Frequently asked questions

Because most directories don't allow it, and we follow their rules. We checked each directory on our list against its own pages, and the common reasons a listing has to come from you are:

• Captchas. We don't use captcha-solving services or click farms. If a captcha appears while we're submitting, we stop and move that directory to your pack.
• Terms that forbid it. Many directories ban automated submissions or submitting on someone else's behalf. Those are in your pack, never submitted by us.
• Sign-in with your own account. Some accept only Google, GitHub, or X sign-in. We won't borrow an identity to get past that.
• Badges. Some free listings require a link or badge on your site, which only you can add.
• Launch communities. Product Hunt and Hacker News expect the maker to post and answer comments personally, and both forbid asking for votes. Your kit has ready-to-post drafts for both.

Fewer than you might expect, and we say so up front. We submit to every directory on our list that fits your product, has a free listing, allows submissions made on your behalf, and whose form our script handled in its latest test. Today, for a general SaaS, we submit to 3 directories for you; your pack has 107. For an AI product it's 7 and 148, for a developer tool 5 and 115, for a design tool 6 and 112, and for an open-source developer tool 7 and 120 (as of October 7, 2026). These are measured numbers, not a promised minimum: your report shows exactly how many we submitted for you. The pack is the main deliverable; the submissions we can make for you are a bonus on top.

Over weeks to months, not days. Many directories review every submission by hand, and free review queues commonly run from a few weeks to several months; some offer a paid fast-track, which we never buy for you. A few publish instantly. We deliver the report and your pack within 2-5 business days of your intake, then re-check every listing at 7 and 30 days after delivery, so you can see what's live, what's still waiting, and what was declined.

A full refund on request within 14 days of delivery, no questions asked; just reply to any order email. You can also ask any time before we deliver. We don't guarantee a number of submissions, live listings by a date, traffic, sign-ups, rankings, or AI citations, because directories and search engines control those.

Every directory that fits your product but has to come from you, ranked by value (domain rating, link type, free listing first) and review speed. Each has its direct submit link, cost, typical review time, and requirements. On top: your copy in every length directories ask for (tagline, short and long descriptions, categories, tags), and drafts for Product Hunt and Show HN. Tick "I submitted this" on your report as you go and we'll include those listings in the re-checks.

Probably not much, and we won't pretend otherwise. Many directories mark their links "nofollow", and the ones that don't rarely move rankings on their own. Anyone who guarantees rankings from directory submissions is guessing.

What listings do well: people browsing directories discover you, some send referral traffic (usually modest, with spikes around launches), and AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity draw on directory and comparison pages when they answer "what tools do X?". More accurate pages about your product means more chances to be cited.

Many are nofollow, and some are dofollow only on a paid tier or with a badge. We record that for every directory and use it to rank your pack, but we don't sell the kit as link building.

No. We only submit where a free listing exists. Paid-only directories and paid fast-tracks are listed in your pack with their prices, so you can decide.

Yes. Every directory we work from is on our free list, where to launch a SaaS, with its cost, review time, link type, whether it takes submissions on a founder's behalf, and the date we last checked it. The list is complete whether or not you buy anything.

Scripts fill in each directory's own public submission form, the same form you'd use, and only where the directory's terms don't forbid it. A few directories take submissions by email or application; we send those. We don't solve captchas, and we don't create accounts that pretend to be someone else.

The contact email you give us in the intake form, so use your support address rather than a personal one. Where a directory needs an account to submit, we use the one account we hold there in our own name, and only on directories whose terms allow submitting for others. We never sign up in your name or with your inbox.

Four files for your own site, generated only from your intake answers. Nothing is invented: if you leave an answer blank, it's left out.

• facts.html: a standalone page (for example at /facts) with your product's name, tagline, descriptions, category, pricing model, who it's for, platforms, launch date, founder, links, and a short FAQ answered from your intake.
• facts.md: the same page in Markdown.
• homepage-jsonld.html: schema.org structured data (SoftwareApplication and Organization) to paste into your homepage's head.
• llms.txt: a plain summary with links, for the root of your site.

Your report says where each file goes. They help search engines and AI assistants read accurate facts about your product. They don't guarantee rankings, citations, or traffic.

Adult content, gambling, crypto-investment products, regulated finance and lead generation, and anything illegal. The full list is in our Acceptable Use Policy. If your product falls outside it, we refund before any work starts.

ShipNList is run by one Principal ML engineer. Support email is answered by an AI assistant, which says so at the top of every reply; anything it can't resolve goes to the person who runs it. The seller's legal name is in the terms of service.