Directory Boost for founders

Startup submission: get listed where early adopters look.

Product Hunt, BetaList, Crunchbase, Wellfound, F6S, Indie Hackers, Uneed, Microlaunch and the AI tool directories, planned around your launch and submitted by our team. You keep building; we keep the listings moving.

Reviewed by Monjur Hossain, founder of LinkHunter · Updated November 2026

Where should your startup be listed?

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24directories fit this site

Local business United States

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What startup submission is, and what it isn’t

Startup submission means creating listings for your company and product on launch platforms, startup directories, company databases and founder communities, so that people who hear about you can find and check you. It covers the profiles investors, early adopters, journalists and future hires look at first.

It is not a launch strategy on its own. A listing doesn’t bring users the way a good product, a clear message and an engaged community do. What it does is make sure that when someone searches your name, they find consistent facts: what you build, who it’s for, where you are based and how to try it. For a young domain with few mentions, that consistency is worth getting right early.

It is also not a numbers game. Google’s spam policies treat low-quality directory links as link spam. Fifty relevant listings beat five hundred submissions to directories nobody reads.

Our catalog currently holds 56 directories tagged for startups and 53 for AI products, out of 502 active directories in total. These are directories in our catalog today, each checked by a person.

Know the landscape

Launch platforms, directories and databases do different jobs.

Founders often lump them together. Treating each one for what it is saves a wasted launch day.

Types of startup listing sites compared
Type	Examples in our catalog	When to use it	What it takes
Launch platforms	Product Hunt, Uneed, Microlaunch	Launch week, once the product is usable	A planned launch day and people ready to try it and comment
Pre-launch lists	BetaList	Before launch, while you collect early sign-ups	A clear landing page and patience; BetaList sells a paid option to skip the queue
Company databases	Crunchbase, Wellfound (AngelList), F6S	As soon as the company exists	Accurate company facts: founders, location, stage and links
Founder communities	Indie Hackers	Any time you can share progress honestly	A real product page and genuine participation, not drive-by posts
Alternatives and software sites	AlternativeTo, SaaSHub	After launch, once the product works reliably	A working product; AlternativeTo moderates every entry
AI tool directories	Futurepedia, Toolify, There’s An AI For That	For AI products, after launch	Clear category and tags; some listings are paid

Names are shown as plain text. LinkHunter is not affiliated with any platform listed here.

Product Hunt launch planning

Treat Product Hunt as a launch, not a listing.

Product Hunt is a daily ranking that resets each day. What happens on your launch day decides how visible you are, so it needs a plan, not just a form submission.

Pre-launch

Two to four weeks before

Create Crunchbase, Wellfound and F6S profiles so your name already returns results.
Submit to BetaList if you are collecting sign-ups.
Prepare the Product Hunt assets: tagline, description, gallery images, a short demo and the maker’s first comment.
Pick a launch day your team can support from start to finish.

Launch week

The day itself

Publish the Product Hunt launch and post the maker comment straight away.
Tell your own users and followers that you launched. Ask for honest feedback, not upvotes.
Reply to every comment the same day.
Launch on Uneed and Microlaunch in the same week, on different days, so each gets your attention.

Post-launch

The weeks after

Add the product to AlternativeTo and SaaSHub against the tools you replace.
List AI products on Futurepedia and Toolify; decide on paid AI directories case by case.
Share an honest progress post on Indie Hackers.
Keep company profiles current when you ship, hire or raise.

Who does what. The LinkHunter team creates and submits your profiles, including the Product Hunt product page where that is the normal process, and tracks each one to a live URL. Launch day itself, meaning your community, comment replies and timing, stays with you. Product Hunt discourages asking for upvotes, and we follow its rules.

Why many startup directories don’t work anymore

Most “submit your startup” lists are full of directories that have stopped curating, stopped publishing or switched to paid-only listings. Founder communities and list maintainers have said this for years, and anyone who has worked through a 200-site spreadsheet has seen it.

Common patterns: a submission form that still works but leads to nothing; a directory that publishes everything instantly, so its pages carry little weight; or a “free” listing that only appears after you pay to skip a months-long queue. Cheap bulk gigs often submit to exactly these sites.

How we filter out dead and spammy directories

A directory only enters our catalog after a person checks it, and it leaves when it stops behaving like a real directory. Before we submit anything for you, the team looks for:

Recently published listings, so we know it still approves submissions.
Moderation, meaning it doesn’t accept everything automatically.
A fit with your category and stage. Pre-launch lists for pre-launch products, AI directories for AI products.
Clear pricing. We flag freemium and paid directories before submitting.

Directories that fail are marked inactive in the catalog instead of being padded into your package.

Assets you’ll need for startup listings

Write your company facts once, carefully, and every directory gets the same version. Your Directory Boost profile holds these, and the AI-assisted draft is always reviewed by you before anything is submitted.

Company and product name, exactly as you want them everywhere.
Tagline: one plain line about what the product does for whom.
Short description of 20–160 characters, and a long description. A long description of 150 characters or more counts toward the profile bonus.
Logo as a square image URL, plus screenshots for launch platforms.
Founder and social links: LinkedIn, X and GitHub where relevant.
Category, country and keywords, so we match the right directories.

A free tier built for early-stage founders

Every verified business gets 5 free, hand-made submissions with no card, and up to 10 with two quick steps.

5 submissions once you confirm your email.
+2 when your business profile is complete.
+3 when you name two competitors, which also helps us find the directories your market uses.

The free tier covers eligible directories only and never includes paid directory fees. It is one free trial per verified business. When you need more, the packages start at $99 for up to 50 submissions.

Start free with 5 submissions

What we don’t promise. We don’t guarantee that any directory or launch platform will publish your startup, or that a launch will rank on the day. We don’t guarantee Google rankings or AI mentions. Package prices don’t include third-party fees, and nothing paid happens without your approval. You approve every listing before it goes out.

Packages

Packages for startups

Every plan is a one-time package handled by our team. Begin with free submissions, then pick the package that fits how many directories match your business.

Free start

For every verified business

$0no card

5 free submissions, up to 10 with bonuses

Free directory audit
+2 for a complete business profile
+3 for naming 2 competitors
Live status tracking in your dashboard
You approve every listing

Claim free submissions

One free trial per verified business. Eligible directories only.

Starter

Basic SEO report · Standard support

$99one-time

Up to 50 submissions · target at least 30

Basic SEO report
30-day listing monitoring
Standard support
AI-assisted business profile
Directory matching
Duplicate checking
Submission tracking
Listing verification

Choose Starter

Recommended

Growth

Advanced SEO report · Priority support

$199one-time

Up to 80 submissions · target at least 50

Advanced SEO report
60-day listing monitoring
Priority support
AI-assisted business profile
Directory matching
Duplicate checking
Submission tracking
Listing verification

Choose Growth

Scale

Advanced SEO report · Priority support

$399one-time

Up to 200 submissions · target at least 100

Advanced SEO report
90-day listing monitoring
Priority support
AI-assisted business profile
Directory matching
Duplicate checking
Submission tracking
Listing verification

Choose Scale

You request a package, we send an invoice or payment link, and your quota is added once it is paid. Paid directory fees are not included. No package guarantees publication or rankings — each directory moderates its own listings. Compare packages in detail

FAQ

Startup submission questions

Where should I submit my startup?

Start where your audience already looks: launch platforms such as Product Hunt, Uneed and Microlaunch, pre-launch lists such as BetaList, company databases such as Crunchbase, Wellfound and F6S, founder communities such as Indie Hackers, and AI tool directories if you build an AI product. Skip startup directories that look abandoned or accept everything. The free LinkHunter audit shows which catalog directories match your startup.

Is startup directory submission worth it for a brand-new website?

Startup directory submission is a sensible early step. Listings make a new product findable by name, bring first referral visits and establish consistent company facts across the web. Startup listings alone will not make a new site rank; the product, content and genuine mentions do most of the long-term work.

Should I submit my startup before or after launch?

Both, in order. Set up company database profiles such as Crunchbase and Wellfound before launch, so people who search your name find you. Use pre-launch lists such as BetaList while you collect sign-ups. Launch on Product Hunt when you can support the whole day, then keep submitting to niche directories afterwards.

Does LinkHunter run my Product Hunt launch?

No. LinkHunter can prepare and submit the Product Hunt product profile where that is the normal process, and help you plan assets and timing. Running launch day, including your community, replies to comments and any outreach, stays with the founders. Product Hunt’s own rules discourage asking for upvotes, and we follow them.

Why do some startup directory submissions never get published?

Many startup directories have stopped curating, are flooded with submissions or now prioritise paid listings. LinkHunter avoids directories that look inactive, marks every rejection honestly in your dashboard and does not count an unpublished directory as delivered work without telling you.

What is the cheapest way to start with startup submission?

The free tier: a free audit plus 5 hand-made submissions, rising to 10 if you complete your profile and name two competitors. No card is needed. If it helps, the Starter package covers up to 50 submissions for $99.

Do AI tool directories charge for listings?

Some do. Our catalog marks each AI tool directory as free, freemium or paid; There’s An AI For That, for example, charges for a listing. LinkHunter package prices never include third-party fees, so the team tells you about any fee first and nothing paid happens without your approval.

More from Directory Boost

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Run the free audit, then let the team handle your first 5 submissions. Up to 10 free with a complete profile and two competitors.

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You approve every listing
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