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Directory database · Open-source projects

Where to submit an open-source project: 51 directories

Open-source projects get discovered through curated lists on GitHub, open-source directories and sites that list open alternatives to paid software. Most awesome lists take submissions as pull requests and have strict rules: alphabetical order, one line per entry, a minimum number of stars or months of activity, and no marketing language. Read CONTRIBUTING.md before you open a PR, and match the format of existing entries exactly; maintainers close PRs that don’t. Directories and alternatives sites care about the licence, how active the project is and whether there is a hosted version, so state all three. A README with a screenshot, install steps and a clear one-line description is the single biggest factor in being accepted. Expect listings to send developers and self-hosters rather than buyers, and expect them to keep sending traffic for years.

Directories
51
11 categories
Dofollow (verified)
35
of 48 with a checked link
Free to submit
48
free, or with a free plan
DR 50+
27
of 39 with a Domain Rating by Ahrefs
Get submitted to 30+ directories

By hand, from $49 one-time.

Start with these 3

Free to submit, a followed link where we verified one, then the highest Domain Rating.

  1. F-Droid

    Free · Dofollow · DR 85

  2. Flathub

    Free · Dofollow · DR 83

  3. MacPorts

    Free · Dofollow · DR 82

Domain Rating by Ahrefs

All 51, most popular first

  • GitHub Marketplace

    github.com

    GitHub's marketplace of Apps and Actions that extend developer workflows. Devtools with a GitHub integration can list free or paid plans and be found by developers browsing by category.

    Developer toolsFreeDofollowChecked
    Tranco#29

  • SourceForge

    sourceforge.net

    A veteran open source hosting and download platform that also runs a business software directory. Projects can be created or imported from GitHub with free mirror-based downloads and stats; each…

    Open sourceFreeNofollowChecked
    Tranco#250

  • Homebrew

    brew.sh

    The dominant package manager for macOS (and Linux), with a public index of formulae and casks at formulae.brew.sh. Getting into homebrew/core or homebrew/cask makes a tool installable with a single…

    MarketplacesFreeNofollowChecked
    DR90Tranco#6,488

  • Greasy Fork

    greasyfork.org

    A large community site for user scripts and user styles that run through managers like Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey and Stylus. Anyone with an account can post a script; it gets a page with…

    Browser extensionsFreeDofollowChecked
    DR78Tranco#10,862

  • Flathub

    flathub.org

    The main app store for Flatpak packages, used by many Linux distributions to install desktop apps. Submissions are made as GitHub pull requests and checked by reviewers; accepted apps get a store…

    MarketplacesFreeDofollowChecked
    DR83Tranco#10,977

  • F-Droid

    f-droid.org

    A catalogue of free and open-source Android apps that F-Droid builds from source itself. It is popular with privacy-minded Android users, and each app page lists license, anti-features, and links to…

    Mobile appsFreeDofollowChecked
    DR85Tranco#13,620

  • Raycast Store

    raycast.com

    The extension store for the Raycast launcher on Mac, with extensions published through a public GitHub repository. Shipping an integration puts your product inside a popular productivity tool, with…

    ProductivityFreeUnverifiedChecked
    DR81Tranco#18,029

  • Open VSX Registry

    open-vsx.org

    A vendor-neutral registry for VS Code-compatible extensions, run by the Eclipse Foundation and used by editors such as VSCodium, Gitpod and other VS Code forks. Publishing here makes an extension…

    MarketplacesFreeDofollowChecked
    DR81Tranco#32,584

  • FOSSHub

    fosshub.com

    FOSSHub is a download host and catalog for open-source and some freeware desktop software, known for serving installers without bundled adware. Projects that are accepted get a program page with…

    Open sourceFreeDofollowChecked
    DR74Tranco#47,917

  • Jamstack.org

    jamstack.org

    Jamstack.org is the community site for the Jamstack approach and hosts two well-known lists: static site generators and headless CMSs, each filterable by language, template engine and license…

    Developer toolsFreeDofollowChecked
    DR80Tranco#103,090

  • Changelog News

    changelog.com

    A Monday newsletter and podcast about software development news, which features community submissions. It is written for developers. Submissions need a URL, a title and a note on why it's…

    NewslettersFreeDofollowChecked
    DR79Tranco#120,214

  • LinuxLinks

    linuxlinks.com

    LinuxLinks is an editorial site that reviews and rounds up free and open-source Linux software, with 'best of' lists and individual program write-ups. Suggested programs can end up featured in an…

    Open sourceFreeDofollowChecked
    DR62Tranco#130,384

  • selfh.st

    selfh.st

    selfh.st is a self-hosting publication with a weekly newsletter, blog and a large app directory of self-hosted software, companion apps and alternatives. Its directory refreshes every morning and…

    Open sourceFreeDofollowChecked
    DR63Tranco#153,928

  • OpenUserJS

    openuserjs.org

    An open-source repository for user scripts, where authors publish scripts (optionally synced from GitHub) and users install them with a userscript manager. Script pages show source, installs…

    Browser extensionsFreeNofollowChecked
    DR71Tranco#210,985

  • OpenAlternative

    openalternative.co

    A curated catalogue of open source projects organised as replacements for well-known proprietary apps. Developers and technical buyers browse it by alternative, category and tech stack, and each…

    Open sourcePaidMixedChecked
    DR61Tranco#388,407

  • JavaScript Weekly

    javascriptweekly.com

    Cooperpress's biggest newsletter: a weekly roundup of JavaScript articles, releases and interesting projects, running since 2010. It's read by JavaScript and web developers. New libraries and tools…

    NewslettersFreeDofollowChecked
    DR71Tranco#485,357

  • free-for.dev

    free-for.dev

    A community-maintained list of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS services with genuine free tiers for developers, mirrored on a website. Getting added exposes an infrastructure-oriented product to developers…

    Developer toolsFreeNofollowChecked
    DR56Tranco#500,503

  • awesome-selfhosted

    awesome-selfhosted.net

    The best-known curated list of free software network services and web apps that can be self-hosted, published as a website and GitHub list. Inclusion puts a project in front of the self-hosting…

    Open sourceFreeDofollowChecked
    DR55Tranco#569,531

  • This Week in Rust

    this-week-in-rust.org

    The Rust community's weekly newsletter with project updates, articles, crate spotlights and calls for participation. Its readers are Rust developers. Anyone can propose content by opening a pull…

    NewslettersFreeDofollowChecked
    DR69Tranco#743,953

  • PyCoder's Weekly

    pycoders.com

    A free weekly email with Python news, articles, tutorials and new projects. It is read by Python developers. They take link suggestions for projects, articles and events, though not every one is used.

    NewslettersFreeUnverifiedChecked
    DR55Tranco#916,688

The other 31, in the same order

One line each. Open a directory for its price details, link evidence, review process and how to submit.

DR is Domain Rating by Ahrefs: a 0–100 score of a site’s backlinks, higher is stronger. It isn’t a Google metric. Tranco rank is a research top-sites ranking: lower means more popular. How we check each directory

How to prioritise

  1. Awesome lists for your exact topic, following each list’s contribution rules.
  2. Open-source alternatives sites, if your project replaces a well-known paid product.
  3. Broader OSS directories and developer tool lists.

Questions about this list

How do I get a project added to an awesome list?

Open a pull request that follows the list’s CONTRIBUTING.md: the right section, alphabetical order, one line in their format, no promotional wording. Many lists require a minimum age, activity or star count. If yours doesn’t meet it yet, wait rather than argue.

Should I mention a paid or hosted version?

Yes, honestly. Most lists accept open-core projects if the open-source part is useful on its own, and some ask you to mark paid options. Hiding a paid tier gets entries removed later.

Do links from GitHub lists help SEO?

Links in GitHub READMEs are generally nofollow, so the value is visitors and discovery rather than ranking. Popular lists still send steady, relevant traffic, which is why they are worth the effort.

Which of these directories give a dofollow link?

35 of the 51 had a followed (dofollow) listing link when we checked: GitHub Marketplace, Greasy Fork, Flathub, F-Droid, Open VSX Registry, FOSSHub and 29 more. Directories change their link policy, so check your own listing once it is live.

Related lists

Self-hosted software14Developer tools75Software alternatives sites24APIs31No-code tools10B2B SaaS68Marketing tools34Design tools30Productivity tools11

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