Why Look Beyond Product Hunt
Product Hunt is still the best-known launch platform in tech. Its daily format, where launches are ranked over a single day, suits teams that can bring a lot of support at once. If you're a solo founder without a following, a one-day ranking can be a hard place to get noticed.
You don't have to choose one platform. The 14 options below differ in format (daily, weekly, monthly or always-on) and in audience, and most founders get more out of several of them spread over a few weeks.
A note on backlinks: link attributes change, and many platforms treat free and paid listings differently. We haven't verified the current link type on every platform here, so inspect the link on a live listing before you count on a dofollow backlink. Our dofollow vs nofollow guide explains why it matters less than you might think.
Launch Boards
- Hauntboard (hauntboard.com): the board you're reading. Launches run for a week, a person reviews each one, and every launch page shows its page views and outbound clicks. Approved listings get a dofollow link: paid listings keep it permanently, and a free listing keeps it as long as the Hauntboard badge stays on its site (if the badge comes down, the link switches to nofollow). Free launches show the badge; Launch Now ($19) and Spotlight ($49) don't need it. Hauntboard is new, so it can't show you typical traffic yet. When there are real numbers, they'll be public on every launch page.
- Uneed: a daily launch board for indie tools, with a free queue and a paid option to choose your launch date.
- Peerlist Launchpad: weekly launches on Peerlist, a professional network for people in tech. It was called Project Spotlight until Peerlist renamed it Launchpad in 2025. A good fit for developer tools and design resources.
- Microlaunch: launches run for 30 days rather than one, so a product has longer to collect feedback.
- Fazier: a daily launch board with daily, weekly and monthly leaderboards and both free and paid launch options.
Startup Directories
- BetaList: for startups that haven't launched yet and want early adopters and beta signups.
- Launching Next: a long-running directory of new startups, where listings stay in its archive.
- SaaSHub: a software alternatives and comparison site, most useful once you can name the tools you replace.
- Startups.fyi: a startup directory where people review submissions before featuring them.
Communities
- Indie Hackers: a community of independent founders. Posts about what you learned while building tend to land better than announcements.
- Show HN: the Hacker News post format for things you've made that people can try. Read the Show HN rules first: make it easy to try without a signup, and be around to answer questions.
- r/SideProject: a subreddit for sharing side projects and asking for feedback.
AI Tool Directories
- There's An AI For That: a large catalog of AI tools, organised by task.
- Futurepedia: an AI tool directory with categories and reviews.
Both are worth it only if AI is central to what your product does.
Comparison at a Glance
| Platform | Format | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Hauntboard | Weekly launches | Indie products that want public visit counts |
| Product Hunt | Daily ranking | Teams with an existing audience |
| Uneed | Daily launches | Indie tools and developer utilities |
| Peerlist Launchpad | Weekly launches | Developer tools and design resources |
| Microlaunch | 30-day launches | Collecting feedback over a month |
| Fazier | Daily, with weekly and monthly leaderboards | Indie tools |
| BetaList | Directory | Pre-launch beta signups |
| Show HN | Community post | Technical products people can try |
A Staggered Launch Plan
Don't put everything on one day. Spread your launches over four to six weeks:
- Week 1: launch on one or two boards (for example Hauntboard and Uneed) and watch for bugs and confusing onboarding.
- Week 2: submit to directories such as Launching Next and SaaSHub.
- Week 3: share what you've learned on Peerlist and Indie Hackers, and post a Show HN if your product is technical.
- Week 4 or later: once onboarding is solid, consider Product Hunt, especially if earlier launches have brought you users who'll want to support you.
Use the launch checklist to prepare one set of assets you can reuse on every platform.