# LaunchAF vs DevHunt: Which Launch Platform Is Better in 2026? > LaunchAF vs DevHunt compared: pricing, backlink type, audience, and launch format, so you can pick the right launch platform for your product. Canonical: https://launchaf.com/compare/launchaf-vs-devhunt Last updated: 2026-11-02 Section: Compare Author: Nikhil Rajput Published: 2026-11-02 Choose DevHunt if you are launching a developer tool and want a weekly board whose audience is developers: a launch costs $19 once and includes a launch week, a newsletter spot and a dofollow link. Choose LaunchAF if your product is not only for developers, or if you want a free launch route with a dofollow link tied to a verified badge. DevHunt accepts only developer tools, and its free listings carry a nofollow link. We run LaunchAF, so weigh our comparison accordingly. We read [DevHunt's FAQ](https://devhunt.org/faq) and [advertising page](https://devhunt.org/advertise), plus LaunchAF's live pricing and submission flow, on November 2, 2026. DevHunt's audience figures come from its own advertising page, and we have not independently verified them. Prices and rules change, so check both sites before you pay. ## At a glance | | LaunchAF | DevHunt | | --- | --- | --- | | Who it accepts | Founders launching products across categories | Developer tools only: open-source projects, APIs and SDKs, CLIs, AI agents and MCP servers | | Format | Weekly leaderboard, comments, lasting product profile | Weekly: "Each week a new batch launches on the home page" | | Free option | Free launch with a verified badge and review | Free listing with a permanent page; the link is nofollow | | Free wait | Community waiting period, usually 30+ days | No waiting list or queue mentioned in the FAQ | | Free link | Dofollow, badge required | Nofollow on free listings | | Paid launch | Alpha $19 or Beta $39, one-time | $19 once for a launch week, newsletter spot and dofollow link | | Boosts | Beta adds 30 days featured across LaunchAF | $49 boost; super boosts $199, $149 or $99 for three weekly spots | | Ranking | Paid launches rank above free; votes within each group | Most votes at week's end win; super boosts lead initially and in email, with later homepage ties favoring boosts | | Voting | Community votes and comments | Voting and commenting require signing in with GitHub or Google | | Published reach | None on the pricing page | Advertise page shows 40,000 newsletter subscribers and a displayed DR of 68 | | Best fit | Non-developer products, or a free dofollow route | Developer tools wanting a developer audience | ## How do the formats compare? Both platforms run weekly. DevHunt's FAQ says launches "run for a whole week" and that developers vote for the tools launching that week. The tools with the most votes at the end of the week are the winners, and winners are featured in the weekly newsletter, receive social mentions and get a winner badge they can show on their site. LaunchAF also runs a weekly leaderboard with votes, comments and a lasting product profile. A founder submits through a three-step form: product details, choice of plan, and a step where the founder upvotes three other products (not required when the current leaderboard has fewer than three). Paid launches rank above free launches, and within each group launches rank by community votes. The deciding factor is the audience. DevHunt narrows its board to developer tools, so a reader who browses it expects tools they might use in their own projects. LaunchAF is broader, so its board mixes categories. A developer tool may be seen by more relevant people on DevHunt. A consumer or business app has no place there at all. ## How do the backlinks compare? DevHunt states the rule plainly: "Links on free listings are nofollow; paid launches get a permanent dofollow link." So a free DevHunt listing gives you a page and exposure but not a dofollow link, and the $19 launch adds a dofollow link. LaunchAF's pricing page lists a dofollow backlink on the free plan with the badge required, and a dofollow backlink with no badge on both paid plans. A new free listing can be delisted if the badge later disappears. A backlink does not guarantee a ranking change. Google's [link spam policies](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies#link-spam) also address paid and exchanged links; our [Domain Rating guide](https://launchaf.com/blog/domain-rating-guide) explains the metric's limits. DevHunt's advertising page displays a domain rating of 68 (ahrefs). That is DevHunt's own displayed figure, not our measurement, and we do not hardcode LaunchAF's changing score. ## What do the costs and boosts look like? DevHunt's pricing is easy to read. Listing a tool is free. A launch costs $19 once and includes a launch week, a spot in the newsletter and a dofollow link. A boosted launch costs $49: on equal votes it is listed above other launches, on the site and in the weekly email, and it gets its own post on X. A $19 launch can be upgraded later for the difference until its week ends. Super boosts let a boosted launch take one of three weekly spots before the week starts, priced at $199 for the first, $149 for the second and $99 for the third. They lead the launch email in that order regardless of votes. On the home page, the order holds at the start of the week and then follows votes, so, in DevHunt's words, "a super boost only keeps you ahead of launches with as many votes." LaunchAF's free launch costs $0 with a waiting period of usually 30+ days. Alpha is $19 one-time and includes instant publishing, a dofollow backlink with no badge, a gold premium badge and priority support. Beta is $39 one-time and adds 30 days featured across LaunchAF, a curated product review of 1,000+ words, a permanent review page, the review shared in the newsletter, an email newsletter mention and a Substack feature. Paid launches rank above free ones. At the same $19 entry price, DevHunt includes a newsletter spot and a dofollow link, while LaunchAF's Alpha includes instant publishing, a dofollow link and a premium badge but no newsletter mention. The two are not identical purchases. Compare the benefits you will actually use. ## Where LaunchAF wins ### It accepts more than developer tools If your product is a consumer app, a business tool or anything that is not a developer tool, DevHunt will not accept it. LaunchAF does not have that restriction. ### A free route with a dofollow link DevHunt's free listing carries a nofollow link. LaunchAF's free launch includes a dofollow backlink when the badge is verified. If you want a free dofollow link and can wait and install a badge, LaunchAF offers one. ### A written review and a defined paid bundle Beta includes a curated review of 1,000+ words, a permanent review page and newsletter placement, with a full refund if the review is not ready. DevHunt's pages list boosts and spots but not a written review. ## Where DevHunt wins ### A developer audience For developer tools, DevHunt's board is built around a relevant audience. Its advertising page claims 40,000 newsletter subscribers, more than 45,000 developers signed up and 7,450 tools launched. Those are DevHunt's own figures, not independently audited comparisons with LaunchAF. ### A cheap, clear paid launch A $19 launch with a newsletter spot and a dofollow link is a straightforward offer. The upgrade path to a $49 boost is also clear, and DevHunt states how boosts interact with votes. ### Vote-based ranking with disclosed paid placements DevHunt says ordinary boosts break ties on votes. Its super boosts lead the launch email regardless of votes and start the week in the top homepage positions; the homepage subsequently sorts by votes, with boosts breaking ties. That differs from LaunchAF's rule that paid launches rank above free ones. ## LaunchAF's limits LaunchAF is newer and smaller than the largest launch communities, and we have no independent traffic comparison with DevHunt. Its free route has a long waiting period and needs a badge. Paid launches rank above free ones, so a free launch sits below paid launches regardless of votes. Paying buys visibility and speed, not customers, and we cannot promise visits or a Domain Rating change. ## Which should you choose? Choose DevHunt if you build a developer tool and want its developer audience, and you are happy with a $19 launch. Choose LaunchAF if your product is broader than developer tooling, or if you want a free launch route with a dofollow link and a possible curated review. Developers who want both can launch in different weeks. For more options, see [LaunchAF vs MicroLaunch](https://launchaf.com/compare/launchaf-vs-microlaunch), the [launch platform guide](https://launchaf.com/blog/launch-platforms-guide), and the free [launch platform matcher](https://launchaf.com/tools/best-launch-platform). ## Can you use both? Yes. Launch in different weeks so you can answer comments and tell referrals apart. Keep your product name, URL, tagline and screenshots consistent. Tag your links so you can see which platform sent which visitors. The [launch day templates](https://launchaf.com/blog/launch-day-templates) can help you reuse the same copy. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is DevHunt free? DevHunt lists tools for free and gives each tool a permanent page, but free listings carry a nofollow link. A launch week costs $19 once. LaunchAF's free launch also costs $0, requires a verified badge, and has a community waiting period of usually 30+ days. ### Does DevHunt give a dofollow backlink? DevHunt's FAQ says links on free listings are nofollow and paid launches get a permanent dofollow link. LaunchAF states a dofollow backlink on every plan, with the free plan requiring a verified badge. ### What can I launch on DevHunt? DevHunt's FAQ says tools must be for developers, such as open-source projects, APIs and SDKs, CLIs, and AI agents or MCP servers. It says tools that are not for developers, NSFW tools and services that sell fake engagement are not accepted. LaunchAF is not limited to developer tools. ### How much do DevHunt boosts cost? DevHunt lists a boost at $49, and super boosts at $199, $149 and $99 for three weekly spots. A $19 launch can be upgraded for the difference until its week ends. Super boosts lead the launch email and the initial homepage order; later homepage rankings follow votes, with boosts breaking ties. ### Can I launch on both DevHunt and LaunchAF? Yes, if you stagger them and keep your product details consistent. Track referrals from each separately. Neither platform can promise traffic or a ranking benefit. ## The bottom line DevHunt suits developer tools that want a developer audience and a cheap, clear paid launch. LaunchAF suits broader products, free launches that need a dofollow link, and founders who want a written review. Read both live pages, then [submit your product](https://launchaf.com/submit) where the trade-offs fit. ## Related - [LaunchAF vs MicroLaunch: Which Launch Platform Is Better in 2026?](https://launchaf.com/compare/launchaf-vs-microlaunch) - [LaunchAF vs SaaSHub: Which Launch Platform Is Better in 2026?](https://launchaf.com/compare/launchaf-vs-saashub) - [LaunchAF vs Twelve Tools: Which Launch Platform Is Better in 2026?](https://launchaf.com/compare/launchaf-vs-twelve-tools) - [LaunchAF vs Fazier: Which Launch Platform Is Better in 2026?](https://launchaf.com/compare/launchaf-vs-fazier) - [LaunchAF vs Peerlist: Which Launch Platform Is Better in 2026?](https://launchaf.com/compare/launchaf-vs-peerlist) - [All compare articles](https://launchaf.com/compare)