# Where to launch before your product is live

We checked 12 places from Oct 14 to 30, 2026: 12 were online, and 1 of them showed new listings with dates we could confirm. 8 list you for free, and 1 of the 4 whose listings we opened gave a dofollow link (1 do both).

Before you launch collects the places that take a waitlist or beta link, so you can gather signups before launch day.

Source: https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/before-you-launch. Checked Oct 14 to 30, 2026. Updated Oct 30, 2026.

## At a glance

- Online: 12 of 12 (Answered when we checked)
- New listings, dated: 1 (Showed listings we could date)
- Free to submit: 8 (Free, or free with a paid option)
- Dofollow link: 1 of 4 (Of those whose listings we opened)
- Badge needed: 2 (Ask for their badge on your site)

## Best picks by goal

Chosen from our checks alone: the facts named are the ones we confirmed.

- **Adding products right now:** [early.tools](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/product-directories/early-tools). Its newest listing we could date: Oct 20, 2026.
- **On the most visited site:** [BetaList](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/betalist). Among the 1 million most visited sites (Tranco, Oct 2026).
- **The most linked to by other sites:** [BetaList](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/betalist). How often other sites link to it: 54 out of 100 (Common Crawl, Oct 2026).
- **The fastest stated review:** [WonderLaunch](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/wonderlaunch). Its own page says: 7–14 days.
- **Takes products before launch:** [Best of AI](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/ai-directories/bestofai-io). Takes products that have not launched yet, so a waitlist link fits.

## Our picks

- [BetaList](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/betalist): Built for this: it lists products that are not open to everyone yet.
- [r/alphaandbetausers](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/subreddits/r-alphaandbetausers): People here sign up to test; put your stage and platform in the title.
- [LaunchKiwi](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/launchkiwi): Free if you show their badge, and it takes products before they launch.
- [Pitchwall](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/pitchwall): Free, takes products before launch, and among the 1 million most visited sites. Its links go through its own redirect.
- [Startup Project](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/product-directories/startupproject): A free directory that takes products before launch; its own page says review takes a few business days.

## Before you post a waitlist

These are the places that take a product before people can use it: a waitlist page or a beta link is enough. Post here while you are still shaping the product, collect signups and feedback, and save the big launch boards for the day you open.

The list opens with the sites built for pre-launch: they exist only to list products that are not open to everyone yet, such as BetaList and Betabound. Below them are the boards, directories and communities that also take a product before launch. Start with one or two from the top group and r/alphaandbetausers, then add a free board. When you open, move on to [Start here](/directories/start-here).

### How to do it well

- Send people to a waitlist page that says what they get for joining early.
- Post two to six weeks before you open, so you have time to act on feedback.
- Ask for testers or feedback, not only signups.
- Keep the big launch boards for the day people can use the product.

### What your waitlist page needs before you post it

- One line that says what the product does and who it is for.
- A screenshot, mockup or short video, even of an early version.
- One field to join, and a clear answer to what happens next.
- A reason to share it, such as moving up the list for each friend who joins.

## The list

"Online" means the site answered when we checked but we could not confirm a date on its listings. "Active" means we confirmed a dated listing, shown with its date. "Not known" means we could not confirm it. Price is what getting listed costs; Link is what we read on real listings.

### Built for pre-launch (4)

Sites that exist only to list products before launch.

| # | Place | What it is | Kind | Status | Price | Link | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [BetaList](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/betalist) | BetaList lists upcoming internet startups. It lists AI tools and AI agents, SaaS products, and developer tools. | Pre-launch board | Online | Not known | Redirect, no SEO value | Oct 26, 2026 |
| 2 | [BetaBound](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/betabound) | Betabound is a beta testing directory by Centercode listing software, hardware and mobile betas. It lists software betas, hardware betas and mobile app betas. | Launch board | Quiet, newest listing Sep 22, 2026 | Free | Not known | Oct 26, 2026 |
| 3 | [early.tools](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/product-directories/early-tools) | Directory of pre-launch and early-stage tools for founders. It lists pre-launch startups, MVP products and newly launched early-stage tools. | Pre-launch directory | Active, newest listing Oct 20, 2026 | Free + paid | Not known | Oct 30, 2026 |
| 4 | [launch.li](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/product-directories/launch-li) (run by LaunchList) | Directory of pre-launch and new products. It lists products still being built, beta products and products launching soon. | Pre-launch directory | Online | Free | Dofollow (4 of 4) | Oct 30, 2026 |

### Recommended: online, with checked facts (5)

| # | Place | What it is | Kind | Status | Price | Link | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [LaunchKiwi](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/launchkiwi) | LaunchKiwi is a weekly directory of indie product launches. It lists SaaS products, developer tools and design utilities. | Launch board | Online | Free | Not known | Oct 26, 2026 |
| 2 | [Pitchwall](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/pitchwall) | PitchWall is a launch board for AI tools, SaaS and tech startups. It lists SaaS products, open-source projects and developer tools. | Launch board | Online | Free | Redirect, no SEO value | Oct 28, 2026 |
| 3 | [Startup Project](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/product-directories/startupproject) | The Startup Project lists startups in a free directory for founders. It lists SaaS and technology startups and AI/ML and developer tools. | Directory | Online | Free | Not known | Oct 26, 2026 |
| 4 | [Sell With boost](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/product-directories/sellwithboost) | Sell With boost is a startup directory for founders and makers. It lists startups and side projects, AI tools, and productivity software. | Directory | Online | Free | Mixed (1 of 4) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| 5 | [Add AI Directory](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/ai-directories/addaidirectory) | Add AI Directory is a directory of AI agents organized by category. It lists AI agents in Agent Tools and AI agents in Audio and SEO. | AI directory | Online | Free | Not known | Oct 26, 2026 |

### All others (3)

| # | Place | Kind | Status | Price | Link | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [r/alphaandbetausers](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/subreddits/r-alphaandbetausers) | Subreddit | Online | Not known | Not known | Oct 28, 2026 |
| 2 | [Best of AI](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/ai-directories/bestofai-io) | AI directory | Online | Not known | Not known | Oct 26, 2026 |
| 3 | [WonderLaunch](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/wonderlaunch) | Launch board | Online | Not known | Not known | Oct 26, 2026 |

## Questions founders ask

### Where can I post a waitlist or beta?

On the sites built for pre-launch, at the top of this list, such as BetaList, in communities that test products like r/alphaandbetausers, and on the free boards below them that take a product before launch. Each record says what that place asks for.

### Can I launch on Product Hunt before launch?

You can, but it is rarely worth it. A Product Hunt launch gets one day, so most founders save it for when people can sign up and use the product. Post your waitlist on the places here first.

### How do I get early users before launch?

Post a waitlist where early adopters look, such as BetaList, ask for testers in communities like r/alphaandbetausers, and share what you are building where your future users already talk. Reply to everyone who signs up; the first few become your best testers.

### How early should I post a waitlist?

Two to six weeks before you open. That gives you time to collect signups and act on feedback, and some boards keep a queue, so a free listing can take a while to go up.

### What should my waitlist page say?

What it does, who it is for, and what people get for joining early. A reward for sharing, such as a better spot in line, helps it travel.

### Which pre-launch sites are free?

8 of the 12 that were online state a free way to submit, and 2 of them ask for their badge on your site in return. Each record shows the price copied from the place's own submit page.

### Do pre-launch sites give a dofollow link?

Not often. We read the links on 4 of these, and 2 sent them through a redirect or marked them nofollow. Post here for signups and feedback; get your search links from Free and dofollow.

### How long does approval take?

It depends on the place and on its queue. Where a place states a review time on its own page, its record quotes it; a paid listing, where one exists, is usually reviewed first. On Reddit a post usually shows at once, though moderators can remove it.

### Do I need a working product to post here?

No. That is what this list is for: each place takes a product that is not open to everyone yet. Most other launch boards, and Show HN, want something people can use today.

### Should I launch again when the product is live?

Yes. A pre-launch listing and a launch are separate moments, and the launch boards treat the day you open as your launch. See Launch boards for those.

## How we checked

How we checked: from Oct 14 to 30, 2026 our checker opened each place's home page, its submit page and up to six real listings, without AI. A price, a review time or a badge rule counts only when the place's own page states it, and a link counts only when we read it on real listings. "Not known" means we could not confirm it, not that it is missing. The full method: https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/how-we-check.

## Related

- [Where to start when you launch your startup](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/start-here)
- [Launch boards to launch your startup on](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards)
- [Subreddits where you can post your startup](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/subreddits)
- [Free directories with dofollow links](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/free-dofollow)
- [BetaList alternatives](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/alternatives/betalist)
- [BetaList vs Product Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/compare/betalist-vs-producthunt)

## More lists

- Types: [Launch boards](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards), [Directories](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/product-directories), [AI directories](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/ai-directories), [Subreddits](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/subreddits), [Forums](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/forums), [Newsletters](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/newsletters), [App stores](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/app-stores), [Review sites](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/review-sites), [Deal sites](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/deal-sites), [Regional](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/regional), [Startup marketplaces](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/sell-your-startup)
- Collections: [Start here](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/start-here), [Free and dofollow](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/free-dofollow), [For consumer apps](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/consumer-apps)
- Views: [Listed this month](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/listed-this-month)
- [All places](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories)
- [How we check](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/how-we-check)