How to choose where to submit your startup

There are hundreds of places to list a startup, SaaS, or AI tool, but most “best startup directories” lists are stale link dumps full of dead pages and paid-only traps. This atlas only includes directories an automated pass has actually visited and confirmed — then labels each by how you submit, whether it's free, and its domain rank — so you can spend your time submitting instead of checking which links still work.

A simple order of attack that works for most founders:

  1. Start with the open-form free directories — no account needed, so you can knock out several in an afternoon.
  2. Then do the account-gated ones with the highest domain rank — they take more setup but tend to carry more weight and send more traffic.
  3. Weigh any paid listings individually against their authority and how relevant their audience is to your product.

One rule before you submit anywhere: a directory listing only pays off if the page it links to converts. Run a free AI roast of your landing page first — or read the guide to roasting your landing page — then come back and submit. Want founders to actually rally behind your launch? Join the Favors.dev co-op.