Question 1

What is IndieHunt?

Accepted Answer

IndieHunt is a weekly launch platform for AI tools, indie SaaS, and digital products. Founders submit projects, get a dedicated project page on indiehunt.io, compete for community votes during a 7-day launch window, and can earn SEO backlinks, launch blog coverage, and Hall of Fame recognition.

Question 2

How does the weekly launch cycle work?

Accepted Answer

Projects launch every Monday at 8:00 AM UTC for the week you choose. Your listing stays on the homepage for seven days while the community discovers, upvotes, and comments. At the end of the week, top projects can earn winner badges and (on eligible plans) upgraded dofollow links. You can track status, votes, and scheduling in your dashboard.

Question 3

Who can submit a project?

Accepted Answer

Anyone with a live product or clear landing page can submit — solo founders, indie hackers, and small teams. You need an IndieHunt account (email magic link, Google, or GitHub), accurate project details, and a working website URL. Submissions are reviewed before scheduling.

Question 4

How do I create an account and submit?

Accepted Answer

Click Sign In in the header, authenticate with email, Google, or GitHub, then open Submit from the menu or dashboard. Complete the multi-step form (details, media, categories, launch type, and launch week). Free launches require badge verification on your website before your slot is confirmed.

Question 5

What can I explore before submitting?

Accepted Answer

Browse live projects on the homepage and Projects directory, read launch stories on Launches, preview Launch Kit examples, check the Hall of Fame for past winners, compare plans on Pricing, and read the Launch Guide for a full playbook. Public pages also offer AI-friendly Markdown exports (append .md to most URLs).

Question 6

What launch plans does IndieHunt offer?

Accepted Answer

Three tiers: • Free Launch — $0, requires an IndieHunt badge on your site, nofollow link by default, can earn dofollow + winner badge if you finish top 3. • Nofollow Launch — $0, no badge required, always nofollow (even if you win top 3), still eligible for winner badges. • Premium Launch — $19 one-time, guaranteed dofollow backlink, no badge, priority review, dedicated launch blog post, Launch Kit graphics, social promotion, and SEO/GEO-optimized pages. Premium does not consume the weekly free-slot pool.

Question 7

Are there weekly limits for free launches?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Free and Nofollow launches share a limited pool of homepage slots each week (15 combined). When slots fill up, you may need to pick a later week. Premium launches can schedule any available week and are not capped by the free-slot limit.

Question 8

What is included in every launch type?

Accepted Answer

All approved launches receive: a public project page on IndieHunt, up to seven days of homepage visibility during your launch week, community upvotes and comments, inclusion in the weekly competition, a launch story blog post (coverage depth varies by plan), founder profile linkage, and eligibility for Hall of Fame placement if you win.

Question 9

What extra does Premium ($19) include?

Accepted Answer

Premium adds: guaranteed dofollow backlink from your project page (no top-3 requirement), no IndieHunt badge on your site, dofollow links from the launch blog post, a dedicated launch story, Launch Kit graphics (9 PNG templates for X, LinkedIn, and your website), social media promotion on X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Pinterest, and Facebook, SEO and GEO-optimized project and blog content, priority review and scheduling, and priority support.

Question 10

How do I pay for Premium?

Accepted Answer

Choose Premium during submission and complete checkout securely. After payment, your project moves through review and scheduling like other launches. Payment confirmation appears in your dashboard. If a webhook is delayed, the success page and dashboard can confirm fulfillment automatically.

Question 11

Can I change my launch type after submitting?

Accepted Answer

You can switch plans before your project is approved and scheduled — for example, from Premium draft to Free if you have not paid yet. Once scheduled or live, launch type cannot be changed. Contact hi@indiehunt.io if you have an exceptional case before your launch week starts.

Question 12

How does voting work?

Accepted Answer

Signed-in users can upvote projects during the launch week. Votes help rank projects on the homepage leaderboard. One vote per user per project applies. Vote counts are visible on project cards and detail pages. Founders can share their project page to gather support from their audience.

Question 13

What do top-3 winners receive?

Accepted Answer

Weekly top-3 projects earn winner badges displayed on their IndieHunt listing and can be featured in the Hall of Fame. On Free launches, finishing top 3 can upgrade your IndieHunt links from nofollow to dofollow. Nofollow launches keep nofollow links even when winning. Premium already has guaranteed dofollow.

Question 14

When are winners announced?

Accepted Answer

Each competition week runs Monday 8:00 AM UTC through the following Monday morning UTC. Rankings update throughout the week as votes come in. Winners are reflected on project pages and the Hall of Fame after the week concludes.

Question 15

Can I save or follow other projects?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Signed-in users can save projects to revisit later from their dashboard. You can also browse by category, read launch stories, and discover founders via public founder profile pages.

Question 16

What backlink will I get from IndieHunt?

Accepted Answer

Every project page links to your website. Free launches use nofollow by default unless you place top 3 in the weekly competition (then links can become dofollow). Nofollow launches always use nofollow. Premium launches receive guaranteed dofollow from day one on the project page and from the launch blog post.

Question 17

What is the IndieHunt badge requirement?

Accepted Answer

Free launches require you to add an IndieHunt badge or link on your website so we can verify participation. Our system checks your site for the backlink. Nofollow and Premium launches do not require a badge on your site.

Question 18

How are project pages optimized for search?

Accepted Answer

Each project gets a canonical URL, meta title and description, Open Graph tags for social sharing, structured data where applicable, and an indexable public page. Premium launches receive additional SEO and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) work on the project page and launch blog post to improve discoverability in search and AI tools.

Question 19

What are winner badges?

Accepted Answer

Winner badges mark projects that placed #1, #2, or #3 in a weekly competition. They appear on your IndieHunt listing and can be embedded on your site. They signal social proof from the community vote during your launch week.

Question 20

Is there a Markdown version of my project page?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Append .md to your project URL (for example, /project/your-slug.md) for an AI-friendly Markdown export. Many public IndieHunt pages support .md exports for documentation and LLM workflows.

Question 21

What is a launch blog post?

Accepted Answer

When your project goes live, IndieHunt publishes a launch story on indiehunt.io/launches covering your product, category, and founder context. Premium launches receive a dedicated, SEO-optimized post with dofollow links to your site. This helps discovery beyond the homepage feed.

Question 22

Where does IndieHunt promote Premium launches?

Accepted Answer

Premium launches are shared on IndieHunt's social channels: X, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Pinterest, and Facebook. You receive an email when your project is featured so you can engage, reshare, and amplify reach during launch week.

Question 23

Where can I see social distribution links?

Accepted Answer

On your live project page, the distribution section lists where IndieHunt has shared your launch (when posted) and links to follow our channels for updates. Fallback links show all official IndieHunt social profiles.

Question 24

Does IndieHunt have a blog or studio content?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Launches hosts product launch stories tied to projects. Studio publishes longer-form guides for founders. The main Blog covers platform and maker topics. All are browsable from the site navigation.

Question 25

What can I do in my dashboard?

Accepted Answer

Your dashboard shows submitted projects, launch status (pending, scheduled, live, launched), votes, edit links, payment status, relaunch eligibility, saved projects, Launch Kit graphics for Premium projects, hero ad management (if purchased), Premium Bulk Launcher settings, and account shortcuts.

Question 26

Can I edit my project after submission?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Use Edit from your dashboard or the project page (when you are the owner) to update copy, images, categories, and links before and during your launch week. Some fields may be locked after the week ends — contact support if you need corrections.

Question 27

How long does review take?

Accepted Answer

Review times vary by volume. Premium submissions receive priority review. You will see status updates in your dashboard and receive email notifications for approval, scheduling, launch day, and key milestones.

Question 28

What is Premium Bulk Launcher?

Accepted Answer

Premium Bulk Launcher is for agencies and prolific makers who submit many Premium launches. Link a Premium Launcher license key in Account Settings to unlock bulk submission flows in the dashboard. Visit the Premium Launcher page for licensing details.

Question 29

What is the Launch Kit?

Accepted Answer

Launch Kit is included with Premium launches. It auto-generates 9 launch graphics (1920×1080 PNGs) from your project name, logo, screenshot, and tagline. Preview them in Dashboard → Launch Kit, then download and share on X, LinkedIn, and your website. Free and Nofollow launches can see examples on the Launch Kit page.

Question 30

Can I relaunch if I don't win top 3?

Accepted Answer

Yes. After a completed launch week without a top-3 finish, eligible projects can relaunch once for $19. Relaunch upgrades you to Premium benefits (guaranteed dofollow, social promotion, etc.), preserves existing upvotes, and lets you pick a new launch week. Find eligible projects under Dashboard → Relaunch.

Question 31

Can I upgrade a Free or Nofollow launch to Premium?

Accepted Answer

If your project is still pending or not yet scheduled, you can choose Premium during submission or from upgrade flows in your dashboard when available. Once live, use Relaunch (if eligible) for a second Premium week rather than mid-week plan changes.

Question 32

Can I advertise on IndieHunt?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Hero ad spots display your brand in high-visibility placements across project pages, launches, blog, and studio content. Purchase and manage spots from Dashboard → Manage Ads or visit the Advertising page for placement details.

Question 33

What is the Hall of Fame?

Accepted Answer

The Hall of Fame showcases past weekly competition winners — projects that earned top-3 badges. It is a permanent showcase of community-voted standout launches on IndieHunt.

Question 34

What is Posting Dude?

Accepted Answer

Posting Dude is a separate content and distribution service for founders who want ongoing articles and multi-platform publishing beyond a single launch week. IndieHunt links to it from distribution content for makers who need sustained visibility.

Question 35

How do I update my profile?

Accepted Answer

Open Account Settings to update your display name, bio, website, social links, and Premium Launcher license key. Your public founder profile page uses this information when linked from projects.

Question 36

How do I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Go to Account Settings → Danger Zone. Type DELETE to confirm permanent deletion of your account and associated data (projects, votes, comments, and profile). This action cannot be undone.

Question 37

How do I contact support?

Accepted Answer

Email hi@indiehunt.io for billing, scheduling, moderation, or partnership questions. Use the Contact page for quick links. Check this FAQ and the Help Center first — most launch questions are answered here. We aim to respond within a few business days.

Question 38

Where are Terms and Privacy policies?

Accepted Answer

Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy are linked in the site footer. They cover acceptable use, data handling, account deletion, and your rights.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

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