Where to Launch a Hardware Product: Crowdfunding, Maker Marketplaces and Build Communities
Launch a hardware product by showing a working prototype, not a render, in the places where makers and early buyers already gather: crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and Crowd Supply, maker marketplaces such as Tindie, and build communities such as Hackaday.io and Hackster. Hacker News welcomes hardware as a Show HN if you post a video or a detailed article, since readers cannot hold it. Several of these sites blocked our automated check, so read their rules before you plan around them.
Why does a hardware launch run in the opposite order to software?
Software can launch with a rough version and improve it the next day. A hardware product costs money before the first unit exists, so the launch has two jobs: prove the thing works, and find out whether enough people will pay before you manufacture. That is why the places on this page ask for prototypes, photos and build logs rather than a landing page and a tagline.
It also means the free launch board here is a supporting actor, not the main one. It has no pre-orders and room for only a logo and four images, so use it for a public page and comments while the real campaign happens elsewhere. Three of the sites below refused our automated fetch, and each entry says what we could and could not confirm.
Which places fit a hardware product at each stage?
The entries run from earliest to latest: show the build, find early buyers, then fund and ship.
01 Hackaday.io
A project-hosting site for hardware builds, with project logs, teams, contests and courses.
- Stage
- Early: document the build while you make it
- Account
- Sign-up with GitHub or X, per its homepage
- What it describes itself as
- A community and repository for open hardware projects, with a feedback feature
A project page with dated logs is a record of progress that a campaign page cannot fake: photos of the first board, the mistakes and the revision that fixed them. Backers and reviewers read that history later.
Post a log entry each time something changes, even a small one. The site offers discovery of related projects, which is also useful for finding parts and prior art.
02 Hackster.io
A platform for hardware projects, news, contests and events.
- Stage
- Early to middle: write up a working project
- Sections
- Projects, channels, news, contests, events and videos, per its homepage
A tutorial-style write-up of how to build something with your board gets read by people who might become customers. Contests listed on its homepage can give a deadline that keeps a build moving.
We did not read its posting rules or whether it charges anything, so check both before you invest time.
03 Show HN
Hacker News’s section for things you made, which names hardware explicitly.
- On topic
- Things people can run on their computers or hold in their hands
- For hardware
- A video or a detailed article is acceptable, since readers cannot try it
- Attitude
- Work need not look slick, and early-stage projects are welcome
The rule that bites is that you are around to discuss it. Readers will ask about parts, power consumption, certification and cost, so have the bill of materials open while you answer.
A short clip of the real prototype working, one photo of the board and a plain list of what is not finished yet is more convincing than a polished render.
04 Tindie
A marketplace where makers sell electronics, kits and 3D-printing or robotics products.
- Categories
- DIY electronics, 3D printing and CNC, IoT and smart home, robots and drones, sound and more, plus a Certified Open Hardware filter
- Stage
- Middle: you can already make a small batch and ship it
- Our check
- Its seller and fee pages refused an automated fetch, so we state no costs or rules
Selling a small batch here tests demand without a crowdfunding campaign, and it puts a real product page in front of people who buy electronics for fun. Hold back a few units for replacements and for people who reach out after a write-up.
Read the seller terms for fees, shipping rules and what it requires of listings. We could not confirm them.
05 Kickstarter
A large crowdfunding platform that hosts hardware and product design campaigns.
- Stage
- Late: you have a prototype, a manufacturing plan and a cost estimate
- Rules
- Its rules and its guidance for hardware cover how prototypes may be shown; read both
- Our check
- Its pages refused an automated fetch, so we quote no fees or funding terms
A campaign is a promise to deliver, so price in tooling, certification, shipping and a delay buffer before you set a goal. Many backers judge a campaign by the prototype video, so make it of the real thing.
Read the current rules page before you design the page. Platforms tighten what a hardware campaign may show, and a rule discovered after you have built the page costs a rewrite.
06 Crowd Supply
A crowdfunding and ecommerce platform aimed at hardware, where projects apply to be featured.
- Stage
- Late: a working prototype and a manufacturing plan
- Our check
- Its pages refused an automated fetch; we confirmed only that it presents an application route for projects
- Ask before applying
- What it expects of a prototype, what it charges and how long a campaign’s preparation takes
It is more selective than an open platform, which suits a product with a real engineering story, such as a documented open-source board. Its application is the first thing to read.
If you apply, include photos of the prototype in use and the plan for how you will build the first run. A clear answer to what could go wrong earns more trust than confidence.
07 Post your build ideas (our board)
A free launch board with a hardware and IoT category, no account and no queue.
- Use
- A public page and a comment thread for your product while the campaign runs elsewhere
- Limit
- No pre-orders, four images at most and a small audience
Describe the problem the device solves, the stage you are at and what you want to hear, such as pricing or power options. People on the board are builders and can give useful answers about parts.
The hardware and IoT ideas category lists devices other people want built, which is a good way to test a product concept before you order parts.
What sequence keeps the cost low until demand is proven?
- Open a build log on Hackaday.io and post the first working prototype with photos.
- Post a Show HN with a short video, and answer every question about parts and cost.
- Write one tutorial for Hackster that others can follow with your board.
- Ask a small group for pre-commitments before you order a batch, using a waitlist on your own page.
- Sell a small batch on Tindie, or apply to a crowdfunding platform once the manufacturing plan is written down.
The hardware product playbook puts dates on each step. For the general advice on proving demand before building, the MVP scope planner and the how to validate an app idea guide apply to devices too, and the side project launch checklist covers the basics.
Frequently asked questions
Can I post a hardware product on Show HN?
Yes. The Show HN page says on-topic things include those people can run on their computers or hold in their hands, and that for hardware you can post a video or detailed article. You still need to have built it yourself and be around to discuss it. Early-stage work is acceptable and does not need to look polished.
Do I need a prototype before I launch on a crowdfunding site?
Practically, yes. Platforms and backers expect to see the real thing working, and Kickstarter’s rules for hardware cover how prototypes may be shown. We could not read Kickstarter’s or Crowd Supply’s pages automatically, so check each site’s current rules and application questions before you start preparing a campaign page.
Where can I sell a small batch of electronics without a campaign?
Tindie is a marketplace where makers sell electronics and kits, with categories for DIY electronics, IoT and robotics. Its seller and fee pages blocked our automated check, so we cannot state costs. Read its seller terms, and decide how many units you can ship and support before you list.
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.