Launch catalog / Playbook
BuiltByIndies (SaaSSpace)
Conditional free route launch-board
Researched from public pages — no submission was run · sources read 2026-09-26. Rules change — recheck the platform's own pages before submitting.
What the free route requires
- Free launch requires 10 karma earned by completing profile + upvoting other products; the free queue also fills weeks ahead (reported ~5 weeks out)
- Premium $9 one-time bypasses karma and queue: pick any open week, instant publish, dofollow link
Requirements
- Indie SaaS/maker product — community launchpad for indie founders
- Account required; submission is a weekly launch, not a static listing
- Form completion meter must hit 100% before Submit Product enables (name ≤45 chars, URL, tagline ≤60, up to 3 categories, pricing model, optional collaborators/open-source flag, 'Built with', rich description ≤5000 chars, 500×500 logo, 3–4 covers 1200×630, optional demo video)
Prepare before opening the form
- 500×500 logo and 3–4 cover images at 1200×630
- Tagline ≤60 chars and description ≤5000 chars — or use the 'Prefill with AI' feature (paste URL, it drafts the form)
- Decide launch week strategy: grind 10 karma for free queue vs $9 premium
- If going free: plan ~1 week of upvoting to earn karma, then expect several weeks of queue wait
Workflow
- Sign up on builtbyindies.com
- Earn karma via Karma Center milestones (profile completion, upvotes) OR skip with $9 Premium
- Fill the product form to 100% completion; Submit Product creates the product and opens /upgrade
- Choose Free Launch (spend 10 karma, join queue, pick an open week) or Premium ($9, instant)
- Launch runs during its weekly batch — rally upvotes; the week's top 3 get dofollow links
Watch for
- Free links are nofollow per the plan card; only top-3 weekly products get dofollow — free tier is a visibility play, not SEO
- Queue scarcity is real: free weeks can be booked 4–5 weeks out
- Submit page is JS-only — must run in a real browser with an authenticated session
- Karma must be claimed manually on the Karma Center per the third-party walkthrough
What counts as live
The product has a page under builtbyindies.com/products/<slug> and appears in its launch week at /launch/<year>/week/<n> with vote count
Not verified
- Current queue depth at any given time
- Whether premium placements affect ranking fairness
- Retention of listing after launch week ends
Sources
- Submit route — JS-rendered app shell; nav shows weekly Launchpad, Karma, Stories, Chat ↗
- SubmitMap walkthrough — free lane costs 10 karma and queues ~5 weeks out; Premium $9 one-time: pick the week, instant publish, dofollow; free tier links nofollow except week's top 3 ↗
- Get Karma page — karma earned via milestones/upvotes (index snippet) ↗