--- name: sales-altern description: "Altern platform help — curated AI tools and agents directory (10,000+ tools, 100+ categories, ~5-28K monthly visits). Covers tool submissions (free + featured tiers: Gold/Silver/Bronze), listing optimization, category selection, newsletter inclusion (weekly AI tools + agents digest), alternatives pages, and dofollow backlinks. Use when your AI tool isn't listed on Altern, listing isn't getting visibility, not sure if a featured tier is worth it, or wondering how Altern compares to other AI directories. Do NOT use for multi-directory launch coordination (use /sales-launch-directory). Do NOT use for non-AI product directories (use the platform-specific skill)." argument-hint: "[describe what you need help with on Altern]" license: MIT version: 1.0.0 tags: [sales, product-launch, startup, directory, platform] github: "https://github.com/alternbits" --- # Altern Platform Help Helps with everything related to using Altern — a curated directory of 10,000+ AI tools and agents across 100+ categories, with dofollow backlinks, editorial content, and a weekly newsletter. Founded by Dariush Abbasi. ## Step 1 — Gather context If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge. Ask the user: 1. **What are you trying to do on Altern?** - A) Submit my AI tool / get listed - B) Get featured (Gold/Silver/Bronze placement) - C) Understand the backlink and SEO value - D) Compare Altern with other AI directories - E) Get included in the newsletter - F) Something else — describe it 2. **What's your product?** - A) AI coding tool / IDE assistant - B) AI agent / automation - C) AI API / developer tool - D) AI SaaS / web app - E) AI content tool (writing, image, video) - F) Other AI tool — describe it 3. **What stage are you at?** - A) Pre-launch — building, no users yet - B) Just launched — looking for first users - C) Growing — have some traction, want more - D) Established — looking for directory presence and backlinks **If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step.** Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end. ## Step 2 — Route or answer directly If the request maps to another skill, route: - Multi-directory launch planning → `/sales-launch-directory` - Product Hunt launch → `/sales-producthunt` - Futurepedia-specific questions → `/sales-futurepedia` - TAAFT-specific questions → `/sales-theresanaiforthat` - Other AI directories (Toolify) → `/sales-launch-directory` for comparison - SEO strategy → `/sales-semrush` - Landing page optimization → `/sales-checkout` Otherwise, answer directly from the Altern knowledge below. ## Step 3 — Altern platform reference ### Platform overview Altern is a curated AI tools and agents directory focused on developer-oriented products. Unlike general startup directories (Product Hunt, Uneed), Altern is AI-only — every listing is an AI tool, agent, SDK, or developer product. The directory emphasizes curation over volume, with editorial content, reviews, and a weekly newsletter. ### Core modules **Tool listings** — Each tool gets a dedicated page with: - Description and feature overview - Pricing model (free/freemium/paid/student pricing/open-source tags) - Screenshots and company background - User reviews and star ratings - Direct link to tool website (dofollow, with UTM tracking) - Category tags and "alternatives" cross-links - Schema.org SoftwareApplication structured data (good for search) **Categories** — 100+ categories organized by function: - IDE assistants, coding agents, app builders - Testing/QA automation, code review, documentation generators - Security tools, DevOps, infrastructure - Content generation (writing, image, video) - Data analysis, research, productivity **Alternatives pages** — Tool-vs-tool comparison pages (e.g., "Cursor Alternatives") that aggregate related tools. High SEO value — these pages rank for "[Tool] alternatives" queries. **Newsletter** — Weekly digest covering AI tools and agents, published via newsletter.altern.ai. Curated by Dariush Abbasi. Two sections: AI Tools and AI Agents. **Featured tiers** — Promoted visibility with tiered placement: - **Gold** — highest visibility, homepage placement - **Silver** — mid-tier promotion - **Bronze** — entry-level featured - **Standard** — free listing (no promotion) Featured listings include homepage display (at least 1 week) and a dedicated page with a follow link. ### Submission process 1. **Authentication**: Sign in with GitHub or Google 2. **Submit tool**: Provide tool name, URL, description, category, pricing model 3. **Review**: Editorial review (timeline not publicly documented) 4. **Listing goes live**: Tool page created with dofollow backlink 5. **Optional**: Upgrade to featured tier (Gold/Silver/Bronze) for homepage placement ### Backlink and SEO value - **Backlink type**: **Dofollow** — external links have no nofollow attribute (confirmed via HTML inspection) - **DR**: Not publicly confirmed — estimated in the low-to-mid range given traffic (~5-28K/mo) - **Structured data**: JSON-LD SoftwareApplication schema on every tool page — helps search engines understand your tool's category and pricing - **Alternatives pages**: Your tool appears on "[Competitor] Alternatives" pages, capturing comparison search traffic - **UTM tracking**: Links include `utm_source=altern.ai&utm_medium=directory&utm_campaign=altern` ### Altern vs other AI directories | Factor | Altern | TAAFT | Futurepedia | Toolify | |---|---|---|---|---| | Focus | AI tools & agents (dev-focused) | All AI tools (task-based search) | AI tools (business-focused) | AI tools (trending) | | Size | 10,000+ tools | 42,000+ tools | 5,700+ tools | 20,000+ tools | | Traffic | ~5-28K/mo | ~2M/mo | ~2M/mo | High | | Backlink | Dofollow | Dofollow | Dofollow | Varies | | Curation | Editorial | Community + editorial | Editorial + reviews | Algorithm + community | | Newsletter | Weekly (AI tools + agents) | Yes | Yes (+ YouTube) | Yes | | Submission | Free + featured tiers | $347 (free monthly thread) | Paid only ($497+ Verified) | Free | | Best for | Developer/AI agent tools | Broad AI discovery | Business use cases | Trending tools | ### Pricing | Tier | Cost | What you get | |---|---|---| | Standard | Free | Tool listing page, dofollow backlink, category placement, alternatives pages | | Bronze | Not public | Entry-level featured placement | | Silver | Not public | Mid-tier promotion | | Gold | Not public | Homepage placement (1+ week), maximum visibility | ## Step 4 — Actionable guidance Based on the user's situation: **For submitting a tool to Altern:** 1. Sign in with GitHub (preferred for dev tools — shows credibility) 2. Write a clear, specific description — lead with what the tool does, not marketing fluff 3. Choose the most specific category (e.g., "Coding Agents" over "AI Tools") 4. Include accurate pricing info — Altern shows free/freemium/paid/student/open-source tags 5. Add screenshots showing the tool in action 6. After listing goes live, verify the dofollow backlink in your SEO tools **For getting featured:** 1. Start with the free listing to establish presence 2. Contact the team about featured tiers — pricing isn't public, so you'll need to inquire 3. Featured listings get homepage display and higher visibility in category pages 4. Time your featured placement with other launches for maximum impact **For maximizing SEO value:** 1. Your tool page includes SoftwareApplication structured data — search engines pick this up automatically 2. The alternatives pages ("Cursor Alternatives", etc.) capture high-intent comparison traffic — ensure your tool is properly categorized to appear on relevant alternatives pages 3. The dofollow backlink passes link equity — combine with other directory submissions via `/sales-launch-directory` **For newsletter inclusion:** 1. Submit your tool first — newsletter features come from the editorial pipeline 2. Tools that are genuinely novel or solve a clear problem get newsletter coverage 3. The newsletter covers two sections: AI Tools and AI Agents — make sure your tool clearly fits one ## Gotchas *Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and pricing that may be outdated.* - **Featured tier pricing is not public.** Gold/Silver/Bronze costs aren't listed on the site. Contact the team to inquire. Budget accordingly — you may need to ask before committing. - **DR is unconfirmed.** Altern's domain rating hasn't been independently verified in public sources. The dofollow backlink is confirmed, but treat the SEO value as additive rather than primary. - **Submission requires login.** You need GitHub or Google auth to submit — no anonymous submissions. - **Review timeline is unclear.** No published SLA for how long editorial review takes. Submit early if you're coordinating a multi-platform launch. - **AI-only directory.** Non-AI products won't be accepted. If your tool has AI features but isn't primarily AI, emphasize the AI angle in your submission. - **Traffic is modest.** ~5-28K monthly visits depending on the source. Don't expect a traffic spike — Altern's value is the dofollow backlink, alternatives pages, and newsletter exposure. - **Alternatives pages are algorithmic.** You can't choose which alternatives pages you appear on — it's based on your category and the editorial team's curation. - **Self-improving**: If you discover something not covered here, append it to `references/learnings.md` with today's date. ## Related skills - `/sales-launch-directory` — Coordinate launches across 20+ directories including Altern. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-launch-directory` - `/sales-theresanaiforthat` — TAAFT platform help (#1 AI directory, 42,000+ tools, 3-4M visits/mo, DR76 dofollow) - `/sales-producthunt` — Product Hunt platform help (largest launch platform, DR91 dofollow) - `/sales-peerlist` — Peerlist platform help (weekly Launchpad, 203K+ users) - `/sales-indiehackers` — Indie Hackers platform help (founder community, 165K+ entrepreneurs) - `/sales-semrush` — SEO and online visibility platform (keyword research, backlink analysis) - `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do` ## Examples ### Example 1: Submit an AI coding tool to Altern **User says**: "I built an AI code review tool and want to get it listed on Altern" **Skill does**: 1. Recommends signing in with GitHub for developer credibility 2. Guides category selection — "Code Review" is most specific 3. Advises writing a description that leads with the problem solved, not features 4. Suggests including screenshots of the code review UI in action 5. Notes the free listing includes a dofollow backlink and alternatives page placement **Result**: Complete submission guide with listing optimization tips ### Example 2: Compare Altern with other AI directories **User says**: "Is it worth submitting to Altern or should I focus on There's An AI For That?" **Skill does**: 1. Compares the two: TAAFT has ~2M monthly visits vs Altern's ~5-28K 2. Notes both offer dofollow backlinks 3. Points out Altern's strength is dev-focused curation and alternatives pages 4. Recommends submitting to both — Altern is lower effort and adds a dofollow backlink 5. Suggests using `/sales-launch-directory` to plan submissions across all AI directories **Result**: Clear comparison with recommendation to submit to both as part of a broader strategy ### Example 3: Maximize SEO value from an Altern listing **User says**: "How do I get the most SEO value out of my Altern listing?" **Skill does**: 1. Confirms Altern provides dofollow backlinks with no nofollow attribute 2. Notes the SoftwareApplication structured data helps search engines 3. Explains alternatives pages capture "[Tool] alternatives" search traffic 4. Recommends accurate categorization to appear on the right alternatives pages 5. Advises combining with other directory backlinks via `/sales-launch-directory` **Result**: SEO optimization strategy for the Altern listing ## Troubleshooting ### Listing not appearing after submission **Symptom**: Submitted tool but it doesn't show up on Altern **Cause**: Editorial review queue — Altern reviews submissions before publishing. No public SLA on review time. **Solution**: Wait for editorial review. If it's been more than 2 weeks, reach out via their GitHub (github.com/alternbits) or newsletter contact. Ensure your tool is genuinely AI-powered — non-AI tools may be rejected. ### Not appearing on alternatives pages **Symptom**: Listed on Altern but not showing up on relevant "[Tool] Alternatives" pages **Cause**: Alternatives pages are editorially curated. Your tool may not be categorized in the same group as the tool you expect to appear alongside. **Solution**: Verify your category is correct and specific. If you're a Cursor alternative, ensure you're in "IDE Assistants" or "Coding Agents" categories. The editorial team curates these pages — there's no self-serve way to add yourself. ### Unsure about featured tier pricing **Symptom**: Want to get featured but can't find pricing **Cause**: Gold/Silver/Bronze pricing isn't publicly listed on the website. **Solution**: Contact the team at contact@altern.ai or via their GitHub org (github.com/alternbits). Ask about current featured tier pricing and what's included (homepage duration, newsletter mention, etc.).