Where to Launch a Side Project

The best places to launch a side project are the ones built for small, unfinished, made-for-fun things: maker communities like r/SideProject and Indie Hackers, Show HN if people can try it right away, and side project directories and weekly launch boards that give a small project a few days in view. You do not need a big launch. Pick one community and one board, post on a day you can reply to people, and keep the listing up so it can be found later.

This guide is for people with a day job who built something in the evenings and want a few real users. Prices and rules come from each platform's own page on 4 November 2026; link types I could not confirm on a live listing are marked "unverified". Disclosure: Aura++, EarlyHunt, IndieHunt, MakerHunt, SideHunt and Uno Directory belong to Praneet Brar, who also runs this site.

Last checked: Nov 4, 2026

What makes launching a side project different?

A side project launch has three limits a startup launch does not:

• Your time. You may have one evening, not a launch day. Pick places where you can reply later without losing your spot.

• Your goal. Often it is feedback, a handful of users or just finishing something, not growth at all costs.

• Your polish. The project may be small or rough. Choose audiences that like early, honest work.

That rules out a lot of advice written for funded startups. You do not need a hunter, a launch team or a paid campaign.

Which side project directories and boards are worth it?

For most side projects, the free row in each line is enough. Paid slots mostly buy a date or a guaranteed link, and neither matters much when your goal is ten people who care.

Which place fits your kind of side project?

• A developer tool, library or CLI: Show HN. The Show HN guidelines want something people can run or try, and they say to explain how and why you made it. Sign-up pages and lists are off topic.

• A small web app or game: r/SideProject plus a weekly side project board. Read the subreddit rules first; self-promotion rules differ by community.

• Something you might turn into a business: Indie Hackers, where people discuss revenue, pricing and the build story.

• A polished consumer tool: Product Hunt, but only when you can spend the day there.

How do you post without sounding like an ad?

Communities reward a story and punish a pitch. A post that works usually has:

1. A plain title that says what it is: "I built a tiny app that splits grocery bills with flatmates".

2. Why you built it, in two or three sentences.

3. One screenshot or a short clip.

4. What you want: "I would love feedback on the sign-up flow".

5. The link, once, near the end.

Reddit is the strictest. If you plan to post there, this guide on sharing your side project on Reddit without getting banned covers subreddit rules and the self-promotion line.

When should you post?

Post when you can answer replies for the next few hours. For most people with a job that means an evening or a weekend morning. On weekly boards, the start day matters more; on SideHunt and the other hunt sites, launches start Mondays at 8:00 AM UTC, so prepare your listing on the weekend.

Spread your posts out. A community post on Saturday and a board launch on Monday gives you two smaller moments you can actually handle, instead of one you miss half of.

What if the post takes off?

It is rare, but a front-page Show HN or a popular Reddit thread can send more visitors in an hour than your project has ever had. Cheap hosting tiers and free databases fall over first. Before you post, spend half an hour on this guide to getting a side project ready for a traffic spike.

What should you skip?

• Submission services that promise hundreds of directories. Most of those pages get no visitors, and a sudden pile of low-quality links does you no good.

• Buying a link for SEO. Google's spam policies call bought links for ranking link spam unless they are marked sponsored or nofollow.

• Asking friends to upvote. Boards and communities notice, and it teaches you nothing about whether strangers care.

• Posting and leaving. The replies are the point. A post you do not answer is a missed conversation.

A made-up example: Ravi and Tidelog

Ravi, a nurse who codes at night, built Tidelog, a tiny site that shows tide times for his local beaches. He posted it on r/SideProject on a Saturday with the story of why he made it, answered every comment, and fixed a confusing date format that night. On Monday he listed it on a weekly side project board. He got a few dozen visitors, eight people who bookmarked it and one surfer who asked for more beaches. That was the win he wanted. The example is invented.

FAQ

Where should I launch my first side project?

One maker community (r/SideProject or Indie Hackers) and one side project board. Add Show HN if people can try it right away.

Are side project directories free?

Most offer a free listing. Paid options usually buy a chosen date or a guaranteed link; check each site's own pricing page.

Do side project directories help SEO?

A little at most. Many free listings are nofollow, and the link type can depend on votes or a badge. Inspect the live link if it matters to you.

Should a side project launch on Product Hunt?

Only if it is polished and you can spend the day replying. Many side projects do better in smaller, friendlier places first.

Small launch, real people

Where to launch a side project comes down to fit: a community that likes what you made, a board that gives it a few days, and an evening you can spend replying. When you are ready for a weekly board made for side projects, SideHunt is one of the options in the table.