For makers · checked October 2026
The free route, the paid listing price and the link a live listing really carries — read off each directory's own pages on 10 October 2026, or a dated archived copy where a site would not let us read it. Promises are quoted as promises; what we saw is labelled as what we saw.
Disclosure · EffectHub is an AI directory too
The median one-time paid listing across the 32 AI directories we checked is $49.
Most popular first, by Tranco rank (9 October 2026)
| Directory | Free route | Paid listing from | Link on a live listing | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free route | $49 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #29,506Top 50k | |
| Paid only | $99 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #49,691Top 50k | |
| Paid only | $497 | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | #130,575Top 200k | |
| Free route | — | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #176,678Top 200k | |
| Free route | — | Link observed: Via redirect — routed through the place's own redirect first, not straight to the product | #184,896Top 200k | |
| Paid only | $199/yr | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #187,400Top 200k | |
| Paid only | $47 | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | #198,781Top 200k | |
| Free routebadge or link back | $49 | Link observed: Via redirect — routed through the place's own redirect first, not straight to the product | #229,031Top 1M | |
| Free routebadge or link back | $599 | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | #230,362Top 1M | |
| Paid only | $99 | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | #305,091Top 1M | |
| Paid only | $79 | Link observed: sponsored — marked sponsored — the label Google asks for on paid links | #306,768Top 1M | |
| Free route | $9.90 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #322,911Top 1M | |
| Paid only | $69.90 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #354,335Top 1M | |
| Paid only | $12 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #413,371Top 1M | |
| Paid only | $49 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #449,456Top 1M | |
| Paid only | $10 | Link observed: Via redirect — routed through the place's own redirect first, not straight to the product | #457,689Top 1M | |
| Free route | $125 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #503,909Top 1M | |
| Free routebadge or link back | $99 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #569,326Top 1M | |
| Paid only | $29.99 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #626,534Top 1M | |
| Not stated | — | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #689,167Top 1M | |
| Free route | $9.99 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #726,464Top 1M | |
| Free route | $19 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | #921,294Top 1M | |
| Paid only | $15 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | — | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | $129 | Link observed: Via redirect — routed through the place's own redirect first, not straight to the product | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Paid only | $790/mo | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | $99 | Link observed: Via redirect — routed through the place's own redirect first, not straight to the product | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free routebadge or link back | $25 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | — | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Not stated | $19.90 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Not stated | $14.90 | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | $75 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | — | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | — | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Paid only | $59 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | $29 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Paid only | $79.99 | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | — | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | $29.90 | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Paid only | $11.99 | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | — | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | $67/mo | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | $199 | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Paid only | $150 | Link observed: sponsored — marked sponsored — the label Google asks for on paid links | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Paid only | $16 | Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit | —Outside the top 1M | |
| Free route | — | Link observed: Followed — a plain link to the product, with no nofollow, ugc or sponsored | —Outside the top 1M |
Aidirs, FindMyAITool, The Next AI and ToolDirectory.AI say their links are dofollow, yet the one live listing we read carried nofollow, sponsored or a redirect. It may have been a free listing — so before paying for the link, ask for a paid listing and read its rel yourself.
Several of the best-known directories no longer take free submissions and sell a fast-track listing instead. Where a free route survives, it usually costs a badge, a link back or weeks in a queue — see the free route list.
The cheapest one-time paid listing ranges from $9.90 at Aitoolnet to $599 at What's the Big Data; the median across 32 directories is $49. Featured slots, newsletters and banners are sold on top and are not in that figure.
aidirectory.wiki, ai-finder.net, AI Tool Hunt, AI Tools by Neil Patel and aidir.wiki and others still appear on “where to submit” lists, but no longer take submissions or no longer exist. They are at the foot of this page.
Every directory asks for the same ten things in a different order. Write them once, paste them everywhere — the step-by-step version is in how to launch an AI tool.
Still on plenty of “where to submit” lists, but not taking submissions when we checked.
AI Directory (aidirectory.wiki)aidirectory.wikiGoneAI directory · checked 10 October 2026
The domain returns NXDOMAIN on 2026-10-10 and its registry record shows an expiry of 2026-08-12. The Wayback Machine holds a copy from 2026-04-23, and a hands-on third-party test on 2026-10-04 also found the domain unresolvable.
AI Finder (ai-finder.net)ai-finder.netGoneAI directory · checked 10 October 2026
On 2026-10-10 the domain redirects to a HugeDomains sale page (listed at $1,395), and the registry shows a new registration created on 2026-04-16. An archived copy dated 2025-12-15 already showed unrelated gambling content.
AI Tool Huntaitoolhunt.comGoneAI directory · checked 10 October 2026
The site answers Cloudflare 522 on repeated checks on 2026-10-10, and the Wayback copy dated 2026-02-15 only redirects to a /lander parking page. A third-party teardown (Stork.AI, October 2026) reports every page dead since at least May 2026.
AI Tools by Neil Patelaitools.neilpatel.comGoneAI directory · checked 10 October 2026
On the check date both aitools.neilpatel.com/ and /submit/ answer 301 to app.neilpatel.com/en/apps-integrations, the Ubersuggest apps and integrations page, so the old AI tools directory and its submit form are gone. The parent domain neilpatel.com ranks 4,724 in Tranco; the subdomain itself is not listed.
AIDir (aidir.wiki)aidir.wikiGoneAI directory · checked 10 October 2026
On 2026-10-10 the HTTPS connection to aidir.wiki fails and its name servers point at a domain-parking lander; the registry shows an expiry of 2026-08-31. A hands-on third-party test on 2026-10-04 also reported the server closing every connection.
AllThingsAIallthingsai.comGoneAI directory · checked 10 October 2026
The domain is still registered (expiry 2026-12-25) but its DNS zone at DNSimple returns SERVFAIL from public resolvers, so no page loads. The last archived homepage, from 2025-10-10, listed free tool submission, a startup dashboard with ads, and a video-partner programme.
TopApps.aitopapps.aiGoneAI directory · checked 10 October 2026
On the check date the home page is a hosting-provider 'Under construction' placeholder and /tools, /submit and /pricing return 404; the domain record was updated on 2026-08-12. A late-August 2026 third-party check already found no public submit form.
TopTools.aitoptools.aiSubmissions closedAI directory · checked 10 October 2026
On the check date the submit page said: 'we currently do not accept new tool submissions for toptools.ai - we are redesigning the platform and will accept submissions again later.' The page promotes a third-party service that submits to 100+ other directories from $99. Existing listings still link out without nofollow.
25 of the 46 AI directories we checked state a free route, among them There's An AI For That, Supertools by The Rundown AI, Future Tools, Dang.ai and What's the Big Data. 4 of those 25 want something in return — a badge or a link back on your site — and others queue free submissions for weeks.
On the live listings we read, 26 of 46 directories linked to the product with a plain link; the rest marked it nofollow, ugc or sponsored, or sent it through their own redirect. 4 say their links are dofollow, yet the one listing we read carried something else — it may have been a free one, so ask for a paid example. Read the rel on a live listing before paying for one.
The median one-time paid listing across 32 directories is $49. Prices run from $9.90 (Aitoolnet) to $599 (What's the Big Data); featured placements, newsletter slots and banners are sold on top.
Stated waits on the paid route: There's An AI For That — 1-2 days average processing time; Toolify — No queue, listed within 48 hours; TopAI.tools — Live within 24-48 hours (no queue). On the free route: Future Tools — Resubmit only after a week without a listing; Dang.ai — Up to 4 weeks; What's the Big Data — 2-3 business days after the badge is verified. Each profile lists every stated wait, by plan.
8 that still turn up on "where to submit" lists were closed or gone when we checked: aidirectory.wiki, ai-finder.net, AI Tool Hunt, AI Tools by Neil Patel, aidir.wiki, AllThingsAI, TopApps.ai and TopTools.ai. Each is listed at the foot of this page with what we found.
How we checked: each directory's submit, pricing and FAQ pages were read on 10 October 2026 — through a reading service or an archived copy where a site blocked automated reading — and the link column is the rel of the outbound link on one live listing, or on a dated archived copy of it. Places we could only learn about from third-party reports are left out of the table and the counts. Audience numbers are the directories' own claims and are quoted as such. Prices change — every profile shows its own check date and sources.
