Where to launch your app in 2026
21 launch directories compared for makers: how long the free tier makes you wait, whether it wants a badge on your site, what the cheapest paid option costs, and whether listings actually get a dofollow link, which we checked on live listing pages. Every price comes from the directory's own page.
| Directory | Free-tier wait (as stated) | Badge or link required (free) | Cheapest paid option | Dofollow: what they say | Dofollow: what we saw on live listings | Audience (self-reported) | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlternativeToCrowd-sourced alternatives directory | At least a few months | No | $5 priority review | Not verified | Not verified: listing pages refused our check (HTTP 403) | Not published | Guide → |
| Awesome IndieDaily launchpad | Next free day in the queue | No (20 upvotes for dofollow) | $9.99 Skip the Line | At 20 upvotes (any plan) | nofollow on 6 of 6 listings sampled example | Not published | Guide → |
| BetaListCurated startup launch list | Depends on the paid plan; not stated publicly | No | Paid only; price shown in the submit form | Yes, if featured (per BetaList) | "Visit Site" button has no nofollow and 301-redirects to the maker's site; the screenshot links to it carry nofollow example | Newsletter 60k+ to 70,000+; 500,000+ pageviews/month (self-reported) | Guide → |
| BuiltByIndiesWeekly launchpad and community | Next launch week with space | No (may need karma) | $15 Premium | Top 3 (free), yes (paid) | No nofollow on 6 of 6 listings sampled example | Not published | Guide → |
| Dang.aiAI tools directory | Up to 4 weeks | Yes: a link to dang.ai | $49 Basic | Not stated | Not verified: product links load client-side | Not published | Guide → |
| DevHuntWeekly launchpad for developer tools | Not stated (queue) | No | $49 paid launch | Paid launches only | No nofollow on 2 of 6 listings sampled; 4 carried nofollow example | 466,343 unique visitors since launch (self-reported) | Guide → |
| FazierDaily launchpad | Within 30 days | Yes: a link to Fazier | $29 Lite ($39 list) | Top 3 daily (Lite), guaranteed (Premium) | No nofollow on 6 of 6 listings sampled example | Not published | Guide → |
| Hacker News (Show HN)Community post | None: post any time | No | Free (nothing to buy) | Observed only on posts with traction | Followed on all 16 posts with 18+ points; nofollow on all 14 with 13 or fewer (30 sampled) example | Not published | Guide → |
| indie.dealsIndie products and deals directory | No free tier; review within 96 hours | Yes, on $19 Standard | $19 Standard | Permanent backlink on Pro | Not verified: too few comparable listings to judge | Not published | Guide → |
| Launch LlamaStartup directory and newsletter | About 4 weeks | No | $39 Instant Launch | With Instant Launch or Featured | nofollow on 6 of 6 listings sampled example | Newsletter 55,000+ (ads) / 20,000+ (Featured feature), self-reported | Guide → |
| LaunchIgniterWeekly launchpad | Not stated; date not guaranteed | Yes: their badge | $12 Basic | Top 3 (free), lifetime (paid) | No nofollow on 3 of 3 listings sampled example | Not published | Guide → |
| Microlaunch30-day launch program | Not stated | Not stated | $39 with code ($49 list) | Paid tiers (they state DR64+) | No nofollow on the 126 product links on its homepage (listing pages not sampled) example | 30k+ unique visitors/month; 70k page views/month (self-reported, Aug 2026) | Guide → |
| OpenHuntsWeekly launchpad | About 60 weeks, or add the badge to skip | Optional: the badge skips the queue | $9.90 Premium ($19 list) | Top 3 (free), guaranteed (paid) | No nofollow on 5 of 6 listings sampled; 1 carried nofollow example | 109,309 visits over ~6 months (self-reported, PostHog) | Guide → |
| Peerlist LaunchpadWeekly launchpad on a professional network | Launch any Monday | No (needs a verified Peerlist profile) | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified: launch pages render client-side | Not published | Guide → |
| Product HuntDaily launch leaderboard | None: you pick the day | No | Free (no paid launch) | Not verified | rel="ugc", no nofollow, on 2 of 2 product pages example | Not published | Guide → |
| SaaSHubSoftware alternatives marketplace | Not stated | No | $99/month featured | Not verified | nofollow on a standard listing (Notion); a featured listing had one followed link example | 564,000+ page views/month; 29,800+ newsletter subscribers (self-reported) | Guide → |
| Smol LaunchWeekly launch board | Not stated; 50 verified slots a week | Yes: their badge | $19 Premium | Permanent backlink on paid tiers | No nofollow on 6 of 6 listings sampled example | Not published | Guide → |
| Startup FameReviewed startup directory | Within 7 days | Yes: their badge | $19/month Highlight | Yes, while listed (they state DR 80+) | No rel attribute (followed) on 6 of 6 listings sampled example | Not published | Guide → |
| There's An AI For ThatAI tools directory | No free tier; paid review 1 to 2 days | No free tier | $49 review fee | Not verified | Not verified: listing pages refused our check (HTTP 403) | 5M+ monthly users; 2.5M+ newsletter subscribers (self-reported) | Guide → |
| TinyLaunchLaunch competition | Not stated ("standard queue") | No | $39 Premium | Top 3 (free), guaranteed (Premium) | No nofollow on 5 of 6 listings sampled; 1 carried nofollow example | Not published | Guide → |
| UneedDaily launchpad | Up to 5 months (date assigned) | No (upvotes instead) | $14.99 Fast-track | At 20 upvotes (free), guaranteed with Skip the line | No nofollow on 6 of 6 listings sampled example | 90K monthly visitors; 26,000 newsletter subscribers (self-reported) | Guide → |
| VibeKing | Usually within a few days | Yes: the VibeKing badge | Fast Track $29 one-time (launch price) | With the badge, or with Fast Track | No nofollow on badge-verified listings; nofollow until the badge is verified example | Not published | List your app → |
How we checked dofollow: on 2026-09-30 we opened listing pages linked from each directory's homepage or launch board and read the rel attribute on the link to the maker's own site. "No nofollow" means the link passes ranking signals; ugc and nofollow are hints that ask search engines not to. The example link is one listing we checked, so you can re-check it. "Not verified" means we could not read it, so we make no claim. Free-tier waits are the directory's own words, not our estimate. Each guide links its sources.
How to choose
- Decide what you are paying with. Free tiers are rarely free. They cost time (OpenHunts' free queue was about 60 weeks, Uneed can assign a date five months out), a link on your site (LaunchIgniter, Smol Launch, Startup Fame, Fazier, Dang.ai), or upvotes (Uneed and Awesome Indie want 20 for a dofollow link).
- If you want a burst of feedback, go where people try things. Show HN, Product Hunt and Peerlist cost nothing, but they reward a product people can use right now and a maker who stays to answer questions.
- If you want a permanent link, compare the cheap one-time tiers. Guaranteed-dofollow launches started at $9.90 (OpenHunts), $12 (LaunchIgniter), $15 (BuiltByIndies) and $19 (Smol Launch). Boards that publish a larger audience, such as Uneed and Launch Llama, charge $29.99 to $39.
- Match the directory to the product. DevHunt takes only developer tools. There's An AI For That and Dang.ai are for AI tools. SaaSHub and AlternativeTo work best when your product replaces something people already search for.
- Get a real domain first if your app lives on a free subdomain. BetaList rejects vercel.app, netlify.app and herokuapp.com URLs, and any backlink you earn should point at a domain you own.
- Check the link, not the promise. On live listings we saw nofollow on every sampled Launch Llama and Awesome Indie listing, while Fazier, Smol Launch, BuiltByIndies and Startup Fame listings linked without it. Paid tiers and upvote thresholds change this per listing, so open your own listing after launch and look.
- Read audience numbers as marketing. They are self-reported, and Launch Llama's pricing page, for one, quotes two different newsletter sizes.
Launch directory FAQ
What is the best free place to launch an app in 2026?
It depends on what you can give instead of money. Show HN and Product Hunt cost nothing but reward preparation and a product people can try. Uneed, Awesome Indie and TinyLaunch are free but ask for upvotes or a long wait. OpenHunts, LaunchIgniter, Smol Launch, Startup Fame and Fazier are free if you add their badge or link to your site.
Which launch directories guarantee a dofollow backlink?
On 2026-09-30, these paid tiers stated a guaranteed dofollow or permanent backlink on their own pricing pages: OpenHunts Premium ($9.90), LaunchIgniter Basic ($12), BuiltByIndies Premium ($15), Smol Launch Premium ($19), Uneed Skip the line ($29.99), Launch Llama Instant Launch ($39), TinyLaunch Premium ($39), Microlaunch Launch Pro ($39 with code), DevHunt paid launch ($49), Fazier Premium ($49) and indie.deals Pro ($49).
How much does it cost to skip the queue on a launch directory?
Among the directories checked on 2026-09-30, one-time ways to skip a queue ran from $5 (AlternativeTo priority review, which does not guarantee approval) and $9.90 (OpenHunts Premium) up to $49 (DevHunt, indie.deals Pro, Fazier Premium). Subscription-style placements cost more: SaaSHub's featured listing is $99 a month and Startup Fame's Highlight is $19 a month.
Can I launch an app hosted on vercel.app or netlify.app?
On most boards, yes, but BetaList explicitly rejects free hosting subdomains such as vercel.app, netlify.app and herokuapp.com. A custom domain also makes any backlink you earn count for a site you own.
Are the traffic numbers directories publish reliable?
They are self-reported marketing figures, and some pages quote two different numbers for the same audience. This guide shows them only when the directory publishes them, labelled self-reported, and never invents one.
Is VibeKing free?
Yes. A free VibeKing listing is reviewed, then goes live once the VibeKing badge is on your site, which also gives you a dofollow link. Fast Track ($29 one-time, launch price) skips the review and the badge.
List your app on VibeKingFree with the badge, or Fast Track ($29 one-time, launch price) to go live instantly without it. Every listing gets its own product page.
List on VibeKing