Directories that require a badge

694 in our catalog, average Domain Rating 35: 510 free to list on, 694 that want their badge on your site. Directories that only list you, or only list you for free, when their badge is on your site. The badge component handles these. Below, the 30 strongest by Domain Rating, each with what listing there involves. Last checked October 2026.

A badge-required directory wants a small "Featured on" or "Launched on" image linking back to it on your site before it lists you, or before it lists you for free, or before it upgrades your listing. It is a link exchange, and it is how many of the strongest launch platforms and AI directories grow.

The badges themselves are harmless in small numbers: a footer with a handful of launch badges is normal on a startup site. The problem is scale. Fifty badges pasted one by one is a wall of reciprocal links and a maintenance chore, which is why most people skip these directories and lose the strongest listings.

Our badge component is one snippet for your footer with the 50 strongest badge directories in a sliding strip. Each badge the directory's checker finds on your site unlocks that directory for your order. The table shows which rule each directory applies: to be listed, for a free listing, or for an upgrade.

The 30 strongest badge-required directories

Sorted by Ahrefs Domain Rating as of October 2026. The other 664 in this list are reserved for customers.

Directory	Rating	Listing	Badge	Account
Startup Famestartupfa.me	DR 84	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
Fazierfazier.com	DR 83	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
Twelve Toolstwelve.tools	DR 83	Free and paid plans	Needed	Not needed
AI Tools Directorydang.ai	DR 82	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
Findly.toolsfindly.tools	DR 81	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
Tradify (FreeIndex)freeindex.co.uk	DR 81	Free and paid plans	Unknown	Needed
Turbo0turbo0.com	DR 81	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
Maharashtradirectorymaharashtradirectory.com	DR 80	Free	Unknown	Not needed
ToolPilot AItoolpilot.ai	DR 79	Free and paid plans	Needed	Not needed
Wired Businesswired.business	DR 78	Free and paid plans	Needed	Not needed
There's An AI For Thattheresanaiforthat.com	DR 77	Paid only	Unknown	Not needed
Mossaimossai.org	DR 76	Free	Needed	Needed
ShowMeBestAIshowmebest.ai	DR 76	Free and paid plans	Needed	Not needed
Storeboardstoreboard.com	DR 76	Free	Unknown	Needed
Submit AI Toolssubmitaitools.org	DR 76	Free and paid plans	Unknown	Not needed
ToolFametoolfame.com	DR 76	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
AI Agents Directoryaiagentsdirectory.com	DR 75	Free and paid plans	Needed	Not needed
Good AI Toolsgoodaitools.com	DR 75	Free	Needed	Needed
LaunchIgniterlaunchigniter.com	DR 75	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
Ontoplistontoplist.com	DR 75	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
Smollaunchsmollaunch.com	DR 75	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
SellWithBoostsellwithboost.com	DR 74	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
StartupBasestartupbase.io	DR 74	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
Webwikiwebwiki.com	DR 74	Paid only	Unknown	Not needed
iBeginibegin.com	DR 74	Pricing not known	Unknown	Needed
Aura++auraplusplus.com	DR 73	Free and paid plans	Needed	Not needed
Best AI Tools Directory & AI Tools Listtoolify.ai	DR 73	Paid only	Unknown	Not needed
Blogaramablogarama.com	DR 73	Free and paid plans	Unknown	Needed
FoundrListfoundrlist.com	DR 73	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed
Launch Llama Toolslaunchllama.co	DR 73	Free and paid plans	Needed	Needed

We submit you to these 30 directories and the rest of the catalog, by hand.

One brief, one payment from $99. Every listing comes with a proof screenshot in your final report, and the badge component unlocks the badge-only directories.

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Questions

Why do directories require a badge?

The badge is a link back to the directory from every site it lists, which is how the directory grows its own Domain Rating and traffic. Directories that ask for it are usually the ones growing fastest, which is also why they are worth being on.

How many directories require a badge?

694 in our catalog, as of the last check: 694 with a rule we have confirmed, the rest flagged from their own submission pages. The badge component covers the 50 strongest of them.

Is a wall of badges bad for SEO?

Dozens of reciprocal links in a footer look like a link scheme and dilute the page. That is why the component is capped at 50, shows them in a sliding strip rather than a wall, and why we never paste hundreds.