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About BetaList
BetaList is a directory of early-stage startups, made for readers who want to find products before they are widely known and for founders who want a first audience. Listings are organised into topic categories including AI, Commerce, Dev Tools, Finance, Health, Marketing, Productivity, and Security and Privacy, and each category is split again into subcategories: Commerce holds 84 of them and Media and Content holds 72. A free daily email digest carries the newest listings to readers who would rather not check the site.
Getting listed is a paid, reviewed process. Founders sign in and use the Submit Startup option, and there is no free submission route at all. The startup must have a domain of its own, so free hosting subdomains and app store links are turned away as submission URLs. Selection favours a clear value proposition, good design and an original idea. If a submission is rejected the payment is refunded in full automatically, but no individual feedback is given on why, and the founder is free to make improvements and submit again.
Submission plans differ mainly in two things: how quickly the startup is featured, and whether a newsletter slot is guaranteed. The review and featuring times for each are shown during checkout and repeated in the confirmation email, so the timing is known before paying rather than after. At least 24 hours pass between a startup being featured on the site and it appearing in the newsletter. Featured startups also receive do-follow backlinks, which BetaList states are delivered through 301 redirects.
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Two promotion packages sit on top of a listing. Boost starts at $99 per week, or $199 per month, which the advertising page describes as a 50 percent saving against the weekly rate. It buys homepage placement and a newsletter slot, can be cancelled at any time, and marks the startup with a BOOSTED tag next to its name so the placement is visibly paid. The sponsorship package is $4,999 per month and covers a homepage banner, a newsletter promotion and social media coverage.
The practical point for a founder is that the money buys speed and visibility, not entry. A paid submission still goes through review, and the refund policy is the only guarantee attached to it.
Key features
- Lists early-stage startups for people who want to find them before they are widely known.
- Sends a free daily email digest of the newest listed startups.
- Sorts listings into topics such as AI, Commerce, Dev Tools, Finance, Health, Marketing and Productivity.
- Splits each topic into subcategories, with 84 under Commerce and 72 under Media and Content.
- Gives featured startups do-follow backlinks delivered through 301 redirects.
- Charges for every submission, with no free submission route.
- Refunds a rejected submission in full, automatically.
- Requires a submitted startup to have its own domain, rejecting free subdomains and app store links.
- Judges submissions on value proposition, design and originality.
- Waits at least 24 hours between featuring a startup and putting it in the newsletter.
- Marks promoted listings with a BOOSTED tag next to the startup name.
- Sells a Boost package from $99 per week or $199 per month, with homepage placement and a newsletter slot.
- Sells a $4,999 per month sponsorship covering a homepage banner, newsletter promotion and social coverage.
What people use it for
Key facts
| Category | Directories |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid |
| Free tier | No |
| Upvotes | 16 |
| Listed | 22 August 2026 |
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BetaList alternatives
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