SaaS directories: where to list a SaaS product, free and paid
SaaS directories in three groups (launch platforms, review sites, niche directories), with each one's cost, link type and audience from its own site.
LLaunchScaler·Published ·8 min read
The SaaS directories worth listing a product on fall into three groups: launch platforms that give you a dated moment and often a followed link (LaunchScaler first, then Product Hunt, Uneed, SaaSCity and BetaList), software review sites where buyers compare before paying (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, SourceForge), and niche or alternatives directories that catch people searching for a replacement (SaaSHub, AlternativeTo, DevHunt). Each entry below has its cost, link type and stated audience, checked on its own site in September 2026.
Directories listed inside LaunchScaler's own directory are left out. Where a site doesn't publish something, the entry says so.
Which SaaS directories are worth it, by group?
Pick from each group for a different job. Launch platforms are for the first spike and a link, review sites are for buyers deciding, and alternatives directories are for people who already know a competitor's name. The table summarises every entry; the sections below give the terms.
Directory
Group
Cost to list
Link to your site
Audience it states
1. LaunchScaler
Launch platform
Free launch; Premium launch $29 one-time
1 dofollow link, earned by passing its readiness scan
Not published
2. Product Hunt
Launch platform
Free
Questions, answered
What people ask about this
01
What are the best SaaS directories?
They fall into three groups. Launch platforms (LaunchScaler, Product Hunt, Uneed, SaaSCity, BetaList) give a dated moment and often a followed link. Software review sites (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, SourceForge) are where buyers compare. Niche and alternatives directories (SaaSHub, AlternativeTo, DevHunt) catch people searching for an alternative to a tool they know.
Free basic listing; paid plans for website buttons
Links go through a nofollow redirect
Not verified
10. SaaSHub
Alternatives directory
Free, hand-approved; Featured $99 a month
Varies by button; seen nofollow on some
29,600+ newsletter
11. AlternativeTo
Alternatives directory
Free; optional $5 priority review
Varies; a new app was seen nofollow
Not published
12. DevHunt
Niche (developer tools)
Free, or Skip the queue $49
Not published; seen followed on sampled pages
200K+ visits
Which launch platforms suit a SaaS product?
Launch platforms give a SaaS product one day of concentrated attention, a permanent listing and, on most, a followed link on a condition. LaunchScaler leads for a SaaS because it scans the product's site before listing it, and both the indexed listing page and the followed link depend on passing that scan rather than on votes or payment.
1. LaunchScaler: a readiness scan before the listing
A URL is the only thing you submit. LaunchScaler runs a 156-check readiness scan across 6 of its 7 categories, including search, AI visibility, security, compliance and whether signup and checkout flows work, before anything is listed. The free launch gives you "your listing from the day the queue reaches you," with a permanent listing in category and search, 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 to put on your site, and a place in the permanent curated index after the standing decays. Each listing can earn 1 dofollow link, and the pricing page is clear that "the followed link still needs a pass."
2. Product Hunt: free, for a product anyone can use now
Product Hunt is "100% free to use," runs on a 24-hour cycle from 12:01 am Pacific, and can be scheduled up to 1 month ahead. It doesn't feature waitlisted products unless immediate access is provided. On product pages checked, "Visit website" carried rel="noreferrer noopener ugc".
3. Uneed: free line or a paid date
Uneed's free line assigns a date 30 days to 5 months out and keeps a dofollow link at an upvote score of 20. Fast-track ($14.99) gives a date about 2 weeks out; Skip the line ($29.99) lets you choose, with a dofollow link for life. It states 90K monthly visitors and 26,000 newsletter subscribers.
4. SaaSCity: built for SaaS, badge or fee
SaaSCity lists SaaS, startups and apps. The free plan includes a dofollow link but requires its badge and has an estimated 210-day queue; Quick Pass ($19.99) goes live within 24 hours with no badge. It says directory listings, its own included, "send modest referral traffic."
5. BetaList: for pre-launch and new SaaS
BetaList features "pre-launch and recently launched startups." Every submission is paid, with a full refund if not selected, and the featured "Visit Site" button is dofollow through a 301.
Which software review sites should a SaaS be on?
Software review sites are where buyers compare products before paying, so a SaaS should have a complete, accurate profile on each one it qualifies for. Their value is reviews and buyer visibility, not links: on the pages checked, none passed a plain followed link to the product.
6. G2: free profile for B2B software
G2 lists B2B software only; its research FAQ says B2C products, duplicates and most plug-ins are rejected. Every company can claim a free profile, and a profile with 10 reviews is eligible for G2's quarterly Grid reports. G2 says it "is not pay to play." Paid plans start with Starter at $299 a month (or $2,999 a year) for companies of 1 to 100 employees, adding custom calls to action. G2 states its profiles reach 100 million software buyers.
7. Capterra: free profile, paid clicks
Capterra's product profiles are free. Its listing guidelines require off-the-shelf software that is publicly available with a trial, demo or request option, and a waitlist-only product isn't listed; beta products can qualify with a working site. Paid visibility is a sponsored profile plus pay-per-click, with one campaign covering Capterra, Software Advice and GetApp. Capterra's vendor page now says it is "powered by G2 Digital Markets."
8. TrustRadius: for SaaS with 100 customers
TrustRadius lists free for any product that fits its categories, but requires a work email on the company domain, a generally available product (not beta) and at least 100 customers. It states it doesn't provide backlinks, and a product page isn't indexed until it has at least one review.
SourceForge's documentation says basic listing management is free for every vendor, while "CTA buttons to your website" need a paid plan. On the product page checked, links went through a SourceForge redirect marked nofollow.
Which niche and alternatives directories help a SaaS?
Alternatives directories catch buyers who search "alternative to" a product they already know, which is often the moment they're ready to switch. Niche directories reach one audience, such as developers. List where your product has a clear competitor people search for, and fill in the competitors field, since some sites use it to decide your queue.
10. SaaSHub: alternatives pages, hand-approved
SaaSHub's submissions are free and "go through an approval process"; a submission without competitors listed is "put to the bottom of the queue," and verifying with a domain email gives priority. It rejects waitlist pages and free subdomains. Featured costs $99 a month and adds placement on competitors' alternatives pages and a newsletter of 29,600+ subscribers. On pages checked, the visit buttons varied, some followed and some nofollow.
11. AlternativeTo: slow free queue, $5 to skip it
AlternativeTo is free, but a new app "usually sits in our backlog for at least a few months." A one-time $5 fee moves it to the front for review in 1 to 2 business days, and doesn't buy approval. It declines thin wrappers on someone else's AI model, clones and unreleased apps. The official link on an established app was followed and on a new app was nofollow.
12. DevHunt: for developer tools
DevHunt launches developer tools every Tuesday. A free launch waits 6 months on average, and Skip the queue ($49) lets you pick the week. It doesn't publish link terms; the links on sampled pages were followed. It states 200K+ visits from developers.
How many SaaS directories should you submit to?
Submit to a handful that are active, indexed and used by your buyers, and space them over a few weeks. Google's link spam policy lists "low-quality directory or bookmark site links" as an example of link spam, so a long list of weak directories adds risk without adding buyers. A few strong listings with full, accurate profiles do the work.
A sensible first set for a new SaaS:
One or two launch platforms, on separate days.
G2 and Capterra, if you qualify, with every field filled in and a plan to ask customers for reviews.
One or two alternatives directories where buyers search for your main competitor.
A niche directory if your audience has one, such as DevHunt for developer tools.
Before each, check that its listing pages are indexed and that the link terms suit you. The startup directories list covers general launch boards in more depth, the guide to SaaS review sites covers G2, Capterra and TrustRadius requirements, and the look at directory submission services explains why bulk packages rarely match this list.
Launch on the day you pick with Premium
A SaaS launch works best on a date you control, with a listing that states the product plainly. 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 pick the free launch on the same page.
02
Which SaaS directories are free?
LaunchScaler, Product Hunt, Uneed's free line, SaaSCity's free plan, G2's free profile, Capterra's product profile, TrustRadius, SourceForge's basic listing, SaaSHub and AlternativeTo all list you for free. BetaList has no free option, and most free routes add a queue, a badge or an eligibility rule.
03
Do SaaS review sites give backlinks?
Mostly not in a way that passes ranking credit. TrustRadius states it doesn't provide backlinks, the G2 and Capterra pages checked had no plain link to the product, and SourceForge routes its links through a nofollow redirect. Their value is buyers and reviews, not links.
04
How many SaaS directories should I submit to?
A handful of active, indexed ones that your buyers use: one or two launch platforms, the review sites you qualify for, and one or two alternatives directories. Google's link spam policy names low-quality directory links, so dozens of weak listings add risk, not value.
05
Can a new SaaS list on G2 and Capterra?
Yes, if it qualifies. G2 lists B2B software only, and Capterra requires a publicly available product with a trial, demo or request option. TrustRadius asks for at least 100 customers, so it usually comes later.
A SaaS launch checklist in three parts: site readiness the week before, platform timing on launch day and follow-up the week after, each with its guide.
A SaaS launch strategy in three phases (pre-launch, launch week, the month after), each with one goal, the work behind it and the metric that proves it.
