Is startuups worth it?
A cheap, small launch board. The free lane gives a nofollow link unless you finish in the weekly top 3 or show the site's badge, and you must visit 5 of 10 other startups first. The $5 Premium launch gives a dofollow link, featured placement and no community step, which is a fair price if you want the link. Treat it as one of many small launch boards: pay the $5, launch on a Monday and do not expect much referral traffic.
Who should submit to startuups?
Suits indie hackers, solo founders and early SaaS, AI and developer tool makers who want a low cost weekly launch and a backlink. The homepage leaderboard showed 0 upvotes on most launches when checked, so it does not suit anyone looking for real user feedback, early adopters at scale or press attention.
What you need before you submit
- Google or GitHub sign in
- Square logo under 1MB
- Short description and a longer description
- Up to 3 categories
- Free lane: visit 5 of 10 other startups before submitting
- Agreement to the upvote policy
How to submit to startuups
- Sign in with Google or GitHub
- Open the submit page and add name, domain, logo and descriptions
- Pick categories, platforms and pricing model
- Choose Free or Premium ($5) and a Monday launch week
- Submit; the project page shows as scheduled until launch day
startuups: pros and cons
Pros
- Premium costs only $5 per launch and includes a dofollow link
- Launches are batched weekly, so the list stays short
- Permanent project page in the directory
- Top 3 weekly finishers get a badge and a dofollow link
Cons
- Free listings carry rel nofollow unless you place the badge or finish top 3
- Free lane requires visiting 5 of 10 other startups
- Very low voting activity on the leaderboard
- Free launches can only be booked up to 4 weeks ahead
Tips for startuups
- Pay the $5 if you want the dofollow link; it removes the community step too
- Launch early in the week's batch so the page is live on Monday
- If you go free, add the badge to get the dofollow link
- Prepare a square logo under 1MB before starting
Questions about startuups
How much does it cost to list a tool on startuups?
Does startuups give a dofollow link?
Does startuups ask for a backlink or a badge?
How long does startuups take to list a tool?
Is the link from startuups dofollow?
How much does startuups cost?
When do launches happen?
What does the free launch require?
Facts checked . DR: Domain Rating by Ahrefs, checked . DR 4 is Ahrefs' new model, shown on ahrefs.com from 1 December 2026. DR changes; check a place before you pay for it.