# Best AI Tool Directories for Backlinks (Checked Oct 2026) Source: https://freeaidirectories.com/best-ai-directories-for-backlinks Where to submit an AI tool if you want a backlink that counts: the free directories that give a dofollow link, ranked by domain rating. Every one was checked live in the last 30 days. - **How the list is picked:** a fixed rule, not our opinion. Live, dofollow confirmed, free to submit, then sorted by domain rating. - **Start at the top.** The highest-DR directories are worth more than a long tail of small ones, so submit to these first. - **Two kinds of free:** most are free outright. A few are free only if you add their badge to your site. Those are marked "Free, badge". - **Not on here:** paid-only directories, nofollow sites like Product Hunt, anything we couldn't check, and our own sites. - **Want them all?** The full list is free with an account. Or we submit for you. 483 directories in our full list. The top 25 by DR are shown here, most recent live check 21 October 2026. ## The top 25, ranked by domain rating All of these accept AI tools, give a dofollow link to your site, and are free to submit to. AI-specific directories put you in front of people looking for AI tools. Launch platforms bring a burst of attention on launch day. General software sites often have the highest DR, and they're worth a listing too. | # | Directory | Best for | DR | Link | Price | Type | Last checked | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | aitools.neilpatel.com | | 91 | dofollow | Free | AI-specific | 21 Oct 2026 | | 2 | wellfound.com | | 87 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 3 | financesonline.com | | 87 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 4 | trustmary.com | | 84 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 5 | fazier.com | | 84 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 6 | twelve.tools | | 83 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 7 | dang.ai | | 83 | dofollow | Free | AI-specific | 21 Oct 2026 | | 8 | turbo0.com | | 81 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 9 | wired.business | | 79 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 10 | toolpilot.ai | | 79 | dofollow | Free | AI-specific | 21 Oct 2026 | | 11 | toolfame.com | | 76 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 12 | aiagentsdirectory.com | | 75 | dofollow | Free | AI-specific | 21 Oct 2026 | | 13 | startupfa.st | | 74 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 14 | neeed.directory | | 74 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 15 | freewebsubmission.com | | 74 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 16 | activesearchresults.com | | 74 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 17 | foundrlist.com | | 73 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 18 | viesearch.com | | 72 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 19 | saasfame.com | | 72 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 20 | pitchwall.co | | 72 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 21 | peerpush.net | | 72 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 22 | deeplaunch.io | | 72 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 23 | whatlaunched.today | | 71 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 24 | uno.directory | | 71 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | | 25 | sidebar.io | | 71 | dofollow | Free | General software | 21 Oct 2026 | DR from Ahrefs, synced automatically. Dofollow confirmed on a live listing, not copied from another list. If a directory fails its next check, it drops off this table. [See all 483, free](https://freeaidirectories.com/#free-list): The full list, with submit links, DR, dofollow or nofollow, and free or paid. Free account, no credit card. ## How we pick these One rule, applied by the database, the same for every directory. We don't hand-pick, and no directory can pay to be on this page. 1. **Live.** The site loads and its submit page works, checked in the last 30 days. 2. **Dofollow, confirmed.** We looked at a live listing and checked the link to the tool's own website. Plenty of older lists still mark sites as dofollow years after they switched. 3. **Free to submit.** Including the few that ask for their badge on your site, which we mark. Paid-only directories are in the full list, with the price. 4. **Sorted by domain rating.** Highest first. Ties go to the most recently checked. We leave out our own sites, AI Tool Seekers and Local Citation Services, so we can't rank ourselves. ## What's not on this list, and why - **Product Hunt and other nofollow sites.** Still worth a launch for traffic and attention. They just don't pass a dofollow link, so they don't meet this page's rule. They're in the full list, marked nofollow. - **Paid-only directories.** Some are worth the money, many aren't. That's a case-by-case call, so they're in the full list with the price shown. - **Sites we couldn't check.** Some directories block automated checks. We don't count those as live until a person confirms them. - **Dead and parked directories.** Directories that go offline or stop accepting tools drop off. Lists compiled in 2023 and never pruned are full of them. ## What to prepare before you submit Every directory asks for the same things in a different order. Get these ready once and each form takes minutes. - **Tagline:** One line, under 60 characters. What the tool does, not how good it is. - **Short description:** Under 160 characters. Many forms cut off anything longer. - **Long description:** 300 to 500 characters: who it's for, what it does, what makes it different. - **Categories and tags:** Pick the most specific category the directory offers. "AI writing for legal" beats "Productivity". - **Logo:** Square, at least 256 by 256 pixels, readable at small sizes. - **Screenshots:** Two or three of the product actually working, not the marketing homepage. - **Pricing page:** Public and current. Several directories ask for pricing, and some reject tools that hide it. - **A link to track:** Your homepage URL with a UTM tag per directory, so you can see which listings send visitors. ## How to use this list ### 1. Work down from the top Submit to the highest-DR directories first, carefully, with your best assets. These are the ones where a rejection costs the most. ### 2. Reword your description for each directory Identical copy across dozens of sites adds little, and some directories reject text they find elsewhere. Keep the facts the same and change the wording. ### 3. Decide on badges before you start Some directories give the free listing only if you add their badge or a link to their site. That's a fair trade for a strong directory and a poor one for a weak one. Decide your rule once, so you're not deciding on every form. ### 4. Keep a record Note where you submitted, when, and the status. Past 20 directories you'll lose track, and submitting twice to the same site reads as spam on their side. Check back after a few weeks: some listings go live without telling you, and some never do. ## Do directory listings help you show up in ChatGPT and AI search? Probably a little, and nobody can honestly promise more. AI assistants that search the web draw on pages that describe tools, and directory listings are some of those pages. A consistent description of your tool across many live listings gives them more to find and repeat. What we don't know is how much weight any single directory carries, and anyone claiming a precise effect is guessing. Treat AI search as a side benefit of good listings, not the reason to buy them. ## Should you do this yourself or pay a service? If you have a day or two and the list, do it yourself. Start with this top 25. Pay a service when your time is worth more than the fee, or when you want 80 or more directories done properly with proof of each one. If you do pay, check three things: that they show the list before you buy, that they submit by hand, and that they send proof of each listing. We compared ten services, including ours, in [our directory submission services guide](https://freeaidirectories.com/guides/best-directory-submission-services). ## Related - [The free AI directories list](https://freeaidirectories.com/): All 483 directories, with submit links, free with an account. - [Dofollow directories](https://freeaidirectories.com/directories/dofollow): How we check link status, and how to check it yourself. - [High-DR directories](https://freeaidirectories.com/directories/high-dr): The strongest sites that accept AI tools, including general ones. - [Submission services compared](https://freeaidirectories.com/guides/best-directory-submission-services): Ten services scored on one public rubric, us included. ## Frequently asked questions ### Are AI directory backlinks still worth it? Yes, as one part of a link profile. A dofollow listing on a live, indexed directory passes some authority and gives search engines and AI assistants another page that names your tool. One listing rarely moves rankings on its own. The value comes from many relevant listings over time. ### Why is Product Hunt not on this list? This list only includes directories where we confirmed a dofollow link on a live listing. Product Hunt is worth launching on for traffic and visibility, but its links to your site are nofollow, so it doesn't meet the rule for this page. ### How long does directory approval take? Anything from minutes to months. Some directories publish instantly, many review by hand within one to two weeks, and the busiest ones keep a free queue of several weeks while selling a faster paid slot. ### How many directories should I submit to? Start with the top 25 on this page. After that, add directories that fit your category or audience rather than chasing a big number. A few hundred weak listings do less than a few dozen strong, relevant ones. ### What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow? A dofollow link passes authority from the directory to your site. A nofollow link tells search engines not to, though Google treats it as a hint. Nofollow listings can still send visitors. This page only lists dofollow ones. ### How often is this list updated? Every directory shown was checked live within the last 30 days, and each row shows its own check date. If a directory fails a check, it drops off the list automatically. ### Is this list neutral? You sell directory submissions. We do sell submissions, so read it with that in mind. The ranking follows a fixed rule (live, dofollow, free, then sorted by domain rating), and our own sites are excluded so we can't rank ourselves. We submit your tool by hand to directories like these and send proof of every listing. Plans from $99 for 80 directories: [see plans](https://freeaidirectories.com/#pricing). Updated: 2026-10-21