How to Get Your Product Listed on AlternativeTo
How to add your product to AlternativeTo, get it listed as an alternative to competitors, and capture high-intent comparison traffic.
AlternativeTo is one of the most visited software discovery sites on the internet. The core mechanic is simple: users search for a product and get a list of alternatives. It has been running since 2008 and has accumulated enormous domain authority and organic search presence.
The traffic it attracts is some of the most valuable available for a SaaS product. People searching "alternatives to [competitor]" are not browsing — they are actively unhappy with something they are paying for and looking for a replacement. That is the intent profile you want to be in front of.
How AlternativeTo Works
AlternativeTo maintains listings for hundreds of thousands of software products. Each listing has a description, platform tags (web, macOS, iOS, etc.), pricing category, and a list of alternatives submitted by users or the product's team.
The core discovery loop: someone searches for a product, lands on its AlternativeTo page, and browses the listed alternatives. Your goal is to appear in that alternatives list for every competitor you genuinely replace.
Listings are free to create and self-serve. There is no editorial review queue.
Step 1: Create Your Free Account
Go to alternativeto.net and create an account. You will use this account to add your product and to list it as an alternative to competitors.
Use your founder email or an email connected to your product's domain. This adds credibility if you later want to claim admin rights over your listing.
Step 2: Add Your Product
From your account, click "Add Application." Fill in:
Name and URL. These are straightforward — your product name and homepage URL.
Short description. One sentence that describes what your product does. This is what appears in alternative listings when someone is browsing competitors' pages. Make it specific and benefit-led. "AI-powered code review tool for small engineering teams" is better than "The best code review platform."
Long description. A few paragraphs covering what your product does in more detail, who it is for, and what differentiates it. You have space here — use it. Include specific features and use cases.
Category. Select the most accurate category for your product. AlternativeTo organises by category and this affects which pages you appear on.
Platform tags. Mark every platform your product supports: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome Extension, etc. Visitors frequently filter by platform.
Pricing model. Free, freemium, commercial, or open source. Mark this accurately — pricing-filtered searches are common.
License type. If your product has an open source component or is fully open source, mark it. This is a distinct audience on AlternativeTo.
Screenshots and icon. Add a clean app icon and at least one or two screenshots. These appear on your listing and improve click-through when someone is browsing alternatives.
Step 3: List Your Product as an Alternative to Competitors
This is the most important step and the one most founders skip.
Go to each of your direct competitors' AlternativeTo pages. On each page you will find an "Add as alternative" button. Click it for your product.
Do this for every meaningful competitor. If someone is unhappy with [Competitor A] and searching for alternatives, you want your product to appear in that list.
Be accurate about this. Only list your product as an alternative to tools it genuinely replaces. Listing yourself as an alternative to products you do not compete with will attract unqualified visitors and generate low-quality comparisons.
Step 4: Encourage User Votes on Your Alternatives
AlternativeTo ranks alternatives partly by the number of users who have "liked" or voted for them. The more votes your product gets as an alternative to a given competitor, the higher it ranks in that list.
When you have satisfied customers, ask them to vote for you on AlternativeTo. Include it in your onboarding email sequence or post-purchase follow-up. Something like: "If you switched from [Competitor], we would appreciate a vote on AlternativeTo — it helps others find us."
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Only creating the listing and not adding yourself as an alternative. A standalone listing without appearing in any alternatives lists has very limited organic discovery potential. The alternatives pages are where the search traffic is.
Thin or generic descriptions. Your short description appears on competitor pages — it is the first thing a potential customer reads when they are actively evaluating alternatives. Do not waste it.
Wrong platform tags. Visitors filter by platform constantly. If you offer a web app but do not mark "Web," you will not appear in searches filtered to web tools.
Ignoring the listing after creation. As you add features or change pricing, update your listing. Outdated information frustrates potential customers and undermines trust.
What to Expect
AlternativeTo traffic is steady and highly targeted rather than a one-day spike. A well-placed listing in the alternatives section of a popular competitor's page can send a consistent stream of visitors month over month. For products competing in crowded markets, this channel compounds over time as more users vote and your rankings improve.
Also worth adding to your launch list: LaunchBuff — free listing + fortnightly founder tournament.
Seb Mallory
Founder of LaunchBuff. Writing about product launches, distribution, and what actually works for indie founders getting their first traction.
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