Free backlink sites list: 1,964 places to get a link
A maintained list of 1,964 legitimate backlink sites: directories, profile creation sites, guest posting sites, launch platforms, registries and marketplaces. 1,628 are free or have a free tier, 44 usually give a dofollow link, and 781 have an estimated DA of 70 or more. Every row shows authority, link type, cost and effort, and links straight to the submit page.
- 1,964
- Opportunities
- 1,628
- Free or freemium
- 781
- Est. DA 70+
- 208
- Quick wins
All filters2
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 | 86 | CoFoundersLab | 65 | Nofollow | cofounderslab.com | Startup directories | Free | Quick | High | Verified live | Create a complete founder and startup profile for your tool and participate in relevant founder discussions or connection requests. | Use a real founder identity, contribute context before mentioning AltFTool, and never send unsolicited promotional messages. | Official CoFoundersLab signup and community path checked 2026-08-07 | Open CoFoundersLab submit page (new tab)CoFoundersLab details |
| 2 | 86 | Indie Hackers | 75 | Nofollow | indiehackers.com | Startup directories | Free | Quick | High | Not submitted | Add product and post build-in-public story with honest numbers. | Avoid link-drop; founder story performs better. | 2026-07-30 | Open Indie Hackers submit page (new tab)Indie Hackers details |
| 3 | 86 | Indie Page | 35 | Link type unknown | indiepa.ge | Startup directories | Free | Quick | High | Not submitted | Build a complete founder profile, add your tool as a shipped startup, and keep milestones, revenue visibility, and product details truthful. | Public publishing is paid; use a real founder identity and accurate startup data rather than a backlink-only profile. | 2026-08-03 | Open Indie Page submit page (new tab)Indie Page details |
| 4 | 86 | Keybase | 75 | Nofollow | keybase.io | Startup directories | Free | Quick | High | Not submitted | Create the founder Keybase profile and cryptographically prove control of your tool so the public identity record links the verified domain. | The founder must control the website or DNS proof and keep account keys secure; this verifies identity rather than acting as a marketing listing. | 2026-08-03 | Open Keybase submit page (new tab)Keybase details |
| 5 | 86 | Needle Directory | — | Link type unknown | useneedle.net | Startup directories | Free | Quick | High | Verified live | Sign in and submit an accurate your tool product profile for review. | Verified startups and tools only; community upvotes must remain organic. | 2026-08-05 | Open Needle Directory submit page (new tab)Needle Directory details |
| 6 | 86 | Startup Grind | 70 | Link type unknown | startupgrind.com | Startup directories | Free | Quick | High | Verified live | Join a relevant chapter, complete the founder profile, attend suitable events, and share your tool only in genuine networking context. | Choose a relevant chapter or event and follow organizer rules; member access is not a broadcast or mass-messaging channel. | Official Startup Grind chapter community path checked 2026-08-07 | Open Startup Grind submit page (new tab)Startup Grind details |
| 7 | 86 | StartuPage | — | Link type unknown | startupa.ge | Startup directories | Free | Quick | High | Verified live | Create an authentic founder profile, add your tool as a startup page and include verified website/social links. | Use truthful traction data; do not fabricate revenue or create duplicate identities. | 2026-08-03 | Open StartuPage submit page (new tab)StartuPage details |
| 8 | 86 | The Org | 65 | Nofollow | theorg.com | Startup directories | Free | Quick | High | Verified live | Add your tool’s real company, founder, and team structure with website and role details to create a trustworthy organization profile. | Use verified work details and obtain team consent before publishing names or roles; do not fabricate an org chart. | https://theorg.com/iterate/how-to-make-an-org-chart | Open The Org submit page (new tab)The Org details |
| 9 | 86 | UN SDG Actions Platform | 90 | Link type unknown | sdgs.un.org | Startup directories | Free | Quick | High | Verified live | Register a concrete ongoing your tool initiative with measurable milestones, dates, resources, SDG targets, partners and website evidence. | Action must be specific, measurable, achievable, resource-based, time-bound and ongoing; not a proposal, completed activity or organization profile. | 2026-08-05 — https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/acceleration-actions/register | Open UN SDG Actions Platform submit page (new tab)UN SDG Actions Platform details |
| 10 | 84 | Startup India | 75 | Link type unknown | startupindia.gov.in | Startup directories | Free | Moderate | High | Verified live | Apply only if the legal entity behind your tool meets DPIIT eligibility, innovation, age, and turnover conditions. | This is entity validation rather than a guaranteed public backlink; incorporation and eligibility evidence are mandatory. | https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/startupgov/startup_recognition_page.html | Open Startup India submit page (new tab)Startup India details |
| 11 | 84 | Startup Tracker | 40 | Link type unknown | startuptracker.io | Startup directories | Free | Moderate | High | Not submitted | Create or claim your tool company profile and add its official URL, product summary, founders, location, and verified company facts. | Company data is crowdsourced and reviewed; provide complete, verifiable facts and avoid exaggerated claims. | 2026-08-03 | Open Startup Tracker submit page (new tab)Startup Tracker details |
| 12 | 83 | Contra | 75 | Nofollow | contra.com | Startup directories | Free + paid tier | Quick | High | Not submitted | Create the founder or studio portfolio and publish your tool as a detailed product case study with the live project link. | Use a real professional identity and show genuine work, process, and outcomes; do not create a shell profile only for a backlink. | 2026-08-03 | Open Contra submit page (new tab)Contra details |
| 13 | 83 | Crunchbase | 90 | Nofollow | crunchbase.com | Startup directories | Free + paid tier | Quick | High | Not submitted | Create/claim company profile linking your tool/Anslation. | High authority entity/profile; company details needed. | 2026-07-30 | Open Crunchbase submit page (new tab)Crunchbase details |
| 14 | 83 | Startup Stash | 55 | Dofollow | startupstash.com | Startup directories | Free + paid tier | Quick | High | Not submitted | List your tool as productivity/developer/startup resource. | Selective curation; make category fit clear. | 2026-07-30 | Open Startup Stash submit page (new tab)Startup Stash details |
| 15 | 81 | Harmonic | 50 | Link type unknown | harmonic.ai | Startup directories | Free + paid tier | Moderate | High | Verified live | Submit accurate company, founder and product details so your tool can be evaluated for Harmonic's startup database. | Submission does not guarantee inclusion or how Harmonic displays the data; use a work email and verifiable company information. | 2026-08-03 • https://harmonic.ai/get-discovered | Open Harmonic submit page (new tab)Harmonic details |
| 16 | 81 | Startup Inspire | — | Link type unknown | startupinspire.com | Startup directories | Free | Involved | High | Needs checking | Submit the polished your tool landing/tool UI with clean screenshots and design credits. | Editorial/design review applies; submit only polished, relevant work. Dofollow is reported but recheck after approval. | 2026-07-30 • https://www.submission.directory/site/startup-inspire | Open Startup Inspire submit page (new tab)Startup Inspire details |
| 17 | 77 | Startupper.Tools | — | Link type unknown | startupper.tools | Startup directories | Not stated | Involved | High | Verified live | Submit your tool with a domain-matching email and accurate startup-use case. | Paid editorial submission; active, well-designed startup tool required. | 2026-08-05 | Open Startupper.Tools submit page (new tab)Startupper.Tools details |
| 18 | 74 | The Carpentries Incubator | 65 | Link type unknown | carpentries.org | Startup directories | Paid | Moderate | High | Verified live | Create a substantive privacy, security, or accessibility lesson using your tool exercises and propose it through the Incubator. | Lesson must be openly licensed, educational, maintainable, and non-promotional; Incubator status is not Carpentries endorsement. | Official community-lessons and lesson-developer guides checked 2026-08-05 | Open The Carpentries Incubator submit page (new tab)The Carpentries Incubator details |
How to build backlinks with this list
Four steps that work for a new site, a SaaS or a side project. No paid link packages, nothing that risks a penalty.
Get the basics right first
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.
Claim profiles and free listings
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.
Go after a few strong links
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.
Track and keep it clean
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
A link opportunity is not a link.
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.
Backlink sites by category
Product launch sites87
One-shot launches where timing and preparation decide the outcome.
Guest posting sites55
Publications that accept contributed articles. Slow and editorial, but the links are earned.
AI tool directories200
Fast-growing listings specifically for AI-powered tools.
App stores and marketplaces273
Extension, plugin and integration stores. Real review processes, real distribution.
Startup directory submission sites120
Startup listings, beta lists and founder media.
Software directory submission sites215
General tool and software catalogues with real search traffic.
Software review sites29
B2B review sites. Slow to approve, strong once live.
Developer platforms for backlinks139
Package, image and docs hosting that carries real authority.
Web design galleries for backlinks87
Showcases judged on craft. A good screenshot matters more than copy.
Web 2.0 and publishing sites214
Write once, link back. Editorial standards vary widely.
PR and press release sites41
Get quoted or distribute a release. Slower, higher ceiling.
Business directory submission sites109
Company and local listings. Unglamorous, consistently indexed.
Profile creation sites163
Owned pages you control: company, founder, knowledge-panel entities.
Forum and community backlink sites61
Answer real questions. Never drop a bare link.
Social bookmarking sites18
Brand surface and referral traffic more than link equity.
More backlink opportunities153
Everything that does not fit the buckets above.
Common questions
Do backlinks still matter for ranking in 2026?
Links remain one signal among many, and low-quality bulk links do more harm than good. What still works is being listed where your buyers actually look — directories with real traffic, registries your peers use, and launch platforms with engaged audiences. Every entry in this list is a place a human might plausibly find you, which is why they are worth submitting to regardless of link equity.
Which submissions should I do first?
Start with the quick wins filter: free, low effort, and not in the lowest priority band. 208 of the 1,964 entries qualify, and those are the ones where a single form submission gets you a live listing the same week. Launch platforms are worth saving until your product is genuinely ready, because you only get one good attempt at each.
How is the impact score calculated?
It starts from a hand-assigned priority band (do first, high, medium, later), then adjusts for cost and effort. A free, quick opportunity scores above a paid, involved one in the same band, because it is the one you can realistically finish today. The score is a queueing aid, not a measure of domain authority.
Are these links free?
1,628 of the 1,964 entries are free to submit to or offer a free tier that includes a listing. Cost is shown on every row, and the "nothing to pay" filter narrows the list to exactly those.
Which backlink sites are dofollow?
44 entries are known to give a followed link on a normal listing, and more give one only in some placements. The link type is shown on every row and can be filtered. Sites change their link policy without notice, so treat the label as a starting point and check the live page after you are listed. A nofollow link from a busy site still sends visitors and helps search engines discover you.
What does the DA number mean?
It is our estimate of the site's domain authority, a third-party style 0-100 score of how strong a domain's link profile is, rounded to the nearest 5. 1,580 of the 1,964 sites have one. It is useful for comparing sites, not a Google metric, so relevance to your niche still matters more.
How do I get backlinks for a new website?
1. Get the basics right first: 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. 2. Claim profiles and free listings: 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. 3. Go after a few strong links: 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. 4. Track and keep it clean: 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.
Will submitting everywhere hurt my site?
Submitting to spam directories can. That is why this list is curated rather than scraped, and why entries carry a status showing whether they have been verified as live. Skip anything that promises hundreds of links for a fee, and prefer places where a real person reviews submissions.