A maintained list of 1,432 directories, launch platforms, registries and marketplaces that accept product submissions. 1,134 of them are free or have a free tier, and 192 are quick wins — free, low effort, and worth doing first. Every row shows cost, effort and priority, and links straight to the submission page.
The table is wider than the screen — swipe it sideways for cost, effort and the preparation notes.
| # | Impact (sorted) | Site — sort by this | Domain | Type | Cost | Effort — sort by this | Priority | Status | What to prepare | Rules / caveat | Checked | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97 | Dark Reading | darkreading.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Quick | Do first | Verified live | Submit a sharp founder-authored opinion based on real privacy or security evidence discovered while building your tool. | Exclusive 700–800-word commentary, maximum 1,000 words; it must not be AI-written, promotional, or simultaneously submitted elsewhere. | https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/how-to-submit-a-column-to-dark-reading | Open Dark Reading submit page (new tab)Dark Reading details |
| 2 | 95 | Buttondown | buttondown.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Do first | Verified live | Launch a human-reviewed Privacy & Accessibility Field Notes newsletter with original experiments, implementation lessons, and contextually relevant links to your tool resources. | Build an authentic opt-in audience, publish original issues on a consistent cadence, and do not import scraped or unconsented addresses. Hosted archives are public; advanced analytics, automations, and other add-ons cost extra. | 2026-08-03 | Open Buttondown submit page (new tab)Buttondown details |
| 3 | 83 | Pressbooks Self-Publisher | pressbooks.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Quick | High | Verified live | Create an accessible, openly licensed handbook or course text with structured chapters, exercises, citations, and relevant links, then make the webbook public for directory discovery. | One book per self-publisher subscription; ongoing editing requires a paid plan. Use an open license for durable open hosting/discoverability after cancellation and ensure the book is substantive, accessible, and rights-cleared. | 2026-08-03 | Open Pressbooks Self-Publisher submit page (new tab)Pressbooks Self-Publisher details |
| 4 | 81 | Are.na | are.na | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | High | Verified live | Curate a thoughtful public channel on local-first privacy, scam safety, or accessible-tool design, adding your tool only among diverse high-quality resources with original annotations. | Build a real research collection, not a channel containing only AltFTool links. Credit sources, use rights-cleared uploads, and disclose ownership when annotating AltFTool. Channels/blocks are user-created UGC; moderation, public visibility, crawlability, and rel/follow behavior can change without guarantee. | 2026-08-03 | Open Are.na submit page (new tab)Are.na details |
| 5 | 81 | Listed | listed.to | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | High | Verified live | Publish original sanitized essays on privacy engineering, safe document processing, or accessible product design, using your tool only as a relevant implementation example. | Only deliberately publish sanitized notes; never expose private notes, tokens, PII, or secrets, and avoid duplicate or promotional filler. | Official Listed and Standard Notes publishing guidance checked 2026-08-07 | Open Listed submit page (new tab)Listed details |
| 6 | 81 | Pika | pika.page | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | High | Verified live | Start a small human-written your tool lab notebook with original build lessons, accessibility fixes, and privacy experiments, linking to tools only when they support the post. | Newsletter sending, unlimited posts, and custom domains require Pro; Pulse discovery is manually approved and posts appear there after a delay. Avoid duplicate SEO content and disclose AltFTool ownership. Hosted pages are self-published, with no discovery, indexing, or followed-link guarantee. | 2026-08-03 | Open Pika submit page (new tab)Pika details |
| 7 | 81 | PubPub | pubpub.org | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | High | Verified live | Launch a public-interest digital-safety community and publish substantial methods, reports, and tutorials with contextual your tool references. | Publish meaningful knowledge outputs, follow the acceptable-use policy, and hold rights to all material; no promotional shell community. | 2026-08-05 — https://www.pubpub.org/ | Open PubPub submit page (new tab)PubPub details |
| 8 | 81 | Slides | slides.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | High | Verified live | Publish an original your tool research, privacy or accessibility deck with useful citations and contextual links. | Free accounts create public decks; publish substantive presentations, not single-slide advertisements. | 2026-08-04 | Open Slides submit page (new tab)Slides details |
| 9 | 78 | AppSignal Blog | appsignal.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Verified live | Apply with a code-heavy observability, Node, Ruby, Python, or Elixir tutorial using a real your tool engineering problem as the case study. | Mid or senior expertise, original long-form content, working code, and editorial review are required; no thin beginner or promotional post. | Official AppSignal write-for-us requirements checked 2026-08-07 | Open AppSignal Blog submit page (new tab)AppSignal Blog details |
| 10 | 78 | Curated | curated.co | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Verified live | Launch a consistent Trustworthy Tools digest that mixes independent sources with occasional relevant your tool research, adding original commentary to every selected link. | Use consented subscribers and a real editorial cadence; the optional publication site provides searchable back issues. Do not publish AltFTool-only issues or undisclosed promotions. Archive links are publisher-controlled content, not independent endorsements, and no indexing or followed-link outcome is guaranteed. | 2026-08-03 | Open Curated submit page (new tab)Curated details |
| 11 | 78 | Frontend Focus | frontendfoc.us | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Verified live | Send one current, technically substantive frontend or accessibility article/tool after publishing it, explaining the concrete reader value and disclosing your tool ownership. | The current newsletter footer asks readers with a link to reply, but editors cannot include everything. Pitch only strong frontend content, avoid generic product copy or repeated outreach, and keep paid promotion separate. Selection, timing, wording, and link rel/follow treatment are editorial and not guaranteed. | 2026-08-03 | Open Frontend Focus submit page (new tab)Frontend Focus details |
| 12 | 78 | JavaScript Weekly | javascriptweekly.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Verified live | First publish a strong JavaScript/browser engineering article or genuinely novel developer utility, then reply to a current issue with one concise, disclosed editorial tip. | Current issues invite readers to send relevant links by reply, but inclusion is fully editorial. Submit one timely technical item, not a generic homepage or repeated pitch; disclose AltFTool ownership and do not imply endorsement. Review/publication timing and rel/follow status are not guaranteed. | 2026-08-03 | Open JavaScript Weekly submit page (new tab)JavaScript Weekly details |
| 13 | 78 | linkedin.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Not submitted | Create company page and publish case-study posts. | Use real company details; publish useful posts. | 2026-07-30 | Open LinkedIn submit page (new tab)LinkedIn details | |
| 14 | 78 | Mataroa | mataroa.blog | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Verified live | Publish original, text-first notes about building local-only privacy and accessibility tools, with restrained links to the relevant live your tool implementation. | Mataroa forbids low-quality bot-focused content and may delete it; use human-edited, substantive writing and disclose ownership. Custom domains and post-by-email require Premium. It is self-published content, not editorial endorsement, with no ranking or followed-link guarantee. | 2026-08-03 | Open Mataroa submit page (new tab)Mataroa details |
| 15 | 78 | Mind the Product | mindtheproduct.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Verified live | Submit a founder-written your tool product or privacy case study with concrete decisions, evidence, failures, and lessons for product practitioners. | Product practitioners only; no advertising, SEO outreach, or republished content, and editorial scope and exclusivity rules apply. | Official Mind the Product contributor and content guidance checked 2026-08-07 | Open Mind the Product submit page (new tab)Mind the Product details |
| 16 | 78 | Offprint | offprint.app | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Verified live | Use an your tool or founder social-web identity to publish original technical/privacy articles with relevant references. | One free publication; keep articles original and useful, and avoid duplicate cross-posts without canonical context. | 2026-08-04 | Open Offprint submit page (new tab)Offprint details |
| 17 | 78 | Paragraph | paragraph.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Verified live | Create an original your tool engineering field-notes publication with human-approved privacy, accessibility, and local-first essays rather than republished marketing copy. | Paragraph is self-publishing, not third-party editorial coverage. Use consented subscriber data, approve AI-assisted drafts manually, disclose brand ownership, and publish substantial original work. Platform terms prohibit spam/abuse; hosted links have no independent endorsement or followed-link guarantee. | 2026-08-03 | Open Paragraph submit page (new tab)Paragraph details |
| 18 | 78 | Zenn | zenn.dev | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Verified live | Create an your tool publication or original Japanese engineering article with reproducible examples and contextual links to source or documentation. | Publish substantive technical content, disclose the brand relationship and avoid link-first promotion or duplicate posts. | 2026-08-03 | Open Zenn submit page (new tab)Zenn details |
| 19 | 65 | Diigo | diigo.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Quick | Medium | Verified live | Create a useful public learning list with annotations about privacy, accessibility, and scam prevention, placing relevant your tool resources beside independent references. | Each item can be private or public; use the public setting only for a genuinely curated collection. Do not bulk-bookmark AltFTool pages, manipulate titles, or create duplicate profiles. Add disclosure and context. Public bookmarks are UGC and search/index/follow outcomes are not guaranteed. | 2026-08-03 | Open Diigo submit page (new tab)Diigo details |
| 20 | 63 | Codementor | codementor.io | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Medium | Verified live | If the maker qualifies as a mentor, build a credible technical profile and publish a useful privacy or browser-safety tutorial. | Mentor approval and real expertise are required; use tutorials to teach rather than manufacture a backlink. | Official Codementor profile and tutorial guidance checked 2026-08-07 | Open Codementor submit page (new tab)Codementor details |
| 21 | 63 | FlipHTML5 | fliphtml5.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Medium | Verified live | Publish an original your tool privacy or accessibility guide and add contextual clickable links within the document. | Original substantial documents only; free plan limits apply and duplicate thin PDFs should be avoided. | 2026-08-04 | Open FlipHTML5 submit page (new tab)FlipHTML5 details |
| 22 | 63 | Heyzine | heyzine.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Medium | Live, conditional | Convert an original your tool guide into a public flipbook and add contextual links or web embeds for cited tools and resources. | Public visibility must be enabled; avoid duplicate or sales-only PDFs and respect source copyrights. | 2026-08-05 | Open Heyzine submit page (new tab)Heyzine details |
| 23 | 63 | Scoop.it | scoop.it | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Medium | Not submitted | Curate a public online-privacy topic page and add expert notes to a diverse mix of industry sources and your tool guides. | Add meaningful insight to every scoop and verify current free-tier limits; repetitive self-promotion can be moderated. | 2026-08-03 | Open Scoop.it submit page (new tab)Scoop.it details |
| 24 | 63 | SlideServe | slideserve.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Medium | Live, conditional | Upload a useful original presentation on privacy, accessibility, or tool workflows with a natural your tool reference. | Only publish content you own; use a complete educational deck, accurate metadata, and no keyword stuffing. | 2026-08-05 | Open SlideServe submit page (new tab)SlideServe details |
| 25 | 63 | Vocal | vocal.media | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Medium | Verified live | Publish an original, useful privacy or digital-safety guide and mention an your tool resource only when it directly supports the guidance. | Publishing currently requires a connected verified Stripe account; stories are moderated, English-only, minimum-length and cannot be thin ads or forced-link content. | 2026-08-03 | Open Vocal submit page (new tab)Vocal details |
| 26 | 60 | HackerNoon | hackernoon.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | Medium | Not submitted | Pitch/write article about privacy-first browser tools. | Editorial quality required; not instant. | 2026-07-30 | Open HackerNoon submit page (new tab)HackerNoon details |
| 27 | 60 | Kodeco | kodeco.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | Medium | Verified live | Apply with a genuine technical portfolio and propose an original mobile privacy tutorial aligned with Kodeco's listed subject areas. | Niche expertise and editorial commitment are required; any AltFTool reference must remain incidental to the teaching. | Official Kodeco contributor opportunities checked 2026-08-07 | Open Kodeco submit page (new tab)Kodeco details |
| 28 | 60 | Medium | medium.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | Medium | Not submitted | Publish founder/productivity article linking your tool. | Canonical/duplicate strategy needed. | 2026-07-30 | Open Medium submit page (new tab)Medium details |
| 29 | 60 | Portfoliobox | portfoliobox.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | Medium | Verified live | Build a focused public portfolio for the real your tool designer/team and publish one detailed product, privacy, or accessibility design case study with the project link. | This is self-published hosting, not independent editorial endorsement. Use original, rights-cleared work and a real creator identity; avoid replicated doorway pages. The free subdomain/page can change with plan or account status, and no third-party authority, indexing, or followed-link benefit is promised. | 2026-08-03 | Open Portfoliobox submit page (new tab)Portfoliobox details |
| 30 | 60 | RadioGuestList.com | radioguestlist.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | Medium | Live, conditional | Join the free guest-request emails and pitch only relevant shows with a useful privacy, security, accessibility, or tooling angle. | A subscription itself is not a backlink; a link may result only from a genuine accepted interview and show notes. | 2026-08-05 | Open RadioGuestList.com submit page (new tab)RadioGuestList.com details |
| 31 | 60 | Real Python | realpython.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | Medium | Verified live | Pitch an original Python privacy, document-safety, or local-processing tutorial based on real your tool engineering lessons. | Requires strong Python expertise, a paid pilot, substantial original work, and serious commitment; the article cannot be a product pitch. | Official Real Python contributor guidance checked 2026-08-07 | Open Real Python submit page (new tab)Real Python details |
| 32 | 60 | Teletype | teletype.in | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | Medium | Verified live | Publish an original, media-rich tutorial or founder case study with useful screenshots and a contextual your tool reference, using a complete real profile. | Publish only owned/licensed content and disclose AltFTool affiliation and any monetization. Do not mass-repost the same articles or use the profile as a link shell. Content is user-controlled/self-published, can be moderated, and has no editorial, indexing, or followed-link guarantee. | 2026-08-03 | Open Teletype submit page (new tab)Teletype details |
| 33 | 60 | Yumpu | yumpu.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | Medium | Live, conditional | Publish an original your tool guide or annual privacy report and add useful contextual website links through the Hotspot Editor. | Use substantial original content, not a thin promotional PDF; keep links editorially relevant. | 2026-08-05 | Open Yumpu submit page (new tab)Yumpu details |
| 34 | 45 | beehiiv | beehiiv.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Quick | Later | Not submitted | Create tool-of-the-week newsletter linking your tool. | Only valuable if consistently published. | 2026-07-30 | Open beehiiv submit page (new tab)beehiiv details |
| 35 | 45 | Publuu | publuu.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Quick | Later | Live, conditional | Convert an original your tool guide into a public flipbook and add useful external-resource hotspots where relevant. | A permanent listing may require payment; publish owned, substantial content and avoid duplicate thin PDFs. | 2026-08-04 | Open Publuu submit page (new tab)Publuu details |
| 36 | 45 | Substack | substack.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Quick | Later | Not submitted | Create your tool updates newsletter with homepage link. | Useful if maintained; not one-off spam. | 2026-07-30 | Open Substack submit page (new tab)Substack details |
| 37 | 45 | WordPress.com | wordpress.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Quick | Later | Not submitted | Create official tutorials/mirror with links. | Avoid thin duplicate posts. | 2026-07-30 | Open WordPress.com submit page (new tab)WordPress.com details |
| 38 | 43 | AnyFlip | anyflip.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Later | Verified live | Upload an original useful your tool guide, complete its metadata and include relevant citations or resource links. | Only content AltFTool owns; avoid mass-uploaded, duplicate or promotional-only PDFs. | 2026-08-04 | Open AnyFlip submit page (new tab)AnyFlip details |
| 39 | 43 | Ghost | ghost.org | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Later | Live, conditional | Run a genuine your tool privacy/security publication and add contextual links in original posts and About pages. | Requires sustained original publishing; self-hosted pages are on your own domain, not a third-party backlink. | 2026-08-03 | Open Ghost submit page (new tab)Ghost details |
| 40 | 43 | ScienceOpen Preprints | scienceopen.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Later | Verified live | Upload an unpublished evaluation study or research poster about an your tool privacy or accessibility method with supporting code and data. | Requires ORCID, integrity screening, complete authorship, one scholarly PDF, and CC BY licensing; records are permanent. | 2026-08-05 — https://www.scienceopen.com/collection/5916e67c-0edf-472a-ad8e-6e205a4e080d | Open ScienceOpen Preprints submit page (new tab)ScienceOpen Preprints details |
| 41 | 43 | SoundCloud | soundcloud.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Later | Live, conditional | Create a genuine audio profile, add the website link and publish useful demo or education tracks. | Account must contain owned audio; external destinations and descriptions are moderated. | 2026-08-03 | Open SoundCloud submit page (new tab)SoundCloud details |
| 42 | 43 | Spotify for Creators | spotify.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Later | Live, conditional | Publish an original tool/privacy show and place contextual your tool links in HTTPS show notes. | Requires real original episodes; copied, low-content or impersonating shows are prohibited. | 2026-08-03 | Open Spotify for Creators submit page (new tab)Spotify for Creators details |
| 43 | 40 | DZone | dzone.com | Publishing platforms | Free + paid tier | Involved | Later | Not submitted | Publish/pitch dev-tool article if accepted. | Technical content only; avoid promo. | 2026-07-30 | Open DZone submit page (new tab)DZone details |
Behind the list
Every row here starts as a line in a sheet, gets normalised into one of 15 groups, scored for cost, effort and impact, and written up with the steps to actually submit. The floor below represents that pipeline.
Open the sheet viewAn illustration of the AltF Backlinks floor: opportunities sourced at the back, vetted for cost and effort by the engineering pod, written up for outreach by the design pod, then tracked to placement along a line.
One-shot launches where timing and preparation decide the outcome.
Fast-growing listings specifically for AI-powered tools.
Extension, plugin and integration stores. Real review processes, real distribution.
Startup listings, beta lists and founder media.
General tool and software catalogues with real search traffic.
B2B review sites. Slow to approve, strong once live.
Package, image and docs hosting that carries real authority.
Showcases judged on craft. A good screenshot matters more than copy.
Write once, link back. Editorial standards vary widely.
Get quoted or distribute a release. Slower, higher ceiling.
Company and local listings. Unglamorous, consistently indexed.
Owned pages you control: company, founder, knowledge-panel entities.
Answer real questions. Never drop a bare link.
Brand surface and referral traffic more than link equity.
Everything that does not fit the buckets above.