Launch catalog / Playbook
Startup.sx
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 submission exists but requires creating an account and passing manual review before the listing appears
- Paid $9.99 option skips the queue: instant publish, homepage feature, dofollow backlink (per Firsto's profile)
Requirements
- Account registration required before submitting
- Product/startup fit — platform is positioned as a minimalist Product Hunt alternative for indie makers; listings have launch date, category (e.g., 'ai tools'), maker profile
- Manual review for the free tier; no mandatory backlink/badge for free listings per third-party profiles
Prepare before opening the form
- Product name, tagline, full description, category
- Logo/thumbnail and website URL
- Maker profile details (products carry a 'Maker' section)
- An account on startup.sx
Workflow
- Register an account on startup.sx
- Open https://www.startup.sx/submit (site rate-limits bots — use a normal browser session)
- Fill in product details and choose the free submission path
- Wait for manual review; listing appears on the site with upvote/discussion features once approved
Watch for
- Site aggressively rate-limits automated fetches (HTTP 429) — do not hammer it; submit via a real browser
- Free listings sit in a review queue while $9.99 buys instant publish — don't pay if the queue is the only difference you need
- Third-party profiles disagree slightly on DR (29-32); treat 'dofollow' claims for paid tier as unverified
- 'Promoted' section shows paid placements mixed into product pages
What counts as live
A product page exists at startup.sx/product/<slug> with launch date, upvote count, and category — publicly browsable without login
Not verified
- Exact form fields (submit page could not be fetched — persistent 429)
- Manual review turnaround time
- Whether free listings get dofollow or nofollow links
- How large/active the community voting actually is
Sources
- Batch-provided submit URL — returned HTTP 429 (rate-limited) to automated fetches on repeated tries ↗
- Live product page (via search index) — shows 'Verified' badge, launch date, upvotes, category, maker profile, promoted slots, discussion ↗
- Firsto directory profile of Startup.sx — community-curated launch platform; free submission with manual review, account required, $9.99 paid promotion (instant publish, homepage feature, dofollow backlink) ↗
- Smol Launch 410+ directory list — lists Startup.sx as a submission destination ↗