Where to Launch a Discord Bot: App Directory, Top.gg and Bot Lists
Launch a Discord bot on three fronts at once: the official App Directory, which requires verification and an opt-in to discovery; the vote-driven bot lists, Top.gg, Discord Bot List and discord.bots.gg; and your own support server, where the first users tell you what to fix. Each list needs a clear one-line pitch, a working invite link and a stated set of commands.
Why is a Discord bot launch built around servers and votes?
A Discord bot is installed by a server admin, not by an individual, and an admin installs what other admins recommend or what they saw working in a server they belong to. So discovery runs through two things: surfaces that Discord itself offers, and lists where servers vote for bots they use. Everything on this page is one or the other.
The practical result is that you need an invite link that asks only for permissions the bot uses, a short list of commands that show up when someone types a slash, and a support server where a confused admin can ask a human. Lists rank bots partly on activity and votes, so a bot with a thin description and no support server starts behind.
Which places count for a Discord bot?
Details come from Discord’s developer documentation and the lists’ own pages, read on 13 November 2026. Top.gg refused our automated check, so we rely on its developer docs for that entry.
01 Discord App Directory
Discord’s own searchable listing of apps, reached through verification and an opt-in to discovery.
- Step 1
- The team owner completes identity and application verification, which also allows monetisation features
- Step 2
- You opt into Discovery in the Developer Portal after meeting the criteria shown on the Discovery Status page
- Time to appear
- Up to 24 hours after you enable it
The directory lets people browse apps by name, category or collection and open a full product page with descriptions, screenshots and links. Discord’s docs say your app needs to be verified and opted in to appear. The exact criteria are shown inside your own Developer Portal, so read them there before you plan a date.
The same documentation describes an App Launcher and a social effect: when people use your app in a server, others in that server can see it and visit its profile. That is the strongest argument for getting the bot into a few active servers early.
02 Top.gg
A bot and server list that describes itself, in its developer docs, as the largest discovery platform for Discord bots and servers.
- Access
- Its site refused our automated check; we read its developer docs instead
- For developers
- An API to post bot statistics, track votes and receive vote notifications by webhook
- Fit
- Bots with a defined audience who will vote for them
The docs describe posting your server count and receiving vote events, which means you can reward voters inside the bot. Check the listing rules on the site for what rewards are allowed before you build one, since lists often limit what you can offer for a vote.
Because ranking leans on votes, a launch here is a campaign with your own community, not a submission you forget about. Post the listing link in your support server and explain what a vote does.
03 Discord Bot List
A bot list ranked by votes, with cards that show a short pitch, a category and server counts.
- Format
- Cards with View, Add Bot and Upvote buttons, plus a list of bots voted best in the last 12 hours
- Tags
- Categories such as Moderation, Economy, Games and Fun
- Rules
- We did not read its submission terms
The card gives you roughly a sentence and a couple of tags, so the pitch has to be a verb and an object, such as “tracks event RSVPs and pings absent members”. Skip the adjectives, since every card nearby has them.
The rolling window on the best-voted list favours bots that already have an active community, which is another reason to gather an active community first and not to submit on day one of the build.
04 Discord Bots (discord.bots.gg)
A bot list where each card shows the library it is written in, its prefix, its server count and links to the invite, website, source and support server.
- Card fields
- Library (for example discord.js, discord.py or JDA), prefix, servers, short description
- Buttons
- Website, Source Code, Invite and Support Server
- Sign-in
- The site has a Login link; we did not read how it reviews new bots
The Source Code button is a real differentiator on this list. If your bot is open source, link the repository: other developers read the code, and some admins want to see what a bot does with their members’ messages before they invite it.
Fill the prefix and library fields honestly, since they are printed on the card. A bot that uses slash commands only should say so, so that an admin skimming the list knows how people will talk to it.
05 Your own support server
The server where users and prospective admins ask questions, report bugs and see you respond.
- Listed on
- Support Server is a standard link field on bot lists such as discord.bots.gg
- Job
- Turn an install into a regular server by answering fast
- Needs
- A short rules channel, a changelog channel and a place for bug reports
Every list above links to it, so it is also the page where a skeptical admin makes the final decision. Pin the command list, a plain statement of which permissions the bot uses and why, and a privacy policy, which Discord’s current criteria may ask for.
Keep a public changelog channel. A bot with a visible habit of shipping fixes looks maintained, and an admin choosing between two similar bots will pick the one that answers questions.
06 GitHub and Show HN (open-source bots)
For an open-source bot, the repository and a technical post reach developers who will self-host or contribute.
- Guideline
- Show HN wants something others can try, and a bot with an invite link qualifies
- Warning
- Newsletters and sign-up pages are off topic there
- Fit
- Bots whose interesting part is code, like a rate limiter or a scheduler
Show readers a working invite into a demo server where the bot already runs, so they can try it without adding anything to their own community. Tell them which parts are hard and what you chose to leave out.
It will not reach admins who never read developer forums. Use it for feedback and contributors, and use the lists above to reach the people who install bots. The free launch board also takes a bot with a public landing page.
Visit GitHub and Show HN (open-source bots) (news.ycombinator.com) →
What is a sensible order for the first month?
- Week one: finish the support server, a minimal permission set and the privacy policy, then add the bot to ten servers you know personally.
- Week two: submit to the bot lists with the same one-line pitch, and open your own vote link in your support server.
- Week three: start Discord’s verification if you plan to grow past a small circle, since it gates the App Directory.
- Week four: opt into Discovery when the Developer Portal says you qualify, then write one post about what you learned.
The guide to building a Discord bot and the Discord bot ideas cover the build side, and the playbook for launching a Discord bot turns this into a dated checklist. Browse communication ideas if you have not picked what to build yet.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need verification to be in the Discord App Directory?
Yes, according to Discord’s documentation. Your team owner completes identity and application verification, then you opt into Discovery from the Developer Portal once you meet the criteria on its Discovery Status page. After you enable it, the app can take up to 24 hours to appear. Read your own portal for the current criteria.
Which Discord bot list should I submit to first?
Start with the list whose audience matches your bot, then add one more. Top.gg describes itself as the largest, Discord Bot List ranks by recent votes, and discord.bots.gg shows the library and a source link. If your bot is open source, the source button on the last one is useful. Check each list’s rules first.
Can I reward users for voting for my bot?
Possibly, but check the list’s own rules before you build it. Top.gg’s developer docs describe vote webhooks that tell you when someone votes, which makes rewards technically easy. We did not read the lists’ policies on what rewards are allowed, so confirm them first to avoid having your listing removed.
Post your build ideas publishes this page and runs a free launch board that competes with some of the sites it names. Facts about other sites came from their own pages on the date shown above; terms, queues and prices change, so confirm on their sites before you decide. About the publisher.