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50 listings • Updated August 2026
50 Founder Communities for Founders
TL;DR • Founder Communities • as of August 2026
This category lists 50 founder communities. 45 accept a free submission, 20 give a dofollow link and 8 have Domain Rating 70 or above. Forums and communities where you can share a launch with real founders and early users.
Hacker News (Show HN)
news.ycombinator.com
Y Combinator's community-driven tech news and startup discussion platform.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 1
DEV Community
dev.to
Open-source community platform for developers to share articles, participate in discussions, and grow their careers.
Free + paid
Dofollow
Tier 1
Hackernoon
hackernoon.com
Independent technology publishing platform where developers and tech professionals share stories, tutorials, and insights.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 1
Indie Hackers
indiehackers.com
Community of developers who are sharing the strategies behind their companies.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 1
Peerlist
peerlist.io
Network and portfolio platform for tech professionals.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 2
E27
e27.co
Southeast Asian startup ecosystem platform covering tech news, events, funding, and community connections.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 2
Gust
gust.com
Platform connecting startups with angel investors and venture capital for early-stage funding and mentorship.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 2
Growth Hackers
growthhackers.com
Online community for growth professionals sharing strategies, experiments, and growth marketing resources.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 2
Business to Community
business2community.com
Digital marketing community and content platform covering social media, marketing strategy, and business trends.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 3
Lobsters
lobste.rs
Computing-focused link aggregation community with invite-only membership and high-quality technical discussions.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 3
MakerPad Showcase
makerpad.co
No-code education platform (now part of Zapier) teaching people to build tools and automate workflows without coding.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 2
Getlatka
getlatka.com
SaaS company database and podcast by Nathan Latka, featuring revenue data and founder interviews.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 2
Makerthrive
makerthrive.com
Community hub for indie makers to showcase products, share progress, and connect with fellow entrepreneurs.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 3
Maker Log
getmakerlog.com
Collaborative task log for makers, helping indie hackers track progress and stay accountable with their projects.
Free
Nofollow
Tier 3
No Code Founders
nocodefounders.com
Community for non-technical founders building startups with no-code tools, sharing resources and experiences.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
Make
make.rs
Community platform for indie makers and creators to share their projects, get feedback, and connect with other builders.
Free + paid
Dofollow
Tier 3
Promptzone
promptzone.com
Community and directory for AI prompts, tools, and resources, helping users master prompt engineering and discover AI products.
Free + paid
Dofollow
Tier 3
Growth Hack List
growthhacklist.com
Curated list of growth hacking tools and startup directories to help founders accelerate product growth.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
Itslaunched
itslaunched.com
Community-driven launch platform where makers can showcase their newly launched products and get early feedback.
Free + paid
Dofollow
Tier 3
RankInPublic
rankinpublic.com
Piattaforma per founder che costruiscono in pubblico: traction e metriche condivise.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
Sideprojects
sideprojects.net
Platform for developers and makers to share and discover side projects, get feedback, and find collaborators.
Free + paid
Dofollow
Tier 3
Get Worm
getworm.com
Startup submission platform helping early-stage companies get discovered by users and potential investors.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
SaaS Alliance
saasalliance.io
Alliance and community for SaaS founders to network, share resources, and collaborate on growth.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
Verify before submitting
Hopps
hopps.io
Startup and tool discovery platform helping users find useful apps and services for their workflows.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
Verify before submitting
SaaS Community
saascommunity.com
Online community bringing SaaS founders and professionals together for networking and knowledge sharing.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
Lunadio
lunadio.com
Startup and tool launch platform helping makers showcase their products and get early user feedback.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
Maker Lead
makerlead.com
Lead generation and networking platform for indie makers to connect and discover collaboration opportunities.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
SaaS Insider
saasinsider.com
SaaS industry insights and community for software founders, covering trends, metrics, and growth strategies.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
Stacklist
stacklist.com
Tech stack directory showing what tools and technologies companies and makers use in their projects.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
Appsolite
appsolite.com
App and startup listing community where founders can showcase their products and get early feedback.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
Makermove
makermove.com
Community platform for makers and indie hackers to share their products, progress, and milestones.
Free
Dofollow
Tier 3
24 Hour Startup
24hourstartup.com
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Buildlog
buildlog.co
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Built with Bubble
builtwithbubble.com
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Founder Groups
foundergroups.com
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Hashnode
hashnode.com
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Indie Tools
indietools.io
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
IndieHacker Tools
indiedirectory.top
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Maker Mind
makermind.io
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Microconf Connect
microconfconnect.com
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Nomad List
nomadlist.com
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
On Deck
beondeck.com
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Pioneer
pioneer.app
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Remoteok
remoteok.io
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
SaaS Community
saas.community
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Startup Grind
startupgrind.com
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Techstars Network
techstars.com
Free
Link unknown
Tier 3
Showing 48 of 50
How to get real results from directory submissions
What separates a directory worth your time from one that wastes it
Four signals predict whether a listing produces anything: editorial review, indexed traffic, link type and category fit. If a site accepts every submission automatically, its pages are usually thin, poorly indexed and ignored by search engines. If it reviews submissions and has a real audience, a single listing can send buyers for years.
- Editorial review: is there a human approving submissions?
- Indexed traffic: does the directory rank for its own category terms?
- Link type: dofollow passes authority, nofollow does not.
- Category fit: a niche list of 200 relevant readers beats a general list of 200,000 irrelevant ones.
The submission order that works best
Order matters because early listings feed later ones. Journalists and curators check whether a product already exists somewhere credible before featuring it, so a handful of established listings makes later approvals easier and faster.
- Week 0: your own site, Crunchbase-style databases, and two or three evergreen directories.
- Week 1: launch platforms and the communities where your users already hang out.
- Week 2–4: the long tail, batched, plus review platforms once you have customers who can leave reviews.
- Quarterly: re-verify listings and add anything new to the category.
Startup directory submissions: common questions
Do startup directory submissions still help SEO in 2026?
Yes, but selectively. Low-quality bulk directories were devalued years ago; what still works is a listing on an editorially reviewed site with real traffic. Of the 1077 entries here, 400 pass link equity and 111 sit at Domain Rating 70 or above. Those are the ones that move the needle — the rest are worth doing for referral traffic, brand search and citation in AI answers rather than for rankings.
Dofollow or nofollow — does it matter which directories I use?
Dofollow links pass authority and directly influence rankings, so they are the priority when your goal is domain strength. Nofollow links still earn referral visits, get your brand name indexed alongside your category, and are frequently used as sources by AI assistants. A healthy backlink profile contains both; a profile that is 100% dofollow directory links looks manipulated.
How many directories should I actually submit to?
For a normal launch: the 20 highest-priority destinations in week one, then 50–80 more over the following month. Beyond roughly 150 listings the marginal return collapses. Quality of the listing copy matters more than volume — a well-written Product Hunt launch beats 200 auto-submissions.
What is a good Domain Rating for a directory?
Treat DR 70+ as high value (111 entries here), DR 50–69 as solid, DR 30–49 as fine for volume, and anything under 30 as optional. DR alone is not enough though: an unmoderated DR 80 site with no traffic is worth less than a curated DR 45 newsletter your buyers actually read.
Are paid directory listings worth it?
Occasionally. Paid placement makes sense on review platforms your buyers search (G2, Capterra) and on the two or three category-defining directories in your niche. It rarely makes sense on generic paid lists that promise 100 submissions for a flat fee — those are the sites search engines discount hardest.
Other categories
Startup & SaaS Directories
627
General-purpose directories that accept any startup or SaaS product listing.
AI Tool Directories
213
Directories dedicated to AI products, agents, GPTs and machine-learning tools.
Review & Comparison Platforms
54
Software review sites where buyers compare products and leave verified reviews.
Launch Platforms
34
Day-one launch destinations built around upvotes, featured slots and launch days.
Newsletter Directories
34
Curated newsletters and newsletter directories that feature new products to subscribers.
Press & Media Outlets
27
Tech press, blogs and media outlets that accept startup tips and launch submissions.
Explore the directory database
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Alternatives & hubs
- Product Hunt alternatives
- BetaList alternatives
- Capterra alternatives
- Futurepedia alternatives
- G2 alternatives
- Trustpilot alternatives
- All 1,077 startup directories
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