Donkey Directories vs Shoutout

Side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right tool.

Donkey Directories logo

Donkey Directories

Donkey Directories automates submissions to over 293 launch directories with a Chrome extension and central dashboard for tracking.

Last updated: April 13, 2026

Shoutout is a testimonial management platform that collects and displays customer reviews to build trust and increase.

Last updated: March 1, 2026

Visual Comparison

Donkey Directories

Donkey Directories screenshot

Shoutout

Shoutout screenshot

Feature Comparison

Donkey Directories

Curated Directory Database

The platform maintains a comprehensive, actively updated database of over 293 product launch directories, software review sites, and community platforms. Each entry is annotated with critical metadata including domain rating (DR), category, pricing model (Free, Freemium, Paid), and whether links are dofollow. This allows for strategic filtering and prioritization, enabling users to target high-authority sites or specific niches like AI tools or SaaS reviews directly from the main dashboard, ensuring a data-driven launch approach.

One-Click Autofill Chrome Extension

This proprietary browser extension is the core automation engine of the service. After a user inputs their product's URL, the extension automatically scrapes and parses key information such as the app name, tagline, description, screenshots, and social media links. When visiting a submission form on any supported directory, the extension populates all relevant fields in under a second, eliminating the need for manual copy-pasting and tab-switching, thereby dramatically accelerating the submission workflow.

Centralized Submission Tracker

A dedicated dashboard provides a real-time, visual overview of the entire launch campaign. It categorizes every directory in the database into one of three statuses: "Not Started," "In Progress," or "Submitted." This centralized tracking system offers an at-a-glance progress metric (e.g., 12/250) and prevents duplicate efforts, ensuring users have complete organizational control and clarity over their distribution pipeline.

Advanced Filtering & Analytics

Beyond simple browsing, the platform includes advanced filtering capabilities that allow users to sort and segment the directory list based on multiple technical and business criteria. Users can filter by domain authority, cost, link type (dofollow/nofollow), and category. This enables the construction of targeted submission batches, such as finding all high-DR, free, dofollow directories in the "Tech / Startups" category for maximum SEO and referral impact.

Shoutout

Frictionless Testimonial Collection

Shoutout provides a streamlined collection system via a simple, shareable link that customers can use to submit video or text testimonials without requiring any login or account creation. This technical design choice significantly reduces submission barriers, maximizing the rate of feedback acquisition. The system is engineered to handle unlimited submissions, ensuring scalability for businesses of any size.

Customizable Display Widgets

The platform offers a suite of fully customizable widgets for testimonial presentation, including dynamic carousels, grid-based Walls of Love, and individual embeddable elements. Each widget can be tailored to match brand aesthetics with custom colors, fonts, and layouts. These widgets are deployed using no-code HTML snippets, allowing for seamless integration into any website or landing page without developer intervention.

Unlimited Projects and Testimonials

Shoutout operates on an unlimited model for its core lifetime plan, permitting users to manage an unrestricted number of testimonials across up to three distinct websites or projects. This architecture removes constraints on social proof volume, enabling businesses to aggregate and display vast libraries of customer feedback without incurring incremental costs or hitting usage caps.

Branding Control and White-Labeling

Users maintain complete control over their testimonial display's branding. The platform allows for the removal of all Shoutout branding from published widgets and standalone pages, enabling a white-label presentation. This feature is critical for maintaining a professional, cohesive brand experience across all customer-facing digital assets.

Use Cases

Donkey Directories

SaaS Product Launch Campaign

A founder launching a new B2B SaaS application can use Donkey Directories to systematically submit to all relevant software review platforms like G2 and Capterra, tech communities like Indie Hackers, and launch sites like Product Hunt. The autofill ensures consistent messaging, while the tracker manages the high volume of submissions, turning a weeks-long manual process into a focused campaign completed in days.

Indie Hacker Seeking First Users

An indie hacker with a solo-built tool needs efficient, low-cost distribution. They can use the free plan to track submissions and leverage the 3 free autofill credits for key directories. By filtering for free, high-traffic platforms, they maximize exposure and early user acquisition without a marketing budget, relying on the platform's curation to find the most impactful communities.

AI Tool Developer Targeting Niche Audiences

A developer launching an AI-powered application can filter the directory database specifically for the "AI Tools" category. This instantly surfaces niche platforms like "There's An AI For That" and "Futurepedia," ensuring the product is discovered by a targeted, relevant audience. The automated submission allows for rapid deployment across this vertical.

Established Company Launching a New Product Line

A company with an existing brand is launching a new product and needs to ensure broad market coverage. The team can use the Lifetime plan to submit the new product to all applicable directories and also use the service for future launches. The dashboard allows project managers to track submission statuses across multiple team members, ensuring complete and organized campaign execution.

Shoutout

SaaS Product Social Proof

SaaS companies utilize Shoutout to capture and display video testimonials from successful users directly on their homepage, pricing page, and feature sections. This application provides tangible evidence of product efficacy and customer satisfaction, directly addressing prospect skepticism and reducing perceived risk during the evaluation phase, thereby accelerating the sales cycle.

Course Creator and Coach Validation

Online course creators, coaches, and educators employ Shoutout to build dedicated testimonial pages that showcase student success stories and transformations. Displaying this social proof on sales pages and within member areas serves to validate the program's promised outcomes, build authority, and significantly increase enrollment conversion rates by leveraging peer validation.

E-commerce Trust Building

E-commerce stores integrate Shoutout widgets on product pages and checkout funnels to display authentic customer reviews and user-generated content. This strategic placement counters purchase anxiety by providing real-world evidence of product quality and customer service, directly combating cart abandonment and building the trust necessary to complete transactions.

Freelancer and Agency Portfolio Enhancement

Freelancers and digital agencies use Shoutout to create a compelling portfolio section on their websites by showcasing client testimonials and case study highlights. This curated social proof demonstrates proven results and client satisfaction, effectively differentiating their services in a competitive market and serving as a powerful tool for client acquisition during the proposal stage.

Pricing Comparison

Donkey Directories

The platform operates on a one-time purchase credit system, not a subscription. The Free plan (€0) includes directory browsing, progress tracking, and 3 autofill credits. The Starter Pack (€10 one-time) provides 100 one-click autofill credits, equating to 10 cents per directory submission. The Lifetime plan (€69 one-time) grants unlimited one-click submissions for all current and future directories, covering every product launch indefinitely. All payments are processed securely via Stripe.

Shoutout

Shoutout operates on two primary pricing models: a flexible monthly subscription and a one-time payment for lifetime access. The monthly plan is priced at $29 per month (currently offered at $15 per month as a promotional rate) and includes features for up to 3 projects, unlimited testimonials and embeds, custom branding, and the option to cancel anytime. The lifetime access plan, positioned as the most popular option, is a one-time payment of $199 (discounted from $299). This plan includes all core features for up to 3 projects, unlimited testimonials and embeds, custom branding, includes 2 years of software updates, and offers a permanent license. An additional one-time fee of $50 is required to remove Shoutout branding completely. Both plans are backed by a 7-day money-back guarantee.

Overview

About Donkey Directories

Donkey Directories is a specialized software platform engineered to automate and streamline the process of submitting a new software product or startup to online launch directories. It directly addresses the significant time sink and repetitive manual effort founders face when attempting to gain initial visibility and acquire early customers. The platform operates on a pragmatic, one-time-purchase model, eliminating recurring subscription fees. Its core value proposition is a three-part technical system: a meticulously curated and filterable database of over 293 launch directories, a proprietary Chrome extension that automates form-filling with scraped product data, and a centralized dashboard for tracking submission progress across all platforms. This integrated solution is designed for SaaS founders, indie hackers, and product managers who need to execute a comprehensive launch strategy efficiently, saving dozens of hours of manual data entry while ensuring no potential directory is overlooked.

About Shoutout

Shoutout is a specialized software platform engineered to streamline the end-to-end process of acquiring, managing, and publicly displaying customer testimonials. Its core function is to convert positive customer feedback into a tangible asset that builds trust and accelerates conversion rates for online businesses. The platform is architected for efficiency, enabling users to gather both video and text testimonials through a simple, shareable link that requires no login from the customer, thereby minimizing friction and maximizing submission rates. Once collected, testimonials can be curated and showcased via a suite of customizable display widgets, including carousels, grids (Walls of Love), and embedded elements. These can be integrated into any website with no-code snippets or shared as standalone testimonial pages. Shoutout is specifically designed for founders, marketers, SaaS companies, course creators, and freelancers who require a focused, powerful tool for social proof without the complexity or recurring cost of broader marketing suites. Its primary value proposition is a permanent, one-time payment license for lifetime access, offering unlimited testimonials and widgets, which presents a significant cost advantage over subscription-based competitors while delivering enterprise-grade social proof capabilities. Founded in 2020 and newly acquired in 2025, Shoutout powers over 4000 Walls of Love, providing a technical solution to transform customer satisfaction into a measurable growth driver.

Frequently Asked Questions

Donkey Directories FAQ

What does Donkey Directories help me do?

Donkey Directories automates and manages the technical process of submitting your software product or startup to hundreds of online launch directories and review sites. It eliminates manual form-filling through a Chrome extension, provides a strategic database to discover relevant platforms, and offers a dashboard to track your submission progress, thereby saving significant time and increasing launch visibility.

Is there a free plan?

Yes, a permanent free plan is available. It includes full access to browse and filter the entire directory database, use the submission progress tracker, and submit to 3 directories using the one-click autofill feature. This allows users to test the core workflow and manage tracking without any financial commitment.

How does one-click autofill work?

After signing up and entering your product's URL into your Donkey Directories profile, the system scrapes key details like your app name, tagline, and description. When you install the Donkey Directories Chrome extension and navigate to a supported directory's submission page, the extension automatically injects your scraped data into the appropriate form fields with a single click, completing the form in under a second.

Do my credits expire?

No, purchased credits for one-click autofill submissions do not expire. Whether you buy the Starter Pack (100 credits) or the Lifetime plan (unlimited), your credits remain in your account indefinitely, allowing you to use them for submissions at your own pace, even across different product launches.

Shoutout FAQ

What does "lifetime access" mean?

Lifetime access refers to a one-time payment model that grants the purchaser permanent use of the Shoutout platform under the terms of the purchased license. This includes ongoing access to the core software features, such as unlimited testimonial collection and widget creation for the specified number of projects, without any recurring monthly or annual subscription fees. It is a permanent license for the version and plan acquired.

What is your refund policy?

Shoutout offers a 100% money-back guarantee within a 7-day window from the date of purchase. This policy allows customers to thoroughly test the platform's features and integration capabilities with their website. If the product does not meet their technical requirements or expectations within that period, they can request a full refund, no questions asked.

How many websites can I use Shoutout on?

The standard lifetime license permits the use of Shoutout on up to three distinct websites or projects. This encompasses the creation and management of testimonial collections and the deployment of display widgets across those three digital properties. Each project operates with its own set of unlimited testimonials and embeds under the single license.

What happens after 2 years of updates?

The lifetime license includes a guaranteed period of software updates and feature enhancements for two years from the date of purchase. After this period, the license remains active and fully functional for the features available at that time. Access to future major version updates or new feature sets released beyond the two-year window may require a renewal or upgrade fee, as per the company's policy.

Alternatives

Donkey Directories Alternatives

Donkey Directories is a specialized marketing tool designed to streamline the process of submitting a new product to online launch directories. It operates within the product launch and visibility software category, providing a centralized database, automated form-filling, and submission tracking. Users may seek alternatives for various pragmatic reasons. These include budget constraints, as some may prefer subscription models over a one-time purchase, or require integrations with other platforms like project management tools. Others might need a different scope, such as a service focusing on a specific niche or offering a broader range of promotional channels beyond directories. When evaluating an alternative, key technical specifications to assess include the total number and quality of directories in the database, the availability and reliability of automation features like browser extensions, and the depth of analytics provided for tracking submissions. The licensing model and long-term update policy are also critical decision factors.

Shoutout Alternatives

Shoutout is a specialized testimonial management platform within the marketing technology category. It is engineered to streamline the acquisition, curation, and public display of customer video and text testimonials, converting feedback into a tangible asset for building trust and accelerating conversions. Users may explore alternatives for several reasons, including budget constraints requiring a different pricing model, the need for specific integrations with their existing tech stack, or a requirement for broader feature sets beyond dedicated testimonial management. The search often centers on finding a solution that aligns with precise operational workflows and scalability needs. When evaluating alternatives, key considerations should include the technical methodology for testimonial collection, the flexibility and customization of display widgets, the total cost of ownership over time, and the platform's ability to integrate seamlessly via no-code or API methods. The core objective remains selecting a tool that efficiently transforms customer sentiment into verifiable social proof.

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