Product Hunt alternatives: where else to launch your startup

Product Hunt is still the best-known place to launch a new product, but it is not the only one, and for many small products it is not the best one. A launch there is one day of attention, decided by a crowded front page. Spreading the same launch across a handful of smaller sites usually brings more steady traffic, more feedback and more links back to your site.

This guide lists the alternatives we track, explains what separates them, and gives a simple plan for launching on several at once.

Why look beyond Product Hunt

• Competition. Hundreds of products launch on a busy day. A small team without an existing audience can end up far down the page, where few people scroll.
• One shot. A launch is a single event. If the day goes badly, starting over is awkward. Smaller sites let you try your message, see what works and adjust before the bigger launch.
• Audience fit. Niche sites (AI tools, developer tools, open source, Mac apps) reach people who are already looking for products like yours.
• Links. Every listing is a page that links to your site. Some of those links are dofollow and pass search ranking signals, which matters most for a new domain with no links yet.

How to choose where to launch

Before you open twenty sign-up forms, sort the options by four questions:

1. Who reads it? Look at the products on its front page. If they look like your competitors or your customers' tools, the audience fits.
2. Is the link dofollow? A dofollow link helps your search rankings. A nofollow link still sends visitors, but no ranking credit. Our list marks each one.
3. What does it cost? Many sites are free with a waiting queue and charge to skip it or to be featured. Paying makes sense for the few sites whose audience matches yours best.
4. Is it alive? Check that recent launches have upvotes and comments. A site that still lists products but has no visitors is only worth it for the link.

Launch platforms we track

These are the launch sites in our directory list, sorted by authority score. Link type and cost are what we saw when we last submitted a product, and they change from time to time, so check the site before you rely on it.

SiteLinkCostScore

BacklinkLogbacklinklog.comdofollowFree—BetaListbetalist.comdofollowFree—Ctrl Alt CCctrlalt.ccdofollowFree—Dang.aidang.aidofollowFree—Fazierfazier.comdofollowFree—Firstofirsto.codofollowFree—Hunted Spacehunted.spacedofollowFree—Indie Hacker Toolsindiehackertools.netdofollowFree—Indie Launchindielaunch.aidofollowFree—Launch Llamalaunchllama.codofollowFree—LaunchDirectorieslaunchdirectories.comdofollowFree—LaunchIgniterlaunchigniter.comdofollowFree—Launching Nextlaunchingnext.comdofollowFree—Launchpedialaunchpedia.codofollowFree—MarsXmarsx.devdofollowFree—Microlaunchmicrolaunch.netdofollowFree—OpenHuntsopenhunts.comdofollowFree—Peerlist Launchpadpeerlist.iodofollowFree—Product Huntproducthunt.comdofollowFree—ProductBurstproductburst.comdofollowFree—Proofstoriesproofstories.iodofollowFree—SaaS Famesaasfame.comdofollowFree—Startup Famestartupfa.medofollowFree—Startup Inspirestartupinspire.comdofollowFree—Startups.fyistartups.fyidofollowFree—Tiny Startupstinystartups.comdofollowFree—TinyLaunchtinylaunch.comdofollowFree—Toolfametoolfame.comdofollowFree—ToolsFinetoolsfine.comdofollowFree—Twelve Toolstwelve.toolsdofollowFree—Uneeduneed.bestdofollowFree—Unite Listunitelist.comdofollowFree—

Communities where launches also work

Communities are not launch sites, but a short, honest post about what you built often outperforms a listing. Read each community's rules first: most allow sharing your own project in a specific thread or on a specific day, and remove posts that read like ads.

SiteLinkCostScore

Contracontra.comdofollowFree—EU-Startupseu-startups.comdofollowFree—Growth Mentorgrowthmentor.comdofollowFree—Hacker News (Show HN)news.ycombinator.comnofollowFree—Hacker Noonhackernoon.comdofollowFree—Indie Hackersindiehackers.comdofollowFree—Slofileslofile.comdofollowFree—Startup School Forumstartupschool.orgnofollowFree—

On Reddit, subreddits such as r/alphaandbetausers, r/EntrepreneurRideAlong, r/InternetIsBeautiful, r/SaaS, r/SideProject and r/startups welcome makers sharing projects. Write the post for the subreddit: what problem you solve, who it is for, what you want feedback on. Link to your site once.

A launch plan across several sites

A single launch day is a lot of work. Spread over three weeks, the same work brings you more:

1. Week 1, prepare. Write your listing once: a name, a tagline under 60 characters, a 300-word description, a logo, 3–5 screenshots and a short demo video. Our directory submission checklist has the full kit.
2. Week 1, soft launch. Post to two or three smaller launch sites and one community. Read every comment and note what confused people.
3. Week 2, fix. Rewrite the tagline and the first screenshot based on that feedback. Check your page with our link preview checker so every share shows a proper card.
4. Week 3, main launch. Launch on your biggest platform, then submit to the rest of the list over the following days, ten or so a day.
5. After. Answer every comment, thank the people who upvoted, and keep a spreadsheet of where you are listed and which links went live.

Mistakes to avoid

• Asking for upvotes in bulk. Most platforms detect vote rings and push those launches down. Ask people to look and comment, not to vote.
• Copy-pasting the same text everywhere. Fine for directories, poor for communities. Adjust the first lines for each audience.
• Launching an unfinished landing page. Visitors from a launch decide in seconds. A clear headline, one screenshot and a working sign-up beat a long feature list.
• Forgetting the follow-up. The traffic from a launch fades in days. Capture emails, and post an update when you ship the things people asked for.