# How to get listed on AlternativeTo and be named as an alternative

You want your product on AlternativeTo and listed under your rivals. This guide shows how the site works, how to submit, and how to earn place by likes without tricks. It is for founders who ship and can edit their own pages.

Updated 2026-09-14 · Source: https://porteur.ai/guides/get-listed-on-alternativeto

## What AlternativeTo is and why it matters

AlternativeTo is a crowd‑sourced directory of software alternatives. Anyone can submit an application. Users like apps. On each product page, the alternatives are ordered by likes.

Its pages rank on searches like "X alternatives" and "alternatives to X". These pages are read by buyers. As of 2026, assistants also cite them when answering software choice questions.

The value is qualified traffic and being present where people compare tools. Treat it like a comparison shelf you can earn space on. The link is a by‑product, not the goal.

## What to have ready before you submit

- A live product people can try, not a waitlist
- A clear one‑liner: what it does and for whom
- Your homepage URL, a logo, and 2 to 5 clean screenshots
- Supported platforms and form factors written plainly, for example "Web" and "iOS"
- Pricing shape in one phrase, for example "Free plan" or "Paid"
- Two short paragraphs that say why someone would pick you over the usual names

Write these first on a scratch doc. You will reuse them on other listings and on your own /alternatives page later. Keep each sentence short and neutral in tone.

## How to submit your app to AlternativeTo

1. **Create a user account** Sign up with your own name. Do not hide that you are the maker. A real profile helps editors trust your submission.
2. **Find the submission entry point** On AlternativeTo, there is a way to add a new application. If you see your app is not listed, start a new application entry.
3. **Fill the basics fully** Add the name, homepage URL, short description, platforms, pricing shape and screenshots. Keep claims factual. Avoid hype words.
4. **Add categories that fit** Pick the closest categories users browse when they look for tools like yours. If you are an email sender, choose "Email Marketing" rather than a catch‑all.
5. **Disclose affiliation in comments** If there is a notes field or a first comment, say you are the maker and what problem your tool solves. Keep it to two or three sentences.
6. **Submit and monitor** Save your draft and submit it for review if the workflow requires it. Bookmark the page. Check back to answer questions from editors or users.

If your product already exists on the site with thin details, request to edit it. Complete the description and images so users understand what they get on click‑through to yourproduct.com.

## How to appear as an alternative to your rivals

You do not rank by keywords here. You earn position on the exact pages that list alternatives to a named product. That is where buyers arrive from "alternativeto mailchimp" or "alternativeto slack".

1. **List the rival pages that matter** Search AlternativeTo for your segment. For example, if you build an email tool, open the "Mailchimp" page and the "Mailchimp alternatives" list.
2. **Check fit before you suggest** Your app must actually solve the same job. If the rival is a full email suite and you only do transactional, say so. Misfit suggestions get ignored.
3. **Suggest your app under each relevant rival** On a product page, there is a way to suggest an alternative. Use it. Keep your note neutral and short: what you do, what is different, and on which platforms.
4. **Repeat for indirect rivals** If your rivals are also listed under a platform, for example "Open Source team chat", suggest your app there too only if it fits the scope.
5. **Watch where you are accepted** You will not be added everywhere. Track which pages you appear on and focus on those for your first likes push.

A good suggestion note reads like this: "Acme Mail is an email marketing tool for small stores. It has a free plan for 500 contacts. Web and iOS." It avoids claims like "better" and "#1".

## How likes drive your position

Alternative lists are ordered by likes. More likes move you up relative to others on that exact page. There is no magic threshold. It is a ladder you climb.

- Likes work per page. A like helps sitewide, but the key is the pages buyers open, for example the "Mailchimp alternatives" list
- New apps start at the bottom. A small volume of honest likes can move you into the visible fold
- Traffic compounds from a better slot: higher slot, more clicks, more users, more likes

Plan one focused push per target page, not a general blast. If "alternativeto discord" is where your users search, start there before "alternativeto slack" or catch‑all pages.

> Do not fake likes. Do not hire click farms or create stacks of throwaway accounts. You risk moderation action and you waste a scarce chance at trust.

## How to earn honest likes without spam

- Invite active users in‑product. Add a small in‑app notice after a success event, for example after sending a first campaign: "Found us useful? Like us on AlternativeTo"
- Link from your /alternatives page. On yourproduct.com/alternatives, explain how you compare to the big names and link to the exact AlternativeTo pages you want to climb
- Ask in your changelog. On /changelog, add one line on a release: "If this helps, consider liking us on AlternativeTo"
- Mention it in onboarding or a post‑trial email. Keep the ask gentle and optional
- Post in your community. If you run a Slack or Discord, one message is fine. No repeated pings
- Share a single neutral post on your social account that your users follow. Do not ask for votes from people who will never use you

Make it easy to act. Link people straight to the page that matters, for example alternativeto.net/software/acme-mail on the "Mailchimp" page, not your company profile splash.

Set a cap on how often you ask. One campaign per quarter per page is enough. Likes from real users who already rely on you move the needle and last.

## Write a listing that wins the click

Users skim lists fast. Your card and page must tell them the job you do, who it is for, and one clear reason to try you instead of the default pick.

- Lead with the job, not buzzwords: "Email marketing for small stores" not "Next‑gen AI‑powered synergy"
- Show platform coverage plainly: "Web, iOS"
- Name the standout: "Drag and drop editor and Shopify sync" or "Self‑hosted, MIT licence"
- Use clean screenshots that show outcome, for example a sent campaign report, not a busy dashboard
- Keep sentences short. No claims you cannot support on click‑through to /pricing or /guides/getting-started

A fixed page looks like this after you edit it: a crisp logo, a 12 to 16 word summary, two outcome screenshots, and a short neutral comparison line that names the default tool you replace.

## Be present on neighbour directories buyers and assistants read

Buyers and assistants do not use one source. Spread the same crisp facts across a few places that match your stage and product. You do this once and maintain it yearly.

- G2 and Capterra: free vendor profiles exist, and reviews from verified users are the currency. Their category pages rank on "best X" and "X reviews" and are cited by assistants
- AI product directories: if you ship an AI tool, get listed on directories like There's An AI For That or Futurepedia. Their links are often nofollow. The value is presence on category lists
- Small launch sites: Uneed, Dev Hunt for dev tools, and similar sites give you a page and votes from real users. Each is a small, relevant audience

Use the same one‑liner, images and links everywhere. Keep claims consistent. Update them when your pricing or platform support changes so nothing is stale as of 2026.

> Directories with no editorial value are treated as low‑quality links by Google’s spam policies. List for the audience and mention, not for PageRank.

## Measure impact and tune your push

You want to know if this work moves clicks and trials. Track the listing URLs and the rival pages you target. Watch both referral traffic and search lift on "X alternative" terms.

1. **Tag your links** Add UTM tags to the links you control, for example from your changelog or onboarding email, so you can separate seed traffic from organic directory clicks.
2. **Log your positions** Once a week, note your slot on the key "alternatives to X" pages. A simple spreadsheet is fine. The aim is to move into the first visible set.
3. **Watch referral quality** In your product analytics, check activation from AlternativeTo sessions. You want signups that reach first value. If quality is low, your listing copy may be mis‑set.
4. **Align on‑site content** Build a /alternatives page and two or three comparison pages, for example /compare/mailchimp, that explain trade‑offs and link back to your listings. Users like clarity.
5. **Iterate quarterly** Refresh screenshots, fix stale claims, and run one fresh ask for likes where you are close to the fold. Do not spam the same list every month.

## What not to do

- Do not submit before people can try your product
- Do not keyword‑stuff your description. This is a directory, not a search engine
- Do not ask strangers to like you. Ask users who have used the product
- Do not create fake accounts or pay for likes
- Do not suggest yourself on pages where you do not fit the job to be done

The fastest way to lose trust is to treat it like a link dump. Treat it as a place where users decide, and your copy and proof carry the weight.

## Questions

### Is listing on AlternativeTo free, and how long does it take?

You can submit an application for free. Submissions are moderated. Approval time varies. Fill the entry well and respond to questions. If your product already exists with thin details, suggest edits instead of a duplicate.

### Can I submit a pre‑launch product or waitlist?

Submit when people can try the thing you made. A working product with a homepage, screenshots and a clear job‑to‑be‑done is more likely to be accepted, to be liked, and to be added under rivals.

### How do I get added under a competitor’s page?

Open that product’s page on AlternativeTo and use the option to suggest an alternative. Make a short, neutral case for fit, name your platforms and pricing shape, and avoid hype. You will not be accepted everywhere, so start with the closest fit and try a few pages.

### How many likes do I need to be visible?

There is no fixed number. Alternatives are ordered by likes relative to other apps on that page. A small number of honest likes from real users can move you into the first visible set on a niche page.

### Will the link help my SEO?

Treat the listing as a place to reach users and to be cited, not as a link for ranking. As of 2026, Google’s spam policies treat low‑value directories as weak signals. The audience and the mention are the win.

### Should I also list on G2 or Capterra?

If you sell B2B software, yes. Vendor profiles are free, and reviews from verified users influence buyers and assistants on “best X” searches. Keep claims consistent across sites and update them when your product changes.

## Read next

- [How to write an alternatives page that ranks and converts](https://porteur.ai/guides/alternatives-pages): Plan the page for leavers, not lurkers. Map reasons to switch, list options by need, state your place plainly, and avoid spam that kills trust.
- [How to get listed on G2 and Capterra, and get the first reviews](https://porteur.ai/guides/get-listed-on-g2-and-capterra): Set up G2 and Capterra, pick categories, get real reviews within the rules, use badges, and know what paid placement buys and does not.
- [The small launch sites: Uneed, MicroLaunch, Dev Hunt and the others](https://porteur.ai/guides/small-launch-sites): A plain plan to use MicroLaunch, Uneed, Dev Hunt and peers to reach the right crowd, pace launches weekly, and measure what worked after each.
- [How ChatGPT search picks and cites sources](https://porteur.ai/guides/how-chatgpt-search-cites-sources): See how ChatGPT search finds pages and cites them, what your page needs to be picked, and how to check if your site is named.
- [How Perplexity picks its sources, and how to become one](https://porteur.ai/guides/how-perplexity-picks-sources): How Perplexity finds, indexes and cites pages, what it favours, the crawler tokens to allow, how to see your mentions, and a monthly GEO routine.
- [SEO for SaaS: a strategy for a team of one](https://porteur.ai/guides/seo-for-saas): What to rank and why for a SaaS site: the page families that work, pricing and comparisons, how to avoid thin content, and how to measure signups.
- [SEO for a mobile app: the stores, and the website that still ranks](https://porteur.ai/guides/seo-for-mobile-apps): Do ASO in the stores and build a site that still ranks: the brand, the category, the jobs and support pages, with app links and smart banners.

Want to see which “X alternatives” pages and rivals matter for your site now? Paste your URL into Porteur’s free check, wait about thirty seconds, and read three full findings. Free check: https://porteur.ai/