SaaSHub vs AlternativeTo: Which to Submit To First
SaaSHub vs AlternativeTo for your app: what each accepts, how submitting differs, who edits the listing, and which one to do first. Checked on both sites.
By Mark Fulton ·
Submit to SaaSHub first if you have a released SaaS, web app or mobile app with a real website on your own domain, because you fill in the profile yourself and can name the competitors you want to sit next to. Submit to AlternativeTo first if your product is a consumer or prosumer app that people already search for replacements of, because its pages are edited and voted on by the community and you earn your place by being a believable alternative. Both are free to list on, both reject unreleased products, and neither is a launch day spike. They are shelves people visit when they are already comparing, so the order matters less than being accurate on both. If you can only do one this week, pick the one whose rules your product already fits.
The two sites look alike from a distance. Each calls itself a place to find software, each is built around "alternatives to X" pages, and each lists the other as a competitor. Up close they work differently. One is a directory of profiles you submit. The other is a wiki of apps that the crowd edits and ranks. This guide compares them on the things that decide your week: what they accept, how the submission works, who controls the page afterward, and how a stranger actually ends up on your listing. Everything about each site below was read on its own pages in October 2026, and both change their rules, so check the live form before you start.
How do people find apps on each site?
Both sites win on the same behavior. Someone has a tool they use, something about it bothers them, and they search for a replacement. The page they land on is an alternatives page.
On SaaSHub, the alternatives page for a product is described by the site as a list "based on verified products, community votes, reviews and other factors." Each entry shows a short description and key features, and the site also runs head-to-head "VS" comparison pages between products. Some entries on those pages are marked sponsored, so a slice of the visibility is paid. SaaSHub calls itself "an independent software marketplace" and says its aim is to be "your first stop when researching for a new service."
On AlternativeTo, an app's page carries a list of alternatives that members suggested and voted on. Visitors can say whether something is a good alternative with a Yes or No, and an app that collects many No votes gets reported to admins for review. You can like apps but not dislike them, and likes are one of several ranking factors. AlternativeTo says organic likes count most and that buying likes or creating fake accounts can lower an app's rank or remove it from the front page.
The practical difference is who decides where you appear. On SaaSHub, you propose your own competitors on submission. On AlternativeTo, you can suggest yourself as an alternative, but the community has to agree.
What does each one accept?
This is where most submissions die, so read it before you write a word of description.
SaaSHub says on its submit page that it accepts SaaS, IaaS and PaaS products and services, most software products and apps, mobile apps with decent websites, and websites or services that lead in a specific niche. It does not accept software development agencies, landing pages with an email form for a waiting list, or non-English products. It says unreleased products "will be rejected immediately," and it rejects products on free subdomains such as a vercel.com address. Submissions by email are not taken.
AlternativeTo lists these in its FAQ as not accepted: apps that are not in English, hardware, adult content, and unreleased apps, including announced-only, closed, invite-only or early-access ones. Open or public betas may be accepted. It also turns away apps limited to specific countries or regions (Europe-wide or USA-wide apps are fine), personal sites, blogs, single-function web tools, thin wrappers around AI models, custom services, clones and low-quality games. It prefers one entry per product rather than one per edition, and says admins decide case by case.
Read those two lists side by side and a pattern shows up:
- A free subdomain is a dealbreaker on SaaSHub. If your app still lives on a shared hosting address, buy the domain first.
- A single-function tool or a thin AI wrapper is a risk on AlternativeTo. If your app does one narrow thing, expect a harder review there than on SaaSHub.
- Both want a launched, public product. A waitlist page does not count on either.
- Hardware is out on AlternativeTo. SaaSHub's page does not list hardware as accepted or rejected, so do not assume it either way.
How does submitting differ?
The forms ask for similar basics, but the mechanics are different enough to plan around.
SaaSHub submission. You use its submission page, choose a few relevant categories, list competitors, and give a website URL. Two details on that page are worth acting on. It advises listing competitors, and says listings without competitors "will be slowed down and put to the bottom of the queue." It also says verifying with an email address on the product's own domain gives a higher priority. So the fast version is: a real domain, a matching email address, and a short honest list of the products you compete with. The page does not state a price or a review timeframe, so treat any number you read elsewhere as unconfirmed until you see it on the form itself.
AlternativeTo submission. You sign up and verify your email, since you cannot submit until then, then choose "Suggest new application" from the user menu and fill in platforms, license, description and tags. The app goes into a review queue. You can pay a one-time fee to move to the front of the queue. AlternativeTo says priority submissions are usually reviewed within one to two business days, up to a week over holidays or busy periods, that paying buys speed and not approval, and that the fee is refundable before the review completes. The FAQ does not print the amount on the page, it is shown before you pay. We cover the whole form in the AlternativeTo submission walkthrough.
Two submissions, two different bets. SaaSHub rewards a complete profile on a real domain. AlternativeTo rewards a clean, specific description and then makes you earn the alternatives list.
Who controls the listing after it's live?
Here the sites diverge the most.
On AlternativeTo, the page is a wiki. Anyone with an account can open an app page, choose "Contribute to this page," and edit or update information, and edits are verified before they are approved. Changes to the app's name or official website need admin verification first. So you can fix your own description and screenshots, but so can a stranger, and you do not get a lock on the page. Treat it as shared property that you tend.
On SaaSHub, the listing is a vendor profile. One independent summary of the site says that if you are already listed you sign in to its vendor portal to claim or update your profile. SaaSHub's own submit page does not describe editing, so check the portal on the day rather than trusting a third party. That same summary says the verified badge needs re-verification every three months, which I could only confirm on that outside page, so treat it as a thing to look for rather than a promise.
What this means for upkeep:
- SaaSHub is a profile you keep current. Plan a pass whenever your pricing or features change.
- AlternativeTo is a page you watch. Check it after a launch or rename, because other people can change it.
- Neither is set and forget. Out of date pricing on a comparison page costs you trust with exactly the visitors who are about to decide.
Which suits a consumer app and which suits SaaS?
Use this as a rough decision tree. It is a judgment call from what each site accepts and how it surfaces apps, not a measured result.
| Question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|
| Is your product released, public and in English? | Go on | Fix that first, both sites reject it |
| Are you on your own domain, not a free subdomain? | Go on | Buy the domain before SaaSHub |
| Does it do more than one narrow task? | Either site | Expect more pushback on AlternativeTo |
| Is it B2B, a SaaS or a dev tool with a clear competitor list? | SaaSHub first | Look at AlternativeTo |
| Is it a consumer or prosumer app people already replace by name (a note app, a timer, a video editor)? | AlternativeTo first | SaaSHub is fine |
| Do you want to choose your own neighbors? | SaaSHub | AlternativeTo, where the crowd chooses |
And the comparison at a glance, with everything taken from the two sites' own pages:
| SaaSHub | AlternativeTo | |
|---|---|---|
| Submission flow | Submit page: categories, competitors, website URL | Verified account, then "Suggest new application" form |
| Accepts | SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, most software and apps, mobile apps with decent websites | Released apps in English, public beta possible |
| Rejects | Agencies, waitlist landing pages, unreleased, free subdomains, non-English | Hardware, adult, unreleased, regional-only, thin AI wrappers, single-function web tools, clones |
| Who edits the listing | The vendor, through a portal (per a third-party summary) | Anyone, with approval; name and website changes need an admin |
| How you're found | Alternatives and VS comparison pages, some paid placements | Community-voted alternatives lists, likes as one ranking factor |
| Review speed | Not stated on the submit page; email on your domain gets priority | Free queue has no stated timeframe; paid priority is 1 to 2 business days |
| Upkeep | Keep the profile current | Watch the page for changes |
A note on consumer apps specifically: if you ship a small iOS or Android app, SaaSHub does say it takes mobile apps with decent websites, so the door is open. The question is whether the "alternatives to X" page you would sit on is something people search. A mobile app that replaces a well-known consumer app is a natural fit for AlternativeTo. A mobile app with a B2B angle fits SaaSHub.
Do these directories send traffic or just links?
Be careful with anyone who answers this with a single number, including directory-vs-directory comparison pages that rank their own service first. Neither site publishes a figure that tells you how many visitors a new listing will get, and a listing that sits on a page nobody searches sends nothing.
What we can say from the sites' own rules is how the links behave and how much of it is yours to control. Google's documentation on qualifying outbound links explains that links marked nofollow, sponsored or ugc "will generally not be followed" for ranking purposes. Whether either directory marks your link that way can change, so open your live listing and check the page source rather than quoting someone's chart. Our piece on whether app directories help SEO walks through how to check this and why the referral value of a relevant listing matters more than the link attributes.
Treat these listings as two more places a person who is already comparing can find you. If one of them sends a visitor a month who actually tries your app, it paid for itself.
Should you do both, and in what order?
Yes, both, but not on the same afternoon and not as step one.
- Get the basics right first. A released product, a real domain, a clear one-line description and a few screenshots. Our submission asset pack checklist is the prep that covers both forms.
- Pick the first site by fit. Use the table above. B2B or SaaS with a clear competitor list: SaaSHub. A consumer app people replace by name: AlternativeTo.
- Write competitors honestly. On SaaSHub, list three to five products you really compete with. On AlternativeTo, suggest yourself only on pages where a user of that app would actually find you useful.
- Do the second one a few days later. You will have reused your description and learned what the first review asked for.
- Put a reminder in the calendar. Come back after a month and read both listings as a stranger would.
Both of these are specialist shelves. They sit in a wider set of places worth an hour, which we list in where to submit your app for free. If your product is a SaaS, you can also put it in front of people browsing SaaS apps on TryMy, which costs nothing and is reviewed by a human before it goes live.
FAQ
Is SaaSHub free to submit to?
SaaSHub's submit page calls its tool a free one for promoting your product and does not state a submission price. A separate directory guide says listings are free with paid upgrades available, without prices. Its own alternatives page shows sponsored entries and a featured product listing at $99 a month, so some visibility is paid, but a basic listing does not require it. Confirm on the form before you enter any card details.
Does SaaSHub accept mobile apps?
Yes, with a condition. SaaSHub's submit page lists mobile apps with decent websites among the products it accepts. That means the site behind your app needs to be a real page on your own domain, not a free subdomain or a bare store link.
Can I edit my AlternativeTo listing myself?
Yes. Open the app page, choose "Contribute to this page," then "Edit / Update Information." Changes are verified before they are approved, and name or official website changes need an admin to verify them first. Since other members can edit the page too, check it now and then.
Do these directories send traffic or just links?
Neither site publishes a number that predicts what a new listing will bring. Both are used by people comparing products, so the realistic outcome is a small number of well-informed visitors on the alternatives pages where you fit, plus a profile that proves you exist. Measure it yourself with referral data from your own analytics after a month.
Add a third listing that costs nothing
SaaSHub and AlternativeTo are the comparison shelves. TryMy is the place where people come to actually try new software. Submit your app to TryMy free and it gets a human review before it goes live.