Launch catalog / Playbook

DevHunt

devhunt.org ↗

Conditional free route launch-board

Researched from public pages — no submission was run · sources read 2026-09-25. Rules change — recheck the platform's own pages before submitting.

What the free route requires

  • Free launch is real but queued — the site states an average wait of about six months for a free launch.
  • GitHub account is the only login — it is also the credential voters use.

Requirements

  • Developer tools only — DevHunt removes anything not for developers (marketing tools, consumer apps, general SaaS get taken down).
  • GitHub authentication required to submit; voters also need GitHub logins.
  • Weekly launch cycles with developer voting; launch day gives 24h homepage spotlight, morning email to subscribers, and a dofollow link.

Prepare before opening the form

  • GitHub account.
  • Square tool logo 220×220 (or 210×210) px.
  • At least 3 screenshots — the first becomes the social preview, so make it the product, not a hero banner.
  • Tool name, one-line slogan, website URL, optional GitHub repo URL.
  • A developer-focused description (API quality, docs, performance, integrations, language/framework support).
  • Decision: wait the ~6-month free queue or pay $49 to pick a launch week immediately.

Workflow

  1. Sign in at devhunt.org with GitHub.
  2. Open the new-tool form at /account/tools/new.
  3. Fill name, slogan, website URL, optional repo URL, logo, and ≥3 screenshots.
  4. Pick a launch week in the free queue, or pay $49 to choose a week now (includes a launch video and top spot in the launch X thread).
  5. During your launch week, rally developers (GitHub/Discord/dev communities) to vote — votes need GitHub login.
  6. Weekly winners get a newsletter feature, social post, winner badge, and partner perks.

Watch for

  • Non-dev tools get removed — submitting a general SaaS wastes the queue slot.
  • Six-month average free queue is unusually long; the $49 'skip the queue' is the real product.
  • The new-tool page renders nothing without a GitHub session — you cannot even see the form logged out.
  • Open-source platform (github.com/MarsX-dev/devhunt) — community-run, led by @johnrushx.
  • Additional paid options reported: newsletter ad $397, homepage ad $497.

What counts as live

The tool appears in DevHunt's launch cycle for its scheduled week with a public tool page; during launch day it gets the homepage spotlight.

Not verified

  • Exact form field list behind GitHub auth.
  • Whether free-queue timing is contractually bounded or just an average.
  • Current paid price at checkout vs the reported $49.

Sources

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