Where to Launch a Web App: Show HN, PWA Stores and Free Hosts
A web app has one advantage over every other kind of software: a visitor can use it with a single click. Launch it where that advantage counts, a Show HN post that links straight into the app, a free launch board and a Product Hunt page with a live demo. Then make it installable as a PWA, and consider the Microsoft Store, which accepts PWA submissions, for a second audience.
What can a web app do at launch that other software cannot?
Almost every other product type asks the visitor to install something, wait for a review or sign in to a store. A web app is a link. If the first screen already does the job, whoever clicks gets value in seconds, with no download, no account wall and no store approval between you and them. Choose launch places that preserve that, and avoid ones that put a description page in the way.
The practical rule is to link the app, not a marketing page. Put a short line above the fold saying what it does, a sample input already filled in, and the sign-up as an optional step after the first result. Every place on this list sends people to a link you control, so what that link opens is the launch.
Which seven places suit an app that runs in the browser?
Facts are from each platform’s own pages, read on 13 November 2026, apart from sites that refused our automated check, which are marked.
01 Hacker News (Show HN)
The section of Hacker News for things you made that other people can try right away.
- Cost
- Free to post; an account is needed
- On topic
- Things people can run on their computers; blog posts, sign-up pages and newsletters are off topic
- Visibility
- Every post appears on shownew and reaches the show page after a small points threshold
This is the best fit on the list for a web app, because the guidelines describe the ideal as something people can try without barriers such as sign-ups. Link to the app itself, state the stack and the constraint that shaped it, and say what you would change.
Expect someone to try the weirdest input within minutes. Test unusual file sizes, empty states and slow connections before you post, and keep a terminal open for the first hours.
02 Your own domain as an installable PWA
Making the web app installable so it behaves like an app on a phone or desktop.
- Needs
- HTTPS and a web app manifest with a name, a start URL and a display mode such as standalone
- Icons
- The manifest must include a 192 pixel and a 512 pixel icon
- Cost
- No store fee, because there is no store
The criteria on web.dev are short, and meeting them gives a visitor an install option and an icon on their home screen. For an app people return to, such as a tracker or a timer, that is the cheapest form of distribution available.
It does not replace discovery. An installable app that nobody has heard of stays unfound, so treat this as retention for the visitors the other places bring. MDN’s overview of progressive web apps explains what the installed version can do offline.
03 Microsoft Store (PWA submission)
The Windows store, which lists submitting a PWA as one of its supported routes.
- Account
- An individual developer account created in Partner Center; its registration page says to select “Get started for free”
- Routes
- MSIX, MSI or EXE, and PWA submissions
- Review
- Certification before it is published
A PWA that already passes the installability checks is a small step from a store listing, and you reach Windows users who look in the store first. Its docs describe reserving a name and creating a submission, and you will still write the usual listing details.
Test the packaged version in the store’s own environment before you submit, since it may behave differently from the page in your browser. The Windows apps page covers the Store process in more depth.
Visit Microsoft Store (PWA submission) (learn.microsoft.com) →
04 Static Spaces on Hugging Face
A free host for client-side web apps that also puts them in a gallery of demos.
- Cost
- Its overview says static Spaces are free for everyone
- Format
- Static HTML, which suits apps that run entirely in the browser
- Audience
- People browsing machine-learning and data demos
It fits a web app that runs fully in the browser and has something to do with data, models or visualisation. For a to-do list or a landing page, the audience is wrong and you will get no visitors who care.
A public Space is open, so anyone can read the source. That is fine for a client-side tool, and a reason to leave any private logic on your own server.
05 Product Hunt
A large launch site where a web app can offer a live try-it link beside the usual gallery.
- Cost
- Free to submit; sign-in required
- Ranking
- A daily ranking that resets at midnight Pacific
- Access
- Its pages refused our automated check, so only basics are stated
Make the first gallery frame the app with a real result in it, and link directly to a working demo that needs no account. Visitors who click and find a signup form first leave quickly.
It rewards preparation and a day of replies. If you are not ready for that, a free board or a community post gives you comments with less pressure.
06 GitHub, for open-source web apps
A repository with a live demo link and topics, so developers can find, run and fork the app.
- Mechanism
- Topics classify a repository so others can find it
- Include
- A live demo link near the top of the README
- Fit
- Apps whose code is part of the appeal
Put a screenshot, the live link and a one-line install at the top. A web app whose source is public gets a different crowd: people who want to learn from it, self-host it or contribute.
Add a license file. Without one, others have no stated permission to reuse the code, and many will not try.
07 Post your build ideas (our launch board)
A free launch board we run, where a web app’s page links straight to the running app.
- Cost
- Free; no account; no queue; no paid placement
- Going live
- One emailed link publishes the launch
- Limit
- Small audience; bring your own traffic
Give the launch form the address of the app itself, so voters land on a working screen. The outbound link is a normal followed link, and comments come in threads under the listing.
Pick up to three categories from the ideas board that a user would browse, and settle the pitch before you press Publish, since a published launch is final.
In what order should a web app use these places?
- Make the app installable and check that a first-time visitor reaches a result without signing up.
- List it on our board the same day and tag the link with a source for each place you plan to post.
- Post Show HN when you can stay online, and keep the thread open all day.
- Add the Microsoft Store or Product Hunt only after the app has survived a week of strangers.
The playbook for launching a web app puts dates on it, and the launch description templates cover the wording for each place.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to put a web app in an app store?
No. A web app is reachable by link, and a PWA can be installed from the browser. Stores add a second audience: Microsoft’s publishing pages list PWA submission as a route, for example. Add a store listing once you can see that people ask for one, because each store brings a review and extra upkeep.
Is Show HN good for a web app?
Yes, it is the best fit of the common launch places, since its guidelines favour things people can try right away without sign-ups. Link the app rather than a landing page, explain what is hard about it and stay for the discussion. Do not ask friends to upvote, because the guidelines forbid it.
What makes a web app installable?
Per web.dev, it is served over HTTPS and has a web app manifest with a name, a start URL, a display mode such as standalone, and icons that include 192 and 512 pixel sizes. Meet those and browsers can offer installation. It does not bring visitors, but it helps the ones you have come back.
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.