Free, Followed and Listed Against the Tool You Compete With.
We submit customers to Startup Alternatives through its free route. Every field, card and link described below was read on startupalternatives.com on 11 October 2026.
Startup Alternatives is a directory of smaller software that competes with the tools startups pay for. It covers 112 of those tools in 48 categories, from Stripe and Notion to Google Analytics, and lists 415 alternatives against them. The home page sums up how it is put together: "Hand-picked software. Zero algorithms."
A listing here is a card on the page of the tool it competes with. On the Google Analytics page, for instance, the cards sit under the line "Smaller, founder-led tools that quietly compete with Google Analytics." Each one shows the product's name, a tagline, a short description, its price and a preview image, and its Visit ↗ button links straight to the product. That link is followed, like all 3,654 outbound links on the site's 269 listing pages.
Listing costs nothing and asks nothing of your site: no badge, no link back. Nor is any placement for sale, as their terms put it: "Inclusion is at our discretion and is not paid placement." The form has three required fields, and the optional one under them carries the most weight: "Which tool does it compete with?" Put Startup Alternatives on your list and we complete the form, that choice included.
| Field | What it takes |
|---|---|
| Startup name | Required; the placeholder offers “e.g. Plausible” |
| URL | Required; a full address, https:// included |
| Tagline | Required; “One sentence about what it does” |
| Which tool does it compete with? | Optional; suggests from the site's 112 tools, or Create new with that tool's URL |
| Category | One of 76 named categories, or Other (specify) to name a new one |
| Logo | Optional; 2 MB at most, as PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG |
| Featured image | Optional; “A hero shot of your product”, up to 8 MB, in a 16:9 frame |
| Tell us more | Optional; “Anything we should know about it?” |
| Button | Submit for review |
All 269 listing pages, the 112 tool pages plus the 157 pages that alternatives have of their own, were read on 11 October 2026. Between them they link out 3,654 times, and every one of those links is rel="noopener noreferrer" and nothing more, which leaves all of them followed. Each product link opens the product's own address tagged utm_source=startupalternatives.com, so your analytics can tell you what Startup Alternatives sends. No page carries a noindex, and each one's canonical is its own address.
Startup Alternatives at a glance
| What you get | Startup Alternatives |
|---|---|
| Price to list | Free; no paid placement |
| Asked of your site | None: no badge or link back |
| Where listings sit | On the page of the tool they compete with |
| The form | Name, URL and tagline required, then tool, category, images and a note |
| Tools to stand against | 112, or a new one added by its URL |
| Link to your product | Direct and followed, utm-tagged |
| Outbound links on the 269 listing pages | 3,654, every one followed |
| Pages linking each alternative | 5 at the median, up to 19 |
| Review | Added “if it's a fit”, no timing published |
| Domain Rating | 25 on our checker (Ahrefs) |
| Filed for you by Submitator | Filed on the free route with every field done, from $29 |
Directory facts come from startupalternatives.com as fetched on 11 October 2026, covering /submit and the script behind its form, the home page, robots.txt, llms.txt, the sitemap, the terms and privacy pages, the sign-up and log-in pages, all 48 category pages and all 269 listing pages the sitemap names, 112 for tools and 157 for alternatives. The research sent no form and uploaded nothing. Labels, placeholders and hints are quoted from the page and its script; they match, word for word, a screenshot our founder took of the blank form that day. The 112 tools the competing-tool box suggests from agree in four places (the home counter, llms.txt, the catalogue in the site's code and the tool links on the category pages); the 76 categories agree in two (the menu's options and the list behind it), and 48 of them have a public page. That catalogue holds 627 placements of 415 alternatives, 3 to 11 per tool; 157 of the 387 alternatives that are not themselves tools have a page of their own, whose title names one tool on 70 and two on 87; the other 230 have none, and the ten such addresses tried answer 308 to a tool page. Each listing page links its own product once from a Visit button, and the cards repeat product links across tool pages: 3,654 external links in all, every one rel="noopener noreferrer" and none nofollow, sponsored or ugc, 3,311 of them product links straight to the product with utm_source=startupalternatives.com and 343 founder links to X, LinkedIn, GitHub or a website. Each of the 269 pages is marked "index, follow" in its robots meta tag, sends no X-Robots-Tag and names itself as canonical; two separate passes over the HTML, a raw token count, three pages fetched as Googlebot and two rendered in Chrome agree on the rel and robots readings. An alternative's product is linked from a median of 5 listing pages, 1 to 19. All 627 cards on tool pages match the catalogue bundled in the site's JavaScript, so no listing could be singled out as one that arrived through the form, and no tier, badge or flag marks any listing differently from the rest. Editor's picks are counted by the first tool each one names, and taglines are measured across the 415 alternatives in the catalogue. The privacy page names Google's favicon service as the source of brand icons; card previews come from the site's /api/og/ route; the one preview fetched named vemetric.com as its source and matched Vemetric's own og:image byte for byte. The review wording is the form's confirmation, and the site publishes no timescale. The Domain Rating is 25, Ahrefs' number for startupalternatives.com, which submitator.com/domain-rating-checker returned when we looked it up on 11 October 2026; the site shows no rating of its own. What we say about Submitator comes from its founder: customers are submitted here through the free route, and the site account is opened on an email address created for that customer (both stated 11 October 2026); a fresh description is written for every directory and images are cut to each one's format (25 September 2026). Our plans are paid once and picked in the dashboard: $29 buys 30 directories on Starter, $49 buys 60 on Growth and $79 buys 100 on Scale. Delivery, under our terms: 2 to 3 days is what we aim for on a full package, 21 days from purchase the most we commit to. A rejected submission earns a replacement pick, and our terms set out when a refund is due.
Where a listing sits: on the page of a tool
Each of the 112 tools has its own page, headed Alternatives to Google Analytics, Alternatives to Stripe and so on, with the number of alternatives in its title. It opens with four short answers, on what the tool is, what it does, who uses it and what to use instead, then its pricing, an About section and a Best for list.
Then comes Top alternatives: a grid with one card per alternative, between 3 and 11 on a page and 5 at the median. A card carries the product's icon and name, a tagline, a line of description, the price and Bootstrapped or OSS tags where they apply, under a preview image and with a Visit ↗ button beside the name.
Some alternatives also have a page of their own, 157 of them today. Its title names the product and one or two of the tools it is listed against, and it opens with a Visit button carrying the product's name. Counting tool pages and those pages together, an alternative is linked from five pages at the median and from as many as nineteen, and every one of those links is followed.
The site's own voice leans towards the small tools. On 36 of its 48 category pages, the Editor's pick paragraph names a smaller alternative before any of the big tools, as on AI Assistants: "OpenRouter is the underrated pick for anyone building rather than chatting."
Three required fields up top
The form requires three fields. Startup name takes the name as you want it shown, and URL takes a full address. On today's listings every Visit link points at the product's own address with utm_source=startupalternatives.com added, so enter the exact page visitors should reach, usually the home page, rather than a tracking link or a redirect.
Tagline asks for "One sentence about what it does", and the taglines on the site are short and plain. Across the 415 alternatives the median tagline runs to 28 characters and the longest to 56; Plausible's reads "Lightweight, privacy-friendly analytics." Name the product's job in the words a buyer of the big tool would use, and save the detail for the note.
The field that matters most: the tool you compete with
The form marks "Which tool does it compete with?" as optional, yet it is the field that matches the site's structure. Every alternative on Startup Alternatives today sits on the page of a tool it is listed against, and this box picks one of those tools.
Start typing and it suggests from the 112 tools, each shown with its icon and category. Pick one and the box shows its name and domain, with a Change button if you want another. Suggestions come only from the 112, so type the tool's name rather than a description of what it does.
If the name you type matches no tool exactly, the last row offers Create new with your text. Choosing it opens a box that asks you to "paste its URL so we can verify and create a page"; leave it empty and the form replies "For a new tool, please paste its URL." Pick the tool your product genuinely replaces, ideally the one your buyers would name first; a close rival beats a famous one you only partly overlap with.
Category comes next: a menu of 76 named categories, from Newsletters & Email to Business Banking & Cards, plus Other (specify), which opens a box for a new category name. The category of the tool you named is usually the right one: Google Analytics sits under Analytics and Stripe under Payments & Billing.
A logo, a hero shot and two images from your own site
Both image boxes are optional. The logo box takes PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG files up to 2 MB, and the featured image box, a 16:9 frame, asks for "A hero shot of your product" of up to 8 MB. A wide, uncluttered screenshot of the product in use suits that frame best.
Two other images shape how products look on the site today, and both come from the products' own websites. The brand icons beside each tool are favicons, which the privacy page says are fetched through Google's favicon service, so check that yours reads at small sizes. The preview images on current cards are the products' own social share images, the og:image each site declares, so make sure yours shows the product.
A note for the reviewer, then Submit for review
Tell us more is optional and asks "Anything we should know about it?" It is the place for what the other fields cannot hold: why people switch from the tool you named, who the product suits and what it costs.
Cards print a price and listing pages show founders, and the terms say where such details come from: "Pricing, founder details and feature claims are gathered from public sources; accuracy is best-effort, not guaranteed." A pricing page and an about page that names the founders give them something accurate to find.
Submit for review sends the form, and the confirmation reads "We'll review your submission and add it to the directory if it's a fit." The site sets out no review time. There is no email field on the form; the privacy page says submissions are stored against your account, and the sign-up form wants a name, your email and a password of 8 characters or more.
What we file for you
Once you include Startup Alternatives in your picks, we submit your product through its free route. We write a tagline and a note for this directory rather than reusing them from another. We pick the tool your product competes with and the category that goes with it, then cut your hero shot to the 16:9 frame. For the site account, we create an email address for you and open the account with it.
Timing follows our terms: the goal for all of your directories is 2 to 3 days, and we commit to filing them all within 21 days of purchase. Startup Alternatives decides what fits. When a directory declines a submission, your selection gains one directory to choose instead.
Startup Alternatives review: list it, and pick your rival with care
List it. The card is free and its link is followed and tagged. The company it keeps suits a small product too: every card on a tool page is presented as a smaller tool competing with the big one the page is about. Two choices carry the listing, the tool you stand against and the one sentence under your name, so make both with care.
How to submit to Startup Alternatives, step by step
- 1
Make a free account
Sign up: name, email and a password 8 characters or longer. The site keeps submissions against your account.
- 2
Open the submit form
Submit, in the menu bar of every page, opens startupalternatives.com/submit, headed “Submit your startup”.
- 3
Enter the name and the exact URL
Use the address visitors should land on, usually your home page. Listing links point straight at it, with the site's utm tag added.
- 4
Write a one-sentence tagline
Plain words on what the product does. Taglines on the site run to 28 characters at the median.
- 5
Name the tool you compete with
Type its name and pick it from the suggestions. If it is missing, choose Create new and paste the tool's URL.
- 6
Choose a category
One of the 76 on the menu, usually the one the tool you named sits under. If none fits, Other (specify) takes a name of your own.
- 7
Add the logo and a hero shot
The logo box takes PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG files of up to 2 MB; the 16:9 frame takes a wide product screenshot of up to 8 MB. Check your favicon and og:image while you are at it.
- 8
Write the note and submit
Use Tell us more for why people switch, who it suits and the price, then press Submit for review.
- 9
Or let Submitator file it
Tick Startup Alternatives when you choose your directories. We write the tagline and the note, choose the tool and the category, cut the hero shot and send it on the free route.
$0 here. $29 for the thirty you have not filled in yet.
One payment, every directory named in your dashboard with its Domain Rating on the card, text written for each one and the ones you tick filed for you.
A card on the big tool's page. $0 here, $29 for thirty.
Startup Alternatives lists smaller tools on the pages of the 112 well-known ones they compete with, at no cost and with no badge to place. Every link on its 269 listing pages is followed, product links carry utm_source=startupalternatives.com and the domain rates DR 25 on Ahrefs. We fill in the form, the tool and the category included, and file it on the free route: $0 here, $29 for thirty. The whole catalog.
FAQ
How do I submit to Startup Alternatives?
The form lives at startupalternatives.com/submit, one click from Submit in the menu bar. Fill in Startup name, URL and Tagline, which are required, then pick the tool your product competes with from the suggestions, choose a category and, if you like, add a logo, a hero shot and a note. Press Submit for review. The site keeps submissions against a free account, which you open with your name, your email address and a password.
Is Startup Alternatives free?
Yes. Listing is free of charge, with no paid tier or featured slot on offer, and no page asks you to display a badge. The terms put it plainly: “Inclusion is at our discretion and is not paid placement.”
Is the Startup Alternatives link dofollow?
Yes. Across its 269 listing pages, fetched on 11 October 2026, all 3,654 outbound links carry rel="noopener noreferrer" and not one carries nofollow, sponsored or ugc. Product links lead directly to the product with utm_source=startupalternatives.com appended, and every listing page invites indexing and names itself in its canonical tag.
What does the Startup Alternatives form ask for?
Three required fields: Startup name, URL and Tagline, which asks for “One sentence about what it does”. Four parts are marked optional: “Which tool does it compete with?”, a logo of up to 2 MB, a featured image of up to 8 MB described as “A hero shot of your product” and a note headed “Tell us more”. A Category menu sits among them, with 76 named options and Other (specify). The form has no email field.
What if the tool I compete with is not on Startup Alternatives?
Type its name anyway. The box suggests only from the site's 112 tools, and when what you type matches none of them exactly, the last row offers Create new with your text. Choose it and paste the tool's address into the box that appears, which asks you to “paste its URL so we can verify and create a page”.
How long does Startup Alternatives take to review a submission?
Startup Alternatives puts no timescale on review. Pressing Submit for review brings up a confirmation that reads “We'll review your submission and add it to the directory if it's a fit.” The terms add that inclusion is at their discretion.
Do I need an account to submit to Startup Alternatives?
The site ties submissions to one. The form has no email field, but the privacy page says the fields you submit “are stored against your account”, and signing up takes your name, your email address and a password no shorter than 8 characters.
Does Startup Alternatives want a badge or a link back?
Neither. The site runs no badge scheme, and its form, terms and listing pages make no request for a link back or for anything else on your website.
What is the Domain Rating of Startup Alternatives?
25 on Ahrefs' scale, the number our Domain Rating checker gave back on 11 October 2026. Only its admin, API and file paths are disallowed in robots.txt, which leaves every listing page open to AhrefsBot.
Does Submitator submit to Startup Alternatives?
Yes, through its free route. Choose it among your directories and we complete the whole form: a tagline and a note written for Startup Alternatives alone, the tool your product competes with, its category and a hero shot cut to the 16:9 frame. It is one pick among the thirty that $29 buys on Starter.
More submit-to guides.
Startup Alternatives is free. Thirty directories are $29, each one measured.
One payment. Each directory is named with its Domain Rating on the card before you choose it, badges are installed and kept live where one is wanted and a rejection is swapped for another directory.