Launch Cheat Sheet 2026: Limits, Image Sizes, Timings and the Five Decisions
Every launch needs five decisions: what the product does in one sentence, who it is for, the single action that counts, which places to use and in what order, and how you will measure and when you will stop. This sheet also gathers the text limits, image sizes and timings we read on platforms’ own pages on 13 November 2026, each with its source. Confirm a number on the platform before you rely on it.
What are the five decisions every launch needs?
| Decision | The question | A usable answer | The usual failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The sentence | What does it do? | A plain sentence a stranger could repeat; short enough for the tightest field you will fill | A slogan that names no job |
| 2. The reader | Who is it for? | One kind of person, in the words they use for their problem | “Anyone who wants to be more productive” |
| 3. The action | What single thing counts as success? | One event you can count, such as a first booking or a first saved note | Counting visits and calling it traction |
| 4. The places | Where do you launch, and in what order? | Three or four places that match the reader, with the no-queue one first and any waiting line started early | Fifteen submissions you cannot follow up |
| 5. The measure and the stop | How will you know, and when do you change course? | A tagged link per place, a results sheet and a rule written before launch | Deciding after the fact, from mood |
If you can fill all five rows in ten lines, you are ready to write the listing. If you cannot answer the first two, the problem is the product’s focus, not the launch. The free launch checklist for 2026 breaks the five down into 52 steps, and the launch copy generator helps with the first.
What are the character limits worth knowing?
These are limits we read on the platform’s own pages, not folklore. The strictest, 30 characters for a store app name and 75 for a BetaList pitch, are the ones to write against first; a short version expands more easily than a long one cuts.
| Platform | Field | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple App Store | Name; subtitle | 2 to 30; 30 characters | App Store Connect help |
| Apple App Store | Promotional text; description | 170; 4000 characters | App Store Connect help |
| Apple App Store | Keywords | 100 bytes | App Store Connect help |
| Google Play | App name; short description; full description | 30; 80; 4,000 characters | Play Console help |
| Chrome Web Store | Summary | 132 characters | Chrome for Developers |
| Shopify App Store | App name; introduction; details | 30; 100; 500 characters | shopify.dev |
| Shopify App Store | A feature in the feature list | 80 characters | shopify.dev |
| BetaList | Pitch; description | 75 characters (one sentence); 700 characters plain text | BetaList agent page |
| BetaList | Topics; screenshots | Up to 5; up to 5 | BetaList agent page |
| Launching Next | Headline; description; tags | 5 to 8 words; 2,500 characters; 5 to 10 tags | Its submit form |
| Figma Community | OAuth app tagline; file tags | 100 characters; up to 5 tags of up to 25 characters | Figma Help Center |
| VS Code Marketplace | Keywords in the manifest | At most 30 | Extension manifest reference |
| Hacker News | Show HN title | Must begin with “Show HN” | Show HN guidelines |
Google Play’s help also recommends alt text of 140 characters or fewer for each image. Limits count differently: Google’s page says its counts apply to full-width and half-width characters alike, and Apple counts keywords in bytes. Our Google Play listing assets and app store screenshot sizes pages show the surrounding rules.
Which image sizes should you keep on hand?
| Surface | Size or ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome Web Store icon | 128 x 128 px | Artwork 96 x 96 inside; PNG |
| Chrome screenshots; promo tiles | 1280 x 800 or 640 x 400; 440 x 280 and 1400 x 560 | 1 to 5 screenshots |
| Google Play icon; feature graphic | 512 x 512; 1024 x 500 | Icon has alpha, graphic has none |
| Apple icon layout | 1024 x 1024 px | Layered or flat; system rounds corners |
| App Store, iPhone required class | 1179 x 2556 or 1206 x 2622 | Up to 10 per device size |
| App Store, Mac | 1280 x 800 up to 2880 x 1800 | 16:10 |
| Shopify icon; screenshots | 1200 x 1200; 1600 x 900 | 3 to 6 screenshots, 16:9 |
| Figma icon; thumbnail | 128 x 128; 1920 x 1080 | Recommended sizes |
| VS Code icon | At least 128 x 128 | PNG; not SVG |
| LinkedIn link preview | At least 1200 x 627; about 1.91:1 | File under 5 MB |
| BetaList gallery; icon | About 4:3, such as 800 x 600; square, 512 px or more | Guidance, not a hard limit |
The logo and icon specs, Open Graph image specs and launch platform screenshot sizes pages explain these rows and the alpha-channel differences between them.
What are the timings that decide your calendar?
| Item | Timing | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| Uneed free waiting line | Launch date assigned at least 50 days out | Uneed pricing |
| OpenHunts free launch queue | About 60 weeks shown on the day; its badge skips the wait | OpenHunts pricing |
| Smol Launch free launches | 50 free verified places a week; new launch week opens Monday 9:00 AM PST | Smol Launch pricing and home |
| DevHunt | A new batch of launches each week; newsletter on Tuesdays | DevHunt FAQ |
| Launching Next | Submissions reviewed daily; paid upgrade for one business day | Its submit form |
| BetaList | At least 24 hours between being featured and the newsletter; refunds take 5 to 10 business days | BetaList help |
| Peerlist Launchpad | A new one each week, starting on Monday | From our 12 November notes; page unreadable |
| Chrome Web Store promo images | Reviewed within about a week | Chrome for Developers |
| Apple app preview | 15 to 30 seconds; processing up to 24 hours | App Store Connect help |
| Figma plugin data security review | Up to two weeks | Figma Help Center |
| VS Code verified publisher | Extensions on the Marketplace for 6 months or more, domain at least 6 months old | VS Code publishing docs |
| This board | Unconfirmed launch deleted after 24 hours; final once published; same site again after 7 days | Our own product rules |
Which rules cost people a slot?
- BetaList does not accept free hosting subdomains or direct app store links; you need your own domain.
- Show HN excludes landing pages, newsletters and sign-up pages, and says not to ask friends to upvote or comment.
- Lobsters bars members in their first 70 days from submitting self-promotion, and suggests keeping it under a quarter of your activity.
- DevHunt accepts developer tools only, and its voters sign in with GitHub or Google.
- Smol Launch’s free route needs its badge on your site and votes for five other launches first.
- Shopify forbids statistics, reviews and prices in listing text and images, and wants a demo screencast and test credentials for review.
- Google Play advises against words such as “Best”, “#1”, “Top”, “New” and “Sale” in screenshots, graphics and the short description.
- The App Store does not accept screenshots with an alpha channel or transparency.
Most of these are a quick check once you know they exist. The state of free launch platforms page records the costs of each free route, and the launch platform comparison table puts the platforms side by side.
How should you use the sheet on launch week?
- Fill in the five decisions first, in a note you can see while you work.
- Write the shortest text, the 30 character name and 75 character pitch, before any long copy.
- Export the image masters once, then crop to the sizes above.
- Put queue dates in your calendar the day you apply.
- Check each row against the platform’s page on the day you submit, because numbers move.
Then launch your product free on this board, which needs none of the sizes above, and use the rest for the stores and boards you add. Looking for a product to build? The AI agent ideas on the board are a good place to start. If a number on this sheet is wrong, the platform’s own page is the authority, and we will correct ours with a new date.
Frequently asked questions
What are the five decisions every launch needs?
The one-sentence description of what the product does, the one kind of person it is for, the single action that counts as success, the places and the order to use them in, and the measure with a rule for when to stop or change course. Answer all five in writing before you fill any listing form.
Which character limit should I write against first?
Write the 30 character name, which Apple, Google Play and Shopify all state, and a 75 character pitch, which is BetaList’s limit. A short version expands easily, while a long one is painful to cut. Then write the 100, 500 and 700 character versions that stores and directories ask for.
How far ahead should I apply to a free launch queue?
As soon as the product exists. Uneed’s pricing page says free launch dates are assigned at least 50 days out, and OpenHunts’ page showed a queue of about 60 weeks on 13 November 2026. Treat a queued slot as a bonus and launch first on a place with no wait.
How current are the numbers on this sheet?
Every number was read from the platform’s own page on 13 November 2026. Several of those pages carry older revision dates, for example Chrome’s image page shows 2018. Stores and boards change limits without notice, so confirm each one in the upload form before you prepare files around it.
Post your build ideas publishes this page and runs a free launch board that competes with some of the sites it names. Facts about other sites came from their own pages on the date shown above; terms, queues and prices change, so confirm on their sites before you decide. About the publisher.