Where to Launch
Shipping the build is the part that feels like the work, and then nobody knows the app exists. This is the list of places that will hear about it — tick them off as you go, the progress stays in your browser.
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Every link here answered when the list was last checked, on 2026-08-04. There are deliberately no prices or turnaround times — several of these charge for placement and the amounts change, so check the current terms yourself. Nothing on this page is a claim that submitting works: most press pitches get no reply, and each community has its own promotion rules.
Apple itself
The one nobody uses. Apple takes pitches for editorial featuring directly, and it costs nothing but the time to write it.
- App Store featuring pitch
Apple's own form for telling App Store editorial about an app or an upcoming release. Free, and the least-used lever most indie developers have.
Launch platforms
Post on a day, get voted on, maybe get a spike. Most are free to submit with paid placement on top — check the current terms, they move.
- Product Hunt
The big one. Daily leaderboard, heavy competition, and an audience that skews to web and AI tools rather than iOS.
Links to the homepage — its submission page blocks automated link checks, so no deeper URL was verified.
- Hacker News — Show HN
No submission form: post the link yourself with a “Show HN:” title. Read the guidelines on this page first — they are specific and enforced.
- BetaList
For products still early — beta, waitlist, pre-launch. A shipped v3 is the wrong fit.
- Indie Hackers
Product listing plus a community that responds better to the story of building the thing than to the launch post.
- Uneed
Daily tool launches with a small, engaged audience.
- Fazier
Daily product discovery board. Free submission with paid placement available.
- TinyLaunch
Product Hunt alternative aimed at small makers. Free and paid launch slots.
- MicroLaunch
Launch board with a monthly leaderboard. Free submission, premium tier on top.
- Peerlist
Professional network for developers with its own launch section — audience is largely other builders.
Links to the homepage — its submission page blocks automated link checks, so no deeper URL was verified.
- Launching Next
Long-running startup listing site. Low effort, low ceiling.
- Startup Stash
Categorised startup and tool directory. Listing-style rather than launch-day.
Software directories
No launch-day spike, but they rank for “alternative to X” searches, so the listing keeps working long after the launch does.
- AlternativeTo
Ranks for “alternative to <competitor>” searches, which is intent you cannot buy on the App Store. Listing it against the right competitor is most of the work.
Links to the homepage — its submission page blocks automated link checks, so no deeper URL was verified.
- SaaSHub
Software directory with alternatives pages. Skews to SaaS, takes apps.
Links to the homepage — its submission page blocks automated link checks, so no deeper URL was verified.
- Slant
Community-ranked “what is the best X” lists. Long-lived search traffic.
Links to the homepage — its submission page blocks automated link checks, so no deeper URL was verified.
Apple press
People, not forms. Most indie pitches get no reply — read what a site actually covers before spending one.
- 9to5Mac
Dedicated tips page. Broad Apple coverage, high volume of pitches.
- MacRumors
Anonymous tip form. Leans hardware and Apple news over third-party apps.
- MacStories
Deep, genuinely-used app reviews. No submission form — the editors are listed on this page, and a generic blast is wasted on them.
- The Sweet Setup
Best-in-class app picks and workflow writing. Narrow, and cares about craft.
- Cult of Mac
Apple news and app coverage. No stable contact path found — contact details are in the site footer.
Links to the homepage — its submission page blocks automated link checks, so no deeper URL was verified.
- Daring Fireball
One person, extremely selective, enormous reach among Apple developers. A long shot that costs one email.
- iMore
Consumer-facing iPhone and iPad coverage, including app roundups.
- TouchArcade
iOS games only. If your app is not a game, skip it.
Links to the homepage — its submission page blocks automated link checks, so no deeper URL was verified.
Communities
Self-promotion rules differ per community and change. Read them first: the wrong post gets removed, and sometimes gets you banned.
- r/iosapps
iOS apps specifically — the closest thing to a native audience for a launch post.
- r/apps
General app discovery across platforms.
- r/macapps
Mac software. Relevant if you ship a Mac or Catalyst build.
- r/SideProject
Builders showing work. Responds to the making, not the marketing.
- r/iOSProgramming
Other iOS developers. Usually confines promotion to a recurring thread — check before posting.
- r/apphookup
Sales and free promotions. Only worth a post when you are actually discounting.
- r/apple
Very large, very strict on self-promotion. Read the rules before considering it.
Before you spend the list
A launch sends people to one App Store page. Everything below decides what happens when they get there, and none of it can be fixed after the traffic has been and gone.
Appstro has no relationship with any site listed here and earns nothing from these links. A site being on the list is not a recommendation to pay it. Found one that has moved or died? Tell us and it gets fixed.