Most "best directories" lists are copied from other lists. Nobody checks the DR, nobody checks whether the links are actually dofollow, and half the sites died two years ago.
This list is different: every number below is a live Ahrefs Domain Rating pulled in June 2026, and every link type has been verified on a real listing. It's the same data behind every card on the SEOmade index.
How this list was picked
Three filters, applied to the 975+ directories we track:
- Verified dofollow — checked on a live listing, not assumed
- DR 50+ — live Ahrefs data, refreshed continuously on SEOmade
- A human would actually browse it — no link farms, however high the DR
1. Trustpilot — DR 94, free
The single highest-DR dofollow profile on this list. Claim your company page, fill it completely, and you have a link from one of the most-crawled review domains on the web.
Bonus: Trustpilot review stars often show up next to your brand searches, which lifts click-through on every other result.
- Best for: brand credibility + the strongest free dofollow link available
- Effort: ~10 minutes to claim and complete a profile
2. SourceForge — DR 92, free
One of the oldest software sites on the internet, and it now accepts commercial SaaS — not just open source. Profiles are clean, indexable, and the link is dofollow.
- Best for: raw link authority for any software product
- Tip: complete the feature checklist — full profiles rank inside SourceForge search
3. MarketingDB — DR 60, free
MarketingDB is our own directory — built for marketing, SaaS, and AI tools — and it earns its spot the same way everything else here did: verified dofollow, free to submit, and hand-reviewed so no link farms get in.
Because we review submissions ourselves, approvals are the fastest on this list — most quality tools go live within a day or two. See its full profile on the index.
- Best for: marketing tools, SaaS, and AI products wanting a fast, free dofollow listing
- Effort: ~5 minutes to submit
4–5. G2 and Capterra — DR 91, free
The two review giants. Their category pages rank on page one for almost every "best [category] software" query, so a listing is distribution even before the link value.
Both are free to list; both monetize via ads and buyer-intent data, not your listing.
- Best for: B2B buyer intent — being in the comparison set when people are choosing
- Tip: seed 5–10 honest reviews early; empty profiles convert nobody
6. Crunchbase — DR 91, free
The default database of record for companies. Investors, journalists, and AI search engines all pull from it — a complete Crunchbase profile is table stakes, and the link is dofollow.
- Best for: company legitimacy + a link that every data aggregator copies
7. Wellfound (AngelList) — DR 87, free
Startup profile, hiring page, and dofollow link in one. Even if you're not hiring yet, the profile ranks for your brand and signals you're a real company.
- Best for: startup-brand presence and future hiring
8–10. The dofollow launch platforms
Product Hunt's links are nofollow. These four give you the launch-day traffic and pass authority:
- Fazier — DR 82, paid. The highest-DR dofollow launch platform we track; daily launches with real engagement.
- Twelve Tools — DR 81, free. Curated tool showcase — free dofollow at DR 81 is rare.
- Peerlist — DR 76, free. Maker community with weekly launch leaderboards and genuine engagement.
- Extra picks: Uneed (DR 74, free) and TinyLaunch (DR 72, free) — both dofollow, both worth the five minutes.
How to work through this list
Do it in one afternoon, top to bottom:
- Prepare assets once — descriptions, logo, screenshots (the full playbook covers this)
- Submit to the six DR 87+ profiles first — they never expire
- Save the four launch platforms for your launch week so traffic and links land together
- Track each one with the status tracker on the index — several are hand-reviewed and take days to go live
Final take
Ten submissions, roughly one afternoon, and ten dofollow referring domains between DR 60 and DR 94 — free except one. There is no other white-hat channel where a brand-new startup gets that link profile that fast.
If your link building isn't moving, start here before buying anything.
Frequently asked questions
Are these directory links really dofollow?
Yes — each one was verified on a live listing, not taken from the directory’s marketing page. Link policies do change, which is why SEOmade re-checks and shows the current link type on every card.
What does DR mean and why does it matter here?
DR (Domain Rating) is Ahrefs’ 0–100 measure of a domain’s backlink authority. A dofollow link from a DR 90+ site passes far more authority than one from a DR 20 site.
Will 10 directory links raise my Domain Rating?
For a new domain, meaningfully yes — 10 referring domains at DR 72–94 typically carries a fresh site into the DR 10–20 range once indexed. See our DR growth guide for the full path.
Why isn’t Product Hunt on this list?
Product Hunt is DR 91 but its outbound links are nofollow. It’s still worth launching there for traffic — just don’t count it as a dofollow link source.
Are paid directory listings like Fazier worth it?
A paid listing on a DR 82 dofollow platform with real users can be worth it during launch week. Paying for low-traffic, low-DR directories almost never is.
How long until these links show up in Ahrefs?
Most get crawled within 1–3 weeks. DR movement follows after indexing, usually within 4–6 weeks of the batch going live.