Softonic

Free route directory

Researched from public pages — no submission was run · sources read 2026-09-26. Rules change — recheck the platform's own pages before submitting.

Requirements

Publishes downloadable software/apps (desktop, mobile) — a pure web SaaS without a distributable app/binary is likely a poor fit
All submissions pass a review pipeline: automated checks, AI-assisted content analysis, and manual review
Submissions must meet content and technical standards; failing submissions are rejected with a reason
You can claim an existing Softonic listing for your software instead of creating a new one
Catalog hygiene: titles with zero sessions in six months are auto-removed; files flagged corrupt/unsafe are removed

Open https://publishing-center.softonic.com/home and create a free Publishing Center account
Upload your app (or claim it if Softonic already lists it)
Create a version entry: fill required details (name, description, category, screenshots, file)
Submit for review — review covers catalog eligibility, content quality, and file security
Track status: Accepted (publishes automatically on Softonic.com), Pending Review, or Rejected (fix and resubmit for content issues)

publishing-center.softonic.com returned 406 to a plain fetch — use a real browser
Rejected for catalog eligibility may not be fixable (e.g. category not accepted); content-quality rejections are correctable
Zero-traffic listings get removed after six months — maintain the listing or it disappears
Web-only SaaS without a downloadable artifact may fail eligibility

A public program page exists on Softonic.com (softonic.com/<app-slug>) with download/details, reached from the catalog

Exact eligible-app taxonomy (the compliance standards page was flagged 'under construction')
Review turnaround time
Whether web apps/PWAs without binaries are accepted as new listings