Dirproof

How we check directories

Every listing on Dirproof is checked by a person, not scraped. Here is exactly what we look at and what the numbers mean.

What we check for each directory

1. Submit form

We open the directory's submission page and confirm that a submission form or listing process is available. In the list this is "Submit form: Yes", "No" or "Unknown".

2. Price

We check whether a product can be listed for free. "Free" means a free option existed on the check date, even if the site also sells paid upgrades. Paid-only directories are kept out of the list for now.

3. Link type: dofollow or nofollow

We open a live listing and inspect the outbound link to the listed product. If it has rel="nofollow", ugc or sponsored, we mark it Nofollow. Otherwise we mark it Dofollow. noopener and noreferrer do not change this.

4. DR

DR (Domain Rating) is a third-party estimate from 0 to 100 of how strong a site's backlink profile is. It is not a Google metric. We measure all directories on the same day with the same tool so the numbers are comparable.

5. AI fit

"Yes" means the directory is made for AI tools or has a clear AI category. "Partial" means it lists software in general, where an AI tool is welcome but not the focus.

The score

Each directory gets a score from 0 to 100:

Score = DR ÷ 100 × 40 + dofollow 30 + free 15 + working submit form 10 + AI fit 5

Partial AI fit counts 2.5. DR above 100 is capped at 100. A directory without a DR value gets no score until we measure it.

Example: a free directory with DR 80, a dofollow link, a working form and partial AI fit scores 80 ÷ 100 × 40 + 30 + 15 + 10 + 2.5 = 89.5.

The weights reflect what usually matters most to a new AI tool: a link that passes ranking credit, from a stronger site, without paying, through a process that actually works. You can sort the list by DR or name instead if you weigh things differently.

Check dates and updates

  • Every listing shows the date it was last checked.
  • We aim to re-check every directory every 30 days.
  • If a listing's check is older than 60 days, the list shows a warning on it.
  • Found something out of date? Use "Report a problem with this listing" in the list, or the contact form.

Limits

  • A check reflects one listing on one day. Directories can change rules, prices or link types at any time.
  • Some directories treat free and paid listings differently. We report what we saw on a free listing where possible.
  • DR is an estimate from a third-party tool. Different tools give different numbers.
  • A backlink alone does not guarantee higher rankings, DR or traffic.
  • Submission results (approval time, whether a link is still live after 30 days) will be added only after we have submitted and measured them ourselves.