Free SaaS directories for backlinks

1. 01Free status: a directory only makes this list if there is a genuine no-cost path to a live listing. Free means the whole thing is free. Free plus Paid means the free tier still gets you the link, while paying only buys speed or a feature slot.
2. 02Dofollow versus nofollow: I check the rel attribute on a real, published listing link, not the directory marketing copy. Plenty of so-called SEO directories quietly set every outbound link to nofollow.
3. 03Domain Rating: every figure is pulled from the Ahrefs free DR API and stored with the record, so the number you see is measured rather than guessed. Domain Rating by Ahrefs.
4. 04Spam filter: link farms that exist only to sell 500 submissions for one flat fee do not get in, no matter what DR they claim.
5. 05Freshness: the dataset is re-checked and re-pulled on a schedule, drawing on the launchdirectories source plus manual additions. This view was last refreshed on 2026-06-14.

You can run any domain through our free Domain Rating checker to verify a figure yourself. Domain Rating by Ahrefs, last refreshed 2026-06-14.

Domain Rating shown per directory. Domain Rating by Ahrefs, last refreshed 2026-06-14.

1. 01

   G2g2.com

   DR91
   dofollowFree + Paid

   The strongest free listing most B2B SaaS can land. The vendor profile costs nothing and the link is dofollow, but it only earns its keep once a few genuine customer reviews are on it. G2 is also one of the sources buyers and AI answer engines pull from when they compare software, so the effort pays off twice.

   Best for

   B2B SaaS chasing buyer-intent traffic and AI citations

   Gate

   Verified work email, then seed a few real reviews

2. 02

   Capterracapterra.com

   DR91
   dofollowFree + Paid

   Same Gartner-owned network as G2, with its own free dofollow profile. The visitors here are usually mid-comparison with a budget already approved, so the listing tends to convert better than a generic directory. Claim both if you sell B2B. Consumer apps can skip it.

   Best for

   B2B tools that get compared before a purchase

   Gate

   Vendor profile review

3. 03

   Sourceforgesourceforge.net

   DR92
   dofollowFree + Paid

   Old and unglamorous, and still one of the highest-authority free dofollow links a new product can realistically get. You list a project with a description and it goes through manual review. It will not send much traffic, but for pure link authority at zero spend almost nothing competes.

   Best for

   Raw dofollow authority at no cost

   Gate

   Manual review of the project listing

4. 04

   Product Huntproducthunt.com

   DR91
   nofollowFree

   Worth being blunt: the link is nofollow, so it passes no authority on its own. You go anyway for the launch-day spike, which is still the largest single burst of attention most products ever get, and for the dofollow links that attention earns you on other sites. Have the gallery and first comment ready before you set a date, because the moment only happens once.

   Best for

   Launch-day traffic and signups, not link equity

   Gate

   Pick a date; live instantly once scheduled

5. 05

   Indie Hackersindiehackers.com

   DR81
   dofollowFree

   Free, dofollow, and tied to a community that replies to real builders. A bare product page does almost nothing here. Publish an honest build or revenue update next to it and the listing starts sending people instead of gathering dust.

   Best for

   Bootstrapped founders who will actually post

   Gate

   Instant, no queue

6. 06

   AlternativeToalternativeto.net

   DR79
   nofollowFree

   Another nofollow pick I would still submit to. There is no link equity, but the comparison traffic is large and the site is scraped everywhere as an alternatives source, AI tools included. Use it to get found, and let the dofollow directories carry your link profile.

   Best for

   Discovery traffic and AI alternatives lookups

   Gate

   Instant listing

7. 07

   SaaSHubsaashub.com

   DR79
   dofollowFree

   A free dofollow listing on a directory that ranks for a pile of alternatives queries and keeps turning up inside AI answers. Setup is a few minutes with almost no friction. This is one of the cleanest free wins on the whole page.

   Best for

   Showing up inside X alternatives searches

   Gate

   Fast, light review

8. 08

   BetaListbetalist.com

   DR75
   dofollowFree

   Built for early and pre-launch products gathering signups, with a dofollow link on top of a curious audience. The free route is a review queue that can take days to weeks. Paying only buys a faster slot, never a better link, so the free path is usually fine unless you are timing a launch.

   Best for

   Pre-launch products collecting early signups

   Gate

   Free review queue, days to weeks, or pay to skip

9. 09

   Future Toolsfuturetools.io

   DR68
   dofollowFree

   If you ship an AI tool, this is a free dofollow listing on a directory people genuinely browse to discover tools. It is curated, so expect a manual review and a fair chance of rejection if the product is thin. For anything that is not AI, it is not relevant.

   Best for

   AI products only

   Gate

   Curated review, real chance of rejection

10. 10

    MicroLaunchmicrolaunch.net

    DR58
    dofollowFree

    A smaller launch platform with a free dofollow link and very little friction. The authority is mid-pack, so treat it as a fast add to launch week rather than a headline link. Five minutes of work for one more indexed dofollow.

    Best for

    A quick extra dofollow during launch week

    Gate

    Light review

11. 11

    Open Alternativeopenalternative.co

    DR51
    dofollowFree

    Niche, but a real fit if your product is open source or a developer tool. The link is free and dofollow, and the people browsing it are deliberately hunting for open alternatives to closed software. If neither describes you, skip it without guilt.

    Best for

    Open-source and developer tools

    Gate

    Reviewed for fit

12. 12

    SaaSCitysaascity.io

    DR42
    dofollowFree + Paid

    Worth saying plainly: this one is ours, and we kept it honest by publishing our real Domain Rating instead of a flattering guess. The free tier gives a permanent dofollow link plus a spot on a live 3D city map, with no card required. It is an easy evergreen link to claim while you work down the rest of this list.

    Best for

    A fast free evergreen dofollow link

    Gate

    Instant, about two minutes

When you do reach that point, work from a vetted set instead of a random bundle. Our paid submission list is the same dataset filtered to listings that justify a fee, and the done-for-you services comparison is an honest look at paying someone to handle it.

Are free SaaS directories actually worth it for backlinks?

Yes, with one caveat. Free does not mean low quality. The links that hurt you are spammy ones, and spam has nothing to do with price. A free dofollow listing on a DR 70 software directory beats a paid link on a DR 15 page nobody reads. The honest catch is that returns drop off fast below about DR 30, so chase relevance and authority rather than a high submission count.

Which free directories give a dofollow link?

Of the 103 free and freemium directories here, 83 pass a dofollow link. Strong free dofollow options include SourceForge, G2, Capterra, Indie Hackers, SaaSHub and BetaList. Filter the table for dofollow and work down by Domain Rating, and you have a backlink plan that costs nothing.

What is the difference between free and freemium directories here?

A directory tagged Free has a fully free path to a live listing. One tagged Free plus Paid still lists you for free, but charges for extras like skipping the review queue or getting a featured slot. In almost every case the free tier gives you the same link, so take it and only pay when the speed-up or feature genuinely matters.

Do nofollow free directories like Product Hunt help?

They help, just not with link equity. Product Hunt, Hacker News and AlternativeTo are nofollow, so they pass no direct authority. You submit to them for traffic and signups, plus the natural dofollow links that attention earns you elsewhere. Use nofollow platforms for reach and dofollow directories for your link profile.

How many free directories should I submit to?

Aim for the 20 to 40 most relevant ones, not all of them. For a new domain with no backlinks, free dofollow links from DR 50+ directories deliver most of the value. Below DR 30 the effort rarely pays for itself, so it is fine to stop there rather than grinding through every low-authority listing.

Where does the Domain Rating data come from?

Every DR figure is pulled from the Ahrefs free DR API and stored with the record, so the number you see is measured rather than guessed. Domain Rating by Ahrefs. This view was last refreshed on 2026-06-14. Free status and dofollow flags are checked by hand against each live listing page.