A maintained list of 1,854 legitimate backlink sites: directories, profile creation sites, guest posting sites, launch platforms, registries and marketplaces. 1,532 are free or have a free tier, 44 usually give a dofollow link, and 772 have an estimated DA of 70 or more. Every row shows authority, link type, cost and effort, and links straight to the submit page.
The table is wider than the screen — swipe it sideways for cost, effort and the preparation notes.
| # | Impact (sorted) | Site — sort by this | Est. DA — sort by this | Link | Domain | Type | Cost | Effort — sort by this | Priority | Status | What to prepare | Rules / caveat | Checked | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 98 | Artifact Hub | 60 | Nofollow | artifacthub.io | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | Do first | Verified live | Create a valid Helm, OPA, Tekton or supported repository for an your tool deployment and add it through the control panel. | Repository metadata and ownership verification are required; maintain working artifacts and truthful security metadata. | 2026-08-03 | Open Artifact Hub submit page (new tab)Artifact Hub details |
| 2 | 98 | crates.io | 80 | Nofollow | crates.io | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | Do first | Live, conditional | Publish a genuine your tool Rust client, CLI, parser, or privacy library and set homepage, repository, README, license, and documentation metadata. | Conditional on useful compiling code. Published versions are permanent; GitHub login, verified email, and API token are required. | https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/publishing.html | Open crates.io submit page (new tab)crates.io details |
| 3 | 98 | Packagist | 75 | Nofollow | packagist.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | Do first | Live, conditional | Publish a real your tool PHP SDK or integration from a public repository and set the canonical homepage in composer.json. | Conditional on a functional Composer package with a unique vendor/name, public repository, valid metadata, and maintained releases. | https://packagist.org/about | Open Packagist submit page (new tab)Packagist details |
| 4 | 98 | PyPI | 90 | Nofollow | pypi.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | Do first | Live, conditional | Publish a real your tool Python SDK, CLI, or integration package and set Homepage, Documentation, Source, and Issues URLs in package metadata. | Conditional on maintaining a functional Python package; no placeholder packages, name squatting, or keyword stuffing. | https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/specifications/well-known-project-urls/ | Open PyPI submit page (new tab)PyPI details |
| 5 | 98 | RubyGems.org | 80 | Nofollow | rubygems.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | Do first | Live, conditional | Publish and maintain a genuine your tool Ruby client, CLI, or integration gem with accurate homepage, source, documentation, and changelog metadata. | Conditional on a working Ruby gem; package names are unique and public releases should be treated as permanent. | https://guides.rubygems.org/publishing/ | Open RubyGems.org submit page (new tab)RubyGems.org details |
| 6 | 95 | Read the Docs | 90 | Nofollow | readthedocs.org | Developer registries | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Do first | Verified live | Import public your tool developer documentation, add the build config and expose versioned, searchable docs with canonical project links. | Community hosting expects a public repository and genuine documentation; configure canonical URLs to avoid duplicate-content issues. | Official Read the Docs import guide checked 2026-07-30 | Open Read the Docs submit page (new tab)Read the Docs details |
| 7 | 86 | Ansible Galaxy | 80 | Nofollow | ansible.com | Developer registries | Free | Quick | High | Not submitted | Create a tested Ansible collection for supported your tool deployment or audit automation, complete galaxy.yml, version it, and publish with a Galaxy token. | Publish only maintained, useful collection content with accurate metadata and versioning; acceptance does not guarantee discovery, referrals, or followed links. | 2026-08-03 | Open Ansible Galaxy submit page (new tab)Ansible Galaxy details |
| 8 | 86 | GitHub | 95 | Nofollow | github.com | Developer registries | Free | Quick | High | Not submitted | Create org/repo README linking your tool; submit to relevant awesome lists. | Only publish original/clean licensed code; no fake stars. | 2026-07-30 | Open GitHub submit page (new tab)GitHub details |
| 9 | 86 | NuGet | 85 | Nofollow | nuget.org | Developer registries | Free | Quick | High | Verified live | Publish a real .NET library or CLI package with ProjectUrl, readme, repository and license metadata. | Requires a Microsoft account and API key; packages undergo validation and indexing. | Official Microsoft NuGet docs checked 2026-07-30 | Open NuGet submit page (new tab)NuGet details |
| 10 | 86 | PowerShell Gallery | 75 | Nofollow | powershellgallery.com | Developer registries | Free | Quick | High | Verified live | Publish a stable your tool module or script with ProjectURI, LicenseURI, tags, help and examples. | Requires an account and API key; pass PowerShell Gallery validation and avoid placeholder packages. | Official Microsoft publishing docs checked 2026-07-30 | Open PowerShell Gallery submit page (new tab)PowerShell Gallery details |
| 11 | 84 | Arch User Repository | 80 | Nofollow | aur.archlinux.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | High | Verified live | Create and maintain a PKGBUILD for an installable your tool Linux release with the upstream URL and correct source checksums. | No duplicates, placeholders or binary uploads; package must be useful, x86_64-compatible and maintained. | Official ArchWiki submission guide checked 2026-07-30 | Open Arch User Repository submit page (new tab)Arch User Repository details |
| 12 | 84 | Chocolatey Community Repository | 75 | Nofollow | community.chocolatey.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | High | Verified live | Package a genuine your tool Windows desktop or CLI release and set project, documentation and package-source URLs. | Automated checks and moderator review apply; prove redistribution rights and maintain install and uninstall behavior. | Official Chocolatey docs checked 2026-07-30 | Open Chocolatey Community Repository submit page (new tab)Chocolatey Community Repository details |
| 13 | 84 | Chocolatey Community Repository | 75 | Nofollow | chocolatey.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | High | Live, conditional | Ship a real your tool CLI or desktop utility as a tested package with homepage, project and support metadata. | Requires distributable software, legal rights, repeatable install/uninstall, tests, malware scan and moderation. | 2026-08-04 | Open Chocolatey Community Repository submit page (new tab)Chocolatey Community Repository details |
| 14 | 84 | CRAN | 90 | Nofollow | cran.r-project.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | High | Verified live | Submit a useful R package with URL and BugReports metadata pointing to its official project and documentation pages. | CRAN performs rigorous automated and manual review; packages must meet policy across supported platforms. | Official CRAN repository policy checked 2026-07-30 | Open CRAN submit page (new tab)CRAN details |
| 15 | 84 | Docker Hub | 90 | Nofollow | docker.com | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | High | Live, conditional | Publish a maintained your tool CLI or server image with source, documentation, descriptions and canonical homepage links. | Ship a scanned, reproducible and maintained image; public presence is not Docker verification and fair-use limits apply. | 2026-08-05 official Docker Hub repository and usage documentation | Open Docker Hub submit page (new tab)Docker Hub details |
| 16 | 84 | Drupal.org Projects | 90 | Nofollow | drupal.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | High | Verified live | Create a functional Drupal integration or reusable module and publish a maintained project page with documentation and official links. | Project must contain real Drupal-compatible code and follow security, licensing, naming and non-promotional rules. | Official Drupal project docs checked 2026-07-30 | Open Drupal.org Projects submit page (new tab)Drupal.org Projects details |
| 17 | 84 | npm | 95 | Nofollow | npmjs.com | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | High | Not submitted | Publish @your tool/embed or utility package with homepage. | Only after package exists; keep license clean. | 2026-07-30 | Open npm submit page (new tab)npm details |
| 18 | 84 | RubyGems.org | 80 | Nofollow | rubygems.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | High | Verified live | Package a legitimate your tool Ruby client or utility and add homepage and source metadata before pushing the gem. | Use a unique gem name, valid gemspec and maintained code; never publish a placeholder package. | Official RubyGems guide checked 2026-07-30 | Open RubyGems.org submit page (new tab)RubyGems.org details |
| 19 | 81 | Anaconda.org | 75 | Nofollow | anaconda.org | Developer registries | Free + paid tier | Moderate | High | Verified live | Build and upload a real conda package with homepage, documentation, source and license metadata. | Use anaconda-client and maintain valid packages; notebook and environment uploads are no longer supported. | Official Anaconda.org docs and current client page checked 2026-07-30 | Open Anaconda.org submit page (new tab)Anaconda.org details |
| 20 | 68 | Knowledge Commons / CORE | 70 | Nofollow | hcommons.org | Developer registries | Free | Quick | Medium | Verified live | Create a truthful scholarly profile and deposit an original privacy, accessibility, or digital-humanities paper or teaching resource with its related your tool URL. | Work must genuinely serve scholarship or pedagogy; upload only rights-cleared material, not sales copy. | 2026-08-05 — https://registry.hcommons.org/registry/co_petitions/start/coef%3A158 | Open Knowledge Commons / CORE submit page (new tab)Knowledge Commons / CORE details |
| 21 | 66 | arXiv | 95 | Nofollow | arxiv.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | Medium | Live, conditional | Submit an original your tool-related technical paper and cite your tool only where it is genuinely the software or study subject. | Requires scholarly content in an accepted category, author registration and sometimes endorsement; promotional papers are inappropriate. | https://info.arxiv.org/help/submit/index.html | Open arXiv submit page (new tab)arXiv details |
| 22 | 66 | HackMD | 75 | Nofollow | hackmd.io | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | Medium | Live, conditional | Create a substantive public tutorial or implementation note that uses your tool and includes a contextual source/product link. | Public notes must provide original useful content; avoid duplicated marketing copy and disclose affiliation where appropriate. | https://hackmd.io/c/tutorials/%2Fs%2Fhow-to-publish-note | Open HackMD submit page (new tab)HackMD details |
| 23 | 66 | Open Science Framework | 85 | Nofollow | osf.io | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | Medium | Live, conditional | Create a genuine your tool study, reproducibility project or benchmark workspace with project links and public materials. | Use only for bona fide research or open project materials; accurate contributors, licensing and non-promotional descriptions are expected. | https://help.osf.io/article/353-welcome-to-projects | Open Open Science Framework submit page (new tab)Open Science Framework details |
| 24 | 66 | Windows Package Manager | 95 | Nofollow | learn.microsoft.com | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | Medium | Verified live | Submit a validated manifest for an installable Windows release with PackageUrl, PublisherUrl and support metadata. | Official distribution is manifest and CLI-first, so web backlink visibility is limited; automated and manual safety review applies. | Official Microsoft WinGet docs checked 2026-07-30 | Open Windows Package Manager submit page (new tab)Windows Package Manager details |
| 25 | 48 | Docker Hub | 95 | Nofollow | hub.docker.com | Developer registries | Free | Quick | Later | Not submitted | Publish open-source helper image only if useful. | Only if real image exists; avoid empty backlink repo. | 2026-07-30 | Open Docker Hub submit page (new tab)Docker Hub details |
| 26 | 46 | Elm Packages | 60 | Nofollow | package.elm-lang.org | Developer registries | Free | Moderate | Later | Needs checking | Publish an Elm package with docs and a repository link. | Semver is enforced and docs are required. | Added 2026-11-01 | Open Elm Packages submit page (new tab)Elm Packages details |
Four steps that work for a new site, a SaaS or a side project. No paid link packages, nothing that risks a penalty.
Before submitting anywhere, have a one-line description, a 150-word description, a square logo and two or three screenshots ready. Every form asks for some mix of these.
Start with the free, quick rows: profile creation sites and free directories. They are one form each and build the entity signals search engines use to understand who you are.
Then pick a handful of high DA and dofollow sites that fit your niche, and write proper guest posts or launch posts for them. Ten relevant links beat a hundred random ones.
Note where you submitted and when. Recheck after a month, update stale descriptions, and never pay for bulk link packages: they put the whole site at risk.
Behind the list
Every row here starts as a line in a sheet, gets normalised into one of 16 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.
Publications that accept contributed articles. Slow and editorial, but the links are earned.
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.