Where to submit an AI tool: directories ranked

The AI tool directories worth submitting to in 2026 are LaunchScaler, There's An AI For That, Toolify, Future Tools and TopAI.tools, followed by Easy With AI, Toolpilot, AI Tools Directory, Dang.ai, OpenTools and AI Agents Directory, ranked for a maker who wants a curated listing with a clear link. Futurepedia is in the list below, but it has no open submission page. Prices, review terms and link attributes were checked on each directory's own pages in September 2026.

The directories differ most on one question: do they check what they list? Some review every submission and refund rejections; others list almost anything that pays or links back. Directories listed inside LaunchScaler's own directory are left out.

How do AI tool directories compare on cost, review and link?

The table compares what each directory charges, whether it reviews submissions, how long listing takes, and what the link to your tool looked like on its live pages. Where a site didn't publish something, the table says so. "Seen" means the attribute was read on sampled listing pages rather than stated in the terms.

Which AI tool directories are best in 2026?

For an AI product, the order is LaunchScaler, then the large curated directories, then the smaller ones with clear terms. LaunchScaler leads because it is the only one here that checks the product's own site, including whether its forms, signup and checkout work, before listing it. The rest are ordered by how much they check and how clearly they publish their terms.

1. LaunchScaler: the listing that starts with a scan of your site

LaunchScaler lists a product from its URL alone, after a 156-check readiness scan across 6 of its 7 categories: search, AI visibility, security, compliance, speed and visual, and whether the site works, from dead buttons to signup flows that break. For an AI tool, that last category matters: a demo that errors on load loses the visitor a directory sent you.

The free launch gives you "your listing from the day the queue reaches you" and asks for LaunchScaler's badge on your site or a one-time fee to skip it. The Premium launch is $29 one-time: any open day, today included, your listing written for you from your own scan, nothing on your site, and a place in the permanent curated index after the standing decays. Each listing can earn 1 dofollow link, only by passing the scan.

2. There's An AI For That: manual review, fast turnaround

There's An AI For That charges a one-time $49 review fee for its basic launch and $437 for a package with a newsletter slot. Makers can also submit through a monthly thread on X, where one tool per thread is listed free. Every submission is reviewed by staff, processing averages 1 to 2 days, and a tool that isn't published is refunded automatically. On listings checked, the link went straight to the tool with no nofollow, tagged ref=taaft. It states 5M+ monthly visitors and 2.5M+ newsletter subscribers.

3. Toolify: paid, reviewed, stated dofollow

Toolify charges $99 one-time, lists within 48 hours with no queue, reviews every submission manually and refunds if a tool isn't approved. It advertises a dofollow backlink, and the "Open site" link on listings checked used rel="dofollow", which isn't a standard value, so search engines treat it as a normal followed link. It states 5.1M+ monthly visits.

4. Futurepedia: curated, no open submission

Futurepedia's submit URLs returned 404 when checked on 9 November 2026, and its homepage has no submit link; only an update form for existing tools remains. Its editorial guidelines say it reviews products before including them and doesn't sell rankings. Every "Visit Site" link checked was rel="nofollow", including a sponsored listing. It states 300k+ newsletter readers.

5. Future Tools: free, and hard to get into

Future Tools takes free submissions but approves fewer than a quarter: its FAQ says over 75% aren't approved, and it doesn't list custom GPTs or waitlist-only products. If you're not listed within a week, it says to resubmit. Clicks go through a /go/ redirect that its robots.txt disallows, so the link passes little to your site. It states 250,000+ newsletter subscribers.

6. TopAI.tools: paid fast track, editorial review

TopAI.tools charges $47 for Fast Track and $229 for a 7-day featured listing, with editorial review in 24 to 48 hours and a refund if rejected. Its "Verified" badge can't be bought. On nine listings checked, the main "Visit" button was nofollow while a second website link was followed on six.

7. Easy With AI: paid, reviewed within a day

Easy With AI charges $125 one-time for a permanent listing, usually reviewed and listed within 24 hours, with a full refund if not approved. Links on listings checked were rel="noreferrer noopener", which is followed. Its featured-listing page quotes a different original price for the standard listing, so check the current price on the submit form.

8. Toolpilot: free with a link back, or paid priority

Toolpilot's free submission requires a backlink or badge on your site and can take up to 60 days. Priority costs $99 one-time and goes live within seven days; Premium is $199 for the first month, then $39 a month, with homepage and category placement. Its "Visit Site" links on pages checked had no rel.

9. AI Tools Directory: free review, redirected links

AI Tools Directory takes free submissions, reviews each one manually and doesn't guarantee publication. Fast Track costs $99 one-time for a listing in 3 days or less. Most "TRY IT" links go through a link.aitoolsdirectory.com redirect whose robots.txt blocks Googlebot. Its main robots.txt explicitly allows GPTBot, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot.

10. Dang.ai, OpenTools and AI Agents Directory: read the link terms first

Dang.ai lists free only while a backlink to Dang.ai stays on your site, or for $49 without one; its "View tool" links go through a redirect sent with x-robots-tag: none, and some sampled links led to affiliate URLs. OpenTools requires a paid subscription priced after sign-in; its links were followed. AI Agents Directory's free and $19 tiers are nofollow, and it states dofollow links from its $49 Starter tier.

Which AI directories are curated and which are open?

A curated directory reviews each submission and turns some away; an open one lists nearly everything that pays or links back. Curation helps keep the directory's pages from filling with thin listings, which is part of what keeps those pages worth indexing. Favour directories that say they reject submissions and refund when they do.

None of these directories says it tests whether the tool works end to end. The reviews check fit and quality of the listing. Before you submit anywhere, test your own demo path: the page loads, the main button works, signup completes, and the first output appears without an error.

Do AI answer engines cite AI tool directories?

None of the directories checked claims that ChatGPT, Perplexity or other answer engines cite it. What is documented is that answer engines lean on third-party pages. Yext's analysis of 6.8 million citations from July and August 2025 found 48.73% of OpenAI's citations came from listings, mostly local business listings such as Google's.

Profound's citation study found review site G2 among Perplexity's top 10 cited sources. Neither study measured AI tool directories, so treat a directory listing as one more indexed page describing your tool in consistent terms, not as a route into AI answers. Two checks make a listing usable by AI search: the directory's robots.txt allows the retrieval bots (look for OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot and Claude-SearchBot), and the listing's text is in the server HTML. The guide on why AI cites third-party sites covers the citation data in full, and the guide to launching an AI startup covers the rest of an AI launch.

Which directories should you submit to first?

Submit to the curated directories that fit your tool's category first, spaced over a few weeks, and skip any whose listing pages aren't indexed. A handful of reviewed, indexed listings describing your tool the same way beats dozens of open listings. The startup directories list and the list of launch platforms that give a dofollow link cover the general boards.

Launch on the day you pick with Premium

For an AI tool, the listing that checks your site first is the one to start with. LaunchScaler's Premium launch is $29, paid once: it books any open day, today included, writes your listing from your own scan, puts nothing on your site because paying skips the badge, and keeps the listing in the permanent curated index after its standing decays. The followed link still depends on passing the 156-check readiness scan. Get Premium, or choose the free launch on the same page.