Why launch anywhere else
Product Hunt is DR 91, sends the biggest launch-day spike on the internet, and gives a nofollow link. A launch there is a traffic event, not an authority event. The alternatives are smaller, but many follow the link, several let you pick your date, and a top-three finish on a weekly board is achievable for a product with a small following, which it never is on Product Hunt.
The useful model is one big launch and several small ones. Prepare Product Hunt properly, then reuse the same assets on the platforms here across the following weeks. Each is a fresh audience and, where the link is followed, a fresh referring domain.
How the alternatives pick winners
Most are upvote boards with a weekly or daily cycle: launch, collect votes for a set window, top three get featured and sometimes a followed link. Free tiers often sit in a queue and ask for a badge; a small one-off fee usually skips both. A handful are curated and there is no vote at all, just a review.
Read the cadence and link columns on each directory's page before you commit a launch day. A followed link that only unlocks for the week's top three is a bet, not a listing.
What to have ready
The same kit as Product Hunt: a tagline, a first-comment story, a logo, a gallery of screenshots or a short video, and a launch-day plan for who you'll ask to vote. The free rank plan writes the listing copy and picks a launch date with two weeks of prep.