Best directories for open-source projects
Where to list open-source projects so customers can find you. We ran 4 real open-source project searches and counted which directories came up in the first ten results (7 did). Below: the 7 to claim first, each with a verdict and the evidence, then 46 more.
Online listing guide Measured Oct 20, 2026 (Google, US) 4 searches Thin evidence
The short read
- Most visible: r/selfhosted, in 2 of 4 searches, best #3. Start there.
- Directories won only 11 of 34 top-10 spots. r/selfhosted, selfh.st Apps and OpenAlternative were the only ones seen.
- No paid-only platform in our census; free listings first.
How we picked
Every list on this page follows the same three rules, in this order. Each card says which rule put it there.
- 1
Seen in searches. How many of the 4 searches below a directory reached the organic top 10 in, then its best position. AI Overview citations break ties.
- 2
Then fit. Built for open-source projects, then broad company profiles, then platform-only marketplaces.
- 3
Then popularity. Tranco top-1M rank, only to break ties. No domain authority.
How much to trust it
Thin evidence4 searches and 11 directory results. Enough to see who shows up at all, not enough to separate close picks.
- It shows
- Which directories Google put in the first ten results for these 4 searches on Oct 20, 2026, and how often directories won a spot at all.
- It does not show
- Traffic, calls or sign-ups from any listing; other phrasings or dates; ChatGPT and other AI answers. A directory missing here can still matter in your market.
What the searches showed. Directories won 11 of 34 first-page spots, so the listings below are a real discovery channel for open-source projects.
| Search | AI Overview | Directories in first ten |
|---|---|---|
| “open source alternative to notion” | 2 of 8 | |
| “self hosted alternatives” | 6 of 9 | |
| “best open source crm” | 0 of 8 | |
| “open source alternatives” | 3 of 9 |
Who took the other spots: xda-developers.com (#1), datamation.com (#2), netbird.io (#2), defalto.com (#3), open-source-alternatives.com (#4) and other sites that are not directories.
Claim these first
7 picks showed up in our searches and come first.
Seen in searches for open-source project
Rule 1: searches appeared in, then best position
- 1Open site (opens r/selfhosted in a new tab)
Most seen in Google for open-source projects
r/selfhosted reddit.com
Reddit community: 858K members; ideal for self-hostable/open-source tools.
Seen in searches
In 2 of 4 searches, best #3
Moderate signalSeen at reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/wfymrp/notion…
What we know
Free · Community subreddit with moderator-enforced rules: per the March 2026 rules update and weekly 'New Project Megathread' posts, projects younger than 3 months are not allowed as standalone posts and must go in the current week's megathread (top-level comment with project name and repo/website link); low-effort/spam/self-promotion posts are removed. Requires a Reddit account. · Serves any country
Cost: Posting on Reddit is free; no paid listing option within the subreddit.
Approval: Community subreddit with moderator-enforced rules: per the March 2026 rules update and weekly 'New Project Megathread' posts, projects youn…
You need: Reddit account; project older than 3 months for a standalone post (otherwise megathread).
Checked on reddit.com 2026-10-20.
Not established yet: link type and claim page.
Why #1: r/selfhosted appeared in 2 of 4 searches, selfh.st Apps in 1.
Check eligibility. Google showed it for these searches, but our census files r/selfhosted under other business types. Confirm its claim page accepts open-source projects.
Note. Member count from Hive Index (Reddit blocked direct checks). Read each subreddit's self-promotion rules before posting.
- 2Claim listing (opens selfh.st Apps in a new tab)
Best free listing
selfh.st Apps selfh.st
Directory of self-hosted apps.
Seen in searches
In 1 of 4 searches, best #1
Weak signal: one searchSeen at selfh.st/apps/
What we know
Free · Followed link · Curated by the maintainer: FAQ says 'reach out and share the details of your project'; submit form offers a 'selfh.st/apps (Directory)' option. Directory updates every morning around 5AM EST. · Serves any country
Cost: Organic listing is free (curated); paid sponsor placements exist (entries flagged data-track-sponsor=1, UTM-tagged), sponsor pricing not pu…
Approval: Curated by the maintainer: FAQ says 'reach out and share the details of your project'; submit form offers a 'selfh.st/apps (Directory)' opt…
You need: Self-hosted software project (companion apps must extend or help manage self-hosted software and not be a core service…
Checked on selfh.st 2026-10-20, link type included.
Why #2: Both appeared in 1 of 4 searches and both are built for open-source projects; selfh.st Apps is the more visited site (Tranco #162,469 vs #365,328).
- 3Claim listing (opens OpenAlternative in a new tab)
Best for comparison shoppers
OpenAlternative openalternative.co
Top directory for open-source alternatives to proprietary SaaS.
Seen in searches
In 1 of 4 searches, best #6
Weak signal: one searchSeen at openalternative.co/collections/self-hosted
What we know
Free, paid upgrades · Nofollow link · Account sign-in required to submit; submissions reviewed ('We'll review {name}'s submission'); free queue publishes one tool per weekday (can take months); paid packages within 24 hours. Free listing inspected has nofollow website link; whether paid tiers change rel was not verified. · Serves any country
Cost: Free listing available: 'Free listings go live one per weekday, so the wait can be a few months.' After submitting, paid packages let you '…
Approval: Account sign-in required to submit; submissions reviewed ('We'll review {name}'s submission'); free queue publishes one tool per weekday (c…
You need: Full open source application (not CLIs/libraries/SDKs/plugins/browser extensions/MCP servers/thin AI wrappers); product…
Checked on openalternative.co 2026-10-20, link type included.
Why #3: Both appeared in 1 of 4 searches and both are built for open-source projects; OpenAlternative is the more visited site (Tranco #365,328 vs #601,387).
- 4Claim listing (opens awesome-selfhosted in a new tab)
Also seen in Google
awesome-selfhosted awesome-selfhosted.net
Web version of the awesome-selfhosted list.
Seen in searches
In 1 of 4 searches, best #5
Weak signal: one searchSeen at awesome-selfhosted.net
What we know
Free · Followed link · Curated by maintainers via GitHub pull request (new software/<name>.yml in awesome-selfhosted-data) or issue; no timeframe stated. Unmaintained or non-working software may be removed. The CONTRIBUTING file asks that submissions be made by humans, not AI agents. · Serves any country
Approval: Curated by maintainers via GitHub pull request (new software/<name>.yml in awesome-selfhosted-data) or issue; no timeframe stated. Unmainta…
You need: Free/open-source self-hosted software; first release more than four months old; actively maintained; working installati…
Checked on awesome-selfhosted.net 2026-10-20, link type included.
Why #4: Both appeared in 1 of 4 searches and both are built for open-source projects; awesome-selfhosted is the more visited site (Tranco #601,387 vs not in the top 1M).
- 5Claim listing (opens awesome-selfhosted (GitHub) in a new tab)
Best open-source project-only directory
awesome-selfhosted (GitHub) github.com
Huge list of free self-hostable network services.
Seen in searches
In 1 of 4 searches, best #4
Weak signal: one searchSeen at github.com/awesome-selfhosted/awesome-selfhosted
What we know
Free · Nofollow link · Pull request (or issue) to the awesome-selfhosted-data repo adding a software/<name>.yml file; maintainers review against the guidelines; no timeline stated. Curation removes software with no development activity for 6-12 months, non-working or unmaintained software, or persistent security issues. The PR template asks the submitter to attest the submission was done by a human, not an LLM. · Serves any country
Cost: Free; community-curated open-source list (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Approval: Pull request (or issue) to the awesome-selfhosted-data repo adding a software/<name>.yml file; maintainers review against the guidelines; n…
You need: Free/open-source self-hostable software; first release more than 4 months old; actively maintained; working installatio…
Checked on github.com 2026-10-20, link type included.
Why #5: Both appeared in 1 of 4 searches; awesome-selfhosted (GitHub) is built for open-source projects, DEV Community is not confirmed to list open-source projects.
- 6Claim listing (opens DEV Community in a new tab)
Best for community posts
DEV Community dev.to
Large developer blogging community; launch posts and tutorials reach developers and rank in search.
Seen in searches
In 1 of 4 searches, best #1
Weak signal: one searchSeen at dev.to/madza/16-open-source-alternatives-t…
What we know
Free · Followed link · Self-serve: create an account and publish posts or fill in a profile; no listing review. · Serves any country
Approval: Self-serve: create an account and publish posts or fill in a profile; no listing review.
Checked on dev.to 2026-10-20, link type included.
Why #6: Both appeared in 1 of 4 searches and both are not confirmed to list open-source projects; DEV Community is the more visited site (Tranco #3,701 vs not in the top 1M).
Check eligibility. Google showed it for these searches, but our census files DEV Community under other business types. Confirm its claim page accepts open-source projects.
- 7Claim listing (opens r/macapps in a new tab)
Also seen in Google
r/macapps reddit.com
The main Reddit community for Mac app launches and recommendations.
Seen in searches
In 1 of 4 searches, best #2
Weak signal: one searchSeen at reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/1kh37p6/interest…
What we know
Free · Community-moderated posting. Per the sub's megathread rules (seen via mirror): main-feed self-promotion only for "Trust Path" devs (paid Mac App Store developer, 100+ star GitHub repo, or granted flair) or "Transparency Path" devs who publicly identify themselves, plus 10+ local karma; others must post in the megathread in PCP format, subject to a 30-day promotion limit. · Serves any country
Approval: Community-moderated posting. Per the sub's megathread rules (seen via mirror): main-feed self-promotion only for "Trust Path" devs (paid Ma…
Checked on reddit.com 2026-10-20.
Not established yet: link type.
Why #7: Ranked below DEV Community. Both appeared in 1 of 4 searches and both are not confirmed to list open-source projects; DEV Community is the more visited site (Tranco #3,701 vs not in the top 1M).
Check eligibility. Google showed it for these searches, but our census files r/macapps under other business types. Confirm its claim page accepts open-source projects.
Note. Follow subreddit self-promotion rules. [HTTP 200 on 2026-10-20 curl check]
Paid platforms worth testing
Our census has no paid-only platform for open-source projects. Several free listings above sell upgrades; claim the free version first and pay only once it produces something you can track.
Software review and comparison sites
4 software review and comparison sites that accept open-source projects, ranked by audience fit and then site popularity (Tranco).
- 1 SourceForge sourceforge.netOpen SourceForge listing page in a new tab
Business software directory (shared with Slashdot) with big search footprint.
Best for: Comparison shoppers
Serves: Any country
Free, paid upgrades
- 2 Open LibHunt listing page in a new tab
Best for: Comparison shoppers
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 3 Open SaaS Directory opensaas.directoryOpen Open SaaS Directory listing page in a new tab
Small curated list (137+) of self-hostable SaaS alternatives.
Best for: Comparison shoppers
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 4 OpenSourceAlternative.to opensourcealternative.toOpen OpenSourceAlternative.to listing page in a new tab
Directory of open-source alternatives to proprietary software.
Best for: Comparison shoppers
Serves: Any country
Free, paid upgrades · Reviewed in days
Communities and consumer platforms
5 communities and consumer platforms that accept open-source projects, ranked by audience fit and then site popularity (Tranco).
- 1 F-Droid f-droid.orgOpen F-Droid site in a new tab
Catalogue of free/open-source Android apps built from source; trusted by privacy-focused users.
Best for: Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free · Editorial review
- 2 Electric Capital Open Dev Data github.comOpen Electric Capital Open Dev Data site in a new tab
Open taxonomy of crypto ecosystems/repos used in developer reports; add via GitHub.
Best for: Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free
- 3 Open r/coolgithubprojects listing page in a new tab
Best for: Community posts
Serves: Any country
Free
- 4 Open r/LocalLLaMA listing page in a new tab
Best for: Community posts
Serves: Any country
Free
- 5 Open r/opensource listing page in a new tab
Best for: Community posts
Serves: Any country
Free
Developer marketplaces and registries
31 developer marketplaces and registries that accept open-source projects, ranked by audience fit and then site popularity (Tranco).
- 1 Open Collective opencollective.comOpen Open Collective listing page in a new tab
Public collective pages that act as a discovery and funding directory for OSS projects.
Best for: Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free
- 2 deps.dev (Open Source Insights) deps.devOpen deps.dev (Open Source Insights) site in a new tab
Google's dependency and security insights across npm, PyPI, Maven, Go, Cargo, NuGet.
Best for: Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 3 Open Libraries.io site in a new tab
Best for: Official provider records
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 4 Open IzzyOnDroid listing page in a new tab
Best for: Official provider records
Serves: Any country
Free
- 5 Open Changelog News listing page in a new tab
Best for: Launch day
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 6 Open Gitcoin listing page in a new tab
Best for: Launch day
Serves: Any country
Free
- 7 Open Bundlephobia site in a new tab
Best for: Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 8 Open Awesome Open Source site in a new tab
Best for: Comparison shoppers
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
Show 23 more
- 9 pepy.tech pepy.techOpen pepy.tech in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 10 Trendshift trendshift.ioOpen Trendshift in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 11 npms npms.ioOpen npms in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 12 npm trends npmtrends.comOpen npm trends in a new tab
Comparison shoppers
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 13 OSS Insight ossinsight.ioOpen OSS Insight in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 14 PyPI Stats pypistats.orgOpen PyPI Stats in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 15 appcypher/awesome-mcp-servers github.comOpen appcypher/awesome-mcp-servers in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free
- 16 awesome-claude-code github.comOpen awesome-claude-code in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free
- 17 awesome-claude-skills github.comOpen awesome-claude-skills in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free
- 18 awesome-llm-apps github.comOpen awesome-llm-apps in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free · Pull request
- 19 awesome-mac github.comOpen awesome-mac in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free · Pull request
- 20 awesome-nodejs github.comOpen awesome-nodejs in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free
- 21 awesome-python github.comOpen awesome-python in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free
- 22 Best of JS bestofjs.orgOpen Best of JS in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 23 e2b awesome-ai-agents github.comOpen e2b awesome-ai-agents in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free · Pull request
- 24 GitHub Topics github.comOpen GitHub Topics in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free · Nofollow link · Instant/self-serve: add topics to your repository (public repos appear in topic pages and topic search immediately; GitHub also suggests topics admins can accept). Curated topic descriptions/images are maintained by pull request to the github/explore repo.
- 25 GitHub Trending github.comOpen GitHub Trending in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free · Nofollow link · No submission process: repositories appear automatically based on GitHub's trending algorithm (daily/weekly/monthly activity).
- 26 npmcharts npmcharts.comOpen npmcharts in a new tab
Comparison shoppers
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 27 piptrends piptrends.comOpen piptrends in a new tab
Comparison shoppers
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 28 Project Awesome project-awesome.orgOpen Project Awesome in a new tab
Open-source projects only
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 29 punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers github.comOpen punkpeye/awesome-mcp-servers in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free · Pull request
- 30 sindresorhus/awesome github.comOpen sindresorhus/awesome in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free · Pull request
- 31 wong2/awesome-mcp-servers github.comOpen wong2/awesome-mcp-servers in a new tab
Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free, paid upgrades · Nofollow link · No pull requests accepted; listing is via the mcpservers.org submission form (free review within 2 weeks; Premium within 24 hours), curated by the maintainer.
Launch sites
1 launch sites that accept open-source projects, ranked by audience fit and then site popularity (Tranco).
- 1 Show HN (Hacker News) ycombinator.comOpen Show HN (Hacker News) listing page in a new tab
Hacker News' showcase for things people can try; a front-page Show HN brings large technical traffic.
Best for: Open-source projects and related
Serves: Any country
Free · Nofollow link · Instant post: submit a story titled 'Show HN: ...'; every Show HN appears on /shownew, and appears on /show once it clears a small points threshold.
Platform marketplaces (only if you integrate)
App hubs, cloud marketplaces and stores that list open-source projects built on their platform. Worth it only if you have that integration, so they rank below general directories.
- 1 Open Railway Templates site in a new tab
Best for: Only if you integrate
Serves: Any country
Not established yet
- 2 Open Unraid Community Apps listing page in a new tab
Best for: Only if you integrate
Serves: Any country
Free
- 3 Open YunoHost Apps listing page in a new tab
Best for: Only if you integrate
Serves: Any country
Free
- 4 Open Cloudron App Store listing page in a new tab
Best for: Only if you integrate
Serves: Any country
Editorial pick only
- 5 Open Umbrel App Store listing page in a new tab
Best for: Only if you integrate
Serves: Any country
Free · Pull request
Prepare this before you submit
Keep it in one document. Most forms ask for the same things, and identical details everywhere are what make listings count.
- 1
A one-line description that names the category
Directories file you by category; vague pitches get misfiled.
- 2
Logo, three or more screenshots, and a short demo video
Almost every launch and review site asks for them.
- 3
A public pricing page
Review sites show pricing next to every listing.
- 4
Competitors you are an alternative to
"X alternatives" pages are where buyers compare.
- 5
A founder or company account with some history
Launch communities limit brand-new accounts.
- 6
Five or more customers willing to review
Review sites rank listings with reviews above empty ones.
What to skip
-
Paid "featured" slots on directories with no presence in your category searches
None of the paid placements are measured here; directories filled 32% of top-10 results in our 4 searches.
-
Planning around r/selfhosted and DEV Community and r/macapps before checking eligibility
They show up in open-source project searches, but our census did not confirm they accept open-source projects. Check the claim page before you plan around it.
-
Link-list directories that accept anything
They rarely send people, and a followed link from them is worth little.
-
Launching everywhere on the same day
Spread launches so you can answer comments and see which site sends sign-ups.
1 we couldn't confirm are live · Blocked or failing when we checked. Verify before you spend time.
Method and limits
- Measured presence. We ran 4 searches a buyer would type on Google US (desktop) on Oct 20, 2026 and counted which directories reached the first ten results. AI Overview citations are counted separately; for local guides, the map pack counts for Google Business Profile.
- Audience fit. Directories built for open-source projects rank above ones that take any business.
- Popularity, as a tie-break only. Tranco top-1M list GQG5K. We don't use domain authority or DR scores.
Verdicts ("Best for online booking", "Best first claim") come from the same data: the evidence above and each directory's own description in our census of 54 directories that accept open-source projects, checked Oct 20, 2026. Facts we could not establish are listed as not established, never guessed. 4 searches is a small sample; we will widen it. Full methodology
Common questions
Where should I list a new open-source project first?
Start with r/selfhosted, selfh.st Apps and OpenAlternative. r/selfhosted appeared in 2 of the 4 searches we checked.
Which directories show up in Google for open-source projects?
In our 4 Google US searches on Oct 20, 2026: r/selfhosted (in 2 of 4 searches, best #3); selfh.st Apps (in 1 of 4 searches, best #1); OpenAlternative (in 1 of 4 searches, best #6); awesome-selfhosted (in 1 of 4 searches, best #5); awesome-selfhosted (GitHub) (in 1 of 4 searches, best #4). Directories filled 32% of the organic top-10 results overall.
Are paid directories worth it for open-source projects?
Our census has no paid-only platform for open-source projects. Several free listings sell upgrades; claim the free listing first and pay only once it produces something you can track.