# Where to start when you launch your startup

We checked 8 places from Oct 14 to 30, 2026: 8 were online. 3 list you for free, and 1 of the 4 whose listings we opened gave a dofollow link.

Start here is the short list most launches begin with: the biggest launch boards and the communities founders actually read.

Source: https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/start-here. Checked Oct 14 to 30, 2026. Updated Oct 29, 2026.

## At a glance

- Online: 8 of 8 (Answered when we checked)
- New listings, dated: 0 (Showed listings we could date)
- Free to submit: 3 (Free, or free with a paid option)
- Dofollow link: 1 of 4 (Of those whose listings we opened)

## Best picks by goal

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

- **On the most visited site:** [Product Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/producthunt). Among the 10,000 most visited sites (Tranco, Oct 2026).
- **The most linked to by other sites:** [Product Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/producthunt). How often other sites link to it: 70 out of 100 (Common Crawl, Oct 2026).
- **The lowest paid price:** [Dev Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/devhunt). A paid listing costs $19, and a free one exists.
- **Takes products before launch:** [BetaList](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/betalist). Takes products that have not launched yet, so a waitlist link fits.

## Our picks

- [Product Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/producthunt): Among the 10,000 most visited sites, so a good launch day sends real visitors. The listings we opened were nofollow.
- [BetaList](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/betalist): Takes products not open to everyone yet, so your waitlist page is the link to send.
- [Hacker News (Show HN)](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/forums/showhn): For things people can try today. Hacker News readers expect a working product, not a signup form.
- [r/SideProject](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/subreddits/r-sideproject): The default place to show something you built and ask what people think.
- [Uneed](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/uneed): A daily launch board, and all six listings we opened were dofollow.
- [Dev Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/devhunt): Built for developer tools: free, or a paid listing for $19.

## How to use this short list

These are the places most founders try first, before the long list: a few launch boards with real traffic and the communities where makers show what they built. You do not need all 8. Pick the three or four that suit your product, and plan each one properly.

If your product is not open yet, start with [Before you launch](/directories/before-you-launch) and come back here on the day you open. For links that count for search, add [Free and dofollow](/directories/free-dofollow) after the launch.

### How to do it well

- Pick three or four from here that suit your product and skip the rest.
- Space them a day or two apart, so you can answer every comment on each.
- Read each place's rule and price on its record before you submit.
- Use the same name, one-line pitch and screenshots everywhere, so people recognize you.

### A simple order to follow

- Weeks before you open: post your waitlist on BetaList and in communities that take one.
- Launch day: one big launch board, such as Product Hunt, with the day planned and you around to reply.
- The days after: Show HN if people can try it, then r/SideProject with what you learned.
- After that: a few free and dofollow directories a week.

## 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.

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

| # | Place | What it is | Kind | Status | Price | Link | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Product Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/producthunt) | Product Hunt is a community launch platform for new tech products. It lists mobile apps, websites and technology products. | Launch board | Online | Free | Nofollow (0 of 6) | Oct 28, 2026 |
| 2 | [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 |
| 3 | [Uneed](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/uneed) | Uneed is a launch platform for tech products. It lists development products, design products and marketing products. | Launch board | Online | Not known | Dofollow (6 of 6) | Oct 28, 2026 |
| 4 | [Dev Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/devhunt) | DevHunt is a weekly launchpad for developer tools. It lists open-source developer tools, APIs and SDKs, and frameworks and libraries. | Launch board | Online | Free or $19 | Mixed (4 of 6) | Oct 28, 2026 |
| 5 | [PeerPush](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards/peerpush) | PeerPush is a product discovery platform for indie makers. It lists AI tools and AI products, developer tools and APIs, and mobile and iOS apps. | Launch board | Online | Free | Not known | Oct 26, 2026 |

### All others (3)

| # | Place | Kind | Status | Price | Link | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Hacker News (Show HN)](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/forums/showhn) | Forum | Online | Not known | Not known | Oct 26, 2026 |
| 2 | [r/SideProject](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/subreddits/r-sideproject) | Subreddit | Online | Not known | Not known | Oct 28, 2026 |
| 3 | [Indie Hackers](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/forums/indiehackers) | Forum | Online | Not known | Not known | Oct 28, 2026 |

## Questions founders ask

### Where should I launch my startup first?

Where your first users already are. For most products that means one launch board, such as Product Hunt, plus one community, such as r/SideProject or Show HN. The picks above are the ones we would start with.

### What order should I launch in?

Pre-launch places first, the big launch board on the day you open, communities in the days after, then directories. That way each post has something new to say, and you can reply to every comment.

### How many places should I launch on?

Three to five that fit your product, spaced out. A well-prepared post on a few places does more than a rushed one on every place here.

### Should I launch on Product Hunt first?

Only once people can sign up and use the product. A Product Hunt launch gets one day, so save it for when you are ready, and put your waitlist on Before you launch places until then.

### Which of these places are free?

3 of the 8 that were online state a free way to submit; the rest do not say on their pages, or charge. Each record shows the price copied from the place's own submit page.

### Are the links on these places dofollow?

Mostly not. We opened real listings on 4 of them: 1 gave a dofollow link and 2 gave a nofollow or redirected one. Launch these for the visitors and feedback, and get your search links from Free and dofollow.

### Can I launch before my product is live?

On a few of them. BetaList is built for products that are not open yet, so your waitlist page is the link to send. Show HN and most launch boards want something people can use today; Before you launch has more places that take a waitlist.

### Do I need an account to submit?

Usually. 5 of the 8 ask you to sign in before you submit, and on communities like Reddit and Hacker News an account with some history gets a fairer hearing than one made today.

### Is Hacker News a good place to launch?

Yes, if people can try what you built without signing up for a waitlist. Post it as Show HN, write a plain title, and stay to answer questions; readers there respond to how it works, not to marketing.

### Is Reddit a good place to launch a startup?

Yes, in the right subreddit. r/SideProject welcomes things people built; most other subreddits have a rule about self-promotion, so read it first. More are on Subreddits, each with its rule.

## 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

- [Launch boards to launch your startup on](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/launch-boards)
- [Where to launch before your product is live](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/before-you-launch)
- [Subreddits where you can post your startup](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/subreddits)
- [Free directories with dofollow links](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/free-dofollow)
- [Product Hunt vs Uneed](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/compare/producthunt-vs-uneed)
- [BetaList vs Product Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/compare/betalist-vs-producthunt)
- [AppSumo vs Product Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/compare/appsumo-vs-producthunt)
- [Indie Hackers vs Product Hunt](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/compare/indiehackers-vs-producthunt)
- [BetaList alternatives](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/alternatives/betalist)
- [Indie Hackers alternatives](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/alternatives/indiehackers)

## 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: [Free and dofollow](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/free-dofollow), [For consumer apps](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/consumer-apps), [Before you launch](https://getlaunchlist.com/directories/before-you-launch)
- 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)