High DR directories after DR4: our sorted list, and what 50 cost

On December 1, 2026, Ahrefs replaces its Domain Rating with a new version, DR4. Most lists of "high DR directories" were made with the old numbers, DR3, and many of those directories score much lower in DR4. We sorted our own catalog with DR4 before the switch. This post explains how, what a product can order from it, and what it costs.

• Directory scores drop in DR4. In our study of 979 directories, the median goes from 40 to 23, and launch platforms from 52 to 15.5.
• We kept 68 of our 103 badge directories: the ones with a DR4 of 10 or more. Their median DR4 is 27. The 35 others left our catalog.
• A new product can order 58 of the 68. The other 10 list AI products only or ask for a minimum Domain Rating.
• The 50 with the highest DR4 cost $49.50 with Submitium, for their free badge listings.
• The cheapest paid listing on the same 50 directories adds up to $967.53, bought one by one.

We don't promise that any of this raises your Domain Rating. We explain why below.

What changes on December 1#

Domain Rating is Ahrefs' score of a website's backlinks, from 0 to 100. In DR4, Ahrefs gives more weight (opens in a new tab) to links from sites it estimates get organic search traffic, and fewer sites can pass on Domain Rating. We covered the details in what DR4 changes.

For directories, the effect is large. Of the 979 directories we measured on November 8, 2026:

• 360 had a DR3 of 50 or more; 203 have a DR4 of 50 or more.
• Among launch platforms, 80 had 50 or more; 13 still do.
• 339 have a DR4 under 10, and 141 under 1.

A directory sold as "DR 70" in November can show 20 in December. A list made with DR3 numbers doesn't tell you which directories still count.

How we sorted our catalog#

On November 8, Submitium sold submissions to 103 badge directories: startup, SaaS, AI and launch directories that list a product for free when their badge is on the product's site, with a dofollow link. We read the DR4 of each one with Ahrefs' free API and set one rule: we only sell directories with a DR4 of 10 or more.

• 68 directories stay. Their median DR4 is 27, and 10 of them have 50 or more.
• 35 directories left. Their median DR4 was 2.6, and 12 of them had less than 1. In DR3, the same 35 had a median of 46.

The threshold is a rule in our code: a directory under 10 can't be ordered, and one that rises above 10 comes back. We read each directory's DR4 again every month or so, and our directory list shows the latest value.

These are the 68, highest DR4 first:

DR4 · Domain Rating by Ahrefs, read on November 8, 2026. Findly.tools and DailyPings are run by the team behind Submitium. Each directory's page shows what it asks for and how it lists you.

What your product can order#

Two kinds of directories in the list don't take every product:

• 4 list AI products only: ToolPilot.ai, AI Directories, AI Tools Saver and IndexOf.AI.
• 8 ask for a minimum Domain Rating: Startup Fame and Fazier 1, DevHub and TinyHunt 5, AI Tools Saver 10, Turbo0 and AI Directories 11, Toolfio 20.

So the number depends on your product:

Submitium checks this for you. When you pick directories, the list only shows the ones your product can order, highest DR4 first.

How many to order#

Our recommendation: the 50 with the highest DR4 your product can order, for $49.50.

For a new product that is not an AI tool, those 50 have a DR4 of 14 or more, with a median of 28. Going from 50 to all 58 adds 8 directories with a DR4 between 10 and 14 for $6.72 more ($0.84 each from the 51st). Below 50, a first order starts at 30 directories, $29.70: for the same product, that is every directory with a DR4 of 27 or more.

For a new product that is not an AI tool, with directories as measured on November 8.

For about the price of 5 paid listings, you get 50 submissions, each to a different site with a DR4 of 14 or more. Each directory decides whether to list you; each listing it publishes is a page about your product, with a link to your site, that people and search engines can find.

Paid listings or badge listings#

Almost every directory in our list also sells a paid listing: 67 of the 68. Paid listings give something extra, often no badge to show, a few days featured on the home page, or faster publication.

• The cheapest paid option on the 50 directories adds up to $967.53. The median is $10.50 a directory. All are one-time payments except one monthly option at $5.
• Two examples from our own directories: Findly.tools sells a Premium listing at $29 (no badge, 4 dofollow links), and DailyPings one at $19 (no badge, 7 days in its "Newly launched" list). Both are run by the team behind Submitium.
• The free listing asks for their badge on your homepage. That is the trade: you show their badge, they list you for free.

You don't place 50 badges yourself. Our badge wall is one block in your site's footer that holds every badge the directories ask for, and we add or remove badges as listings go live. It installs with our package in Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit or Astro, or with a few lines on any other server.

If one directory matters a lot to you, its paid listing can still be worth it on top. For the rest, the badge listing gives you the page and the link.

What you get, and what you don't#

What we do:

• We submit each directory within 48 business hours of your payment, with a screenshot of every form.
• We confirm the directories' emails and follow each directory for up to 120 days.
• Once a listing is live, we check its link six times over 90 days and submit it again once if the listing disappears.
• If we can't submit a directory you paid for, you get a credit for another one.

What we don't promise:

• A listing on every directory. Each directory decides whether, and when, it lists you. One that declines after we submit gives no credit.
• A higher Domain Rating. Domain Rating is Ahrefs' score, not Google's, and Ahrefs decides how it counts each link. John Mueller, of Google, said in 2023 that "Google does not use scores from third-party SEO tools for search" (Search Engine Journal (opens in a new tab)). What we sort for is that each directory still counts in DR4.
• Refunds. Payments are final; credits cover what we can't submit.

What you keep: the listings, the links from each live listing, the visitors those directories have, and the time you would spend creating 50 accounts, filling 50 forms, confirming 50 emails and placing their badges.

Questions#

Which directories still have a high DR after DR4?#

In our catalog, 10 have a DR4 of 50 or more: Twelve Tools 76, Startup Fame 73, ToolPilot.ai 71, Fazier 69, ShowMySites 64, ToolDirs 60, Findly.tools 56, AI Directories 54, Launchpadly 53 and Turbo0 53. Across 979 directories, the full rankings are in our DR3 vs DR4 study.

How many directories should I submit to?#

We recommend the 50 with the highest DR4 your product can order: $49.50 with Submitium. The minimum for a first order is 30 ($29.70); all 58 that a new product can order cost $56.22.

How much does it cost?#

$0.99 per directory, $0.84 from the 51st. A first order starts at 30 directories, later orders at 10. No subscription. See pricing.

Why do these directories want a badge?#

It is how they offer a free listing: your product shows their badge, they list it with a dofollow link. Our badge wall holds all their badges in one block on your site.

Will this raise my Domain Rating?#

We don't promise it. DR4 counts links mostly from sites with search traffic, and every directory we sell has a DR4 of 10 or more, but Ahrefs decides how much each link adds.

What if my product is an AI tool?#

It can also order the directories that list AI products only. With no Domain Rating yet, that makes 60 of the 68: two of the four AI-only directories ask for a DR of 10 or 11.