How we vet members
The full criteria, in public. Membership is free, every application is read by a human, and there is no way to buy a listing.
What gets in
A real, working product
We can sign up, use it, and see it do what it claims. Landing pages and waitlists aren't vettable.
Genuinely useful to founders
It solves a problem startup founders actually have — not a problem invented to sell a product.
Honest, founder-friendly pricing
Public pricing a startup can afford, with no dark patterns around trials, cancellation, or limits.
Room to grow
A startup that adopts it shouldn't face a forced migration six months later.
What gets a no
Nothing to try
Pre-launch products with no way for us to verify the claims.
Thin clones and affiliate bait
White-labels, wrappers with no added value, and products built to farm commissions.
Unverifiable claims
If the marketing says it and the product doesn't show it, that's a no.
Not for founders
Good products aimed at other audiences belong in other directories.
Removal policy
A listing here is a living endorsement, so we prune. Members are removed when:
- The product or site goes dead, or support stops responding.
- The startup pivots away from serving founders — a fine business decision, but no longer a fit for this directory.
- An acquisition changes the product, pricing, or terms in ways that no longer pass the criteria above.
- Pricing or practices turn hostile to founders (dark patterns, bait-and-switch trials, silent limit changes).
We re-check members periodically and remove quietly — removal is housekeeping, not a public shaming. Removed startups are welcome to reapply if things change.
The badge, and links
Members get a badge they can display on their site. Three things about it, stated plainly:
- Displaying the badge is optional. Membership never depends on it.
- Members may add
rel="nofollow"to the badge link and keep full membership. Your site, your link policy. - Every member's listing links to their site on the same terms, whether or not they display the badge. Nothing about your listing changes based on how, or whether, you link back.
Membership is free. We never sell listings or placement — the only way into this directory is building something worth listing.