Backlink list
Backlink sites for startups
Backlink sites for startups: launch platforms, startup databases, company profiles and press, sorted best first.
Short answer
A startup should list on launch platforms and startup databases, claim its company profiles, then earn links through press, podcasts and communities.
How to use this list
A new product needs early users, a findable company profile and its first mentions. These sites give a startup all three.
What is on it
- Startup & launch28
- PR & media19
- Publishing11
- Software reviews11
- Design showcases8
- Podcasts & events7
- Developer communities6
- India directories4
- Reviews & trust4
- Social profiles4
- App marketplaces3
- AI tool directories2
- Business listings2
- Q&A communities2
- Web directories1
Startups best first
Best first: high reach, free and quick come before slower or paid ones. Open any name for the steps.
| Website | Category | Cost | Link | Effort | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlternativeTo | Software reviews | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| AmbitionBox | Reviews & trust | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | India |
| GitHub | Developer communities | Free | Nofollow link | Quick | Worldwide |
| LinkedIn Company Page | Social profiles | Free | Nofollow link | Quick | Worldwide |
| X (Twitter) | Social profiles | Free | Nofollow link | Quick | Worldwide |
| Crunchbase | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| DEV Community | Developer communities | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Inc42 | India directories | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | India |
| Substack | Publishing | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Tracxn | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | India |
| YourStory Companies | India directories | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | India |
| Glassdoor for Employers | Reviews & trust | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Hacker News (Show HN) | Developer communities | Free | Mixed links | Involved | Worldwide |
| Indeed Company Page | Reviews & trust | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Notion (public pages) | Publishing | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Stack Exchange | Q&A communities | Free | Nofollow link | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Bluesky | Social profiles | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| e27 | Startup & launch | Free | Followed link | Moderate | Singapore |
| Government e Marketplace (GeM) | India directories | Free | Link type unverified | Involved | India |
| Gust | Startup & launch | Free | Followed link | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Hackster.io | Developer communities | Free | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| HubSpot App Marketplace | App marketplaces | Free | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| Land-book | Design showcases | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Lapa Ninja | Design showcases | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| One Page Love | Design showcases | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| SaaSHub | Software reviews | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| SideProjectors | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Slack Marketplace | App marketplaces | Free | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| Source of Sources | PR & media | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Starter Story | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| Startup India portal (DPIIT) | India directories | Free | Link type unverified | Involved | India |
| StartupBlink | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Zapier App Directory | App marketplaces | Free | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| Carrd | Social profiles | Free plan | Followed link | Quick | Worldwide |
| G2 | Software reviews | Free plan | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| GitBook | Publishing | Free plan | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Product Hunt | Startup & launch | Free | Nofollow link | Involved | Worldwide |
| Publishing | Free | Nofollow link | Involved | Worldwide | |
| Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent) | Startup & launch | Free plan | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Appvizer | Software reviews | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Europe |
| Bubble Forum | Q&A communities | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Dealroom | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Europe |
| Empresite | Business listings | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Spain |
| F6S | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Fazier | Startup & launch | Free plan | Mixed links | Quick | Worldwide |
| Flathub | Developer communities | Free | Followed link | Involved | Worldwide |
| Footer.design | Design showcases | Free | Followed link | Quick | Worldwide |
| Indie Hackers products | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Medium | Publishing | Free plan | Nofollow link | Moderate | Worldwide |
| openPR | PR & media | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Peerlist Launchpad | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| SoftwareWorld | Software reviews | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Uneed | Startup & launch | Free plan | Mixed links | Quick | Worldwide |
| AIxploria | AI tool directories | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| DevHunt | Startup & launch | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Devpost | Developer communities | Free | Nofollow link | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S | Business listings | Free plan | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| Humanitix | Podcasts & events | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| kununu | Reviews & trust | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Europe |
| Launching Next | Startup & launch | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Link Centre | Web directories | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Luma | Podcasts & events | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| MicroLaunch | Startup & launch | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Paragraph | Publishing | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Siiimple | Design showcases | Free | Nofollow link | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Smol Launch | Startup & launch | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Startup Stash | Startup & launch | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Buttondown | Publishing | Free plan | Mixed links | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Cision PRWeb | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Find Better Software | Software reviews | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| Ghost | Publishing | Paid | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| HackerNoon | Publishing | Free | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| Speaker Deck | Publishing | Free plan | Nofollow link | Quick | Worldwide |
| Startup Ranking | Startup & launch | Free plan | Nofollow link | Quick | Worldwide |
| StartupBase | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| beehiiv | Publishing | Free plan | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| IdeaMensch | PR & media | Free | Nofollow link | Involved | Worldwide |
| Matchmaker.fm | Podcasts & events | Free plan | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| PRLog | PR & media | Free plan | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| SaaS Browser | Software reviews | Free | Nofollow link | Quick | Worldwide |
| SaaSworthy | Software reviews | Free plan | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| SiteList | Software reviews | Free | Nofollow link | Quick | Worldwide |
| Supahero | Design showcases | Free plan | Followed link | Quick | Worldwide |
| Talks.co | Podcasts & events | Free plan | Followed link | Quick | Worldwide |
| Tekpon | Software reviews | Free plan | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Business Wire | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| dev.events | Podcasts & events | Free plan | Nofollow link | Moderate | Worldwide |
| GlobeNewswire | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| Landingfolio | Design showcases | Paid | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| MentionMatch | PR & media | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| PR Newswire | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| The Webby Awards | Design showcases | Paid | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| UpForge | Startup & launch | Free | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Featured | PR & media | Free plan | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| orangebot.ai | AI tool directories | Free plan | Link type unverified | Quick | Worldwide |
| PeerPush | Startup & launch | Free plan | Followed link | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Qwoted | PR & media | Free plan | Link type unverified | Involved | Worldwide |
| Toolradar | Software reviews | Free | Nofollow link | Moderate | Worldwide |
| 24-7 Press Release | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| ACCESS Newswire | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| BetaList | Startup & launch | Paid | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| EIN Presswire | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| Newswire | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Moderate | United States |
| PitchWall | Startup & launch | Free plan | Mixed links | Moderate | Worldwide |
| PodMatch | Podcasts & events | Paid | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| ResponseSource | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Moderate | United Kingdom |
| Send2Press | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Moderate | United States |
| TinyLaunch | Startup & launch | Free plan | Mixed links | Moderate | Worldwide |
| TrustMRR | Startup & launch | Free plan | Nofollow link | Quick | Worldwide |
| IssueWire | PR & media | Free plan | Link type unverified | Moderate | Worldwide |
| KonfHub | Podcasts & events | Free plan | Link type unverified | Moderate | India |
| Editorielle | PR & media | Paid | Link type unverified | Quick | United Kingdom |
Questions about backlink sites for startups
Should I launch everywhere on the same day?
Spread them out. Launch on one or two big platforms with a plan for the day, and submit to the smaller directories over the following weeks.
Where should a startup start?
Start with the free, quick listings at the top of this list: they are sorted best first. Then work down to the slower ones (articles, reviews, launches), which take longer and usually count for more. A few listings a week, kept up, does more than a hundred in one day.
Backlink sites by goal
The same directory cut another way, or every kind of site with how many places each one holds.
- Free dofollow sites
- Quick and free
- High authority, free
- Local businesses
- Small businesses
- SaaS
- AI products
- Online stores
- Creators
- Developers
- Designers
- Agencies
- India
Browse by category
- Business listings58 places · Free business listings on maps and local directories: the first citations every website owner should claim.
- India directories23 places · Indian business directories and B2B marketplaces where a company can list its website, address and services.
- Startup & launch28 places · Startup and product launch directories where a new website, app or product can get a listing and early users.
- Software reviews28 places · Software review and comparison sites where an app or SaaS product gets a profile, reviews and alternatives pages.
- AI tool directories20 places · AI tool directories that list new tools and apps, with a profile page and a link to the product website.
- Design showcases28 places · Web design galleries and showcases that feature well-designed websites, with a credit link to the site.
- Developer communities28 places · Developer communities and code platforms where a project, profile or article links back to your website.
- Publishing25 places · Publishing platforms where an article, newsletter or answer can link to your website and reach a new audience.
- Social profiles27 places · Social networks and profile pages where your website link belongs: quick, free and part of a complete brand.
- PR & media22 places · Journalist request and expert quote platforms where an answer can earn a mention and a link in an article.
- Reviews & trust22 places · Review and trust platforms where customers rate your business, with a profile that links to your website.
- Web directories12 places · Curated, human-edited web directories that still list quality websites by topic and region.
- Podcasts & events25 places · Podcast guest platforms and event listings where an appearance or event page links back to your website.
- Q&A communities10 places · Question-and-answer communities where a genuinely helpful answer or a complete profile can link to your website.
- App marketplaces13 places · App stores, plugin marketplaces and integration directories where a product listing links to the maker’s website.
Turn this list into links.
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