An indie startup directory running weekly Wednesday launch waves, with a free queue booked into late 2027 and a $9.99 lane that jumps it.
proofstories.io
Eligibility
Who ProofStories accepts
You need
A live product URL
A square logo, 256x256 or larger, PNG or SVG
A one-liner of 100 characters or less
A Google account, which is the only way to sign in
You'll be rejected if
No published list; the form accepts anything with a working URL and a logo
Indie productsSaaS toolsAI toolsMarketing toolsDeveloper tools
What you actually get
Your listing page goes live and is publicly reachable straight away, carrying a nofollow link until you embed their badge. The homepage launch wave, which is the part with the audience, is a separate scheduled date well over a year out on the free plan.
How to submit to ProofStories
1
Sign in with Google
The only sign-in on offer, and /submit/ silently bounces to the homepage without it. The account is created by the same click; there is no onboarding wizard afterwards.
2
Basics
Product name, one category from their fixed list, product URL and a square logo of at least 256x256. The category field arrives pre-filled with AI & Machine Learning.
3
Story, and the submit button
One-liner capped at 100 characters, a free-text description, up to six screenshots at 16:9, plus optional MRR and demo video. Submit product sits here, at step 2 of 4, and creates the listing.
4
Plan
Only now does it show the free launch date, against $9.99 Sponsored and $39.99 Premium which launch immediately. The same panel offers a permanent dofollow in exchange for their badge.
5
Services
A page of upsells: directory submission packages at $179 and $279, reviews from $249, newsletter placement at $50. Done, go to Founder Hub is at the bottom and skips all of it.
ProofStories requirements
Square logo, 256x256 minimum, PNG or SVG
One-liner, 100 characters maximum
Full description
Google account
Up to six screenshots, 16:9 recommendedoptional
Monthly revenue figure, rendered as a green badgeoptional
Demo video URL (YouTube, Loom or Vimeo)optional
Gotchas
Submit product fires at step 2 of 4, so the listing exists before step 3 tells you when it launches. Ours came back scheduled for 22 December 2027.
The listing ships nofollow and the Founder Hub labels it NO-FOLLOW; the dofollow only arrives once their badge is on your site and their check has seen it.
The category field is pre-filled with AI & Machine Learning rather than left empty, so anything you do not deliberately change publishes under it.
Let your agent submit to ProofStories
Connect SubmitMap to your AI over MCP and this page stops being something you read and copy. Your agent asks for the ProofStories 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 ProofStories rules above, so you find out you would be rejected before you open a tab.
Hands your agent all 7 fields this form asks for, 3 of them optional, already filled from your pack.
Warns you that ProofStories looks for its badge on your site, so it has to be live before you submit rather than after.
Tells you what paying buys here, so you pick it on purpose: $9.99 Sponsored or $39.99 Premium launches immediately instead of joining the free queue.
Types it into ProofStories 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 ProofStories?".
Connect your agentTools and endpointsWorks with Claude Code, Claude, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Hermes.
ProofStories FAQ
How long does ProofStories approval take?
ProofStories's typical time from submission to going live is 70+ weeks.
How much does it cost to submit to ProofStories?
ProofStories has a free submission option plus paid placement ($9.99 Sponsored or $39.99 Premium launches immediately instead of joining the free queue).
Does ProofStories give a dofollow backlink?
Yes, a listing on ProofStories carries a dofollow link. The site has a domain rating of 43.
Does ProofStories require a backlink to your site?
Yes, ProofStories expects a link back from your site as part of listing.
What gets you rejected from ProofStories?
No published list; the form accepts anything with a working URL and a logo.