Fill the whole form free, then find the only two ways out cost $19 and $99.
altern.ai
Eligibility
Who Altern accepts
You need
An account via Google or GitHub
A paid plan, at $19 or $99, since the form cannot be submitted without one
A tool name, website, description, category and pricing model
You'll be rejected if
Nothing stated, but the categories are AI-shaped and the review is editorial
AI toolsAI agentsDeveloper toolsSDKs
What you actually get
A tool page in a curated AI directory that also runs ranked top-100 lists, collections and alternatives pages, with a checkmark whose colour depends on what you paid. The site applies no nofollow to outbound links. Every submission is reviewed by their team, so the fee buys a place in the queue rather than the listing itself.
How to submit to Altern
1
Sign in
/submit redirects to a login offering Google and GitHub. An account is minted automatically with a random username.
2
Fill the tool details
Name, website, description, one category from eight, a pricing model and tags. Your email and name are locked to the account.
3
Hit the plan wall
Two cards, $19 and $99, both one-time. The submit button reads "Submit Tool & Pay" and Stripe handles it. There is no free option.
4
Wait for review
They state that every submission is reviewed by their team before approval, so payment does not guarantee the listing.
Altern requirements
Google or GitHub sign-in
A paid plan at $19 or $99
Tool name, website URL and description
One category and a pricing model
Comma-separated tagsoptional
Gotchas
The entire form fills for free and only the last block reveals that both ways out cost money, so you can write the whole listing before discovering there is no free tier.
Paying does not buy the listing: they say every submission is still reviewed by their team before approval, and the fee is what lets you press the button.
Your email and display name are taken from the account and locked on the form, so an account created from a product Google identity credits the product as the person and there is nowhere on the form to correct it.
Let your agent submit to Altern
Connect SubmitMap to your AI over MCP and this page stops being something you read and copy. Your agent asks for the Altern playbook and gets the brief for this exact form, with the values already taken from your submission pack instead of placeholders you fill in by hand.
What it does for this platform
Checks your product against the 4 Altern rules above, so you find out you would be rejected before you open a tab.
Hands your agent all 5 fields this form asks for, 1 of them optional, already filled from your pack.
Tells you what paying buys here, so you pick it on purpose: pro is $19 one-time for a basic listing within 48 hours with a blue checkmark and a spot in the recent section; Max is $99 for a gold checkmark, deals, multiple versions and a month of bronze homepage featuring.
Types it into Altern in your own browser, and stops for you when the form wants a sign-in.
Records what it sent, so the dashboard can answer "did I ever submit to Altern?".
Connect your agentTools and endpointsWorks with Claude Code, Claude, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Hermes.
Altern FAQ
How long does Altern approval take?
Altern's typical time from submission to going live is 1-2 days.
How much does it cost to submit to Altern?
Submitting to Altern is paid (Pro is $19 one-time for a basic listing within 48 hours with a blue checkmark and a spot in the recent section; Max is $99 for a gold checkmark, deals, multiple versions and a month of bronze homepage featuring).
Does Altern give a dofollow backlink?
Yes, a listing on Altern carries a dofollow link. The site has a domain rating of 42.
Does Altern require a backlink to your site?
No, Altern does not require a link back from your site.
What gets you rejected from Altern?
Nothing stated, but the categories are AI-shaped and the review is editorial.