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Keepsake Project Management, Freelancers, DesignersWhere to Post App Ideas So Someone Might Build Them: 12 Places Compared
The right place to post an app idea depends on what you want back. For a builder to pick it up with no conversation, use a board such as Post your build ideas, which needs no account. For feedback, post in a Reddit community like r/AppIdeas or r/SomebodyMakeThis. For business pushback, try r/Startup_Ideas or Indie Hackers. Hacker News and Product Hunt forums suit questions and launches, not unbuilt ideas. Wherever you post, name the user, the problem and the first version.
What should you look for in a place to post an app idea?
There is no single best place, because “post an app idea” covers three different goals. You might want a stranger to build it. You might want people to tell you whether it is any good. Or you might want to be told it already exists before you waste a month. Each goal points to a different kind of place, and a place that is great at one is often poor at the others.
Five facts separate the options, and they are the ones this page compares. Who reads it: builders, founders, or a general crowd. Account needed: whether you must sign up before you can post. Permanence: whether the post stays, and whether you can take it back. Format: a free-form thread, a structured form, or a pull request. What happens next: replies, votes, or a builder starting from your text.
One more filter matters more than any of those. A community that exists to launch products tends to treat an unbuilt idea as a low-effort post. A community that exists for ideas treats a launch as spam. Post where your kind of post is the normal one.
Where can you post an app idea? 12 places, one by one
This site publishes the page and lists itself first, so weigh that. It is first because it is the only entry here built for exactly this job, with no account. After the first entry the order is not a quality ranking. It runs from places where you post ideas, to places where you ask questions, to places you should read rather than post in.
01 Post your build ideas
A free public board where you post an app idea with no account, and every idea gets a generated build prompt a builder can paste into Claude Code, Cursor or Lovable.
- Who reads it
- People looking for something to build, and anyone browsing by category
- Account needed
- No account and no email; you type a name
- Permanence
- Permanent. Once published, nobody but the admin can edit or delete it
- What works
- A specific user, a narrow first version, a title that names the job
- Chance it gets built
- Not promised. The prompt lowers the effort for a builder, nothing more
You type a name, pick a category, write a title of up to 90 characters and a description of up to 4,000, and optionally add pricing thoughts and a contact line. People vote ideas up or down, and anyone who builds one can attach it with “Built this?”. Sponsors fund the site and never affect ideas, votes or ranking.
The limits are real. There are no comment threads, so you get votes, not advice. Posts about a real person can be removed through the report form, but nothing else can be taken back. And there is no protection for the idea itself. Post an idea only when you are comfortable seeing it built by someone else, and browse the board first to see how others phrase theirs.
02 r/AppIdeas
A subreddit named for app ideas, where people describe a concept and ask what others think.
- Who reads it
- Mostly other people with ideas, plus some developers
- Account needed
- A Reddit account to post
- Permanence
- Visible while moderators allow it; authors can normally remove their own posts
- What works
- A concrete concept and a direct question, such as “what would stop you using this?”
- Chance it gets built
- Low to moderate; it is a feedback feed more than a builder’s shopping list
Read the sidebar rules before you post; moderators change them. A third-party directory, GummySearch, describes it as a space for developers, entrepreneurs and creators to share app concepts, and recent posts are largely requests for feedback on a concept.
Use it to sharpen the wording. Reply threads will tell you which product already does this, which is more useful than a hundred votes.
03 r/SomebodyMakeThis
A subreddit whose name states the request: here is something I wish existed, will somebody make it?
- Who reads it
- People who wish for the same thing, and some builders hunting for projects
- Account needed
- A Reddit account to post
- Permanence
- Same as any subreddit: moderators decide, authors can normally delete
- What works
- A plain wish written as a problem, not a pitch
- Chance it gets built
- Higher for small, well-scoped wishes; it is the closest Reddit match to this job
The name makes the job explicit, which is why it fits the “someone else please build this” goal better than the other subreddits. Check the community’s rules in its sidebar before posting. For a closer look see our r/SomebodyMakeThis alternatives.
04 r/Startup_Ideas
A subreddit pointed at startup ideas rather than apps alone, so replies lean toward business questions.
- Who reads it
- Aspiring founders and people who like to critique business models
- Account needed
- A Reddit account to post
- Permanence
- Subject to moderators; authors can normally delete
- What works
- An idea framed as a business: who pays, why, and instead of what
- Chance it gets built
- Low for a pure “please build this”; better for finding a co-founder or a hard question
A directory, The Hive Index, describes it as a place for sharing and improving startup ideas. Treat the replies as a stress test. A reply that asks you to name the customer is worth more than ten that say “nice idea”. We did not read its rules.
05 Indie Hackers
A community of people building their own online businesses, with a front page of posts and a separate database of reports on ideas that worked.
- Who reads it
- Solo founders and bootstrappers who build their own products
- Account needed
- Yes; the site shows Sign in and Join
- Permanence
- A post on the front page; we did not verify edit or delete rules
- What works
- A story with a decision in it: what you tried, what happened, what you want to know
- Chance it gets built
- Low as a giveaway; better as a way to meet someone who builds
Indie Hackers is for people who intend to earn from what they make, so an idea you will never build is an odd fit. The front-page posts we saw on 30 October 2026 were about launches, pricing and marketing. Its Ideas database is a set of reports on startup ideas that already earn, which you read, not post to.
Its error page for Groups says Indie Hackers retired that feature in 2026, so older advice that points you to a group no longer applies.
06 Hacker News (Ask HN)
A discussion site run by Y Combinator where “Ask HN” is the label for questions and other text submissions.
- Who reads it
- Programmers, founders and curious readers
- Account needed
- Yes; the submit page says you must be logged in
- Permanence
- Public; the guidelines say not to delete and repost
- What works
- A real question that other people find interesting, in your own words
- Chance it gets built
- Low; it is a conversation site, not an idea board
The guidelines say HN should not be used primarily for promotion, that you should not put generated text in posts, and that submissions should gratify curiosity. The FAQ says Ask HN lists questions and other text submissions, with a small points threshold before a post appears on the Ask page.
So a bare “here is my idea, someone build it” is a poor fit. A question about a hard part of the idea, such as how you would handle a certain data problem, is a better one. Show HN is a separate label, and its rules say it is for something you have made that people can try, so it is not for ideas at all.
07 Product Hunt forums
Topic forums on Product Hunt, including p/general and p/vibecoding, where signed-in members can start a thread.
- Who reads it
- Makers and early adopters who follow launches
- Account needed
- Yes; the page shows Sign in and Start new thread
- Permanence
- Public threads; we did not verify edit or delete rules
- What works
- A question to makers, not a launch
- Chance it gets built
- Low; the site is built around launching finished products
The forums page lists topic forums named general, vibecoding, ama, introduce-yourself and self-promotion, so a separate place for promotion exists and a thread in p/general should be a question. Read Product Hunt’s community guidelines before posting. Most threads we saw on the forums page were product updates from companies, which tells you the crowd is makers, not idea hunters.
08 GitHub idea lists such as florinpop17/app-ideas
A public repository of project ideas for developers who want something to practise on, written as specs with user stories.
- Who reads it
- Learners and developers looking for practice projects
- Account needed
- A GitHub account to open a pull request
- Permanence
- Permanent in git history if merged; open pull requests can sit for months
- What works
- A full spec in the repo’s template, not a one-line wish
- Chance it gets built
- Moderate for a good spec, but see the activity note below
Its contributing guide asks you to base a new idea on its Example Guide template, to check that the idea is not already listed, and to open one pull request per suggestion. On 30 October 2026 the repository had more than 98,000 stars, but its last commit on the default branch was dated 11 October 2025. The 13 most recent pull requests we looked at, all opened after that, were either still open or closed without a merge.
That makes it a place to read, and a long shot to post in. It also serves a different reader: someone who wants a project to practise on, not a product someone needs. If your idea is a learning project, write it in the template. If it is a product wish, post it elsewhere.
Visit GitHub idea lists such as florinpop17/app-ideas (github.com) →
09 X, Threads and Bluesky
Public timelines where you post the idea in your own words and let your followers and search find it.
- Who reads it
- Your followers, plus anyone who finds the post by search or a reshare
- Account needed
- Yes, on each
- Permanence
- You can usually delete your own posts, but screenshots and quotes persist
- What works
- A short, specific post with the problem and a first-version sketch, ideally with a picture
- Chance it gets built
- Depends almost entirely on who follows you
A public timeline is the fastest place to post and the worst place to be found later. A post fades from view within days, so it will not still be working for you next quarter. Its strength is reach through people: a builder who follows you, or someone who reposts you to their own audience.
We did not check any of the three platforms’ rules, so this entry describes how public posting works in general. If you have few followers, treat it as a way to announce an idea that already lives somewhere permanent, such as a board entry, and link to it.
10 Discord and Slack maker communities
Invite-only or public chat servers for indie makers, no-code builders and vibe coders, where you can ask in a channel.
- Who reads it
- The members of that one community, usually a small group compared with a public site
- Account needed
- A Discord or Slack account, and usually an invite
- Permanence
- Chat scrolls away; moderators or an admin can delete
- What works
- A reply to someone’s “what should I build?”, not a cold post
- Chance it gets built
- Good when you know the people; poor when you are a stranger
We name no servers because we did not verify any. Most have a channel for ideas or for asking for collaborators, and most ban unsolicited promotion. Spend a week reading before you post, and answer other people’s questions first.
The strength of a chat community is speed and context: someone can say “I built that last month, here is the link” in two minutes. The weakness is that none of it is searchable later.
11 Hackathons and university clubs
Events and student societies where teams pick a project in a weekend and are often short of one.
- Who reads it
- Students and early-career developers who need a project today
- Account needed
- Usually a sign-up with the event, or membership of the club
- Permanence
- Short; an idea only matters until the weekend ends
- What works
- A bounded problem with a clear demo that fits a weekend
- Chance it gets built
- Reasonable for a small idea shared before the event, though weekend projects are often dropped afterwards
We did not check any specific event or club, so confirm the rules with the organiser. Teams at these events often lack a good idea more than they lack skills, so a well-scoped one is welcome. The catch is that a hackathon project may stop when the event does, and you will have little say in how it turns out.
If you are a student looking for something to build rather than posting one, our list of app ideas for students is a better start.
12 Y Combinator Requests for Startups (read, do not post)
A page where Y Combinator lists the kinds of startups it would like founders to build, which you read for direction.
- Who reads it
- Founders deciding what to start
- Account needed
- None to read; there is no form on the page for sending an idea
- Permanence
- Not applicable; you cannot post here
- What works
- Reading it to check whether your idea fits a direction investors are asking for
- Chance it gets built
- Not applicable
The page describes itself as a tradition of sharing ideas the firm would like to see founders tackle, and says these are a fraction of what it funds and that you do not need to work on them to apply. It is a good page to read, and it is the wrong place to leave an idea you will not build, since its apply button is for founders who will.
Visit Y Combinator Requests for Startups (read, do not post) (ycombinator.com) →
How do the places compare at a glance?
| Place | Account to post | Best for | Poor for | What you get back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post your build ideas | No | A builder finding it with a ready prompt | Discussion | Votes, a build link if built |
| r/AppIdeas | Feedback on a concept | Permanence | Replies | |
| r/SomebodyMakeThis | Small wishes | Business critique | Replies | |
| r/Startup_Ideas | Business pushback | Please-build-this posts | Replies | |
| Indie Hackers | Yes | Meeting other builders | Giving ideas away | Replies |
| Hacker News (Ask HN) | Yes | A sharp technical question | A bare idea | Discussion |
| Product Hunt forums | Yes | Asking makers a question | Ideas | Replies |
| GitHub idea lists | GitHub | Learning projects with specs | Product wishes | A merge, maybe |
| X, Threads, Bluesky | Yes | Reach through your followers | Being found later | Reposts, replies |
| Discord and Slack | Yes, plus invite | Fast answers from peers | Search | Chat |
| Hackathons and clubs | Event sign-up | A weekend project | A lasting product | A prototype |
| YC Requests for Startups | Not applicable | Reading | Posting | Direction |
“Poor for” is our judgement from how each place describes itself, not a measured result. We did not test how often any of these places leads to something being built, and we publish no such figure, because we have none.
What should an app idea post say so a builder can act on it?
A post that says “an app for dog owners” gets a like and no build. A builder needs four things before they can picture a weekend: the problem, the person who has it, the first version, and what the person would pay or switch from. Everything else is decoration.
Name the person narrowly. “Freelance translators who invoice in three currencies” is buildable. “Freelancers” is not. Name the workaround they use today, because the workaround is the competitor. Then limit version one to three things and write down two you are leaving out on purpose. That list saves a builder from guessing your scope.
Titles that name a job work best, because a builder skimming a list reads only the title. Compare “An agent that answers from your docs and shuts up otherwise” on the board, read the original, with a title like “AI assistant”. Another example is photograph a parking sign and know if you can park here. Each says what goes in and what comes out.
Title: [Who] can [do one thing] without [the pain they have now] The problem: [one sentence, what goes wrong and how often] Who has it: [one specific person, not a group] What they do today: [the workaround, with the tool they use] First version does: [three things, no more] First version does not do: [two things left out on purpose] What they would pay or switch from: [one line, or write “no idea”] Platform: [web, iOS, browser extension, command line] Already exists? [the two closest products and what they miss]
Paste the draft into the free Idea Checker first. It reads only the text you type and points out missing detail. It is not advice and cannot say whether the idea will work. Then read how to validate an app idea if you want to test demand before you post.
Will someone steal your app idea if you post it publicly?
Someone can copy it, and nobody can stop them. A public post has no protection, and none of the places above offers any. If the idea is valuable only while nobody else knows it, do not post it.
In practice, copying is rarely the problem. Most ideas that people post sit unbuilt, because turning a paragraph into a product takes weeks of work, and the person who has that time usually has ideas of their own. An idea is cheap and a finished, maintained product is expensive. That is the reason a board for ideas you will never build can exist at all.
- Post it if you will never build it, or you would be glad to see it exist, with or without your name on it.
- Keep it private if you plan to build it within the year, or the value is a specific method or dataset you hold.
- Post a smaller version if you want feedback but not a clone: describe the problem and the user, and leave out how you would solve it.
We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. Ideas as such are generally not protected by copyright; if you have an invention you may want to protect, ask a professional before posting anywhere.
How do you check whether your app idea already exists before posting?
Spend thirty minutes on it, and write down what you find. Finding a competitor is not bad news. It means someone paid for the same problem. Finding nothing at all deserves suspicion too, because it often means nobody wants it enough to build it.
- Search the problem, not your name for the solution. Type what the person types when they are annoyed: “track freelance invoices in two currencies”. Check the first two pages, not just the first result.
- Search the app stores and the extension stores. Look at the one-star reviews of the nearest product. They list what it misses, which is your first version.
- Search the places above. Look through r/AppIdeas, r/SomebodyMakeThis and the board by category for the same wish. An older post with votes tells you the demand is real; it also tells you the idea is not new.
- Look for a paid ad. If a search for the problem shows a sponsored result, someone is paying to find these users.
- Run it through the [Idea Checker](/check) to see which parts of your text are vague.
Then write the two closest products into the “Already exists?” line of the template. A builder who sees you did this work will take the post more seriously than one who finds a competitor in five minutes.
Which place should you pick?
- You want someone to build it and you want no signup: the board. It is permanent, so write the post carefully.
- You want to be told whether it is any good: r/AppIdeas or r/Startup_Ideas, with a direct question. Rewrite the idea from the replies.
- You want a collaborator who builds for fun: a maker chat community, after you have answered other people’s questions for a while.
- You have a technical question inside the idea: Ask HN, phrased as a question and not as a pitch.
- You wrote a spec for a learning project: a GitHub idea list, in its template. Expect a long wait.
- You are not sure the idea is worth posting: what to do with an app idea lays out the options, including building it yourself with an AI coding tool.
Doing two is normal. Test the wording on a subreddit, then post the sharpened version to the board and link to it from your timeline. Our alternatives pages cover the sites that publish ideas rather than take them.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to post an app idea?
It depends on the goal. For a builder to find your idea without any account, post it on Post your build ideas. For replies, use r/AppIdeas or r/SomebodyMakeThis. For business questions, try r/Startup_Ideas or Indie Hackers. None of them guarantees that anyone builds the idea, so write the post as if a stranger must scope it alone.
Can I post an app idea without making an account?
Yes, on Post your build ideas: type a name, choose a category, add a title and description, and publish. No email is needed. Reddit, Hacker News, Product Hunt and Indie Hackers all require an account to post. The trade-off here is that a published post is permanent and cannot be edited or deleted by you.
Is it safe to post my app idea online?
It is safe in the sense that posting harms nothing, but it is not protected: anyone can copy a public idea. Ideas are usually cheap and execution is expensive, so most posted ideas are never built by anyone. If the idea only has value while it is secret, or you plan to build it yourself soon, keep it private.
Will anyone actually build my idea if I post it?
Possibly, but nobody can promise it, and we have no figure for how often it happens. What helps is a narrow user, a first version that fits a weekend, and a clear title. A board with a ready build prompt lowers the effort for a builder. A feed of replies helps you improve the idea but rarely produces a build by itself.
Can I get paid for an app idea?
Not by posting it on a public board. Post your build ideas has no payment between poster and builder, and the pricing field on a post is only a note about what the idea could earn. If you want income from an idea, you either build it yourself, perhaps with an AI coding tool, or bring in a developer under a written agreement.
Should I post the same idea in several places?
Posting in two or three places is normal if each serves a different goal, such as one feedback thread and one board entry. Read each community’s rules first, because some dislike cross-posting and we could not read the Reddit rules. Use the replies from the first place to improve the version you post in the second.
Created with AI assistance and edited for this site. Examples are illustrative and do not represent customer research. About the publisher.