Free listing or paid launch: what distinguishes them?
The Launch Directory offers two paths to publication: a free listing held in queue, or a paid launch published immediately with full profile access.
Updated
The free listing: basic profile, modest reach
Your free listing appears as a basic profile. Sections marked as paid—founder story, milestones, screenshots, demo video and comparisons—are shown locked to visitors. Before your listing is published, our badge must be displayed on your website. For a free listing the founder profile must be complete too.
Free listings enter a queue and are placed approximately 6-8 weeks out. They receive a nofollow link to your website. Search engines do not index thin free pages, limiting organic discovery.
The paid launch: immediate publication, full profile
A paid launch at $5 publishes immediately or in the week you select. No badge is required. Your complete profile unlocks for visitors—all sections are readable, and your website receives a dofollow link, making your page one that search engines can index.
Upgrades and additions
Add-ons extend a paid launch's reach: featured placement ($19), extra categories, and bundle options. A paid launch picks its launch week for free. A free listing can be upgraded to a full launch for $5, the same price as a new paid launch, and then picks its week too.
You may upgrade a free listing to a paid launch at any time from /account/listings. This transition gives you the full archive record you filed with us, published without further delay.
Questions people ask
- Can I change from free to paid after filing?
- Yes. Visit /account/listings and upgrade your listing to a paid launch at any point.
- Why does my free listing need your badge?
- The badge on your website is required before a free listing is published to the archive. Both are needed for a free listing: the badge on your website and a complete founder profile.
- Does a free listing appear in search results?
- No. Free listings receive nofollow links, and a thin free page may be kept out of search results until it has enough content. Paid launch pages are open to indexing by search engines.
- How long until a free listing publishes?
- Free listings are placed in queue approximately 6-8 weeks out.