Everything you need to know about LaunchList

LaunchList is pre-launch waitlist software built for startup founders, and it comes in two versions.

The new LaunchList (v2) is the current product: a ground-up rebuild where your launch page, signup forms, referrals, email and analytics run on one set of data. It is a subscription with a $0 Free plan for 250 contacts, in beta and open to everyone. Start free on v2 or see what's new.

LaunchList v1 is the original version, which these help pages describe. It combines an embeddable signup form (or a free hosted landing page), a built-in referral program with queue position and rewards, spam protection, and 13+ no-code integrations. v1 is a one-time payment per campaign. It keeps running for existing customers but gets no new features. See the v1 feature list or the interactive demo.

More like this in Getting Started.

Yes, on both versions.

The new LaunchList (v2) has a $0 Free plan for 250 contacts with no card needed. It includes the page editor, forms, referrals, spam protection and analytics. Paid plans start at $9 a month, on the Collect plan. Start free on v2.

LaunchList v1, the original version, is free for the first 100 submissions per project. Past that, v1 upgrades are a one-time payment per campaign: $19 for 500 signups (Launch), $79 for 10,000 signups (Grow), or custom pricing for 100k+ (Scale). See the v1 pricing page or the refund policy.

More like this in Getting Started.

No — you can run a waitlist on LaunchList with no website at all. Every project ships with a free hosted waitlist page at getlaunchlist.com/pages/your-slug, plus a brandable short URL at launch.li/p/your-slug that works on every plan.

The hosted page is fully customizable in the dashboard — logo, colors, hero copy, sections like Features and FAQs, and your referral mechanics — without writing a single line of code. See hosted page vs embedded widget if you are deciding which to use.

More like this in Getting Started.

It depends on which version you use.

The new LaunchList (v2) is a subscription priced by list size (the contacts you hold), in beta and open to everyone:

• The Free plan: $0 for 250 contacts, no card needed.
• The Collect plan: from $9 a month for 500 contacts, up to $149 for 100,000.
• The Launch plan: from $19 a month for 500 contacts, up to $429 for 100,000.
• The Grow plan: from $39 a month for 500 contacts, up to $549 for 100,000.

Yearly billing is 2 months free. There is no charge for extra contacts: contacts past your size are held, never deleted. Extra campaign emails are $3 per 1,000, approved by you first. These are beta prices and may change after the beta. Every price at every size: v2 pricing. Start free on v2.

LaunchList v1, the original version, is one-time pricing per waitlist campaign:

• Free: 100 submissions, unlimited projects.
• Launch: $19 one-time for 500 submissions per project.
• Grow: $79 one-time for 10,000 submissions per project.
• Scale: custom pricing for 100,000+ signups.

Full v1 breakdown: pricing page. Paid on v1? You get 6 months of the Collect plan free on v2, with no card. Claim by December 31, 2026. See what paid v1 customers get.

More like this in Pricing, Plans & Billing.

It depends on the version.

The new LaunchList (v2) is a subscription, billed monthly or yearly: a $0 Free plan for 250 contacts, then the Collect plan from $9, the Launch plan from $19 and the Grow plan from $39 a month, priced by list size. It is a ground-up rebuild, in beta and open to everyone, and it is where every new feature ships. Start free on v2 or see what's new.

LaunchList v1 is a one-time payment. You pay once per waitlist campaign at the tier that fits your expected volume, and the plan stays active for that project. v1 keeps running for existing customers, but it gets no new features. See the v1 pricing page.

More like this in Pricing, Plans & Billing.

If your waitlist receives zero signups in the first 7 days after upgrading, we refund 100% — no questions, no friction. Email [email protected] from the account email and we process it immediately.

Outside that window we evaluate refund requests case-by-case (technical issues, duplicate purchase, etc.). Because LaunchList v1 pricing is one-time rather than subscription, there is no auto-renew billing to cancel — once you have crossed the 7-day mark and have signups flowing, the plan is yours for the campaign duration.

More like this in Pricing, Plans & Billing.

Every signup gets a unique referral link the moment they join your waitlist. When a friend signs up through that link, the referrer's queue position improves and their referral count goes up.

The result is a built-in viral loop: each new signup is also a potential acquisition channel. The mechanic is opt-in for users (they decide to share) but rewarded automatically (the system tracks attribution and updates the leaderboard in real time). For the deeper theory, read The viral loop guide and the Dropbox referral case study.

More like this in Referrals & Viral Growth.

Yes — that is the headline mechanic. Each successful referral moves the referrer up in the queue by a configurable amount (the default is 10 positions per referral, but you can tune it).

The thank-you page reads: "You are #847 in line. Refer 3 friends to skip ahead." Sharing the link to socials, friends, or a Slack group costs the user nothing and visibly rewards them. This is the engine behind the famous Dropbox 3,900% referral growth — and it works for any pre-launch product, not just consumer apps.

More like this in Referrals & Viral Growth.

LaunchList works on every modern website builder, CMS, and JavaScript framework. Out-of-the-box guides exist for:

• Website builders: Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Carrd, Framer, Typedream, Weebly, Cargo, Instapage
• CMS: WordPress
• No-code apps: Bubble
• JavaScript frameworks: React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, Astro
• Plain HTML: HTML guide

If your platform allows you to insert a <script> tag and a <div> block, LaunchList works. See the full integration page or browse all guides in the docs.

More like this in Embed & Integrations.

Yes. LaunchList is built to support GDPR-compliant waitlists for EU founders and EU-resident signups. The platform supports:

• Lawful-basis capture via an optional consent checkbox on every form.
• Right to access — every user can request their data; you fulfill it via export.
• Right to erasure — single-record deletion from the dashboard.
• Data minimization — only the fields you collect are stored.
• A Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is available for paid customers.

Compliance is shared responsibility — you control what you collect, how you display the consent prompt, and what your privacy policy says. Read our privacy policy and terms.

More like this in Data, Privacy & GDPR.

Yes. Waitlist → Submissions → Export lets you download the full list as CSV or XLSX, sorted by queue position. The export includes: email, name, queue position, referral count, referrer, signup source, custom field values, signup timestamp, and verification status.

Exports are available on the free tier and there is no cap on how often you can run them. Many founders run a weekly export as a backup even when they have no immediate need. You can also stream signups in real time via webhook or Zapier.

More like this in Data, Privacy & GDPR.

LaunchList runs a multi-layer spam defense on every submission, so the queue you launch with is real humans:

• IP reputation — checks each IP against fraud blacklists and known VPN/proxy ranges.
• Browser fingerprinting — flags duplicate device signatures across emails.
• Domain validation — rejects MX-less, catch-all-only, and disposable domains.
• Behavioral scoring — looks at signup velocity, time-on-page, and referrer headers.
• Per-IP rate limiting — caps signups per IP per window.
• reCAPTCHA — optional v3 invisible challenge.
• Email verification — optional double-opt-in.

For deeper guidance, read Tips: avoid spam signups.

More like this in Spam Protection & Email Validation.

Start the waitlist the day you can describe the product in one sentence. You do not need a working build, a logo, or a domain — only a positioning statement clear enough that a stranger reads the page and thinks "I want this when it ships."

For most launches, 8–16 weeks of pre-launch capture is the sweet spot. Less than 4 weeks rarely lets the referral loop compound. More than 6 months drains the audience's enthusiasm before launch day. The earlier you start, the more time the viral loop has to compound.

Background reading: What is a pre-launch waitlist?.

More like this in Waitlist Strategy & Growth.