# 42 Places to Launch (checked October 2026)

**How this list was checked:** every site was loaded on 2026-10-04 and returned its live product page. Prices come from the site's own pricing or submit page where one was readable that day, or from a pricing roundup dated August 18, 2026 (marked "Aug 2026 source"). Prices change often. Treat them as a starting point and confirm on the submit page.

**Legend**
- **Verified**: site live on 2026-10-04 and the cost/model confirmed (own page or dated 2026 source).
- **Live, check price**: site live, but I couldn't confirm the current price. Check the submit page.
- Cost: **Free**, **Free + paid**, **Paid**.

**What to expect, honestly:** most directories send little traffic. Their real value is (a) a handful of early users on launch day, (b) a permanent backlink and listing that helps SEO and AI search engines find you, and (c) social proof ("Featured on..."). The places that actually send customers are the communities in Tier 1 and the threads you find with the query bank. Spend your energy there.

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## Tier 1: Where launches still move the needle (do these well)

| # | Place | Cost | Audience | Status | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Product Hunt** (producthunt.com) | Free | Largest general tech/maker audience | Verified | Launch day starts 12:01 a.m. Pacific. You may ask people to visit and comment, **not** to upvote. Pick the day you're most prepared, not the "best" day. Have a maker comment ready, a demo GIF/video, and reply to every comment. |
| 2 | **Show HN** (news.ycombinator.com/show) | Free | Developers, technical founders | Verified | Title starts with "Show HN:". Must be something people can try now: no landing pages, waitlists or sign-up walls; ideally no sign-up at all. Don't ask friends to upvote or comment. Post a first comment with the backstory and what you want feedback on. |
| 3 | **Indie Hackers** (indiehackers.com) | Free | Bootstrapped founders | Verified | Write a post with real numbers and lessons ("4 months, 3 users: what I changed"). Stories travel; launches don't. |
| 4 | **r/SideProject** | Free | Makers, early adopters | Verified (rules via 2026 guides) | Promotion-friendly. Show the thing (GIF), say what you want feedback on, comment on others' projects too. |
| 5 | **r/startups** | Free | Founders | Verified (rules via 2026 guides) | Self-promotion only in the pinned "Share Your Startup" thread. Elsewhere: value only. |
| 6 | **Hacker News "Who wants to be hired?"** (freelancers) | Free | Companies hiring | Verified (October 2026 thread live) | Posted by `whoishiring` the first weekday of each month. Follow the format in the post. Also read "Who is hiring?" for leads. |
| 7 | **Peerlist Launchpad** (peerlist.io/launchpad) | Free | Developers and tech professionals | Verified | Weekly cohorts; the launch window opens on Mondays and you get a full week instead of 24 hours. |
| 8 | **Your niche's own community** | Free | Exactly your buyers | — | The Shopify/Webflow/Notion forum, a Slack or Discord group, a Facebook group. Ask a moderator first. Often worth more than everything below combined. |

## Tier 2: Indie launch platforms (pick 5 to 8, same week)

| # | Place | Cost | Audience | Status | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | **Uneed** (uneed.best) | Free + paid | Indie makers (claims ~90K monthly visitors) | Verified | Skip the line $29.99; Pro $99/year (pricing page, Oct 2026). Free launches need an upvote score of 10 to stay published and 20 for the do-follow backlink. |
| 10 | **BetaList** (betalist.com) | Paid | Early adopters of pre-launch startups | Verified (Aug 2026 source) | BetaList's FAQ says all submissions now require payment; founders report $39 to $299. Best for pre-launch: needs a clear landing page with a sign-up form. |
| 11 | **Microlaunch** (microlaunch.net) | Free + paid | Indie and micro-SaaS makers | Verified (Aug 2026 source) | Monthly cohorts. Pro launch $39. Emphasis on feedback. |
| 12 | **Fazier** (fazier.com) | Free + paid | Makers, AI products | Verified (Aug 2026 source) | Free tier requires a Fazier badge/backlink on your site. Paid from $29. |
| 13 | **DevHunt** (devhunt.org) | Free | Developers | Verified (Aug 2026 source) | Dev tools only. Weekly. Shows impression counts publicly. |
| 14 | **TinyLaunch** (tinylaunch.com) | Free + paid | Indie makers | Verified (pricing page, Oct 2026) | Standard launch free (badge and backlink for top 3). Premium $39 skips the queue with a guaranteed backlink. |
| 15 | **Tiny Startups** (tinystartups.com) | Free + paid | Indie founders; claims 25k+ newsletter subscribers | Verified | Human-curated. Paid tool/deal listings $69 on the site. |
| 16 | **Launching Next** (launchingnext.com) | Free + paid | Startup readers, Friday newsletter | Verified (submit page, Oct 2026) | Free submission; $99 upgrade for consideration within 1 business day (speed, not guaranteed placement). |
| 17 | **Firsto** (firsto.co) | Free + paid | Indie makers | Verified (pricing page, Oct 2026) | Free launch with a long wait (about 180 days shown); Premium $19.90 launches within 24 hours. |
| 18 | **OpenHunts** (openhunts.com) | Free + paid | Indie makers | Verified (pricing page, Oct 2026) | 20 free slots a week (queue showed ~60 weeks); Premium launches next Monday (listed ~$9.90 to $19). Launches at 8:00 a.m. UTC. |
| 19 | **LaunchIgniter** (launchigniter.com) | Free + paid | Indie makers | Verified (pricing page, Oct 2026) | Free launch requires their badge on your homepage and a manual review; Basic launch $12 skips the queue. |
| 20 | **Startup Fame** (startupfa.me) | Free + paid | Founders | Verified (pricing page, Oct 2026) | Free listing if you show their homepage badge (reviewed within ~7 days); paid boosts from $19/month. |
| 21 | **IndieNeed** (indieneed.com) | Free + paid | Indie products, AI tools, SaaS | Verified (pricing page, Oct 2026) | Free listing after review (nofollow link); $15 for 7 days featured without review. New (launched 2026). |
| 22 | **StartupBase** (startupbase.io) | Free + paid? | Makers | Live, check price | Daily launches. Check the submit page for current terms. |
| 23 | **IndieTool** (indietool.io) | ? | Indie founders | Live, check price | Directory plus launchpad. Check terms. |
| 24 | **PitchWall** (betapage.co now redirects here) | ? | AI products | Live, check price | The old BetaPage domain now opens PitchWall. Check terms. |
| 25 | **SideProjectors** (sideprojectors.com) | Free | Makers, buyers of small projects | Verified | Free to list (showcase, co-founder, or for sale). Useful if you'd sell or want a co-founder. |

## Tier 3: Permanent listings (SEO, "alternatives" traffic, AI search)

| # | Place | Cost | Audience | Status | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | **SaaSHub** (saashub.com) | Free + paid | People comparing software | Verified (Aug 2026 source) | Creates "[competitor] alternatives" pages automatically. List yourself as an alternative to your top 3 competitors. |
| 27 | **AlternativeTo** (alternativeto.net) | Free | People searching "alternative to X" | Verified (Aug 2026 source) | Community-edited. Add your product and link it as an alternative to competitors. Matches your #1 intent type. |
| 28 | **G2** (g2.com) | Free profile; paid from $299/month | B2B software buyers | Verified | Claim the free profile. Ask your first 10 happy users for honest reviews (G2 has rules on incentives; read them). |
| 29 | **Capterra** (capterra.com) | Free basic listing; PPC on top | SMB software buyers | Verified | Free listing; paid clicks are an auction with a reported $500/month minimum. Now owned by G2 (Feb 2026) but run separately. |
| 30 | **Crunchbase** (crunchbase.com) | Free profile | Investors, press, researchers | Verified (site live) | Create the company profile. Small effort, permanent credibility. |
| 31 | **Startup Stash** (startupstash.com) | ? | Founders looking for tools | Live, check price | Curated directory of startup tools. Submit if you serve founders. |
| 32 | **AppSumo Marketplace** (appsumo.com/partners) | No upfront fee; revenue share on sales | Deal hunters, SMBs | Verified (site live) | Self-listing with a commission on sales. Good for cash and users; lifetime deals can attract demanding customers. Read current partner terms. |

## Tier 4: AI tool directories (only if your product is AI)

| # | Place | Cost | Audience | Status | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | **There's An AI For That** (theresanaiforthat.com) | Paid ($49 website-only to $347 with newsletter + ads); free monthly X-thread contest | Very large AI-tools audience (self-reported 5M+/month) | Verified (Aug 2026 source) | Worth it only if your tool solves a clear task people search for. |
| 34 | **Futurepedia** (futurepedia.io) | Paid ($247 basic, often sold out; $497 verified) | Professionals browsing AI tools | Verified (Aug 2026 source) | Expensive for an unproven product. Do it after you have reviews. |
| 35 | **Toolify** (toolify.ai) | Paid ($99 one-time) | AI tools browsers, 10 languages | Verified (Aug 2026 source) | Listed within ~48 hours. |
| 36 | **AI Tools Directory** (aitoolsdirectory.com) | ? | AI tools browsers | Live, check price | Live. Check submission terms. |

## Tier 5: More communities (free, rules vary)

| # | Place | Cost | Audience | Status | Tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | **r/alphaandbetausers** | Free | Beta testers | Verified (rules via 2026 guides) | Ask for testers, say exactly what you want tested and what they get. |
| 38 | **r/roastmystartup** | Free | Founders giving blunt feedback | Verified (rules via 2026 guides) | Ask for a roast of your landing page. Thick skin required; you'll learn more than from any launch. |
| 39 | **r/IMadeThis** and **r/microsaas** | Free | Makers | Verified (rules via 2026 guides) | Showcase-friendly. Show, don't sell. |
| 40 | **DEV Community** (dev.to) | Free | Developers | Verified (site live) | Write a "how I built it" post with code. Tag carefully. |
| 41 | **Lobsters** (lobste.rs) | Free, invite-only | Technical readers | Verified (site live) | You need an invite from a member. Only for genuinely technical work; self-promotion is frowned upon. |
| 42 | **r/SaaS** and **r/vibecoding** | Free | SaaS founders; AI-assisted builders | Verified (rules via 2026 guides) | r/SaaS allows founder stories that mention your product, not pure ads. r/vibecoding discourages blatant promotion of commercial services. Lead with the build story. |

---

## The 7-day launch stack (copy this)

| Day | Do |
|---|---|
| Day -7 | Claim profiles: G2, Capterra, Crunchbase, SaaSHub, AlternativeTo. Prepare 1 GIF (10 s), 3 screenshots, a 60-word description, a 160-character tagline. Same assets everywhere. |
| Day -3 | Submit to the free queues with long waits (Uneed, Firsto, OpenHunts, TinyLaunch, LaunchIgniter, Microlaunch). Note launch dates in the tracker. |
| Day 0 (Tue–Thu) | Product Hunt at 12:01 a.m. PT. Show HN the same day or the day after (different audiences). Post on Indie Hackers with the story. |
| Day 1 | r/SideProject (or your sub's promo thread). Peerlist Launchpad if it's Monday. |
| Day 2–3 | Your niche community. Reply to every comment everywhere within 12 hours. |
| Day 4–7 | Write the "what happened" post with real numbers (traffic, signups, what failed). It often beats the launch itself. |

**Do not** pay for a "submit to 100 directories" service before you have 10 users. The free and cheap ones above cover 90% of the value. Directories don't replace talking to the people in `queries/intent-queries.md`.