Where to Launch Your Side Project in 2026

You built something. Now you need people to see it. There are a handful of places where makers, early adopters and curious developers look for new things every day, and each has its own rules and audience. This guide covers the main ones, what each expects, and how to prepare so the visitors you get do not bounce.

Before you post anywhere

A launch sends a burst of visitors who give you about ten seconds. Make sure that when they land:

• The page says what it is in one sentence, and who it is for.
• They can try it, ideally without a signup wall. Several communities explicitly prefer this.
• They can follow along if they are not ready: a newsletter box or a link to your updates.
• You know where they came from. Tag each launch link with UTM parameters, using the UTM builder, so you can compare channels afterwards.

It also helps to have one page that links to you and everything you have made. People who like the product click your name next; a page for your side projects gives them somewhere to go.

Show HN (Hacker News)

Show HN is the Hacker News section for things people made. Its guidelines are specific:

• It is for something you made that people can try: run, play with or hold. Hardware can be shown with a video or detailed post, a book with a sample chapter.
• Not for blog posts, signup pages, newsletters, lists, landing pages or fundraisers.
• Make it easy to try, ideally without signups or emails.
• Start the title with "Show HN" and do not ask friends to upvote or comment.

The audience is technical and direct. Expect blunt feedback, and answer it openly. Write a short first comment explaining what you built, why, and how it works.

Product Hunt

Product Hunt is a daily list of new products that people vote on. It suits consumer apps, developer tools and anything with a visual demo. Preparation matters more here than anywhere: a clear tagline, a gallery, a first comment from the maker, and a plan for launch day. Our Product Hunt launch guide covers the day itself, and the Product Hunt launch page covers what to link from it. Check Product Hunt's own help pages for current rules before you schedule.

Reddit: r/SideProject and niche subreddits

r/SideProject is a large community for sharing side projects and getting feedback. Beyond it, the subreddit for your users is often worth more than any launch site: a design tool in a design community, a game in a game dev or genre community.

Every subreddit has its own rules on self-promotion, and many limit it to certain days or threads. Read the sidebar first, be a member before you post, and write as a maker asking for feedback rather than an ad.

Indie Hackers

Indie Hackers is a community of founders building profitable online businesses. Posts that do well tend to share something useful: numbers, a lesson, a mistake. A launch post that tells the story of how and why you built it, with real figures if you have them, fits better than an announcement.

BetaList

BetaList features early-stage startups looking for early adopters. It suits products before or just after launch. Submission terms, including whether there is a paid option to be featured sooner, are on its site; check them before you plan around a date.

Niche directories and newsletters

Many categories have their own directories and newsletters: AI tools, Chrome extensions, no-code, open source, Mac apps. Each sends modest traffic, but it is targeted traffic from people who already care about the category. Pick the two or three that match your product rather than submitting everywhere.

Your own audience

The launch that compounds is the one to people who already follow you. Even fifty people on a newsletter or a few hundred followers who have watched you build in public will try your product, reply and share it. Every launch above is also a chance to grow that audience, so make following along easy.

After launch day

Launch traffic fades in a day or two. What lasts:

• The feedback. Write down every question and complaint. They are your roadmap and your FAQ.
• The numbers. Compare channels by signups and by who is still using the product a week later, not by raw visits.
• The page. Mark the project Active, update the description with what you learned, and keep the link in your bio. If you get your first 100 users, most of them will arrive after launch day, not on it.

Where makerhandle fits

A makerhandle page is the link you put in every launch post's comments and in every bio: each project with a screenshot, a status and its own page, a subscribe box, and cookie-free analytics that show which launch sent visitors. Free for five projects.