Hacker News (Show HN) ↗Community
Post your launch as a Show HN. High risk, high reward — a front-page hit sends serious technical traffic.
DR 93Free
A curated list of 16 launch directories, ranked by domain rating, with what each one is best for and whether it is free or paid. Launch on several: each is another audience, and where the link is dofollow, another backlink.
A launch directory is a website that lists new products so people can discover them. Founders submit their product to reach an audience, get early users, and (on some directories) earn a backlink to their site.
Post your launch as a Show HN. High risk, high reward — a front-page hit sends serious technical traffic.
A crowdsourced software alternatives site. Gets you in front of people actively looking to switch tools.
The largest launch platform. A daily leaderboard and a huge maker audience — the default first launch for most products.
DR = approximate Ahrefs Domain Rating; values drift over time.
Most big directories use nofollow links, and getting seen there means winning votes or an algorithm's favor. InstantLaunch skips both. Every listing gets a permanent dofollow backlink, live instantly, from $5 one-time.
Launch NowIt varies. Many large platforms use nofollow links. That is the gap InstantLaunch fills: every listing here carries a permanent dofollow backlink, from $5 one-time.
Submit to the directories that match your audience. Each listing is another discovery surface. Where the link is dofollow, it is also another backlink. Start with the general platforms, then add niche ones.
Product Hunt has the largest audience. BetaList works well for pre-launch signups. Dev Hunt fits developer tools. The right pick depends on who you want to reach, which is why most founders launch on more than one.
A founder community rather than a directory — but a well-timed "Show IH" post can drive real early traffic.
The best-known AI tools directory. High-intent traffic for anything AI. Listing is paid.
A large AI tools directory with category browsing and rankings. Free and paid tiers.
A software alternatives and listings site. Evergreen discovery — people find you when searching for competitors.
A maker community with a fast-growing launch section. Strong for developers and design-led products.
Early-stage and pre-launch startups. Good for collecting your first signups before a full launch. Paid option skips the queue.
A launch board specifically for developer tools. The right audience if you ship SDKs, CLIs, or APIs.
A long-running directory of new startups. Simple submission, evergreen listing.
Showcase, buy, or sell side projects. A niche audience of makers browsing for tools and deals.
An indie startup directory with an engaged community and upvotes. Good long-tail discovery.
Daily product discovery with a clean, no-noise feed. Free listing plus paid options for premium placement.
A launch platform with embeddable badges and a weekly leaderboard. Popular with indie makers.
Built for micro-startups and indie products. Simple, founder-friendly, with a supportive community.