Product Hunt alternatives: free places to launch in 2026
Last checked . Facts come from each directory's own pages unless a row says 3rd-party. Where we could not confirm a fact, the row says "unconfirmed".
Short answer
Launching on Product Hunt is free. The free paths elsewhere each cost something: Uneed's free queue runs up to 5 months and its dofollow link needs an upvote score of 20, BetaList has no free path, and Fazier's free tier needs a reciprocal backlink (3rd-party). Makeroo is one option in the table below: a free listing with AI review and no upvote gate.
11 directories compared
| Directory | Free path | Free-tier wait | Backlink rule | Cheapest paid | Sources · checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Hunt | Launching is free ("100% free") | not stated | not stated | unconfirmed: ads (feed, billboard, newsletter) are contact sales with no rate card | |
| BetaList | No free path: all submissions are paid | n/a (no free path). Review timelines are opaque | Dofollow link if featured | Submission tier prices unconfirmed (shown only on the submit form). Boost $99/wk or $199/mo, for already-featured startups only | |
| Uneed | Free queue | Up to 5 months | Dofollow link on the free tier needs an upvote score of 20 (10 keeps the launch published). Guaranteed on paid tiers | Fast-track $14.99 (about 14 days) | |
| Peerlist Launchpad | Free weekly launch, opens Monday. Needs a Peerlist profile | Weekly batch | not stated. Winners get a badge and a feature in the monthly newsletter | unconfirmed | |
| Fazier | Launch tiers unconfirmed (page did not render). 3rd-party: a free tier exists and needs a reciprocal backlink | not stated | Free tier needs a reciprocal backlink (3rd-party). Premium placement has a permanent dofollow link | Launch tier prices unconfirmed (3rd-party: $29 Lite). Newsletter top slot $39. Premium placement $49 for 15 days | |
| TinyLaunch | Standard launch is free | Queue length not stated | Backlink for a top-3 finish or by embedding its badge | Premium Launch $39 (skip queue, guaranteed backlink) | |
| MicroLaunch | Free Launchpad (3rd-party report, unconfirmed) | not stated | Dofollow link comes with Launch Pro. Free-tier rule not stated | Launch Pro $39 (list price $49) | |
| There's An AI For That | Monthly X thread with one winner (the only free route) | not stated | not stated | $49 listing (3rd-party) | |
| Futurepedia | No free path | n/a (no free path) | not stated | Verified $497 one-time, published in 2 business days (3rd-party; Basic $247 sold out) | |
| AI Agents Directory | Free, needs a badge backlink | not stated | Free-tier link is nofollow. Dofollow only from Starter $49 | Fast Track $19 (nofollow) | |
| Official MCP Registry | Free (no fees seen). Lists MCP servers, not products | not stated | not stated | No fees seen | |
| MakerooOurs | Free listing with AI review. MCP submit_listing tool, listed as com.withnocatch/shiplist in the Official MCP Registry | Review usually finishes within a minute. Doubtful submissions go to a human reviewer | Verified listings link out without nofollow; no upvote gate | Fast-track review $9 |
Questions
Is launching on Product Hunt free?
Yes. Product Hunt states that launching is 100% free. Its paid options are ads: feed ads, a homepage billboard and newsletter sponsorships. Their prices are unconfirmed, because Product Hunt publishes no rate card and says to contact sales.
Which alternatives give a dofollow link for free?
Of the directories we checked, only Uneed's free tier is documented with a dofollow link, and it needs an upvote score of 20. AI Agents Directory's free tier needs a badge backlink and its link is nofollow. Fazier's free tier needs a reciprocal backlink (3rd-party), and its dofollow link comes with Premium placement at $49. TinyLaunch's free tier gets a backlink for a top-3 finish or by embedding its badge; we could not confirm whether that link is dofollow. On Makeroo, verified listings link out without nofollow and there is no upvote gate.
Can my AI agent submit my product?
Yes, on Makeroo. The Makeroo MCP server has a submit_listing tool, and the server is listed as com.withnocatch/shiplist in the Official MCP Registry. The contact email gets a confirm link the maker must click, and get_submission_status reports whether the listing is live, in review or rejected.