Best product launch platforms in 2026: 27 sites compared

A launch is free on Product Hunt and Show HN, costs $9.90 to $99 elsewhere, and a free queue can run 60 weeks. All 27 platforms are side by side below.

The product launch platforms most makers compare in 2026 are LaunchScaler, Product Hunt, Uneed, Fazier, DevHunt, BetaList, Peerlist Launchpad, Microlaunch, TinyLaunch and Show HN, plus 17 more in the table below. Product Hunt and Show HN are free to use. Most of the others pair a free queue with a paid launch priced from $9.90 to $99.

Checked November 2026. Prices, waits and link terms were read on each platform's own pages on 9 November 2026, and every page is listed under Sources. LaunchScaler is listed first because it is our site, and the rest of each table is sorted alphabetically. This is a comparison, not a ranking, and "not stated" means the platform does not publish that point.

How do the 27 product launch platforms compare?

Cadence is how often a new set of launches goes live. The cheapest paid launch is the lowest price that buys a launch, not an ad.

Who is each launch platform for?

Audience matters more than traffic. A developer tool on a board for AI apps reaches the wrong readers however many there are. This table gives each platform's stated audience and the one term most likely to change your plan.

What does a launch cost on each platform?

Prices are what each page showed on 9 November 2026, paid once unless marked.

• No paid launch: Product Hunt, Show HN and Indie Hackers. Product Hunt sells ads instead, with self-serve campaigns budgeted at $5,000 to $10,000. Peerlist Launchpad states no launch fee.
• Under $20: OpenHunts $9.90, LaunchIgniter $12, Uneed Fast-track $14.99, LaunchBoard $19, Smol Launch $19, Startup Fame $19 a month, Firsto $19.90 and SaaSCity Basic $19.99.
• $20 to $49: LaunchScaler's Premium launch $29, Aura++ $29, Fazier Lite $29, Huzzler $29, Twelve Tools $36, FoundrList $39, PeerPush $39, ScrollLaunch $39, TinyLaunch $39, Uneed Skip the line $39.99, SaaSCity Premium $39.99, DevHunt $49, Microlaunch $49, PitchWall Pro $49 and Toolfolio $49.
• $50 and up: Firsto Pro $59.90, Fazier Super $99, PitchWall Premium $99 and a Launching Next upgrade at $99. LaunchScaler's Launch Max is $99, with a week of homepage Featured, 30 days of Spotlight and a review article included.
• Not published: BetaList, which shows its plans and prices at the end of the submission form.

Two prices were sale prices on the day: FoundrList's Standard was $29 until 1 December, and Microlaunch's Launch Pro was $39 with a code it showed that week.

How long is the wait for a free launch?

A free route is only useful if its date suits you. LaunchScaler comes first because it is our site; the rest run from shortest to longest, as each platform publishes it:

Which launch platforms give a dofollow link?

Link terms vary more than prices do. By each platform's own wording:

• Every listing: PitchWall on every tier, SaaSCity on every listing, Huzzler on both plans (its free listings carry a noindex tag), Startup Fame while you stay listed, and BetaList for every featured startup.
• When you pay: DevHunt, Fazier Premium, FoundrList, LaunchBoard, LaunchIgniter, Microlaunch, OpenHunts, Firsto, Aura++, ScrollLaunch, Toolfolio, Twelve Tools Pro and Uneed's Skip the line.
• Free, on a condition: LaunchScaler once the site passes its scan, with its badge on your site or a one-time fee; Uneed at an upvote score of 20; the top 3 on Aura++, OpenHunts, Firsto and LaunchIgniter; the week's winner on LaunchBoard; the top 5 on Peerlist; ScrollLaunch and TinyLaunch while their badge is on your site; Twelve Tools with a link back.
• Not stated: Product Hunt, Launching Next, PeerPush, Smol Launch and Indie Hackers. On Show HN on 9 November, title links on posts with 12 points or fewer carried nofollow, and posts with 13 or more did not.

How does Product Hunt compare with the rest?

Product Hunt is the one most of these platforms define themselves against. Launching is free, every launch goes live at 12:01 AM Pacific and runs until midnight Pacific, and each person can hunt up to 2 launches a day. Featuring on the homepage is an editorial decision, and it does not feature waitlisted products unless immediate access is given, or directories, templates, courses and services.

Two rules matter more than the rest. "Never ask for upvotes," the launch guide says, and a relaunch within two months of your last launch needs a relaunch request. The trade is covered in is Product Hunt worth it and LaunchScaler vs Product Hunt.

Which rules catch makers out?

Votes first. Product Hunt forbids asking for upvotes, Hacker News says "Please don't ask friends to upvote or comment," and Smol Launch's free route requires your votes on 3 other launches. Badges come next: Fazier, Startup Fame, TinyLaunch, ScrollLaunch, LaunchBoard and LaunchIgniter tie their free route or free link to a badge on your site, and Huzzler drops a product from its queue when the badge comes off.

Eligibility differs too. BetaList needs your own domain and refuses free hosting subdomains such as vercel.app. DevHunt takes developer tools only, and Peerlist needs a verified individual profile and a finished project. Show HN rejects landing pages and sign-up pages. The posting rules are in the Show HN guide.

Refunds are the last surprise. BetaList refunds an unselected startup in full, SaaSCity refunds a listing that is not approved or not live within 48 hours, LaunchBoard does not refund after submission, and LaunchScaler does not refund purchases.

Which launch platform fits your product?

Start from the one constraint you cannot move, then read the term that decides it.

For each platform's terms in more detail, read Product Hunt alternatives. For directories to list on once launch week is over, see the SaaS directories list.

Should you launch on more than one platform?

Yes, as long as each launch gets its own day. Product Hunt, Uneed, LaunchScaler and most weekly boards rank launches by votes, so two launches on one date split your attention and your network. Put the dated launches on separate days and let the free queues land when they land.

Get the site in order before the first one, because several platforms judge it. BetaList wants a startup new to its readers with a distinct landing page visitors can sign up on, Product Hunt avoids vaporware, Show HN needs something people can try, and LaunchScaler's followed link needs the site to pass its scan.

Launch on the day you pick with Premium

If your launch needs a date you control, LaunchScaler's Premium launch is $29, paid once. It books any open day, today included, writes your listing from your own site, and puts nothing on your site because paying skips the badge. The listing stays in the permanent curated index after its standing decays. The followed link still needs the site to pass the scan. Get Premium, or choose the free launch on the same page if you can wait.