Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers about launching on Spotlighted and about launch directories in general.
How much does it cost to launch on Spotlighted?
Listing a product on Spotlighted is free. Instant launch, which lets you pick your launch week, costs $12 one-time. Placements are sold by the week: Featured $24, Sponsored $19, Ad spot $19 and Newsletter sponsor $39. Runs of 4 or 6 weeks save up to 25%.
Source: Pricing
When is the next free launch week?
As of Nov 5, 2026, the next free launch slot is the week of Nov 9, 2026 in all four MRR stages. Launch weeks start on Monday at 00:00 UTC.
How do launch weeks and rankings work on Spotlighted?
Each launch week runs Monday 00:00 to Sunday 23:59 UTC. Products are ranked by the community upvotes they get during their launch week, and only against products in the same MRR stage.
Source: How It Works
What MRR stages does Spotlighted rank products in?
4 stages: Under $1K MRR, $1K – $3K MRR, $3K – $5K MRR and $5K+ MRR. Makers pick their stage when they submit, so the stage shown on a product is self-reported.
Source: Community Guidelines
How many paid placements does Spotlighted sell each week?
Each week has 4 Featured slots, 3 Sponsored slots, 2 ad spots and 1 newsletter sponsor. Once a week’s slots are booked, that placement is sold out for the week.
Source: Pricing
Does Spotlighted give products a dofollow link?
Yes. Every approved product’s page links to its website with rel="noopener noreferrer" and no nofollow, on the free plan and on paid plans. No badge or link back is required.
How much does a paid launch cost on startup launch directories?
9 of 10 launch directories with a readable price list sell a paid launch. The median price is $39, from $10.50 to $49.
Source: Launch Directory Study 2026: 12 Sites Compared
Which launch directories give free dofollow links?
None of the 9 launch directories whose free-listing rules we could read give every free listing a followed (dofollow) link. Of the 9, 4 require a badge or a link back, 3 require votes or a top rank and 2 keep free links nofollow. The ones that give a free listing a followed link in exchange for a badge or a link back are ScrollLaunch, CodeHype, ListBulb and Fazier.