Free Startup Directories That Still Give a Followed Link (2026)

The free startup directories that can still give you a followed link in 2026 mostly attach a condition to it. SaaSHub and Launching Next take free submissions. Uneed, Open-Launch, IndieHunt and its sister sites, and Uno Directory all offer a free listing, but the link usually stays nofollow unless you hit a vote threshold, rank in a top spot or show their badge on your site. Hacker News is free and, on the day I checked, its ranked Show HN links carried no nofollow while brand-new posts did. So treat "free" and "followed" as two separate questions, and check the link yourself after you are listed.

This guide is for founders with a new product and no budget for link building. Every price and rule below was read from the platform's own page on 4 November 2026, and I say plainly where I could not check the link type myself. Disclosure: Aura++, EarlyHunt, IndieHunt, MakerHunt, SideHunt and Uno Directory are owned by Praneet Brar, who also runs this site. They appear in the table with the same caveats as everyone else.

Last checked: Nov 4, 2026

What does "followed link" actually mean?

A followed link is a normal HTML link with no rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc" on it. Search engines may treat it as a vote for the page it points to. A nofollow link still sends human visitors, it just asks search engines not to count it that way. Google's own guide to qualifying outbound links explains the three values.

Two things trip founders up:

• A platform can show your link as followed on one part of the page and nofollow on another. The big "Visit website" button and the link inside your description are often treated differently.

• The link type can change after launch day. Many boards upgrade or downgrade links based on votes, rank or a badge you have to keep on your site.

Which free directories still offer a followed link?

Here is the comparison as of the date above. "Link type" means what the platform says about free listings, or what I saw in the page source. "Unverified" means I did not confirm it on a live listing, so check yours.

Notice the pattern. Almost every "free followed link" has a string attached: votes, rank, a badge or a long queue. That is not a scandal, it is how these sites pay for themselves. It just means "free" really costs you time, a badge slot on your site, or a bit of luck.

Is a badge-for-link swap safe?

This is the part most directory lists skip. Google's spam policies list "buying or selling links for ranking purposes" and "excessive link exchanges" as link spam. Paying for a guaranteed followed link, or swapping a badge for one, sits close to that line. Google says paid links are fine when they carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".

What that means in practice:

• One or two badges from launch boards you actually used are a normal part of the web. Fifty badges in your footer is a pattern.

• Do not pay for a listing because of the link alone. Pay because the audience is right or the launch slot saves you weeks.

• Assume any single directory link is worth little for ranking. The real value of a good listing is the people who click it and the page that describes you in plain words.

How do you check whether your listing link is followed?

Do this once your listing is live, then again a week later:

1. Open your listing page in a normal browser window.

2. Right-click the link to your site and choose Inspect.

3. Look at the rel attribute on that a tag. If it contains nofollow, sponsored or ugc, it is not a followed link.

4. Check every link to you on the page, not just the first one. Buttons and description links often differ.

5. Write the date and the result in a sheet. Link types change when rankings or badge checks change.

Some boards render the link with JavaScript, so a plain "view source" might not show it. Inspecting the live element is safer.

Which free directory should you submit to first?

Pick by audience before link type. A quick way to choose:

• Developer tool: Show HN, if you have something people can try right now. Its Show HN guidelines rule out sign-up pages and waitlists, so wait until it works.

• B2B SaaS with alternatives: SaaSHub. Its submission page rejects unreleased products and products on free subdomains, so use your own domain.

• Anything on a timeline: a weekly board with a date you can plan around, so you can line up an email and a few posts for the same week.

• Long-tail discovery: a rolling directory like Uno Directory or SaaSHub, where the listing keeps working after launch week.

What should a good free listing include?

A listing is a tiny landing page you do not control. Make it do its job:

• A one-line description that says who it is for and what it does, without slogans. "Invoice reminders for freelance designers" beats "The future of getting paid".

• Three to five screenshots of the real product, not a logo on a gradient.

• The right category. Wrong categories get you the wrong visitors and sometimes a rejection.

• A link to a page on your site that matches the listing, with a tagged URL so you can see visits in your analytics.

How many directories are worth your time?

Fewer than you think. Five to eight well-chosen listings, done carefully, beat forty rushed ones. Every listing needs a description, screenshots, a category, sometimes a badge, and a few minutes of follow-up if people comment. Mass submission services that promise hundreds of directories mostly place you on pages nobody visits.

A sensible order for a new product:

What do free directories not do for you?

They do not make a new site rank by themselves. A handful of directory links is a small signal at best. What tends to matter more for a young product is being mentioned in places people already read: comparison pages, "best tools" roundups and reviews written by someone else. If that is your next step, this guide on getting your SaaS into "best tools" lists walks through it without paying for spam.

Directories also do not replace your own pages. If your homepage does not say clearly what you do, a directory link sends people to confusion.

A made-up example: Juno and Rentwise

Juno built Rentwise, a small tool that reminds landlords when a lease is up for renewal. With no budget, she picked SaaSHub, one rolling directory for property tools, and one weekly launch board. She wrote one description and adapted it to each form, used four real screenshots, and tagged each link. A week later she inspected each listing: one link was followed, two were nofollow, and one depended on a vote count she did not reach. She kept all of them, because one of the nofollow listings sent her first paying landlord. The example is invented, but the habit is the point: judge each listing by what it sends you, not only by its rel attribute.

FAQ

Are free startup directories worth it in 2026?

A few are, if they match your audience and you write a careful listing. Expect visitors and a page that describes you, not a ranking jump.

Do free directory submission sites give dofollow links?

Some do, usually with a condition such as votes, a top-three finish or a badge. Many free tiers are nofollow by default. Check the live link after you are listed.

Is it against Google's rules to get a link for showing a badge?

Google lists excessive link exchanges and paid links for ranking as link spam. One badge from a board you really launched on is ordinary. A footer full of badges traded for links is the pattern to avoid.

Should I pay for a guaranteed followed link?

Only if the audience or the launch date is worth the money on its own. If the link is the only reason, skip it.

Pick a few, list them well, then check

Free backlinks for startups exist, but they come with conditions, and their real value is the readers they send. Choose a handful of directories that fit your product, write listings a stranger would understand, and inspect every link a week later. If you want a weekly launch with a clear date, IndieHunt is one option among the ones above.