DR4 is coming and it doesn't look good for AI directories.
Ahrefs is replacing Domain Rating v3 with DR4 on December 1st. I pulled both scores for 18 AI tool directories. A random selection from the backlinks of my competitors. A lot of the small ones fall off a cliff.
What changes in DR4
- Subdomains get their own score instead of inheriting the root domain's.
- About half as many domains are scored, so fewer sites pass on rating.
- Spam-heavy hosts drop hard. Ahrefs reports median drops of 15–20 points for spam domains that had DR3 between 30 and 70.
DR3 vs DR4, sorted by drop
| Directory | DR3 | DR4 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 aifinderplus.com |
57 | 19 | −38 |
 apprater.net |
48 | 15 | −33 |
 launchai.tools |
30 | 1 | −29 |
 deeplaunch.io |
73 | 46 | −27 |
 findly.tools |
82 | 56 | −26 |
 toolhunt.io |
26 | 0.3 | −25.7 |
 microlaunch.net |
64 | 49 | −15 |
 tooldirs.com |
71 | 60 | −11 |
 aiapps.com |
46 | 35 | −11 |
 tooldirectory.ai |
50 | 40 | −10 |
 top-ai.tools |
23 | 15 | −8 |
 toolify.ai |
73 | 67 | −6 |
 saashub.com |
81 | 76 | −5 |
 bestofai.com |
42 | 38 | −4 |
 sideprojectors.com |
72 | 69 | −3 |
 toptool.app |
22 | 20 | −2 |
 producthunt.com |
91 | 91 | ±0 |
 toolio.ai |
36 | 43 | +7 |
Scores from the free Ahrefs Domain Rating API on 5 November 2026, with and without version=dr4. Hosts were queried as listed, including www. where the directory uses it.
What it means
The established directories hold up. Product Hunt stays at 91, SaaSHub, Toolify and SideProjectors lose only 3–6 points. Their links are still worth about what you thought.
Many smaller AI directories were propped up. AIFinderPlus goes from 57 to 19, Apprater from 48 to 15, Launch AI Tools and Toolhunt go to practically zero. If you picked these for their DR3 score, DR4 rates them a lot lower.
Not everything goes down. Toolio rises from 36 to 43, the only one in this list that gains.
This confirms my feeling about the whole directory business. "Priority listings", paid top spots, founders paying for links that DR4 now rates close to nothing. I bet hundreds more "backlink opportunities", listicles and link exchanges implode with this update. Take this rant with a grain of salt. I'm just tired of the entire internet being one big ad.
Before you think I'm above all this: here's dr0, the tool that tracks your Domain Rating.
dr0.devWe're home again. The name fits.