Launch catalog / Playbook
IndieHunt
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 shares a pool of 15 slots per week — pick a launch week early
- Free tier requires the IndieHunt badge on your website (verification step in the flow)
- Free project link is nofollow by default; only top-3 weekly winners on Free can earn dofollow
Requirements
- AI tool or indie SaaS positioning
- Sign-in required (email, Google, or GitHub)
- Weekly competition format: launches go live Monday 8:00 AM UTC for a 7-day competition
Prepare before opening the form
- Project details, website URL, and categories
- Polished landing page and screenshots
- IndieHunt badge embedded if using Free
- Chosen launch week aligned with your marketing plan
- Community ready for launch-week upvotes and comments (ranking is upvote-driven; top 3 earn Hall of Fame badges)
Workflow
- Sign in with email, Google, or GitHub
- Add project details, website URL, and categories
- Choose Free or Premium ($19 one-time)
- Pick a launch week and complete badge verification or payment
- Go live Monday 8:00 AM UTC for a 7-day competition
Watch for
- Only 15 free slots per week — the week you want may be full; Premium is unlimited
- Free links are nofollow — if the backlink is the goal, a $19 Premium is guaranteed dofollow
- Premium includes site-wide ad slots, an SEO launch blog post, and 9 launch-kit PNGs
- 'Premium Launcher' partner licence exists for bulk launches across the Hunt network
What counts as live
Project appears on the IndieHunt homepage/launch listing for its chosen week starting Monday 8:00 AM UTC with upvote/comment controls active
Not verified
- Exact badge markup/verification mechanics
- Whether free submissions get a manual quality review before scheduling
- Refund policy