I disagree with most of the people here . I think the question is so broad it`s almost irrelevant . Finding \ having a good directory is all about traffic . if a web directory has zillions of uv than it is totally entitled to ask for payed submissions . As for saying that directories with many links are not quality - i think it`s generalizing . i own a directory of 11K+- links . and i can assure all of you i check EACH AND EVERY SUBMISSION personally . (i get about 70-100 submission per day from them sometimes maybe only 5 or 10 are activated! ). so , traffic talks ...all the rest walks . i wish i had more traffic www.flysounds.com - get approved in minutes -the fastest directory on earth .
Free and paid both r same benefits for site bcz its depend on directory and directory pr but u want more link 500 directory links so free is the best
i will suggest you to submit your details to free directories. because it takes some days to get approved but it id done after some days. and you get your link live on free of cost. mostly people prefer free directory submission. you can find the list of free directories list from here: directoryroll.com
In my opinion its probably better to just spend a little bit of cash on buying on the top premium directories that have very high PR.