Startup Directory Statistics 2026: 67 Analyzed

Key findings

1. 62 of 67 directories (93%) require a badge or reciprocal link before the free listing gets a dofollow link.

   Link to this finding

2. 60 of 67 directories (90%) are freemium (a free listing plus paid upgrades); 7 (10%) have no paid tier.

   Link to this finding

3. A Domain Rating is on record for 24 of 67 directories (36%); the figures are publisher-reported, not measured by LaunchAF.

   Link to this finding

4. Among the 24 directories with a reported Domain Rating, the median is 65 and the range is 43 to 82.

   Link to this finding

5. General is the most common niche: 53 of 67 (79%) directories list it. A directory can list more than one niche.

   Link to this finding

6. Every directory was policy-checked within the last 90 days of the data date: 17 on 2026-10-06, 50 on 2026-09-23.

   Link to this finding

Breakdowns

Methodology

• Source: the 67 launch directories in the LaunchAF reviewed catalog, the same list the Launch Directories tracker and the Chrome extension use.
• Included: directories with a documented $0 route to a listing whose product link is dofollow, confirmed on a dated source page. Paid-only directories, vote-gated dofollow links and directories without a checkable source are excluded, so this is not a census of every directory.
• A directory drops out of the catalog when its last policy check is older than 90 days, so the count can fall between reviews.
• Domain Rating is the figure a directory shows on its own pages at the check date; LaunchAF does not measure it. Directories that show none are counted as "not reported".
• Refreshes when the catalog is re-reviewed; the data date is the newest policy check.
• Rounding: percentages to the nearest whole percent. A finding is only stated when at least 20 rows stand behind its denominator.

Suggested citation

LaunchAF, "Startup Directory Statistics 2026: 67 Analyzed", https://launchaf.com/research/startup-directories, October 2026.

Frequently asked questions