterra is part of Gartner Digital Markets, which also runs GetApp and Software Advice, so check whether one listing can appear on all three.

Score: audience fit 2 for business software, cost 1, effort 1, shelf life 2, search value 2.

Startup databases

These won't bring many users. They matter because investors, journalists and candidates look you up there, and an empty or wrong profile looks careless.

14. Crunchbase

Crunchbase (opens in a new tab) holds profiles of companies, founders and funding rounds. Add or claim your company and keep the basics right: what you do, where you are, who founded it, your website.

Score: audience fit 1 if you are raising, cost 2, effort 2, shelf life 2, search value 1.

15. Wellfound

Wellfound (opens in a new tab), formerly AngelList Talent, is where many startups list jobs and candidates research companies. A clear company profile helps when you start hiring.

Score: audience fit 1 if you are hiring, cost 2, effort 2, shelf life 2, search value 1.

16. F6S

F6S (opens in a new tab) is a founder network where accelerators, programs and grants take applications. A profile is useful mainly if you plan to apply to programs listed there.

Score: audience fit 1, cost 2, effort 2, shelf life 2, search value 0.

AI tool directories

If your product uses AI as its main feature, people browse these directories by task: "write emails", "edit video", "summarise meetings". Pick the categories carefully, because that is how you will be found.

17. There's An AI For That

There's An AI For That (opens in a new tab) is one of the largest AI tool directories, organised by the task each tool does. Check its submit page for the current process and any fees.

Score: audience fit 2 for AI products, cost 1, effort 2, shelf life 2, search value 2.

18. Futurepedia

Futurepedia (opens in a new tab) is an AI tools directory with categories, reviews and learning resources. As with any directory, write the listing for the task the reader wants done, not for the model you use.

Score: audience fit 2 for AI products, cost 1, effort 2, shelf life 2, search value 2.

Communities and curated lists

Here you share the product yourself, so the community's rules matter more than any form.

19. Reddit communities

Some subreddits, such as r/SideProject (opens in a new tab), exist for sharing what you've built. Many others ban self-promotion. Read each subreddit's rules before posting, and lead with the story or lesson rather than the link. Product Hunt's own launch guide warns that launch day is not "a time to go spamming Reddit and Indie Hackers" (Product Hunt (opens in a new tab), checked 19 October 2026).

Score: audience fit varies by subreddit, cost 2, effort 1, shelf life 0, search value 1.

20. Awesome lists on GitHub

Awesome lists are curated lists on GitHub, one per topic, maintained by volunteers. The awesome list of lists (opens in a new tab) indexes them. Most accept additions as a pull request that adds one line in the right section. Read the contributing guidelines first: some lists take only open-source projects, and most want something useful, not brand new.

Score: audience fit 2 for developer tools and open source, cost 2, effort 2, shelf life 2, search value 1.

Where Zutto Launch fits

Zutto Launch is our product, so weigh this section with that in mind. It is a launch platform with a few differences from the sites above:

• A free launch with a product page that stays up after launch day.
• A monthly leaderboard decided by community votes, so a good product stays visible for weeks rather than one day.
• The Weekly Top 3 get a promo kit: a short AI launch video, reels on our YouTube Shorts, Instagram and X accounts, and a feature in our newsletter. Monthly winners can also earn partner rewards.
• Spotlight ($19, one time) adds a 2,500-word story on our blog, a featured listing in your category and a permanent do-follow link with no badge required.
• Premium Launch ($50, one time) adds an AI-generated 30-second launch video, 3 more do-follow backlinks and two posts on our blog comparing you with your alternatives.

Optional paid placement (Spotlight and Premium Launch) is clearly labelled and never changes leaderboard ranking or prize eligibility. See pricing for what each option includes. Zutto opens to waitlist members first.

Which five to start with

Run the scoring for your own product, then start with the five highest scores. If you want a starting point, these are our picks by product type:

Space the rest over the following month. One launch platform at a time gives you the attention to answer every comment, which is most of what makes a launch work. If you are choosing between launch platforms specifically, our comparison of Product Hunt alternatives goes into more detail.

Build one submission kit and reuse it

Every directory asks for roughly the same things. Write them once, in a document you can copy from, and adapt the first line for each audience.

• Name and tagline. Product Hunt allows 60 characters for a tagline (Product Hunt (opens in a new tab)), so write to that limit and it will fit almost anywhere. Say what it does, not how it feels.
• Short description. Product Hunt's help article gives 260 characters and its launch guide 500. A 260-character version covers both and most other forms.
• Long description. Two or three short paragraphs: the problem, how you solve it, who it's for. Keep it free of links, since sites like AlternativeTo don't allow them.
• Logo. A square file at least 240×240 pixels, readable when small.
• Screenshots. At least two, at 1270×760 pixels, the size Product Hunt's gallery uses. Show the product doing its job, not a marketing banner.
• Demo video. Under two minutes, on YouTube, showing one task from start to finish.
• Pricing summary. Free plan, paid plans, and any launch offer with its end date.
• Maker details. Your name, a one-line bio and a profile photo.
• Categories and tags. Three to five, chosen to match how buyers describe the problem.

Track what each listing brings

Give every directory its own tracked link where the site lets you set the URL, for example ?utm_source=uneed&utm_medium=directory&utm_campaign=launch. Some sites strip query strings or use their own redirect, so check your analytics referral report too.

Keep a simple sheet with one row per directory: date submitted, status, listing URL, whether the link is followed (right-click the link, inspect it, and look for rel="nofollow"), visits, and sign-ups after 30 and 90 days. After three months you will know which listings deserve updated screenshots and which you can forget.

Mistakes that waste a launch

• Paying for bulk submission to hundreds of sites. A burst of thin listings rarely brings users, and you lose control of your copy. A handful chosen well does more.
• Submitting before the product works. Show HN and AlternativeTo both turn away things people can't use yet. A rejection now can make a later attempt harder.
• Asking for upvotes. Product Hunt and Hacker News both forbid it, and both act on it. Ask people to try the product and leave honest feedback.
• Copying the same text everywhere. Adjust the first sentence to the site's readers: developers on DevHunt, business buyers on Capterra.
• Never updating listings. When your pricing, name or screenshots change, update the evergreen listings. They are the ones people still find a year later.

Your next step

Score the 20 sites above for your product, pick five, and write your submission kit this week. Then plan the launch itself. Our product launch plan turns the month around launch day into a day-by-day plan, including when to submit to each kind of directory.