Guide
The Best SaaS Directories to Submit Your Startup to in 2026
Short answer: submit to a short list, in order. Before launch, BetaList. On launch week, Product Hunt, plus Show HN if the product is technical, plus one or two smaller launch sites. After launch, SaaSHub and AlternativeTo so people searching for alternatives find you, and G2 or Capterra once you have reviews. For users who keep coming after launch week, list a feature where other products can build it in. That last one is Ordana, which is ours.
Most "startup directories" lists have a hundred entries, and most of those entries send nobody. This one is short on purpose: each directory below does a distinct job, and the job decides when it is worth your hour.
What makes a SaaS directory worth submitting to?
- Its visitors are your buyers. A directory full of founders is useless for a consumer app, and a consumer list is useless for a B2B tool.
- Its pages rank on their own. An alternatives page or a review profile can show up in search for years. A launch post mostly lives for a day.
- It keeps working. One-day spikes are worth a launch. Ongoing discovery is worth more.
- The effort matches the return. A launch needs preparation and people on the day. A listing should take an evening.
The list
| Directory | Type | Best for | What it takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Hunt | Launch site | A launch-day spike of early adopters and feedback | A prepared launch and people who show up on the day |
| BetaList | Launch site | A waitlist before or right after launch | A review queue (free) or a paid option to be featured sooner |
| Hacker News (Show HN) | Community | Technical products with a real engineering story | A plain, honest post; no marketing language |
| Indie Hackers | Community + product pages | Bootstrapped founders sharing the build | Taking part in the community, not only posting |
| Uneed, Microlaunch, Fazier | Smaller launch sites | Being noticed with less competition than Product Hunt | A short listing; some run daily or weekly rankings |
| SaaSHub | Alternatives directory | People searching for alternatives to a tool you replace | A product page tagged against the tools you compete with |
| AlternativeTo | Alternatives directory | The same "X alternative" searches, across all software | Listing your product as an alternative to known products |
| G2, Capterra | Review sites | B2B buyers comparing tools before they buy | Reviews: a profile without them does little |
| There's An AI For That, Futurepedia | AI tool directories | AI products, browsed by people looking for an AI tool | An AI product; a clear one-line use case |
| Ordana (ours) | Widget integration directory | Getting your feature inside other products, where their users sign up and pay | One feature that works on its own as a widget |
Which directories should you submit to first?
Before launch: collect a waitlist
BetaList exists for this stage: early adopters who like trying unfinished products. The free route goes through a review queue, so submit well before you need the signups.
Launch week: one coordinated push
Product Hunt is still the biggest single launch day for a tech product, and it rewards preparation: a clear page, a maker comment and people ready to engage. Post on Show HN only if there is a real technical story, written plainly. Add one or two smaller launch sites such as Uneed, Microlaunch or Fazier, where a new product is easier to notice. The comparisons in the best free Product Hunt alternatives go deeper.
After launch: be there when people search
People who search "[a tool you replace] alternative" are already shopping. List on SaaSHub and AlternativeTo against the specific tools you compete with. G2 and Capterra are where B2B buyers compare before they buy, but a profile without reviews does little, so add them once customers will write one.
For users who keep coming: get inside other products
Every directory above sends people to your website, and most of them visit once. The other route is to put one feature of your product inside products your customers already use, so their users meet you there. That is what a widget integration is, and it is what Ordana lists: you package a feature as a widget, set the price, the free uses and the share the host keeps, and any startup on Ordana can add it to its product. Users sign up and pay inside the widget, and each sale is split automatically. It is free to list; Ordana takes 10% of widget sales, from your share. It is not a launch site and has no leaderboard, so do it alongside the others, not instead of them.
Are directory submission services worth it?
The "we submit you to 500 directories" services mostly buy you listings on sites nobody visits. The links count for little, and a pile of them can look like a link scheme. Spend the same hour submitting by hand to the ten or fifteen above whose visitors match your buyers.
How to submit: a checklist
- Write one name, one tagline and one 2-3 sentence description, and use them everywhere.
- Prepare a logo, three screenshots and a short demo clip once, at the sizes most sites ask for.
- Link to a real landing page for your product, not a blog post or a waitlist with nothing on it.
- Track every submission in a sheet: where, when, status, and the URL of the live listing.
- On launch sites, reply to every comment on the day. On review sites, ask happy customers for a review.
- Check each live listing a month later and fix anything outdated.
Frequently asked questions
What is a SaaS directory?
A website that lists software products so people can find and compare them. Some are launch sites that feature new products for a day, some are alternatives directories people search when they want to replace a tool, some are review sites, and some, like Ordana, list a product so other products can integrate it.
Are SaaS directories free?
Most have a free listing. Several sell a paid option to skip a review queue or get a better spot, and review sites sell paid profiles on top of the free one. Ordana is free to list and takes 10% of widget sales, from the owner's share.
How many directories should I submit my startup to?
Ten to fifteen good ones beats hundreds of weak ones. Pick the ones whose visitors are your buyers and whose pages can rank on their own, write one consistent description, and spend the saved time on the two or three that can keep sending you people.
Is Product Hunt still worth it?
Usually, yes, as one launch day: it is still the biggest single burst of early-adopter attention for a tech product. Treat it as the start of distribution, not the whole of it, and list somewhere that keeps working after the leaderboard moves on.
Do directory listings help SEO?
A little. A handful of listings on strong sites can help a new domain get found and can rank for your own product name. Hundreds of links from weak directories add almost nothing, and paid link schemes can hurt.
If you have a feature other products could use, list your startup on Ordana: free, no approval queue, and the listing keeps working after launch week.
Related reading:
- How to Get Customers for Your SaaS Without Ads — four ways to borrow someone else's distribution.
- How to Evaluate a Growth Channel — the scorecard behind this list.
- The Best BetaList Alternatives for Early-Stage SaaS — when a waitlist isn't what you need.
- SaaS Distribution — every guide on getting customers without an ad budget.