Tiny Startups
Free
Hand-approved listing; its submit page says you earn a do-follow backlink.
- Best for
- Indie makers.
- Watch out for
- Curated, so not every product is accepted.
Best-of list · by use case
The best free launch platforms, and what "free" really means on each
Almost every launch platform says "free". The terms behind it vary a lot: a 180-day queue, a badge you must keep on your site, a followed link only for the top 3, or no SEO link at all.
This page groups free launches by those terms, from each platform's own site or our research, at the time of writing (September 2026). LaunchRanked is ours, and it's labelled.
Disclosure: LaunchRanked is our product. Where we list it, we say so, and we place it under the use case it fits rather than at the top by default. Everything else here is from the vendors’ own sites or our research, and we say where they’re better.
At a glance
Grouped by use case; order within a group is not a ranking. Prices at the time of writing (September 2026).
| Tool | Use case | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny Startups | Free, approved, followed link, no badge | Indie makers. | Free |
| PitchWall | Free, but you wait | Founders who can wait a month. | Free after a 30+ day wait; $49 / $99 to shorten it |
| Launching Next | Free, but you wait | A no-cost listing on a site running since 2013. | Free; $99 for 1-business-day consideration |
| StartupBase | Free with a badge on your site | Founders fine with a badge. | Free (badge required, ~4–5 weeks); Premium from $39 |
 LaunchRanked (ours) | Free with a badge on your site | A followed link for any approved listing while our badge is on your site: no vote threshold, and no plan buys it. | Free; Boost $15, Featured $29 (one-time) |
| ScrollLaunch | Free with a badge on your site | A guaranteed link plus a story on its blog, for $39 one-time. | Free (up to 25 listings a week); Premium $39 |
| CodeHype | Free with a badge on your site | AI tools on a budget. | Free (14-day queue); Plus $15, Pro $25 |
| OpenHunts | Free with a badge on your site | A $9.90 guaranteed dofollow launch if you'd rather pay. | Free (~60-week queue, or add badge to skip); Premium $9.90 |
| Firsto | Free, but the link depends on ranking or votes | A permanent page if you can wait six months. | Free (~180-day queue); Premium $19.90 |
| Uneed | Free, but the link depends on ranking or votes | Makers who can rally upvotes. | Free queue; Fast-track $14.99 |
| TinyLaunch | Free, but the link depends on ranking or votes | Founders confident of a top-3 finish. | Free (about a 4-week queue); Premium $39 |
| Product Hunt | Free, big audience, no SEO link | A big day of attention. | Free |
| Hacker News (Show HN) | Free, big audience, no SEO link | Technical products. | Free |
| Indie Hackers | Free, big audience, no SEO link | Building in public. | Free |
How we chose
- The platform has a free way to launch or list a product.
- We state the condition on the free link and the wait, where the platform publishes it.
- Order within a group isn't a ranking.
Free, approved, followed link, no badge
The simplest terms we found.
Free, but you wait
The free option exists; the queue is the price.
PitchWall
Free after a 30+ day wait; $49 / $99 to shorten it
1 day on the homepage and a do-follow backlink (per its submit page).
- Best for
- Founders who can wait a month.
- Watch out for
- Newsletter mention isn't guaranteed on free.
Launching Next
Free; $99 for 1-business-day consideration
Reviewed daily; you're emailed if it's published.
- Best for
- A no-cost listing on a site running since 2013.
- Watch out for
- Publication isn't guaranteed; link attributes not verified.
Free with a badge on your site
The followed link depends on a badge that links back to the platform.
StartupBase
Free (badge required, ~4–5 weeks); Premium from $39
Daily launches with a permanent listing.
- Best for
- Founders fine with a badge.
- Watch out for
- Badge required on the free launch.
LaunchRanked
OursFree; Boost $15, Featured $29 (one-time)
Weekly launch board with a permanent, SEO-ready product page.
- Best for
- A followed link for any approved listing while our badge is on your site: no vote threshold, and no plan buys it.
- Watch out for
- New, so a smaller audience than established boards.
ScrollLaunch
Free (up to 25 listings a week); Premium $39
Weekly Product Hunt alternative.
- Best for
- A guaranteed link plus a story on its blog, for $39 one-time.
- Watch out for
- Free followed link only while their badge stays on your site, re-checked weekly.
CodeHype
Free (14-day queue); Plus $15, Pro $25
Weekly boards for AI tools.
- Best for
- AI tools on a budget.
- Watch out for
- Free followed link only while the badge is verified, re-checked every 3 days.
OpenHunts
Free (~60-week queue, or add badge to skip); Premium $9.90
Weekly Monday launches with 7 days on the homepage.
- Best for
- A $9.90 guaranteed dofollow launch if you'd rather pay.
- Watch out for
- Free dofollow link only for the top 3.
Free, but the link depends on ranking or votes
Firsto
Free (~180-day queue); Premium $19.90
Daily launches with a permanent project page.
- Best for
- A permanent page if you can wait six months.
- Watch out for
- Free dofollow link only for the top 3, and a badge is required.
Uneed
Free queue; Fast-track $14.99
Daily board with a maker community.
- Best for
- Makers who can rally upvotes.
- Watch out for
- Free queue can take months; free do-follow link needs 20 weighted upvotes.
TinyLaunch
Free (about a 4-week queue); Premium $39
Weekly launches; Premium goes live the next Monday.
- Best for
- Founders confident of a top-3 finish.
- Watch out for
- Free backlink only for the top 3, and only with its badge embedded.
Free, big audience, no SEO link
Worth it for people, not for links.
Product Hunt
Free
The largest daily launch community.
- Best for
- A big day of attention.
- Watch out for
- Website links carried rel="ugc" when we checked.
Hacker News (Show HN)
Free
Show HN for things people can try now.
- Best for
- Technical products.
- Watch out for
- Links were mixed nofollow; strict posting rules.
Indie Hackers
Free
Founder community with a products database and daily Build Board.
- Best for
- Building in public.
- Watch out for
- Build Board links are nofollow.
Frequently asked questions
Which launch platforms give a followed link for free with no conditions?
At the time of writing (September 2026), Tiny Startups (hand-approved; per its submit page). On LaunchRanked, an approved launch's link is followed while our badge is on your site, the same rule on every plan. Most others require a badge, a top-3 finish, upvotes or a long wait.
Is adding a launch platform's badge risky?
A followed link in exchange for a link back is a reciprocal link. Google's spam policies name excessive link exchanges as link spam. One or two are unlikely to matter; a dozen start to look like a pattern.
Are nofollow launches worthless?
No. Product Hunt, Show HN and Indie Hackers can bring real users and feedback. They just don't pass ranking credit.
Sources we checked
Checked on their own sites on . Prices and terms change, so check before you buy. Domain ratings are approximate third-party estimates.
- tinystartups.com/submit (opens in a new tab)
- pitchwall.co/submit (opens in a new tab)
- launchingnext.com/submit (opens in a new tab)
- startupbase.io/launch (pricing section) (opens in a new tab)
- scrolllaunch.com/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- codehype.ai/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- openhunts.com/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- firsto.co/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- uneed.best/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- tinylaunch.com/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- producthunt.com (product pages, link attributes) (opens in a new tab)
- Show HN guidelines (opens in a new tab)
- indiehackers.com/products (Build Board and product database) (opens in a new tab)
- Google Search spam policies (link spam) (opens in a new tab)
ScrollLaunch, CodeHype and TinyLaunch were re-checked on their own sites on 17 October 2026. Terms for the other platforms are as of the time of writing.
Free tools to try first
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