Directory Index — 2026-10
The Directory Index is LinkPing's monthly report on the sites founders submit products to. In the 2026-10 edition (snapshot 2026-10-20), the library holds 410 submission sites; 168 have a settled probe status, and of those 29.8% (50 of 168) let you list a product for free without an account. 22 are paid-only and 6 have shut down.
Updated Markdown version
This is the first edition, so it is the baseline: month-on-month changes (new, shut down, turned paid) start with the next edition.
Key numbers
| Measure | Value | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Submission sites in the library | 410 | 410 sites |
| Checked by the LinkPing probe | 52.7% (216 of 410) | 410 sites |
| Free listing available | 74.0% | 165 of 223 with known price |
| Dofollow listing link | 86.7% | 111 of 128 with known link type |
| Account required to submit | 61.6% | 130 of 211 with known account rule |
| Badge / reciprocal link required | 23.4% | 37 of 158 with known badge rule |
| Median Domain Rating | 56 | 410 sites with measured DR |
Sites by probe status
| Status | Sites | Share of library |
|---|---|---|
| Free, no account needed | 43 | 10.5% |
| Free with a badge backlink | 7 | 1.7% |
| Account required | 90 | 22.0% |
| Paid only | 22 | 5.4% |
| Offline / shut down | 6 | 1.5% |
| Needs a manual check | 48 | 11.7% |
| Not yet verified | 194 | 47.3% |
Median Domain Rating by category
The largest category is AI tool directory (183 sites). Medians are over sites with a measured DR only; small samples are flagged by the sample column. DR = Domain Rating by Ahrefs.
| Category | Sites | Median DR | DR sample | Free (known yes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI tool directory | 183 | 36 | 183 of 183 | 70 |
| Launch platform | 52 | 57 | 52 of 52 | 32 |
| SaaS review site | 31 | 80 | 31 of 31 | 16 |
| Web directory | 57 | 61 | 57 of 57 | 38 |
| Startup directory | 18 | 65 | 18 of 18 | 9 |
| Developer platform | 21 | 91 | 21 of 21 | 0 |
| Business listing | 12 | 89 | 12 of 12 | 0 |
| App store | 5 | 96 | 5 of 5 | 0 |
| Community | 31 | 79 | 31 of 31 | 0 |
Paid-only directories (22)
| Directory | Category | DR | Price as observed | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| There's An AI For That | AI tool directory | 78 | $49 one-time basic listing; community also reports a $349 tier | 2026-09-30 |
| BetaList | Launch platform | 77 | Paid submission only (per context) | 2026-09-30 |
| AIStage | AI tool directory | 71 | Basic Submit $9.90 one-time (was $19.90); Featured Submit $19.90 (was $39.90); Unlimited Submit $59.90/mo (was $119.90/mo); crypto accepted | 2026-09-30 |
| StartupHub.ai | Startup directory | 64 | $5/month or $40/year to keep the profile published (cancel anytime); Pro plans from $30/mo | 2026-09-30 |
| Toolsfine | AI tool directory | 63 | Paid Submit $16 one-time via Stripe; review within 3 business days | 2026-09-30 |
| Tool Finder | AI tool directory | 59 | Tool Listing $29 one-time (limited-time offer); Vendor Pro $79/yr (includes listing); Advertise $299/mo (3-month minimum) | 2026-09-30 |
| aiwith.me | AI tool directory | 58 | One-time submit $19.9 (was $26.9, listed within 48h); Unlimited submit $29.9/mo (was $39.9, 24h); Submit + 30-day premium ads $99; sponsors $39.9/mo. All tiers state dofollow outbound link. | 2026-09-30 |
| YesChat.ai: Cutting-Edge AI Models for C | AI tool directory | 56 | Basic Listing $99 (no guaranteed traffic); Premium Listing $168 (guarantees 1,000 visitors in 30 days, 4 dofollow backlinks); listed within 20 minutes of payment, permanent | 2026-09-30 |
| ai2people.com | AI tool directory | 53 | Tool Listing €199 (48h, no queue, homepage visibility); NSFW Tool Listing €299 | 2026-09-30 |
| tooldirectory.ai | AI tool directory | 50 | Lifetime listing $150 one-time; Premium submission subscription $9.99/mo; Featured listing $200 one-time; add-ons: Alternatives page $150, Sponsored post $300, Newsletter $200 | 2026-09-30 |
| AI Collection | AI tool directory | 44 | $19 to publish (includes do-follow link); promotion plans from $10 | 2026-09-30 |
| aitools.fyi | AI tool directory | 43 | A submission fee is required (amount not readable in fetch — 'Submission Fee (required, amount loading)'); featured placement via /advertise | 2026-09-30 |
| SubmitDirs | Web directory | 40 | Listing plan $9.90 (was $14.90) 'List your product right now, no waiting'; Pro $199 (was $249) = manual submission to 105 directories. | 2026-09-30 |
| AI Parabellum | AI tool directory | 38 | Basic Listing $39 one-time (was $99); Featured Listing $89 one-time (was $199); listed within 24h; full refund if not approved | 2026-09-30 |
| Tool listing for you and your business | AI tool directory | 36 | Value Listing $9.99 (up to 5 days); Priority Listing $59.99 (48h); Premium Listing $269.99 (48h) | 2026-09-30 |
| poweredbyai.app | AI tool directory | 35 | Pro $11.99 (permanent listing, dofollow, instant approval, newsletter); Elite $69.99. /pricing shows no free plan. | 2026-09-30 |
| ai-search.io | AI tool directory | 34 | $299 USD one-time | 2026-09-30 |
| AI Center | AI tool directory | 31 | Basic $15 one-time (reviewed within 3 business days); Standard $45 (24h approval, 3-day homepage feature, newsletter); Premium $65 (2h approval, 7-day homepage, SEO backlink blog post) | 2026-09-30 |
| Open Pedia AI | AI tool directory | 30 | /submit/ page: $69 one-time via Buy Me a Coffee 'Pay Now' (listed within 24h, do-follow backlinks); /pricing/ page: Basic $99, Standard $299, Featured $300 + $0.50/click (min 500 clicks) | 2026-09-30 |
| awesomeaitools.com | AI tool directory | 27 | One-time payment (amount not shown on the page); includes 1 month featured highlighting | 2026-09-30 |
| AI Journey | AI tool directory | 22 | Basic $29 one-time (published within 7 business days); Advanced $99 one-time (2 business days, homepage listing 90 days, newsletter feature, '9 valuable do-follow links') | 2026-09-30 |
| Ai Tool Hub | AI tool directory | 8 | $19.9 one-time; listed on gptdemo.net + aitoolhub.net with '24 high-quality dofollow backlinks'; 24-48h processing | 2026-09-30 |
Shut-down directories (6)
| Directory | Category | Found offline on |
|---|---|---|
| cliptics.com | AI tool directory | 2026-09-30 |
| producthub.com | Launch platform | 2026-09-30 |
| startus.cc | Startup directory | 2026-09-30 |
| theaigeneration.com | AI tool directory | 2026-09-30 |
| topapps.ai | AI tool directory | 2026-09-30 |
| websitescrawl.com | Web directory | 2026-09-30 |
Tracked over time on dead and paid-only directories.
Methodology
LinkPing keeps one shared library of submission sites. A probe visits each site's submit page and records what it finds; the result is the site's status. A person reviews anything the probe cannot settle. The figures on this page are computed from the library snapshot exported on 2026-10-20; each record carries its own last-verified date.
- Free, no account needed (verified_free_nologin) — the submit form was reached and a product can be listed for free without creating an account.
- Free with a badge backlink (free_nologin_badge) — free and account-free, but the free listing requires a badge or reciprocal link on your site.
- Account required (login_required) — submitting needs an account (free or not).
- Paid only (paid_only) — the only way to be listed is to pay.
- Offline / shut down (dead) — the site no longer answers, or has announced it shut down.
- Needs a manual check (needs_browser_check) — the probe could not decide (JavaScript-only form, bot wall); waiting for a manual check.
- Not yet verified (unprobed) — in the library, not yet checked.
Unknowns are excluded, never guessed: a share such as "free" or "dofollow" is computed only over the sites where that field is known, and the denominator is printed next to it. Median Domain Rating is computed only over sites with a measured DR; categories with no measured site show "n/a".
Data and reuse
Every row behind these numbers is in the open dataset: directories.json and directories.csv.
Licence: CC BY 4.0. You may reuse these numbers and the dataset anywhere, including commercially. Credit "LinkPing Directory Dataset" with a link to https://getbacklinkai.com/data. Domain Rating figures are Domain Rating by Ahrefs.
FAQ
How many directory submission sites are free?
In LinkPing's 2026-10-20 snapshot, 165 of the 223 sites with a known price (74.0%) accept a free listing; 187 sites have an unknown price and are excluded.
What share of directories give dofollow links?
111 of the 128 sites whose link type LinkPing has checked (86.7%), as of 2026-10-20.