Submit to Softonic
A large software download site covering Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone and web apps. Developers publish and manage listings themselves in its free Publishing Center, which also lets them claim a listing Softonic already created. Every version is scanned and checked before it goes live, and a listing can be published in up to 17 languages.
en.softonic.com · Checked
Softonic at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free to publish, no revenue share. Optional paid visibility campaigns (cost per click or per impression); new accounts get a $50 welcome gift.
- Link type
- Unverified
- We couldn’t find a live listing to inspect.
- Review
- Manual review
- Link back required
- No
- Account required
- Yes
- Domain Rating
- DR86
- Domain Rating by Ahrefs, checked Oct 9, 2026. A score of the whole site’s backlinks, not a Google metric.
- Tranco rank
- Not ranked
- No Tranco rank on record for this site.
- Who browses it
- People searching for a program by name or task who download it from a long-running catalogue
- Last checked
How to submit to Softonic
Open the Softonic submission page
This is the page makers use to add a product.
Create an account
Softonic asks you to sign up before you can submit.
Have your assets ready
Name, tagline, description, logo and screenshots. The checklist below covers what to prepare so you can fill the form in one go.
Fill in the form carefully
Pick the most specific category the form offers and write the description for the people who browse Softonic (People searching for a program by name or task who download it from a long-running catalogue), not for search engines.
Wait for review
A person reviews submissions, so it can take a while. Once it’s live, check the link on your listing points to the right page.
Tips for Softonic
- Windows (.exe, .msi, .msix) and macOS (.dmg, .pkg) files must be digitally signed by a verifiable certificate authority; unsigned files are rejected. Files can be up to 1 GB.
- Listing text must not contain prices, URLs, contact details, emojis or keyword stuffing, and screenshots must not carry watermarks or pricing. The icon must be square, at least 400 x 400 px, PNG or JPG, 1 MB or less.
- Each version is scanned by several antivirus engines (VirusTotal and named vendors) and reviewed. A rejection email lists what to fix; a category Softonic does not accept is a final no.
- Your app may already be listed. Claim it for free: the claim is instant if your account email matches the one on the listing.
From Softonic’s own guidelines and pages, in our words.
What to prepare
The basics every directory asks for, plus what matters most for general web directories.
- Product name and a one-line tagline (about 60 characters)
- A short description (1–2 sentences) and a longer one (a short paragraph)
- Square logo, at least 256×256 px, PNG or SVG
- 2–3 screenshots at a consistent size
- The exact page you want the link to point to
- Pricing model (free, freemium or paid) and a contact email
- Consistent business name, URL and contact details (use them the same way everywhere)
- The most specific category the directory offers
- A plain description with no keyword stuffing
- A business address or country, if the form asks
Is Softonic worth it?
We couldn’t verify the link
We didn’t find a live listing we could inspect, so we don’t know whether Softonic links are followed. Judge it on audience and effort, and check your own listing’s link once it’s live.
- Domain Rating by Ahrefs: 86 (very strong). That's the strength of links to the whole site, not a promise about what your listing passes on.
- No Tranco rank on record, so we can’t say how much traffic it gets.
- A person reviews submissions, so expect a wait and a real quality bar.
- Free to list, so the only cost is your time.
This verdict is worked out from the facts above with fixed rules (link type, review, price, Domain Rating by Ahrefs, Tranco rank), not paid for. The directory has no say in it.
Questions about Softonic
Is Softonic free?
Yes. Listing on Softonic is free. Pricing details: Free to publish, no revenue share. Optional paid visibility campaigns (cost per click or per impression); new accounts get a $50 welcome gift. We checked on Oct 9, 2026.
Does Softonic give a dofollow link?
We couldn’t verify this. We didn’t find a live listing to inspect when we checked on Oct 9, 2026, so treat the link type as unknown until you see your own listing.
How do I submit to Softonic?
Submit at https://developers.softonic.com/. You need an account first. A person reviews each submission before it goes live. Tip: Windows (.exe, .msi, .msix) and macOS (.dmg, .pkg) files must be digitally signed by a verifiable certificate authority; unsigned files are rejected. Files can be up to 1 GB.
Alternatives to Softonic
All general web directoriesFree · DR 83 · Tranco #6,112
Free + paid options · DR 81 · Tranco #16,443
Free · DR 78 · Tranco #33,038
Free · DR 73 · Tranco #55,857
Free · DR 59 · Tranco #80,085
Free · DR 73 · Tranco #151,625
Also in these lists
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The pages we opened on Oct 9, 2026 to write this page.
- en.softonic.com/
- vlc-media-player.en.softonic.com/mac
- developers.softonic.com/
- developers.softonic.com/faq/
- developers.softonic.com/help/create-and-publish/publish-requirements/
- developers.softonic.com/help/create-and-publish/accepted-formats/
- developers.softonic.com/help/create-and-publish/security-checks/