DR4 study · Data from November 6, 2026

Startup directories took the biggest hit from DR4

Ahrefs is rolling out a new Domain Rating on December 1. We compared 734 directories on the current model and on DR4, using scores from the same day. Most fall, but not evenly. Directories built for founders fall hardest, while press sites, review sites and communities barely move.

63%
of directories score lower on DR4 (465 of 734)
188
lost 20 points or more
−22
median change for SaaS and tool directories
355 → 269
directories at DR 50 or above

Domain Rating by Ahrefs

Directories for founders fall the most

The median SaaS or tool directory loses 22 points, and 56% of them lose 20 or more. Launch boards follow at −15. Press sites, review sites and communities hold steady.

Median score change from current DR to DR4, by type of site
TypeMedian changeSites
SaaS and tool directories −22 107
Launch boards −15 118
AI tool directories −9 127
General web directories −3 159
Design showcases 0 34
Developer communities 0 14
Review sites 0 22
Communities +1 46
Press and media +1 49

The middle gets hollowed out

Directories at DR 80 or above barely change. The biggest shift is in the DR 40–59 band, where the median site loses 16 points and 45% lose at least 20. Directories scoring under 10 jump from 44 to 186, while those at DR 50 or above fall from 355 to 269.

Number of directories in each score band Current DRDR4
DR 0–9: 44 on current DR, 186 on DR4 0–9 DR 10–19: 74 on current DR, 66 on DR4 10–19 DR 20–29: 73 on current DR, 78 on DR4 20–29 DR 30–39: 86 on current DR, 90 on DR4 30–39 DR 40–49: 102 on current DR, 45 on DR4 40–49 DR 50–59: 90 on current DR, 46 on DR4 50–59 DR 60–69: 65 on current DR, 53 on DR4 60–69 DR 70–79: 101 on current DR, 70 on DR4 70–79 DR 80–89: 56 on current DR, 50 on DR4 80–89 DR 90–100: 43 on current DR, 50 on DR4 90–100
See the numbers
ScoreCurrent DRDR4
0–944186
10–197466
20–297378
30–398690
40–4910245
50–599046
60–696553
70–7910170
80–895650
90–1004350
Starting scoreSitesMedian changeLost 20+
DR 80–10099+14%
DR 60–79166−327%
DR 40–59192−1645%
DR 20–39159−934%
DR 0–19118−60%

Dofollow directories fall further

Directories that give a dofollow link have a median change of −9, and 32% lose 20 or more. Nofollow sites sit at 0, with 10% losing that much. A dofollow link was never the whole story, and DR4 makes that plainer. This only shows who fell, not why.

Subdomains lose their borrowed score

DR4 rates a subdomain on its own links instead of passing down the parent's score. 21 of the 22 directories on a subdomain score lower, with a median change of −31. If a directory lives on a subdomain, check its own score before you count on the link.

What we expected and did not find

Ahrefs says DR4 gives more weight to links from sites with organic traffic, so we expected directories with real traffic to hold up better. They did not. Directories in our traffic data have a median change of −1, and those without traffic data sit at 0. That does not contradict Ahrefs: the model looks at the sites linking to you, and our figure measures the directory itself. A directory's own traffic is no shortcut for judging its score.

Biggest moves

Among directories scoring at least 30 on either model. A big move does not mean a site did anything wrong, and it says nothing about why. DR4 is a preview, so these can change.

Domain Rating by Ahrefs

What this means if you are launching

  • Check the DR4 score, not the old one. A directory advertising a high DR may be about to lose much of it.
  • Go for fit before score. Press, review sites and real communities held up, and their readers can become customers.
  • Do not pay for a number. Wait for a site's score to settle before you buy a listing for its DR.
Check your DR4 score See which directories fit your site

How we did this

We started from the 1,001 listings on SEOmade. 734 are directories on their own domain and 22 sit on a subdomain, and we report those separately. We left out listings that are a page on someone else's site, such as a subreddit or LinkedIn group, because they share their host's score. Both scores come from the Ahrefs free Domain Rating API on November 6, 2026, using the default model and the version=dr4 preview. Changes are medians, because a few extreme sites would distort an average. Groups with fewer than 14 sites are not charted. Site types are SEOmade's own research labels, and traffic data covers only part of the list.

DR4 is a preview and may change before it rolls out. We publish SEOmade, which lists these directories, so read this with that in mind. This report is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ahrefs. Read Ahrefs' announcement.

Domain Rating by Ahrefs