Recommended Backlink Sites, Voted by Indie Makers
Backlink channels indie makers voted for, pulled together from a community list. Directories, launch sites and content platforms are all in here, so it's a mixed bag. Check each site's notes before you submit.
516 sites
#SiteLinkDRPricingVisits / mo
1
Nofollow91Free—DEV Community- Submit URL
- dev.to
- How to submit
- Sign in, click Create Post, write a real article, and embed your backlink.
- Pitfalls & tips
- Has to be substantive technical content — no fluff.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free2
Nofollow83Free—HackMD- Submit URL
- hackmd.io/?nav=overview
- How to submit
- Create a note and add your link.
- Pitfalls & tips
- This isn't a submission directory. It's a collaborative Markdown workspace that lets you publish notes publicly. DR 83 looks tempting, but published links are nofollow, so it's pointless as a backlink play. Use it for what it is — hosting a changelog, a technical write-up, or docs for an open-source project.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free3
Dofollow83Free—Hashnode- Submit URL
- hashnode.com
- How to submit
- Register, hit Write, publish a post, and embed your backlink.
- Pitfalls & tips
- No raw link drops or soft-sell pieces — they get flagged.
- Link type
- Dofollow
Free4
Dofollow83Free—Startup Fame- Submit URL
- startupfa.me
- How to submit
- Register and drop in your URL — the system scrapes the rest.
- Pitfalls & tips
- You'll need to add a verification badge on your homepage.
- Link type
- Dofollow
Free5
Nofollow82Free—Indie Hackers- Submit URL
- www.indiehackers.com/products/submit
- How to submit
- Post substantive content and flesh out your Product page.
- Pitfalls & tips
- An indie maker community with a product directory attached — it's not a standalone listing site. Creating a product page is free, but an empty one gets read by nobody. What works is pairing it with a launch write-up or real revenue numbers, which is what this crowd actually reads. Treat it as a feedback channel first.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free6
Nofollow80Free1.6MSaaSHub- Submit URL
- www.saashub.com/submit
- How to submit
- Fill in your product info and wait for review.
- Pitfalls & tips
- You'll need to list competitors and verify with an email on your product's domain.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free· 1.6M7
Dofollow77Paid · $99180kBetalist- Submit URL
- betalist.com/submissions/new
- How to submit
- Fill out the form and submit.
- Pitfalls & tips
- A pre-launch startup list aimed at early adopters. The thing to know: there's no free submission any more. Their FAQ says every submission is paid, and the price only shows up at the last step of the form. If you're not selected you get an automatic full refund, so trying costs little. Earlier-stage products fit best.
- Link type
- Dofollow
Paid · $99· 180k8
Nofollow75Free—AI Agents Directory- Submit URL
- aiagentsdirectory.com
- How to submit
- Submit from the nav (/submit-agent) — agent name, what it does, use cases, pricing, and your link. A basic listing is free.
- Pitfalls & tips
- It's human-reviewed, so a complete profile (use cases, integrations, pricing) clears faster. The Featured/Partner slots are paid — don't expect those for free.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free9
Dofollow75Free—Good AI Tools- Submit URL
- goodaitools.com
- How to submit
- Log in with Google, then submit from Get Started — tool name, one-line description, category, logo, and your link.
- Pitfalls & tips
- You have to log in before submitting — no anonymous form. The tool has to actually work, and the one-liner should say who it's for and what it solves. Placeholder pages get rejected.
- Link type
- Dofollow
Free10
Nofollow75Free6.0MProduct Hunt- Submit URL
- www.producthunt.com/posts/new
- How to submit
- Sign up, build the product page — name, tagline, images or a video, category — write your first maker comment, and schedule a launch day.
- Pitfalls & tips
- Launch at 12:01 AM Pacific to get the full day. Never publicly beg for upvotes — PH strips votes and can bury your rank. Prep your assets and first comment ahead; there's no time on launch day.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free· 6.0M11
Nofollow71Free52600SideProjectors- Submit URL
- www.sideprojectors.com
- How to submit
- Register, then click Submit a Project.
- Pitfalls & tips
- A marketplace for buying and selling side projects, not a launch directory. Listings come in three kinds: for sale, co-founder wanted, or showcase. Post a showcase if you just want the listing — free, but you need an account. The crowd here shops for projects to buy, so expect the link more than the traffic.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free· 5260012
Nofollow69Free3.0MFuture Tools- Submit URL
- www.futuretools.io/submit-a-tool
- How to submit
- Click Submit a Tool to open the form.
- Pitfalls & tips
- Human-reviewed.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free· 3.0M13
Nofollow68Free59000PitchWall- How to submit
- Register, then click Submit Product.
- Pitfalls & tips
- Pure SEO-link plays rarely get approved.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free· 5900014
Nofollow67Free25kStartup Ranking- How to submit
- Register, sign in, and fill in project info.
- Pitfalls & tips
- Free-lane review queue is long.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free· 25k15
Nofollow66Free—AI Tools (aitools.inc)- Submit URL
- aitools.inc/submit
- How to submit
- Hit Submit Now and pick either the free or paid lane.
- Pitfalls & tips
- An AI tools directory that's upfront about both paths. A free submission enters a queue with a stated 30-90 day wait and no guaranteed placement. The $129 Fast Lane puts you live in 24-48 hours, with a full refund if your tool doesn't meet their bar. Go free unless you have a launch date to hit.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free16
Dofollow66Paid · $199/year and $399/year370KStartup Stash- Submit URL
- startupstash.com/add-listing
- How to submit
- Submit via the Typeform.
- Pitfalls & tips
- A startup tools directory whose category pages rank well. The catch is the submit path — /add-listing is just an embedded Typeform. Filling it in gets you nothing live and no link; you wait for a reply. The page never shows a price, so ask before you plan around it.
- Link type
- Dofollow
Paid · $199/year and $399/year· 370K17
Nofollow64Free—FoundrList- Submit URL
- foundrlist.com
- How to submit
- Click Submit and provide name, tagline, and screenshots.
- Pitfalls & tips
- A launch platform for indie makers. The free tier gets you a permanent product page; you have to log in first. Read the pricing page: "Guaranteed dofollow backlink (DR 70+)" only appears on the $29 seven-day tier. The free tier just says "standard media and links". Submit free, then check the rel on your page.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free18
Dofollow59Free—DeepLaunch- Submit URL
- deeplaunch.io
- How to submit
- Click Submit, sign in, and provide product name, link, and description.
- Pitfalls & tips
- An AI tool directory with a free path and a paid path. The free listing asks you to put a link back to them on your own site, and it gets reviewed within 48 hours. Every paid tier says "no backlink required" — the cheapest is a $9.90 one-time lifetime slot. If you do not want a reciprocal link, just buy that tier.
- Link type
- Dofollow
Free19
Nofollow55Free13000Launching Next- Submit URL
- www.launchingnext.com/submit
- How to submit
- Submit via the on-page form.
- Pitfalls & tips
- An old startup and side-project listing site with 45,000+ entries. Free submission works, but you sit in a queue with no promised date. There's a $99 upgrade to be considered for publication within one business day. The form asks for your 90-day marketing budget — answer honestly, it doesn't gate approval.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free· 1300020
Nofollow45Free16KStartup Buffer- Submit URL
- startupbuffer.com/site/submit
- How to submit
- Fill out basic info across three steps.
- Pitfalls & tips
- Everything has to be in English.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free· 16K21
Nofollow44Free252KUneed- How to submit
- Register and sign in first, hit Submit a Product at the top of the page, then fill in English-only product info and links.
- Pitfalls & tips
- The platform caps it at 30 products per day — expect to wait in queue.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free· 252K22
Dofollow42Paid · $79.99 Basic · $99.99 Featured · $149.99 Standard · $499.99/mo Premium69000FindMyAITool- How to submit
- Register, then click Submit AI Tool / Agent.
- Pitfalls & tips
- An AI directory with 2,500+ tools. You have to log in to submit. The real catch: the page says you need to buy a Basic or Standard plan before you can submit at all — there's no free path. The sponsored tier needs 5 submissions first. Also, that "Black Friday 50% OFF" banner runs year-round. It's not a deadline.
- Link type
- Dofollow
Paid · $79.99 Basic · $99.99 Featured · $149.99 Standard · $499.99/mo Premium· 6900023
Nofollow38Free—Awesome Indie- Submit URL
- awesomeindie.com
- How to submit
- Sign up, click Add Product, and fill in the details.
- Pitfalls & tips
- It needs to offer real value, not just be a stub.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free24
Dofollow35Free230KAI Valley- How to submit
- Fill out the form with your name, email, tool name, and link.
- Pitfalls & tips
- A directory of AI tools plus prompts, around 1,780 tools listed. Easy mistake: the "Submit" link in the nav is the prompt submission form. Tool submissions go through /submit-tool instead, and the two forms look nearly identical. It's free and the form is short — two minutes of work.
- Link type
- Dofollow
Free· 230K25
Nofollow35Free—AppRater- Submit URL
- apprater.net/add
- How to submit
- No signup — just drop your homepage or app-store link and a 140-character pitch.
- Pitfalls & tips
- Description quality makes or breaks approval.
- Link type
- Nofollow
Free26
Dofollow33Free—TopAIHubs- Submit URL
- topaihubs.com/submit
- How to submit
- Sign in, click Submit, and fill in product info.
- Pitfalls & tips
- Pitched as a curated top-1000 list of best AI tools.
- Link type
- Dofollow
Free27
Dofollow31——WebsiteHunt- Submit URL
- websitehunt.co
- How to submit
- Register, sign in, then click Post Website.
- Pitfalls & tips
- Free queue is roughly 367 days — essentially "paid or don't bother".
- Link type
- Dofollow
—28
—99Paid · One-time developer registration fee—Chrome Web Store- Submit URL
- Unlock submission linkPro
- How to submit
- Unlock submission guidePro
- Pitfalls & tips
- Unlock all tipsPro
- Link type
- —
Paid · One-time developer registration fee29
—99Free—Google Business Profile- Submit URL
- Unlock submission linkPro
- How to submit
- Unlock submission guidePro
- Pitfalls & tips
- Unlock all tipsPro
- Link type
- —
Free30
Dofollow99Free—Tumblr- Submit URL
- Unlock submission linkPro
- How to submit
- Unlock submission guidePro
- Pitfalls & tips
- Unlock all tipsPro
- Link type
- Dofollow
Free