The short answer
Indie Apps (indie-apps.com) is free to list on and goes live straight away, with checks afterwards. Launch Indie Apps is paid, and a person reviews every app first. Start with Indie Apps if your budget is zero. Pick us if you want a reviewed listing, launch posts and click reports. Both cost little.
Side by side
8 things that matter for an iOS launch, each with the one that fits better.
What you get
Launch Indie Apps
A permanent listing. No votes and no launch day to win or lose.
Indie Apps
A listing that never expires, plus a weekly Debuts board ranked by App Store clicks, not votes.
Depends on youBoth are directories that keep your page; theirs adds a weekly ranking.
Cost to list
Launch Indie Apps
$5 at the launch price, then $9, paid once. No free listing.
Indie Apps
Better fit: Indie AppsFree beats any price.
Top of the homepage
Launch Indie Apps
Weekly Spotlight: $25 at the launch price, then $49 for 7 days at the top of the homepage, labelled Sponsored.
Indie Apps
Spotlight, $9.99 a week, or a Featured card for $4.99 a week (launch prices, which they say will rise).
Better fit: Indie AppsCheaper, for now.
Review
Launch Indie Apps
A person reviews every app before it goes live. A decision within 48 hours of payment, or a refund.
Indie Apps
No review before publication, by design. Listings go live at once and are checked afterwards.
Depends on youFaster there; checked before going live here. It depends which you value.
Who can list
Launch Indie Apps
iOS apps on the App Store, made by indie makers and solo founders. Nothing else.
Indie Apps
Independent Apple apps for iPhone, iPad and Mac, by a single developer, plus TestFlight betas.
Depends on youBoth are for indie makers. They also take Mac apps and betas.
Link to your app
Launch Indie Apps
Links to your App Store page carry rel="sponsored", because the listing is paid. No link to your website.
Indie Apps
The App Store button is nofollow, and so is the website link on developer pages, unless you add their badge or pay for Featured.
Better fit: Indie AppsThey offer a followed website link, for a badge or a payment.
Launch help
Launch Indie Apps
Launch posts written for X, Reddit, LinkedIn, Indie Hackers and email, the Launch Map of other places, and Launch Reports at day 7 and day 30.
Indie Apps
A free App Store price calculator for every country, and a badge for your site.
Better fit: Launch Indie AppsLaunch posts written for you, and reports on what each place sent.
Numbers shown
Launch Indie Apps
New and small. Its own numbers are public on the stats page.
Indie Apps
409 apps from 263 developers when we checked (their figures), with weekly click counts that didn't match between pages.
Depends on youBoth are new, and both publish their numbers.
Indie Apps is the better choice if
- You have no budget at all.
- You want the app live today, without waiting for a review.
- You make Mac apps too, or want to list a TestFlight beta.
Launch Indie Apps is the better choice if
- You want every app around yours to have been checked by a person first.
- You want launch posts for each place written for you.
- You want to know at day 7 and day 30 which sources sent App Store clicks.
Using both
A free listing on Indie Apps costs nothing, so there's little reason not to add it alongside ours. The Launch Map includes it.
How we compared
We compared the two for one case: an indie maker with an iOS app already on the App Store, no audience yet and a small budget. If that isn't you, some rows will tip the other way.
Every fact about Indie Apps comes from its own pages, read on October 16, 2026 and linked below. Where its pages disagree with each other, we say so. Each row says which one fits that case better and why, or that it depends. We don't give scores out of ten; that would claim a precision we don't have.
This page is ours, and it's written by the person who runs Launch Indie Apps, so read it knowing that. Launch Indie Apps isn't affiliated with Indie Apps, and nobody paid for this page. If something here is wrong or out of date, email hello@launchindieapps.com and we'll fix it.
Common questions
Is Indie Apps the same as Launch Indie Apps?
No. Indie Apps (indie-apps.com) and Launch Indie Apps (launchindieapps.com) are separate sites run by different people, with no connection between them.
Is a listing on Indie Apps free?
Yes. Indie Apps lists apps for free with no expiry. Featured cards, Spotlight and rail placements are paid by the week or month.
Does Indie Apps review apps before they go live?
No. Its terms say there is no review step before publication, and its submit page says listings are checked afterwards.
Sources
- Homepage, Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)
- List your app, Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)
- Terms, Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)
- Submit, Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)
- Debuts, Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)
- EpisodePal listing (link markup checked), Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)
- A developer page (link markup checked), Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)
- llms.txt, Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)
- Pricing, Launch Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)
- About, Launch Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)
- Live stats, Launch Indie Apps (checked October 16, 2026)