Are SaaS Directories Worth It? What a Listing Really Gets You
Are SaaS directories worth it for a new startup? What a listing really brings (links, some traffic, AI visibility), how to pick directories, and when to pay.
Every new founder hits the same question: are SaaS directories worth it, or a waste of an afternoon? One founder on Reddit put it bluntly: "Why should founders pay a directory before it sends them a single visitor?"
The honest answer: yes, for links and visibility, not for customers. Here is what a listing really gets you, using data on 191 startup and SaaS directories from the catalog behind our directory list.
What a directory listing actually gets you
A listing can give you three things. How much of each depends on the directory.
- A link to your site. A dofollow link passes ranking signal to your site. On a brand-new domain with no links at all, a handful of good ones helps Google find and trust you.
- A little referral traffic. Most directories are small: the median one in our catalog gets about 1,800 visits a month, for the whole site, and your listing gets a slice of that.
- A spot on pages AI assistants cite. 144 of the 191 directories in our catalog have been named or cited in Google AI or ChatGPT answers, so a listing puts your product where those answers already look.
What directories won't do
122 of the 187 directories with traffic estimates get fewer than 10,000 visits a month, and your listing shares each page with every other product on it. Treat signups from a directory as a bonus, not a plan.
Old-style web directories that list any site for a fee pass little value. A SaaS or startup directory that real founders and buyers browse is a different thing.
How to pick directories worth your time
Our list of 190+ startup and SaaS directories shows domain rating, traffic, price and link type for each one, so you can build a shortlist in one sitting. Check five things:
- Relevance. A SaaS or startup directory beats a general web directory, and a directory for your category (AI tools, developer tools, design) beats both.
- Strength. Domain rating (DR) is a 0 to 100 score of how strong a site's links are. 148 of the 191 directories in our catalog score 50 or more, so there is no need to settle for weak ones.
- A dofollow link. Check that the listing links straight to your site. 184 of the 191 in our catalog do.
- Real traffic. 36 directories in our catalog get over 100,000 visits a month; most get far less. If a directory wants money, look up its traffic first.
- A free route. In our catalog 84 are free and 78 have a free tier with paid upgrades. Some list you free if you add their badge to your site.
When paying for a directory makes sense
Pay when the paid listing gets you something the free route does not, such as a higher spot, a faster listing, or traffic the directory can show you. Do not pay for a promise of traffic it cannot back up. On LaunchPact you have two options:
- The LaunchPact Startup Directory. Your listing publishes instantly, with its own indexed page and a permanent dofollow link to your site. List free by adding our badge to your homepage, or bid from $15 to rank higher. Higher bids rank higher, and there is no subscription.
- Directory Submission. We submit your product by hand to 60+ free directories for $149, with a report of every link, for when your afternoon is worth more than that.
List your startup in the LaunchPact directory
Your listing publishes instantly, with its own indexed page and a permanent dofollow link to your site. List free with our homepage badge, or bid from $15 to rank higher.
List your startupFrequently asked questions
SaaS directories are worth it as a cheap source of links and visibility for a new product, not as a source of customers. List on a short set of relevant, strong directories with dofollow links, use free routes where you can, and treat any signups as a bonus.
Directory submission is good for SEO in small doses: a few dofollow links from relevant, strong directories help a new domain get found and trusted. Hundreds of links from low-quality directories do little, so pick quality over count.
Only pay a directory before it sends you a visitor if it can show its traffic and the paid listing gets you something concrete, such as a higher spot or a faster listing. Most directories in our catalog get under 10,000 visits a month, so check first.
There is no magic number of directories to submit your startup to. Start with the ones that fit your category and have real traffic, then add more over time. Submitting to hundreds of irrelevant directories at once adds little.
Directory backlinks still work when they come from relevant directories with real traffic and a dofollow link. Most startup directories in our catalog link dofollow, and many are cited in Google AI and ChatGPT answers, so a good listing helps both search and AI visibility.
Yes. Many directories list startups for free, or have a free tier with paid upgrades. On the LaunchPact Startup Directory you can list free by adding our badge to your homepage, or bid from $15 to rank higher.