SaaS and startup directories: the 20 worth your time

The SaaS and startup directories worth your time are the ones your buyers already search: review sites like G2 and Capterra, alternatives sites like AlternativeTo and SaaSHub, startup databases like Crunchbase, and niche directories for your category. ZeroCrew cut the usual list of hundreds down to 20, grouped by what each one does for you.

Most directory lists rank sites by link strength. ZeroCrew sorts them by the person on the other side: a buyer comparing software, a user looking to switch, an investor or partner checking your startup, or a founder searching for an AI tool. Pick the group that matches your product, and a weekend of listings can keep sending visitors for years.

This ZeroCrew guide covers which directories to choose, their costs as of November 2026, the research on reviews and AI search, and a fast way to submit with tools from the ZeroCrew directory.

What are SaaS and startup directories?

SaaS and startup directories are websites that list software products or young companies on permanent pages that buyers, users, and investors search. ZeroCrew splits them into four kinds: review marketplaces, alternatives sites, startup databases, and niche directories for one category, such as AI tools. Each kind reaches a different person.

A directory differs from a launch board, and ZeroCrew treats the two as partners. A launch board, like Product Hunt or Uneed, gives you one day or one week of attention. A directory keeps your page online and searchable long after that. For the launch side, ZeroCrew's guide to Product Hunt alternatives covers the boards worth a launch day.

Which SaaS and startup directories are worth listing on?

The 20 directories worth listing on are the ones where real people choose software or startups every day. ZeroCrew read each directory's own pages in November 2026 for the table below, and grouped them by who visits. Start with the group that matches your buyer, then add the rest over a few weeks.

Directory	Group	Best for	How you get listed (as of November 2026)
G2	Review marketplace	B2B software	Free basic profile; paid plans add more
Capterra	Review marketplace	Small business software	Free profile; sponsored placement is paid
GetApp	Review marketplace	Small business software	Free profile; sponsored profiles are paid
Software Advice	Review marketplace	Buyers who want advice	Free listing for a good fit; pricing details required
TrustRadius	Review marketplace	Detailed B2B reviews	Free to list; paid tier available
SaaSworthy	Review marketplace	SaaS buyers by category	Free listing; sponsored options
Crozdesk	Review marketplace	Business software buyers	Apply for a free listing
SourceForge	Review marketplace	Business and open-source software	Basic listing; paid plans set your position
Tekpon	Review marketplace	SaaS buyers and procurement	One-time application fee
AlternativeTo	Alternatives site	Users ready to switch	Users suggest an app; reviewed by the site
SaaSHub	Alternatives site	SaaS compared with rivals	Free, approval-based submission
Slant	Alternatives site	Community recommendations	The community ranks products
Crunchbase	Startup database	Investors, press, partners	Free profile with an account
Wellfound	Startup database	Startup job seekers	Free job posts
BetaList	Early-access board	Early adopters	Paid plans, priced at checkout
Indie Hackers	Startup database	Bootstrapped founders	Add your product
There's An AI For That	Niche directory	AI tools	One-time review fee for a permanent listing
Futurepedia	Niche directory	AI tools	Paid, with editorial approval
Launching Next	Niche directory	New startups and side projects	Free, with a paid fast review
ZeroCrew	Niche directory	AI agents and tools founders use	Nobody pays to be listed or ranked

ZeroCrew suggests checking each site's plans on the day you submit, because directory prices and offers change often. A free listing on the right site beats a paid listing on the wrong one. Start with the free profiles, watch which directory sends sign-ups, and pay only where buyers already arrive.

Which review sites matter most for B2B software?

G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius matter most for B2B software, because business buyers read reviews there before they book a demo. ZeroCrew recommends claiming your profile on all three first, since each one offers a free basic listing and buyers compare products side by side.

G2's own sales pages say unpaid access gives you a basic profile and basic review collection, and that paid plans start with Starter at $299 a month in the first year for new vendors, rising to $599 a month from year two, as of November 2026. ZeroCrew's advice for a solo founder is to stay on the free profile until reviews start arriving, then decide whether paid features would reach more of your buyers.

Capterra, GetApp, and Software Advice are three review sites that G2 agreed to acquire from Gartner, as G2 announced in January 2026. ZeroCrew read Capterra's transparency page, which says setting up a profile is free and that software providers can pay for sponsored profiles. Software Advice offers a free listing to products that fit, and it asks for pricing details.

Reviews are what turn a listing into a sale, and the research backs that. A Spiegel Research Center study at Northwestern University (2017) found that a product with five reviews had a 270% higher purchase likelihood than a product with none, and that purchase likelihood tended to peak at ratings between 4.0 and 4.7. ZeroCrew reads that as permission to stop chasing a perfect score.

Which alternatives sites send users who are ready to switch?

AlternativeTo, SaaSHub, and Slant send users who already know a product and want something different, which makes them the best directories for a challenger. ZeroCrew suggests listing your product as an alternative to the two or three best-known tools in your category, because those pages are where switchers start.

SaaSHub accepts free submissions after a review, and its rules say it rejects pre-launch products and waitlist pages, so list it once people can sign up. ZeroCrew noticed that SaaSHub moves submissions without listed competitors to the bottom of the queue, so name your real alternatives when you submit.

Slant works differently from a vendor listing, and ZeroCrew respects the reason. Slant ranks products through community recommendations, and its help pages say people with a professional relationship to a product cannot recommend it. The way onto Slant is a product users like enough to recommend on their own.

Which startup directories help with investors, partners, and early adopters?

Crunchbase, Wellfound, BetaList, and Indie Hackers help a founder beyond sales: Crunchbase for investors and press, Wellfound for startup jobs, BetaList for early adopters, and Indie Hackers for other founders. ZeroCrew suggests a Crunchbase profile for every startup, because partners and investors often check it first.

Crunchbase describes itself on its homepage with the line "Before It's News, It's In Crunchbase", and it offers a Create Profile link for new companies. Wellfound's homepage says job posts with unlimited applicants are free. ZeroCrew finds both worth an hour, even for a company of one, since a clear profile answers the questions a partner asks.

BetaList introduces startups to people who sign up for early access, and its plans are paid, with prices shown at checkout. ZeroCrew suggests BetaList in the weeks before launch, when you want sign-ups and honest feedback from early adopters more than reviews.

Do directory backlinks still help SEO and AI search?

Directory backlinks still help when they come from sites people actually visit, and they can help AI assistants find you too. In a 2026 arXiv study of 112 Product Hunt startups, the number of referring domains linking to a startup predicted how often Perplexity recommended it in discovery questions. ZeroCrew's view is that trusted directory listings are one of the easiest ways to add referring domains.

A 2026 arXiv study of Product Hunt startups, "The Discovery Gap", found that the model behind ChatGPT (gpt-4o-mini) recognized 99.4% of the startups when asked by name but recommended them in only 3.32% of discovery questions, against 8.29% for Perplexity. ZeroCrew draws a hopeful lesson: being listed in many trusted places is something any founder can start this week.

Mass submission is the trap to avoid. Services that promise hundreds of listings for a small fee tend to place you on sites no buyer reads. ZeroCrew's rule is quality over count: 20 directories your buyers use, with a full profile, real screenshots, and reviews, do more than 300 empty pages.

How do you submit to SaaS directories without losing a week?

You submit to SaaS directories fastest by preparing one listing kit first, then pasting from it into each site. ZeroCrew suggests this order for a founder working alone, with two tools from the ZeroCrew directory at each step, so you can pick the one that fits:

1. Write the listing once. Draft a one-line pitch, a short description, a long description, and your top features with Claude or ChatGPT, then adapt the length for each site. ZeroCrew's AI assistants page compares more options.
2. Make the visuals. Design a logo set and screenshot frames with Canva, or generate a cover image with Midjourney. Canva suits templates and quick edits; Midjourney suits original art. ZeroCrew's design and sites page lists the rest.
3. Record a short demo. Edit a two-minute walkthrough with Descript, or turn a screen recording into a polished product video with Clueso. ZeroCrew's video tools page ranks more.
4. Collect your first reviews. Ask happy customers for testimonials with Senja, or send a short feedback form with Tally. ZeroCrew's feedback and surveys page shows more form tools.
5. Track what each directory sends. Tag every listing link and watch sign-ups by source in PostHog or Mixpanel. ZeroCrew's product analytics page compares them.
6. Watch your links grow. Check new referring domains with Ahrefs, or see which category terms people search with Keywords Everywhere. ZeroCrew's SEO and content page lists more tools.

ZeroCrew suggests submitting to five directories a week. That pace leaves time to answer every review and question, and a listing that answers questions tends to earn more trust than a silent one. Four weeks at that pace covers all 20 directories in this guide.

How do you get honest reviews on directories?

You get honest reviews by asking every customer, not only the happy ones, and by never tying a reward to a positive review. ZeroCrew follows the Federal Trade Commission's guidance here, because review sites remove reviews that break their rules, and the FTC can act against businesses that break its rules.

The FTC's guide for marketers says "Don't ask for reviews only from customers you think will leave positive ones," and that any incentive must not depend on the review being positive. ZeroCrew reads that as good news for founders: a steady habit of asking every customer builds the honest rating buyers trust most.

The FTC's final rule on fake reviews (August 2024) bans paying for reviews on the condition that they express a particular sentiment, undisclosed reviews from company insiders, and groundless legal threats or intimidation used to prevent or remove negative reviews. ZeroCrew's tip: let your best customers speak in their own words, and answer critical reviews with a fix.

How does ZeroCrew help you get your AI tool found?

ZeroCrew helps an AI agent or tool get found by the founders who choose tools for a job. Nobody pays to be listed or ranked on ZeroCrew, as its how we choose tools page explains, so a new tool gets listed by working well for founders who run their company with AI agents, and job pages then rank tools by how many people search for them.

Every tool on ZeroCrew gets its own page in the directory for as long as it fits, and every new tool shows on the ZeroCrew Launchpad, grouped by the week it went live. Many ZeroCrew tool pages also show how many websites link to the tool, so founders see at a glance which products the web already trusts.

ZeroCrew's public MCP server lets AI agents in Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT search the directory by job, so an agent can find your tool when a founder describes a problem. ZeroCrew's MCP page gives the server address and lists every tool in the directory with its own MCP server.

ZeroCrew also tags new, independent tools with the Underdog badge, given by hand, so founders can find them early. To suggest your tool, use ZeroCrew's contact page, choose Something else, and add the tool's website. Add ZeroCrew to your list of 20, and your product can keep reaching founders long after launch week.