High authority SaaS directories, in short
Rated 70 and above. These are harder to get into, slower to approve, and worth more when they accept you. Submit to them first, because the queue is the long part and everything else can be done while you wait.
High authority backlinks, defined
Domain rating is a third-party score from 0 to 100 estimating the strength of a site's backlink profile. It is logarithmic, so the gap between 70 and 80 is much larger than the gap between 30 and 40, and it says nothing at all about traffic, relevance or whether your listing will ever be seen. This page filters to everything rated 70 and above.
Different tools produce different numbers for the same site: domain rating, domain authority and authority score are separate metrics from separate vendors that happen to look alike. Comparing a figure from one against a threshold from another is a common and entirely avoidable mistake.
By the numbers
These 26 directories have a median rating of DR 76. The strongest is Product Hunt at DR 91, the weakest at DR 70. 10 of them accept a submission for nothing, and 4 charge for every listing. 13 pass a dofollow link.
That is 18 points above the median for the full list of 175 directories, which sits at DR 58. By band that is 9 rated 80 or above and 17 rated 60 to 79. 7 of them have no traffic estimate at all, which usually means too little to measure rather than none.
What a listing actually gets you
A listing on a maintained SaaS directory gives you a comparison page you do not control but do benefit from, and those pages rank for exactly the queries a buyer types near the end of their decision. It also gives you a citation that review sites, analyst pages and language models pick up when they assemble software shortlists.
The secondary value is diagnostic. Directories that let visitors compare you against competitors will show you, often for the first time, how your pricing actually reads next to theirs. Several founders change their pricing page after seeing it in that context.
Submitting without wasting the evening
Have the boring things ready before you submit: a pricing page with real numbers, a trial or demo that works without a sales call, and a one-line description that survives being read out of context. Most SaaS directories copy your meta description straight into the listing, so fix that first and half the work is already done. Prepare a square logo on a transparent background and one screenshot of the product doing its job, not a dashboard full of placeholder data.
Common mistakes
Chasing the rating and ignoring the fit, which produces links from strong sites in categories nobody browses. Comparing scores across different SEO tools as though they were the same metric. And assuming a high rating means the page your listing sits on will be indexed, which is a separate question and frequently not the case.
Where to start
By audience size, the biggest here are There's An AI For That, Product Hunt and AlternativeTo, led by 5M visits a month. The highest-rated one you can use without paying is Product Hunt at DR 91. 9 approve quickly, Indie Hackers, Findly.tools and AlternativeTo among them.
Questions people ask
How many are there, and what do they cost?
26 directories match on this page. 10 take a submission for nothing, 12 run a free tier with paid upgrades, and 1 charge for every listing.
Which should I submit to first?
By rating, Product Hunt (DR 91), AppSumo (DR 83) and F6S (DR 83). By audience, There's An AI For That is the largest at 5M visits a month. Relevance beats both: a directory that actually covers what you built will do more than a stronger one that does not.
What is a good domain rating for a backlink?
Above 50 is generally considered solid and above 70 strong, but the thresholds matter less than relevance. A rating of 50 in your exact category beats an 80 in a general one.
What are some high-authority sites for backlinks?
Among the directories here, the strongest are SourceForge, DEV Community, Hacker News and Product Hunt, all rated 91 or above and all free to submit to. The table lets you sort by rating to see the rest.
How much does a high-authority backlink cost?
On this list, frequently nothing. The four highest-rated entries accept free submissions. Where sites do charge, the fee reflects their placement and audience rather than the rating itself.
Does a high rating guarantee a good link?
No. Rating measures the site's backlink profile, not whether your listing will be seen or whether the page it sits on will ever be indexed.
What is a SaaS directory?
An index of subscription software, organised so a buyer can compare several options against each other. Most include pricing, categories and integrations; the better ones add verified reviews and keep the entries current.
Are SaaS directories worth it for B2B?
Usually more than for consumer tools. B2B buyers research through comparison pages, and a directory listing puts you in that comparison at the point where the decision is being made rather than at the top of the funnel.
Do I need reviews before submitting?
No, but a listing with no reviews on a directory that shows them will sit below ones that have them. If the directory supports reviews, line up three or four customers to leave one in the week after your listing goes live.
Every figure quoted above is read off the table on this page, so it moves as the list does. Domain rating and traffic are third-party estimates captured in September 2026: useful for ordering a shortlist, not precise figures.