A Product Hunt tribute running since 2011 that gives two dofollow links, a captcha and a mandatory newsletter.
apprater.net
Eligibility
Who AppRater accepts
You need
A description of at least 140 characters, which they enforce
A product URL: a landing page or a direct app-store link
A person at the reCAPTCHA checkbox
Willingness to be subscribed to their weekly newsletter, which submitting does automatically
You'll be rejected if
Thin descriptions. Their own form says a good description raises your chances, and approval is one editor's judgement
Web appsMobile appsSaaS toolsAI tools
What you actually get
A post of your own on a WordPress blog that has been publishing daily since 2011, with your description in full and two dofollow links to your site: one on the title and one on a 'Website' link, both with no rel attribute at all. Posts go out to about 1,500 weekly newsletter subscribers, and you become one of those subscribers whether you want to or not.
How to submit to AppRater
1
Go to /add
No account, no login. The whole submission is one page, though the page also carries a Mailchimp newsletter form above the real one.
2
Fill six fields
Your name, email, product title in the form 'Name - tagline', product URL with an option to add more, a description of at least 140 characters, and optional tags.
3
Tick the reCAPTCHA yourself
A visible reCAPTCHA v2 checkbox sits above the submit button, so this is a form a human has to finish however much of it was filled in advance.
4
Wait, or donate
Review is manual with no stated turnaround. The form offers a PayPal donation for faster approval, which is a queue jump rather than a paid tier.
AppRater requirements
Name and email
Product title, written as 'Name - tagline'
Product URL
Description of 140 characters or more
Tags, used on their social postsoptional
Product shots, used on their social postsoptional
Gotchas
Submitting subscribes you to their weekly newsletter. It is stated on the form and there is no opt-out checkbox; the only exit is unsubscribing afterwards.
A reCAPTCHA v2 checkbox gates the button, so nobody and nothing can complete this submission on your behalf.
The site has published daily since 2011 and still runs on WordPress, and it pays for itself with a PayPal donation link for faster approval. Free submissions go into a queue with no stated turnaround and no status page.
Let your agent submit to AppRater
Connect SubmitMap to your AI over MCP and this page stops being something you read and copy. Your agent asks for the AppRater 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 5 AppRater rules above, so you find out you would be rejected before you open a tab.
Hands your agent all 6 fields this form asks for, 2 of them optional, already filled from your pack.
Types it into AppRater 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 AppRater?".
Connect your agentTools and endpointsWorks with Claude Code, Claude, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Hermes.
AppRater FAQ
How long does AppRater approval take?
AppRater's typical time from submission to going live is manual.
How much does it cost to submit to AppRater?
Submitting to AppRater is free.
Does AppRater give a dofollow backlink?
Yes, a listing on AppRater carries a dofollow link. The site has a domain rating of 14.
Does AppRater require a backlink to your site?
No, AppRater does not require a link back from your site.
What gets you rejected from AppRater?
Thin descriptions. Their own form says a good description raises your chances, and approval is one editor's judgement.