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 | Flipsnack | 75 | Sometimes dofollow | flipsnack.com | Publishing platforms | Free | Moderate | Do first | Verified live | Upload or design a useful your tool privacy report and add contextual external links before public sharing. | Use original reader-focused material; avoid duplicated sales decks and stay within free-plan limits. | 2026-08-04 | Open Flipsnack submit page (new tab)Flipsnack details |
| 2 | 98 | Leanpub | 80 | Sometimes dofollow | leanpub.com | Publishing platforms | Free | Moderate | Do first | Verified live | Write and publish a substantial original handbook on local-first privacy, web safety, or accessible-tool engineering, including reproducible examples and relevant your tool references. | Use only original or properly licensed text, code, and images; provide a real book rather than a thin SEO ebook. Leanpub is self-publishing and may enforce terms after publication rather than pre-reviewing quality. | 2026-08-03 | Open Leanpub submit page (new tab)Leanpub details |
| 3 | 95 | Buttondown | 70 | Sometimes dofollow | 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 |
| 4 | 95 | Console.dev | 50 | Sometimes dofollow | console.dev | Software directories | Free | Involved | Do first | Verified live | Email the strongest developer-focused your tool feature with a self-service demo, documentation, privacy model, and concise reason it is novel. | Primary users must be developers; the tool should be high quality, fast, maintained, documented, privacy-safe, and independently interesting. | https://console.dev/selection-criteria | Open Console.dev submit page (new tab)Console.dev details |
| 5 | 95 | Educative | 75 | Sometimes dofollow | educative.io | Other opportunities | Free | Involved | Do first | Verified live | Propose a text-based, interactive course on web privacy, security headers, local-first tools, or accessible frontend testing, with practical code exercises and clear outcomes. | Applicants need real subject expertise and clear teaching ability. The outline, lessons, code, and claims receive Author Success, technical, and editorial review; the course must teach independently of AltFTool promotion. | 2026-08-03 | Open Educative submit page (new tab)Educative details |
| 6 | 95 | Help Net Security | 85 | Sometimes dofollow | helpnetsecurity.com | Publishing platforms | Free | Involved | Do first | Verified live | Send a concise exclusive angle on a new your tool security feature, dataset, vulnerability study, or expert commentary. | Send pitches to the listed editorial address; relevance is essential and the team cannot reply to or publish every pitch. | https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/contact/ | Open Help Net Security submit page (new tab)Help Net Security details |
| 7 | 95 | Security Boulevard | 70 | Sometimes dofollow | securityboulevard.com | Publishing platforms | Free | Involved | Do first | Verified live | Pitch a vendor-neutral security article using original your tool tests, threat-model findings, or privacy research. | Content must be original, transparent about authorship, and vendor-neutral; promotional posts belong in paid programs. | https://securityboulevard.com/write-for-security-boulevard/ | Open Security Boulevard submit page (new tab)Security Boulevard details |
| 8 | 95 | Towards AI | 60 | Sometimes dofollow | towardsai.com | Publishing platforms | Free | Involved | Do first | Verified live | Submit a useful AI privacy, local processing, prompt-security, or responsible-tooling tutorial with reproducible examples. | Submit a complete draft for editorial review; avoid thin AI-generated or product-led content and expect no guaranteed placement. | https://towardsai.com/contribute/ | Open Towards AI submit page (new tab)Towards AI details |
| 9 | 92 | eLearning Industry | 75 | Sometimes dofollow | elearningindustry.com | Guest posting sites | Free + paid tier | Involved | Do first | Verified live | Submit an original L&D article on teaching practical privacy or accessibility skills, linking only to a genuinely informative your tool guide where it supports the lesson. | Free guest posts may link to informative content but cannot mention or promote the company/product; promotional links belong to sponsored articles. Relevant, original, reader-friendly work is editorially reviewed, HR-only topics are excluded, affiliation should be disclosed, timing/inclusion is not guaranteed, and any author/content link should be treated as editorial/UGC with no followed-link promise. | 2026-08-03 | Open eLearning Industry submit page (new tab)eLearning Industry details |
| 10 | 84 | freeCodeCamp News | 90 | Sometimes dofollow | freecodecamp.org | Publishing platforms | Free | Moderate | High | Verified live | Create a comprehensive tutorial around a reusable privacy, file-processing, accessibility, or security technique, with your tool only as a natural example. | Follow the current contributor and Hashnode workflow; content must teach, be original, and avoid promotional intent. | https://contribute.freecodecamp.org/faq/ | Open freeCodeCamp News submit page (new tab)freeCodeCamp News details |
| 11 | 84 | Joomla Extensions Directory | 85 | Sometimes dofollow | extensions.joomla.org | Marketplaces and app stores | Free | Moderate | High | Verified live | Build a genuine Joomla extension, create a developer profile and submit a complete listing with the official project website. | Author-only submissions; GPL-compatible licensing, update server, installability, working links and review are required. | Official JED submission docs checked 2026-07-30 | Open Joomla Extensions Directory submit page (new tab)Joomla Extensions Directory details |
| 12 | 81 | A List Apart | 80 | Sometimes dofollow | alistapart.com | Publishing platforms | Free | Involved | High | Verified live | Pitch an original standards, accessibility, privacy, or responsible-web essay based on first-hand product engineering experience. | Original 600–2,500-word editorial work only; sales pitches, press releases, and disguised promotion are rejected. | https://alistapart.com/about/contribute/ | Open A List Apart submit page (new tab)A List Apart details |
| 13 | 81 | BetaNews | 80 | Sometimes dofollow | betanews.com | Launch platforms | Free | Involved | High | Verified live | Pitch a genuinely differentiated your tool launch or an original opinion on privacy, security, and useful web tooling. | Story must be timely, accurate, and useful; publication and links are editorially controlled. | https://betanews.com/contact/ | Open BetaNews submit page (new tab)BetaNews details |
| 14 | 81 | CMSWire | 75 | Sometimes dofollow | cmswire.com | Guest posting sites | Free | Involved | High | Verified live | Apply with founder expertise and pitch an actionable digital-experience, privacy, AI-governance, or trust article. | Requires original, senior-level, non-promotional analysis; acceptance and any contextual AltFTool reference are editorial decisions. | https://www.cmswire.com/about-us/contributor-guidelines/ | Open CMSWire submit page (new tab)CMSWire details |
| 15 | 81 | CSS-Tricks | 90 | Sometimes dofollow | css-tricks.com | Guest posting sites | Free | Involved | High | Verified live | Propose a lived-experience frontend article on accessible tool interfaces, privacy-safe browser APIs, CSS, or performance. | Attach a rough draft or outline and demonstrate real expertise; the article must be useful rather than an AltFTool promotion. | https://css-tricks.com/guest-writing/ | Open CSS-Tricks submit page (new tab)CSS-Tricks details |
| 16 | 81 | FolioHD | 50 | Sometimes dofollow | foliohd.com | Design galleries | Free + paid tier | Moderate | High | Verified live | Publish authentic your tool UX screenshots and case studies, then add a custom page or navigation link to the matching live tool. | Use genuine owned work and accurate project text; no misleading keywords, spam promotion or impersonation. | 2026-08-04 | Open FolioHD submit page (new tab)FolioHD details |
| 17 | 81 | Smashing Magazine | 90 | Sometimes dofollow | smashingmagazine.com | Publishing platforms | Free | Involved | High | Verified live | Pitch a practical privacy-by-design, accessibility, frontend-security, or local-first tooling article backed by real your tool lessons. | No press releases, product walkthroughs, listicles, or content marketing; AltFTool may be cited only when editorially useful. | https://www.smashingmagazine.com/write-for-us/ | Open Smashing Magazine submit page (new tab)Smashing Magazine details |
| 18 | 81 | Stack Overflow Blog | 90 | Sometimes dofollow | stackoverflow.blog | Publishing platforms | Free | Involved | High | Verified live | Pitch a rigorous developer-facing article about secure file handling, browser privacy, accessibility testing, or tool architecture. | Strict technical quality and editorial review apply; avoid product marketing and disclose conflicts or affiliations. | https://stackoverflow.blog/2020/01/27/blog-contributor-guidelines/ | Open Stack Overflow Blog submit page (new tab)Stack Overflow Blog details |
| 19 | 81 | VentureBeat | 90 | Sometimes dofollow | venturebeat.com | Guest posting sites | Free | Involved | High | Verified live | Pitch original your tool data, an AI/privacy industry argument, or a consequential product launch to the relevant desk. | Follow the contact and guest-post rules; a generic launch email or self-promotional draft will not earn placement. | https://venturebeat.com/contact/ | Open VentureBeat submit page (new tab)VentureBeat details |
| 20 | 78 | AppSignal Blog | 60 | Sometimes dofollow | 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 |
| 21 | 78 | Creativepool | 60 | Sometimes dofollow | creativepool.com | Design galleries | Free + paid tier | Involved | High | Verified live | Create a free your tool company profile and upload polished UX, privacy-tool, or brand work as documented case studies. | Project uploads are allowed; article publishing is invite-only, and review or link spam is removed. | Official Creativepool signup, plan, and project guidance checked 2026-08-07 | Open Creativepool submit page (new tab)Creativepool details |
| 22 | 78 | Curated | 60 | Sometimes dofollow | 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 |
| 23 | 78 | Mind the Product | 70 | Sometimes dofollow | 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 |
| 24 | 77 | Semaphore Blog | 60 | Sometimes dofollow | semaphore.io | Publishing platforms | Not stated | Involved | High | Verified live | Pitch a reproducible tutorial about CI checks for client-side privacy, dependency security, or accessible web tools, with your tool only as a genuine example. | Editorial approval applies; tutorials must be tested, source-cited, educational, and meet the stated depth and length expectations. | Official Semaphore community author guidance checked 2026-08-07 | Open Semaphore Blog submit page (new tab)Semaphore Blog details |
| 25 | 74 | CSS Weekly | 45 | Sometimes dofollow | css-weekly.com | Design galleries | Paid | Moderate | High | Verified live | Sponsor an your tool frontend, accessibility, CSS, or developer utility with a useful demo and audience-specific copy. | Official page advertises a permanent dofollow link, but paid links should be marked rel=sponsored for search-policy compliance; prioritize audience value. | https://css-weekly.com/advertise | Open CSS Weekly submit page (new tab)CSS Weekly details |
| 26 | 71 | Codrops | 75 | Sometimes dofollow | tympanus.net | Design galleries | Paid | Involved | High | Verified live | Pitch a crafted, original interactive tutorial or demo about client-side privacy visualization, inclusive motion, or accessible creative tooling, with source and a working demo. | Codrops seeks fresh ideas and high-quality work for web professionals; the editorial and visual craft bar is high. Use a real author identity and pitch original teaching value, not a promotional guest post. | 2026-08-03 | Open Codrops submit page (new tab)Codrops details |
| 27 | 63 | CNCF TAG Security Blog | 80 | Sometimes dofollow | cncf.io | Publishing platforms | Free | Involved | Medium | Verified live | Propose a vendor-neutral, reproducible cloud-native security tutorial or case study, then write it in Markdown and submit the draft by pull request after community discussion. | Topic must serve the cloud-native security community, be accurate, inclusive, non-duplicative, and normally 500–1,200 words. A TAG Security co-chair, tech lead, or project lead must sponsor it before approval; no product pitch. | 2026-08-03 | Open CNCF TAG Security Blog submit page (new tab)CNCF TAG Security Blog details |
| 28 | 63 | FlipHTML5 | 75 | Sometimes dofollow | 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 |
| 29 | 63 | The Hacker News | 85 | Sometimes dofollow | thehackernews.com | Other opportunities | Free | Involved | Medium | Verified live | Pitch original your tool security research, a defensible dataset or timely threat analysis. | Generic product launches are insufficient; credible evidence and disclosure are required. | 2026-08-05 | Open The Hacker News submit page (new tab)The Hacker News details |
| 30 | 60 | Kodeco | 70 | Sometimes dofollow | 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 |
| 31 | 60 | Real Python | 75 | Sometimes dofollow | realpython.com | Guest posting sites | 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 | 56 | Changelog Media | 70 | Sometimes dofollow | changelog.com | Publishing platforms | Paid | Moderate | Medium | Verified live | Run a clearly disclosed campaign for your tool’s developer and security tools across relevant Changelog podcasts or newsletters. | Free news submissions explicitly reject commercial products and services, so use sponsorship; treat links as ads, not PageRank. | https://changelog.com/news/submit | Open Changelog Media submit page (new tab)Changelog Media details |
| 33 | 53 | SitePoint | 85 | Sometimes dofollow | sitepoint.com | Guest posting sites | Paid | Involved | Medium | Verified live | Submit a deep technical tutorial showing a generalizable web, security, or privacy technique used while building your tool. | Must be original and educational, not promotional; current rules require human-authored work with less than 50% AI involvement. | https://www.sitepoint.com/write-for-us/ | Open SitePoint submit page (new tab)SitePoint details |
| 34 | 43 | ChamberofCommerce.com | 75 | Sometimes dofollow | chamberofcommerce.com | Business directories | Free + paid tier | Moderate | Later | Verified live | Add or claim your tool only if it has a genuine US business presence, then verify the website and business details. | US-focused local directory; eligibility, verification, and public-link treatment should be confirmed before submission. | https://www.chamberofcommerce.com/faq | Open ChamberofCommerce.com submit page (new tab)ChamberofCommerce.com 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.