Compared, on the record
The Launch Directory as an alternative to Indie Hackers
Indie Hackers is where bootstrapped founders compare notes and revenue. The Launch Directory is where a launch gets its own dated page and an after-launch record.
Their facts were last checked on . Every fact about them links to the page it came from.
Side by side
| Topic | Indie Hackers | The Launch Directory |
|---|---|---|
| How a launch works | A products database (filter by category, business model and monthly revenue) and a daily Build Board of product updatessource, checked 2026-10-05 | Weekly editions: each launch is filed in a dated week, stays in the archive, and the week's top three by community votes win Product of the Week |
| Free option | Not published on the pages we read | Yes: with our badge on your website and a complete founder profile, the free queue, 1-2 weeks out |
| Paid options | Not published on the pages we read | Paid launch $5, live at once or in the week you pick; the Featured spot $19 |
| Votes and ranking | The Build Board (beta): daily community voting on product updatessource, checked 2026-10-30 | One person, one vote; votes are never sold and paid places are labelled |
| Link to your website | Not published on the pages we read | Followed on a paid launch; not followed on a free listing |
| Who can launch | Founders of profitable online businesses and side projects, and entrepreneurs learning from themsource, checked 2026-10-05 | Any product, startup or business with its own website |
| Extras | Product pages show self-reported monthly revenuesource, checked 2026-10-05 | Launch receipt, free AI answer check, founder profiles and domain records on every listing |
| Domain Rating (Ahrefs) | 82measured 31 Oct 2026 | 71measured 31 Oct 2026 |
Prices change. Where a platform shows an offer price, we quote its list price. If something here is out of date, write to launch@zinndigital.com and we will correct it.
What is Indie Hackers?
Indie Hackers is a community and products database for founders of profitable online businesses and side projects. Founders add their own products and post updates, which members vote on daily on its Build Board.
Who it suits
Solo and bootstrapped founders who want to learn in public, share progress and talk with people building the same kind of business.
What Indie Hackers does well
- A long-running community of independent founders.
- Products shown with their founders' own revenue figures.
- Daily updates that keep a product in view.
Where The Launch Directory is different
Indie Hackers is first a community; The Launch Directory is first a launch record. A launch here is filed in a dated week with its own listing page, founders, screenshots and website link.
A paid launch here, $5, carries a followed link and the full profile, and every live listing keeps a launch receipt of what we measured afterwards.
The two work well together: talk about the launch in the community, and keep the dated record here.
What a launch on The Launch Directory includes
Whatever you decide about the platform above, this is what a listing here comes with.
- A paid launch at $5
- It goes live straight away or in the week you choose, with a followed link to your website and every profile section open: the founder story, milestones and demo video.
- A free way in
- With our badge on your website and your founder profile complete, a free listing joins the free queue and goes live in its week, 1-2 weeks out. Its link to you is not followed; screenshots and comparisons are shown all the same.
- A launch receipt for every listing
- Each live listing carries a dated record of what we measured after launch: Domain Rating by Ahrefs then and now, referring domains, AI mentions where we measure them, and the visits we sent you. It is updated daily, and nothing in it is estimated.
- A free AI answer check
- Every listed business can run one free check of what ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity answer when a buyer asks about its category: whether you are named, where, and which sources they cite.
- Votes that cannot be bought
- One person, one vote. Featured places, sponsors and the Billboard are labelled as paid and never add a vote to anything.
- Our Domain Rating, in public
- Our own Ahrefs Domain Rating is printed on the pricing page, so you can judge the link before you pay for it.
- Pay without signing up first
- Your account is created at checkout. Pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal or crypto; prices are in US dollars, VAT is added only where due, and invoices come from Zinn Digital® Ltd.
- Product of the Week
- The three listings with the most community votes each week win #1, #2 and #3 Product of the Week, with a badge for the listing and a page to share.
- Founders by name
- Every founder gets a profile page linked to their companies, and a paid listing can carry the founder story behind the product.
- Domain records on every listing
- Listings show the company domain's public registration record, and the free domain age checker looks up any domain.
When Indie Hackers is the better choice
For advice, accountability and the company of other bootstrappers, Indie Hackers is the place. It is not built to be a launch archive, and The Launch Directory is.
File your launch Read the rate card
Questions readers ask
Is Indie Hackers a launch platform?
It is a community with a products database and a daily Build Board for updates. The Launch Directory is built around dated launches.
Is The Launch Directory free to read?
Yes. Every listing and every weekly edition is free to read, with no account needed.
Should I post on both?
Many founders do: the conversation there, the dated listing here.