Free Backlinks for SaaS Startups
Forget the "1,000 free backlink sites" lists because most of those will hurt your SEO. These are the 50+ free, vetted sources that actually move Domain Rating for a SaaS in 2026.
5 Principles Before You Submit Anywhere
Quality > quantity
Twenty backlinks from the lists above outperform 200 from random "free directory" listings. A single bad-neighborhood backlink can offset 10 good ones.
DoFollow > NoFollow
But not by as much as people think. NoFollow links from high-trust domains (Reddit, Quora, Wikipedia) still pass search-quality signals to Google.
Brand-relevant > niche-relevant > generic
Backlinks from sites Google has already associated with your topic carry more weight. A DR 60 SaaS directory often beats a DR 80 generic directory for SaaS keywords.
Indexed > listed
A backlink only counts when Google has crawled and indexed the page. Use Google Search Console + Ahrefs Backlinks to confirm because many directories list you on a page that never gets indexed.
Earned > submitted
A backlink someone gave you because your tool was useful (free calculator, public data) compounds. A submitted backlink stops the moment you stop submitting.
1. High-DR SaaS & Startup Directories (free tier)
These are the highest-ROI free backlinks. One profile = one DoFollow link from a trusted SaaS-specific domain. Worth 30–60 minutes each.
| Source | DR | Link type | Effort | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Hunt | 93 | DoFollow | 60 min (launch day) | Your launch listing stays indexed forever as a DR 93 backlink, even if you do not get top 5. |
| BetaList | 79 | DoFollow | 20 min | Free tier waitlist; paid tier instant. Even free tier eventually gets the same indexed page. |
| AlternativeTo | 85 | DoFollow | 40 min | Add your product, then list 5–10 of the alternatives you replace. Compounds long-tail. |
| SaaSHub | 70 | DoFollow | 20 min | Free SaaS-specific listing with DR 70. One of the easiest high-DR backlinks for SaaS. |
| StackShare | 83 | DoFollow | 30 min | For dev tools and B2B SaaS. List the stack you integrate with for cross-discovery. |
| Indie Hackers Products | 79 | DoFollow | 15 min | Free product listing plus a launch milestone post for extra exposure. |
| Slant | 75 | DoFollow | 20 min | Add your product to 3–5 "best tool for X" questions for compounding long-tail. |
| There's An AI For That | 76 | DoFollow | 15 min | Free, fast approval, mandatory if your SaaS has any AI feature. |
2. Review Sites with Free Profiles
Profiles are free. Reviews are how you unlock full features and traffic. Worth claiming on day one even if reviews come later.
| Source | DR | Link type | Effort | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G2 | 92 | NoFollow → DoFollow w/ reviews | 45 min | Claim free profile on day one. After 5 verified reviews, your profile is fully indexed and ranks for buyer queries. |
| Capterra | 92 | NoFollow → DoFollow w/ reviews | 45 min | Same Gartner-backed network as GetApp. One submission, three free profiles. |
| GetApp | 83 | Same network | 0 min | Auto-populated from Capterra, so verify and update once. |
| Software Advice | 82 | Same network | 0 min | Same Capterra network. Verify, claim, and you have four backlinks for one form. |
| TrustRadius | 83 | NoFollow → DoFollow | 30 min | B2B-focused review site, especially strong for enterprise-leaning SaaS. |
3. Niche & Vertical Directories (Free)
Most niches have 10–20 vertical directories with strong buyer-intent traffic. Find yours.
| Source | DR | Link type | Effort | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry-specific "best of" sites | 40–80 | Mixed | 15–30 min each | Search "best [niche] tools". The top 10 results are often editorial directories that accept free submissions. |
| Open-source awesome lists | 90+ (GitHub) | DoFollow | 10–20 min | Submit a PR adding your tool to relevant awesome-* repos. DR 90+ permanent backlinks, free. |
| Country/region directories | 40–80 | DoFollow | 20 min | Local SaaS or startup directories often have strong regional authority Google specifically rewards for local search. |
| Conference/event participant lists | 50–80 | Mixed | 30 min | Sponsor-tier-free attendee or "tools used" pages from conferences. Often DoFollow and overlooked. |
4. Free Tools / Calculators You Build
A free standalone tool earns backlinks naturally as people share, embed, and link to it. Highest long-term ROI of any item on this page.
| Source | DR | Link type | Effort | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free calculator on subdomain | N/A | DoFollow earned | 5–20 hours build | Build a niche calculator (ROI, sizing, pricing). It gets shared in newsletters, Reddit, and Twitter, and every share is a free backlink. |
| Public dataset / leaderboard | N/A | DoFollow earned | 10–40 hours build | Aggregate something publicly interesting (e.g. salary by role, pricing by category). Earns recurring editorial links. |
| Free template / generator | N/A | DoFollow earned | 5–10 hours build | Resume templates, prompt libraries, and OG image generators are pages that solve a one-off problem and get linked everywhere. |
5. Community-Earned Backlinks
These are not technically "submissions", but they are free, dofollow on the right platforms, and ridiculously underused.
| Source | DR | Link type | Effort | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hacker News Show HN | 90 | NoFollow | 30 min | NoFollow but huge traffic spike and downstream backlinks from the HN crowd writing about you. |
| Reddit (relevant subs) | 91 | NoFollow | 20 min/post | NoFollow, but Google still uses Reddit as a discovery signal, and conversations get scraped into other sites. |
| Dev.to / Hashnode posts | 87 / 87 | DoFollow | 2–4 hours | Write a useful tutorial that mentions your tool naturally. DoFollow author bio link plus contextual mention. |
| Medium publication | 95 | NoFollow | 2–4 hours | NoFollow on the article, but author bio link is sometimes DoFollow on certain publications. |
| Quora answers | 92 | NoFollow | 15 min/answer | NoFollow but huge long-tail traffic. Pick 5–10 buyer-intent questions and write genuinely helpful answers. |
| Twitter/X bio link | 99 | NoFollow | 5 min | NoFollow but the most-clicked profile link on the internet. Set it to your homepage. |
6. Profile Backlinks
Set up once, never touch again. Worth one batch evening of focused work.
| Source | DR | Link type | Effort | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crunchbase company profile | 92 | NoFollow | 45 min | NoFollow but a trust signal Google reads. Plus journalists and investors find you here. |
| AngelList / Wellfound | 90 | NoFollow | 30 min | NoFollow but high-trust startup signal. Required if you ever fundraise. |
| GitHub organization page | 96 | DoFollow | 10 min | Even if you are closed-source, set up a GitHub org with your homepage URL. DoFollow DR 96 backlink. |
| Open Collective / Patreon (where applicable) | 88 / 95 | DoFollow | 20 min | For open-source or community-funded products. Free profile, DoFollow link. |
| Pinterest business profile | 94 | NoFollow | 15 min | NoFollow but indexed quickly and ranks for product names. |
Plus: Our 700+ Free SaaS Directory Database
Filter for free, DoFollow, sorted by DR, and start at the top.
| # | Name | DR | Type | Pricing | Link Type | URL | Submit URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Trustpilot | 94.0 | Review Platform | Free | Nofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 2. | SourceForge | 92.0 | Software Directory | Free | Nofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 3. | Clutch | 91.0 | General Directory | Free | Nofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 4. | Hacker News | 91.0 | General Directory | Free | Nofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 5. | Product Hunt | 91.0 | Launchpad | Free | Dofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 6. | CrunchBase | 91.0 | Startup Directory | Free | Nofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 7. | G2 | 91.0 | Review Platform | Free | Dofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 8. | AI Tools Neil Patel | 91.0 | AI Directory | Free | Dofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 9. | Indie Dev Tools | 90.0 | Startup Directory | Free | Dofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 10. | DEV Community | 90.0 | Community | Free | Dofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 11. | Telegraph | 88.0 | Others | Free | Dofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 12. | Devpost | 87.0 | Software Directory | Free | Nofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 13. | FinancesOnline.com | 87.0 | Software Directory | Free | Nofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 14. | Built In | 86.0 | General Directory | Free | Nofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 15. | YourStory | 85.0 | Startup Directory | Free | Dofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 16. | GeekWire | 85.0 | Startup Directory | Free | Nofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 17. | TrustRadius | 84.0 | Review Platform | Free | Nofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 18. | HackMD | 83.0 | Others | Free | Dofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 19. | AppSumo | 83.0 | Software Directory | Free | Dofollow | Visit | Submit |
| 20. | Startup Fame | 83.0 | Startup Directory | Conditional Free | Dofollow | Visit | Submit |
Tools to Pick the Right Free Backlinks
Domain Rating Calculator
See how many free backlinks you actually need to hit DR 20, 30, or 40.
DoFollow Backlinks for SaaS
The DoFollow-only subset of this list for when you specifically need link-juice-passing backlinks.
SaaS Backlink Building Guide
The complete framework for paid, free, and earned SaaS link building.
Free SaaS Backlinks FAQ
Don't Want to Click Through 50 Submission Forms?
We submit to the high-DR free directories on this list, plus 100+ more, in 48 hours. One intake form, full report, every backlink documented with screenshots.
Basic
Ideal for businesses starting their journey to enhanced online visibility.
Choose $60 package- Submission to 60+ directories
- Guaranteed DR increase from 0 to 10+
- Complete submission report
- Paid directories are not included
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- Save over 12 hours of your time
- 48-hour turnaround time
Premium
Our most comprehensive package for maximum visibility and SEO impact.
Choose $140 package- Submission to 140+ directories
- Guaranteed DR increase from 0 to 20+
- Complete submission report
- Paid directories are not included
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- Save over 28 hours of your time
- 48-hour turnaround time
Standard
Accelerate your growth and expand your online recognition.
Choose $100 package- Submission to 100+ directories
- Guaranteed DR increase from 0 to 15+
- Complete submission report
- Paid directories are not included
- Get valuable backlinks
- Generate organic traffic
- Save over 20 hours of your time
- 48-hour turnaround time
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