How to add your app to AlternativeTo

TL;DR

AlternativeTo is a crowdsourced software directory where people search for alternatives to apps they already know, ranked by user likes. Adding your app is free, but the free review queue holds several thousand apps and has no date, so you either wait or pay a one-time priority review fee for a decision in 1 to 2 business days. It suits founders of any software product with a clear, well-known competitor.

What is AlternativeTo?

AlternativeTo launched in 2009, founded by Ola Johansson and Markus Olausson, and is run by 27 Kilobyte AB in Stockholm, Sweden. Its stated mission is "helping you find the right software for your computer, mobile phone or tablet."

The site works around comparison searches. A visitor types "Notion alternative" or "free Photoshop alternative", lands on that app's page and sees a list of alternatives sorted by likes from registered users. AlternativeTo counts an app as an alternative when its main task and focus match the original. Anyone can register and suggest apps; the team reviews every change before it goes live.

Who should submit to AlternativeTo?

Good fit:

• SaaS, desktop and mobile apps that compete with a known product, because visitors arrive by searching for that product's name.
• Free and open-source tools: the license field lets visitors filter for exactly these.

Skip it:

• If you sell a service, an agency or a physical product. The directory lists software only.
• If you want a backlink: the FAQ says links to app websites are nofollow unless editors decide otherwise, and "you can't buy a followed link." The DA 87 stays with alternativeto.net.

How much does AlternativeTo cost?

Suggesting an app is free. The paid extra is priority review, a one-time fee shown at checkout before you pay. The FAQ puts priority reviews at 1 to 2 business days, up to a week over holidays. Paying moves you up the queue and buys no approval, likes or rank, and you get a full refund if you cancel before the review.

How do you share your startup on AlternativeTo?

1. Create an account and verify your email address; unverified accounts cannot submit apps.
2. Click the user icon in the top right corner, choose "Suggest new application" (or open the add-app form), and fill in platforms, license, description and tags. Put your website in the URL field only: descriptions must contain no links, emails or phone numbers.
3. Submit and wait for review, or open "My submissions" and click "Get reviewed sooner" to pay for priority.
4. Once approved, go to the page of each competitor you replace, click "Contribute to this page", then "Suggest Alternatives", and add your app.
5. Request developer access at alternativeto.net/developers/claim with a work email on your app's domain (Gmail does not qualify). Your later edits then go live without review.

Tips to get more out of AlternativeTo

• Pick the competitors your buyers search for. Your app appears on their pages, and that is where the traffic sits.
• Ask your users for likes in public, on your social pages or newsletter. The FAQ allows it, and organic likes weigh more. Rewarded likes (discounts, gifts) push an app down.
• Fill every filter field: platforms, license type and tags decide whether visitors who filter their search ever see you.
• Keep your profile clean. Accounts that use their profile to advertise get blocked for spam.

Our verdict

AlternativeTo is one of the few directories where buyers arrive already comparing tools, so a listing next to the right competitor brings visitors with intent. Budget for the priority fee if you need the listing this month, and expect traffic and likes rather than SEO credit.

More options: see all startup directories and launch sites. Planning the launch around this listing? The Fe/male Switch startup game walks women founders from idea to first customers.