Open-source playbook
Directory submission for open source projects
An open-source project optimizes for different outcomes than a commercial SaaS product. The goal is GitHub stars, contributors and adoption, and the directories that move those numbers are not the same ones that move Domain Rating for a project website. This is the full playbook: where to list your open-source project for community reach, and the separate set of directories that actually give you dofollow backlinks.
- 17
- OSS channels
- 10
- Dofollow sources
- 14
- DR 60+
- 17
- Free to list
Updated 2026-06-14 · Domain Rating by Ahrefs
If you only do five things
- 01PR your project into the relevant awesome-list on GitHub. One accepted entry compounds for years and is the single most star-generating move available to an OSS maintainer.
- 02Post Show HN on the day you launch or when you hit a meaningful milestone. Reply to every comment, including the critical ones.
- 03Submit to OpenAlternative as the open-source alternative to the proprietary tool your users are replacing.
- 04Claim a SourceForge project page. It is the highest-authority free dofollow link available to an open-source project (DR 92).
- 05Set up AlternativeTo with the correct primary comparison tool so you appear for "open-source alternative to [X]" searches.
What listing an open-source project in directories actually does
The OSS case is different from a commercial SaaS submission. Stars and contributors matter as much as backlinks. Here is where the effort pays, and where it does not.
Genuinely worth it for
- +GitHub stars and contributor discovery via awesome-lists, Show HN and LibHunt
- +Appearing in "open-source alternative to X" searches on AlternativeTo and OpenAlternative
- +Dofollow backlinks from SourceForge, LibHunt, OpenAlternative and the crossover set
- +Community visibility in front of developers who want to self-host or contribute
Not a fix for
- -Domain Rating via GitHub or HN links, since those are nofollow
- -A weak README without a demo GIF (community platforms and awesome-list maintainers bounce off it as fast as directories do)
- -Missing or unclear license, which blocks entry to most OSS platforms and PR merges
- -Paid "submit to 200 sites" bundles, which return nothing useful for an open-source project
Prepare once, paste everywhere
Your OSS submission kit
OSS directories and community platforms care about your license, the proprietary tool you replace, and a clear install command. Write these four assets once, then reuse them across every listing and PR.
[Project] is a [language] [category] that [does what] for [who]. [Key feature, one line]. Licensed MIT/Apache-2.0. Install: [npm/pip/brew install command]. Docs at [url].
Show HN: [Project] - [what it does in plain language] ([language/stack])
[Project] is an open-source [category], licensed [MIT/Apache-2.0], that helps [audience] [outcome]. It is the self-hostable alternative to [ProprietaryTool]. Install: [one command]. [star count] GitHub stars. [url]
[Project] is an open-source alternative to [ProprietaryTool]. It [key difference, one line]. Free, self-hostable, licensed [MIT/Apache-2.0]. [url]
Have ready before you submit
- +README: demo GIF in the first screenful, a license badge at the top, a one-line install command
- +License file: MIT or Apache-2.0 stated explicitly (required by most OSS directories and awesome-list maintainers)
- +GitHub topics: 5 to 10 covering language, category and use-case
- +Logo: 512x512 PNG, transparent background
- +Screenshots or a 60-second demo video of the project running against real input
Track 1 · Community visibility
Where to promote your open-source project for stars and adoption
These are the platforms that drive GitHub stars, contributor traffic and the 'open-source alternative to X' searches. Almost all links here are nofollow, but that is fine: you are here for community reach, not link equity. Do not skip these just because the links do not count.
- 01DR97GitHub Awesome Listsgithub.comnofollowFree
The starting point for any open-source project listing strategy. Developers search GitHub topics when they want a tool in a specific language or category. An accepted awesome-list entry compounds for years: it drives stars, which lead to more list inclusions, which send more developers. The link is nofollow, so you are here for community reach and contributor discovery, not link equity.
- Needs
- A polished README with a demo GIF, a license file, and 5 to 10 GitHub topics that cover language, category and use-case
- How
- Open a PR adding your project to the relevant awesome-X list for your category; set topics on the repo itself
- 02DR91Hacker Newsnews.ycombinator.comnofollowFree
A front-page Show HN sends more qualified developers to a project in one day than most directories will in a year. The link is nofollow, but the reach earns organic dofollow press and links elsewhere. HN comments also surface real usability problems early, before they harden into reputation issues. OSS projects get better treatment here than commercial tools because the community respects showing your work.
- Needs
- A working demo, a clean README and an honest "Show HN: [Project] - [what it does]" title with no marketing language
- How
- Post on the day you launch or when you hit a meaningful milestone, reply to every comment
- 03DR79AlternativeToalternativeto.netnofollowFree
Developers search for "open-source alternative to [ProprietaryTool]" constantly, and AlternativeTo ranks for most of those queries at DR 79. The listing link is nofollow, but the comparison traffic is genuine and high-intent: these are users actively planning to replace a tool, not just browsing. Setting the right primary comparison tool is the part most maintainers get wrong.
- Needs
- Project name, description, category, the proprietary tool it replaces, and your GitHub URL or project site
- How
- Submit your project and set the correct primary comparison tool so you appear on the right alternative pages
- 04DR51Open Alternativeopenalternative.codofollowFree
Built specifically to catalogue open-source software as replacements for SaaS products, with an audience of developers looking to self-host or contribute. DR 51, dofollow, free, and one of the few directories that frames the conversation entirely around OSS. The audience skews toward motivated adopters rather than casual browsers, and the backlink is a genuine win.
- Needs
- Your project submitted as an open-source alternative to a commercial tool, with license and install command
- How
- Submit via the OpenAlternative submission form; the site pulls additional metadata from your repo automatically
- 05DR62LibHuntlibhunt.comdofollowFree
Developer discovery organized by programming language. If your project is a library, an SDK or a command-line utility, LibHunt is where developers actively search by language and category, which is a much tighter match than a general directory. DR 62, dofollow, free, and the language-specific targeting means the traffic is pre-qualified for your stack.
- Needs
- Your library, SDK or CLI tool added to the correct language category with a clear description
- How
- Submit to the language-scoped list that matches your project
Track 2 · Dofollow backlinks
High-authority open source directories for your project site
A smaller, separate set. These pass real link equity to your project website and move your Domain Rating. Work them top-down by DR after you have the community visibility sorted.
- 01DR92Sourceforgesourceforge.netdofollowFree + Paid
DR-92 dofollow, and realistically the highest-authority free link an open-source project can earn. SourceForge still gets real developer search traffic for open-source software by category, and its project pages are crawled by every major search engine. This is the single most important dofollow link in the OSS set. It takes about ten minutes to set up.
- Needs
- A project listing with a description, category and a link to your repo or project site
- How
- Create a project page; for OSS, the category and license fields carry weight
- 02DR91G2g2.comdofollowFree + Paid
DR-91 dofollow. Worth it when your open-source project has a commercial tier, a managed cloud version, or sits in a category where buyers compare products. AI assistants cite G2 heavily for software recommendations. If adoption is part of your project goal, a G2 profile makes you visible to that research layer.
- Needs
- A product profile, a verified work email, the correct category, then a few seeded reviews from early users
- How
- Claim and verify your listing, then ask your first real users to leave an honest review
- 03DR91Capterracapterra.comdofollowFree + Paid
DR-91 dofollow with strong buyer-intent traffic. Like G2, this is most useful when your open-source tool has users who make purchasing decisions or compare it to commercial alternatives. The backlink is worth claiming regardless, given the authority.
- Needs
- A vendor profile and product details
- How
- Claim a vendor listing in the correct category
- 04DR91Product Huntproducthunt.comnofollowFree
Open-source projects consistently get genuine community support on Product Hunt, especially in developer-focused categories where voters understand and value the work. The link is nofollow, but launch-day reach earns press and organic links that are dofollow. A well-timed OSS launch here is worth the prep.
- Needs
- A tagline, three to five gallery images, a first comment explaining the project, and a planned launch date
- How
- Schedule a Product Hunt launch around a significant milestone or version release, not just repo creation
- 05DR79SaaSHubsaashub.comdofollowFree
Free dofollow (DR 79) from a software directory that gets scraped regularly as an "alternatives to X" source. Works well alongside your AlternativeTo and OpenAlternative listings to build out the comparison-search surface area. An easy win that requires minimal ongoing effort.
- Needs
- A basic listing with your project name, description and URL
- How
- Submit free; approval is usually fast
- 06DR42SaaSCitysaascity.iodofollowFree + Paid
Full disclosure: this is us. A free permanent dofollow link plus a spot on the live 3D city map. An easy first dofollow win to knock out while you work through the rest of the playbook.
- Needs
- Name, logo and a one-line pitch (about two minutes to complete)
- How
- Submit free
List your project free, DR 45 dofollow
SaaSCity is one of the crossover picks above. A free, permanent dofollow link plus a spot on the live 3D city map. It takes about two minutes and gives you a clean first backlink while you work through the rest of the playbook.
The honest version
Why a nofollow awesome-list entry often beats a dofollow link for OSS
Unlike the developer tools playbook, which weighs visibility and backlinks roughly evenly, open-source project promotion has a clear priority ordering. A spot on a popular awesome-list sends developers who star the project, which triggers more list inclusions, which send more developers. A front-page Show HN generates comments that surface real bugs, earns organic press with dofollow links, and sometimes lands a contributor who ships a feature that was queued for months. None of the original nofollow links did that directly, but they set it in motion.
Run both tracks, but know why you are running each one. Track 1 is for the GitHub metrics and the developer community that sustains the project long term. Track 2 is for your project site's Domain Rating and search presence. Assuming a GitHub star or HN mention is doing your SEO is a common error that leaves the dofollow work undone.
The third piece is specific to OSS and easy to miss: the "open-source alternative to [ProprietaryTool]" framing is not just messaging. It is how a large share of OSS users actually find projects. Developers looking to self-host, cut a SaaS subscription, or contribute to a tool they already know are searching that phrase. If your AlternativeTo and OpenAlternative listings do not name the right proprietary tool in the right category, you are invisible for those searches. Setting this correctly is the most productive OSS discovery move that most maintainers skip. It costs nothing and takes ten minutes.
What to expect
A realistic timeline
- Week 1
PR into the relevant awesome-list, post Show HN, and submit to OpenAlternative and LibHunt. You get the first star spike, community feedback, and early contributor attention. These are the moves with the highest compound return.
- Weeks 2 to 4
Claim SourceForge, add your project to AlternativeTo with the correct primary comparison, and work the free dofollow set: SaaSHub and SaaSCity. These get crawled over the following weeks and your project site's Domain Rating starts to register.
- Month 2 to 3
Awesome-list inclusion compounds. More stars bring more list inclusions, which bring more stars. Dofollow links index. If G2 or Capterra is relevant for your project, claim them once early users can seed the first reviews. Then write one honest build log on dev.to or Hashnode to demonstrate the project in real use.
Avoid these
Mistakes specific to OSS directory listings
- -No license in the README
Most OSS directories, awesome-list maintainers and platforms require a clear license before they will accept a submission. MIT and Apache-2.0 are the standard choices. Missing either one stops approvals and PR merges cold.
- -Missing the "alternative to" framing
Positioning your project as the open-source alternative to a specific proprietary tool is the most direct way to get found on AlternativeTo and in searches like "open-source [competitor]." Without this framing you are invisible for those queries, which are some of the highest-intent searches in OSS.
- -Treating GitHub stars as SEO backlinks
Links from GitHub repos, READMEs and issues are nofollow. They pass no ranking authority to your project website. Stars and contributor traffic are a different metric entirely. Run Track 2 for the dofollow links that actually move Domain Rating.
- -Wrong category on AlternativeTo
AlternativeTo ranks for comparison searches, and rankings depend on the primary tool you are listed under. If you pick the wrong comparison tool or the wrong category, you miss the exact high-intent traffic the platform provides. Check what people actually search for before submitting.
Open source directory submission FAQ
- Does directory submission help an open-source project get GitHub stars?
- Indirectly, yes, but the mechanism differs from commercial products. Directories like Show HN and awesome-lists send developers who may star the project after finding it useful. SourceForge, LibHunt and OpenAlternative drive referral traffic to your GitHub repo or project site. The directories themselves do not add stars, but the developers they send often do. For stars specifically, a front-page Show HN and one accepted awesome-list entry are more reliably star-generating than any dofollow backlink.
- Is SourceForge still worth listing an open-source project on in 2026?
- Yes, for two specific reasons. First, it is a DR-92 dofollow link, which is the highest-authority free link most open-source projects can realistically earn. Second, it still gets genuine search traffic from developers looking for open-source software by category. The platform looks dated, but the link equity and the discovery are real. It is worth the ten minutes a project page takes to set up.
- What is the difference between AlternativeTo and OpenAlternative for open-source projects?
- AlternativeTo (DR 79, nofollow) is a large general comparison site where developers search for "alternatives to [ProprietaryTool]" and find your project listed there. OpenAlternative (DR 51, dofollow) focuses specifically on open-source alternatives to commercial software and passes a real backlink. Both are worth claiming. AlternativeTo is about comparison traffic volume and the "alternative to X" search queries. OpenAlternative is about a focused OSS audience and the dofollow link.
- Do GitHub or Hacker News links help my project site's search ranking?
- No. Links from GitHub READMEs, repos and issues, and from Hacker News, are nofollow. They pass no ranking authority to your site. They are still among the most valuable places for an open-source project to appear, because they drive real developer traffic, stars and contributors. For dofollow links that move your Domain Rating, use SourceForge, LibHunt, OpenAlternative, SaaSHub, Capterra, G2 and the rest of the crossover set.
- Should I list an open-source project that only has a GitHub repo and no separate website?
- Yes. Most directories here accept a GitHub URL as the project link, and several, including LibHunt, OpenAlternative and AlternativeTo, pull metadata from the repo automatically. For many open-source projects the GitHub repo is the product. A separate landing page helps with search presence and direct traffic, but it is not required to claim the listings in this guide. Start now, add a project site later if it makes sense.
Full reference: all 17 OSS channelsopenclose
| Directory | DR | Link | Price | Submit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
GitHub Awesome Lists github.com | 97 | Nofollow | Free | Visit |
Sourceforge sourceforge.net | 92 | Dofollow | Free + Paid | Visit |
Capterra capterra.com | 91 | Dofollow | Free + Paid | Visit |
G2 g2.com | 91 | Dofollow | Free + Paid | Visit |
Hacker News news.ycombinator.com | 91 | Nofollow | Free | Visit |
Product Hunt producthunt.com | 91 | Nofollow | Free | Visit |
DEV Community dev.to | 90 | Nofollow | Free | Visit |
Hashnode hashnode.com | 83 | Nofollow | Free | Visit |
Indie Hackers indiehackers.com | 81 | Dofollow | Free | Visit |
SaaSHub saashub.com | 79 | Dofollow | Free | Visit |
StackShare stackshare.io | 79 | Nofollow | Free | Visit |
Slant slant.co | 70 | Nofollow | Free | Visit |
DevHunt devhunt.org | 62 | Dofollow | Free + Paid | Visit |
LibHunt libhunt.com | 62 | Dofollow | Free | Visit |
Console.dev console.dev | 59 | Dofollow | Free | Visit |
Open Alternative openalternative.co | 51 | Dofollow | Free | Visit |
SaaSCityThat's us saascity.io | 42 | Dofollow | Free + Paid | Submit free |
Showing 17 of 17. DR = Domain Rating by Ahrefs.
Looking for the broader set? See the full SaaS directory list or the dedicated developer tool directories.
Domain Rating by Ahrefs
List your open-source project in two minutes
Claim a free, permanent dofollow listing on SaaSCity, then run both tracks of the playbook.