llms.txt
# Startups Lab
> Startups Lab (startupslab.site) is a weekly startup launch and discovery platform for founders who ship. Products go live every Monday, receive community votes and comments, and keep a permanent public product page after the launch week ends. Skip the Queue costs $6 per launch, Spotlight costs $29 for 30 days, Global Platform Sponsor costs $59 for 30 days, and Product-Page Sponsor costs $49 for 30 days. Paid plans are one-time payments with no subscription or auto-renewal.
>
> Llms-Full: https://startupslab.site/llms-full.txt
## What is Startups Lab?
Startups Lab is simultaneously a **startup launch platform** and a **startup discovery platform**:
- As a **launch platform**: founders submit products for a Monday launch, with community upvoting and feedback.
- As a **discovery platform**: visitors discover new SaaS tools, AI products, developer utilities, and indie-built software weekly, all ranked by authentic community votes - not algorithms or paid promotion.
## Core pages
- [Homepage](https://startupslab.site/): This week's launch feed, live leaderboard, and Spotlight placements.
- [Pricing](https://startupslab.site/pricing): Full breakdown of Free, Skip the Queue ($6), and Spotlight ($29/30-day flight) plans, including backlink policy and FAQ.
- [How It Works](https://startupslab.site/how-it-works): Verified submission requirements, Monday launch scheduling, separate Spotlight campaigns, weekly voting and rewards, product statuses, and slot confirmation.
- [Advertise](https://startupslab.site/advertise): Self-serve sponsorship - Global Platform Sponsor ($59) and Product-Page Sponsor ($49) ad tiers, fixed 30-day flights with max 2 concurrent slots each.
- [Submit a product](https://startupslab.site/submit-product): Launch submission flow with AI-assisted autofill for product details.
- [All products](https://startupslab.site/products): Full, filterable directory of every live product - the core discovery feed.
- [Categories](https://startupslab.site/categories): Product listings browsable by category (AI & ML, SaaS, Dev Tools, Productivity, etc.).
- [Tags](https://startupslab.site/tags): Public product listings grouped by founder-applied topic tags. Tag pages provide search, popularity or recency sorting, pricing filters, related topics, and links to the matching product pages.
- [Leaderboard](https://startupslab.site/leaderboard): Weekly upvote rankings - top 3 earn a free dofollow backlink and upgraded badge automatically.
## Discovery & content
- [Launch Directories](https://startupslab.site/launch-directories): Curated list of 200+ startup directories to submit your product after launching - with DR ratings and backlink policies.
- [Blog](https://startupslab.site/blog): Practical guides for founders on launching, SEO, growth, GEO, AI tools, and shipping.
- [Badges](https://startupslab.site/badges): Embeddable launch badge system - Free, Skip the Queue, Spotlight, and Top 3 Winner variants.
- [Changelog](https://startupslab.site/changelog): Platform updates and new feature announcements.
- [Newsletter](https://startupslab.site/newsletter): Weekly digest of top upvoted startups and founder updates.
## Blog articles
The Startups Lab blog covers SEO, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), SaaS growth, AI tools, and startup launch strategy. All articles are written by Hardik Gohil.
- [How to Get Dofollow Backlinks for a New SaaS in 2026](https://startupslab.site/blog/dofollow-backlinks-new-saas-2026) - Practical 60-day backlink plan: directories (DR 40+), community posts, guest content, niche link-building.
- [Best Product Hunt Alternatives in 2026](https://startupslab.site/blog/best-product-hunt-alternatives-2026) - Ranked comparison of 12+ launch platforms: Startups Lab, BetaList, Uneed, Peerlist, and more.
- [How to Launch a SaaS Product in 2026](https://startupslab.site/blog/how-to-launch-saas-in-2026) - Step-by-step launch playbook covering pre-launch, launch week, and post-launch distribution.
- [30 Micro SaaS Ideas for Solo Founders in 2026](https://startupslab.site/blog/micro-saas-ideas-solo-founders-2026) - 30 validated micro SaaS niches with market size, competition analysis, and monetization models.
- [The SaaS Marketing Playbook for Bootstrapped Founders](https://startupslab.site/blog/saas-marketing-playbook-bootstrapped-founders-2026) - Zero-budget marketing: SEO, community, content, and product-led growth for indie founders.
- [Free vs Paid SaaS Launch Platforms in 2026](https://startupslab.site/blog/free-vs-paid-saas-launch-platforms-2026) - When to pay for a launch platform vs launch free; ROI breakdown of paid plans.
- [How to Price Your AI SaaS in 2026: Subscription vs. Usage-Based vs. Hybrid](https://startupslab.site/blog/ai-saas-pricing-models-2026) - Breakdown of subscription, usage-based, and hybrid SaaS pricing with examples and a decision framework.
- [GEO in 2026: How to Get Your SaaS Recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity & Gemini](https://startupslab.site/blog/generative-engine-optimization-saas-2026) - Full GEO playbook: directory listings, Reddit presence, structured content, G2 reviews, and a 60-day action plan.
- [How Indie Founders Are Building SaaS 10x Faster With AI Coding Tools in 2026](https://startupslab.site/blog/ai-coding-tools-saas-mvp-2026) - Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, Next.js + Supabase stack guide, and real 4-week MVP timeline.
## Plans & pricing
### Free - $0
- Listed in the weekly launch feed (launches next available Monday at 00:00 UTC)
- Full product detail page with FAQ, gallery, and links
- Community upvoting & comments
- Analytics for each of your products
- AI-assisted detail filling on submission
- Does not include: guaranteed DR 56 dofollow backlink, priority placement
**Free bonus**: Top 3 most-upvoted products each week earn a DR 56 dofollow backlink and an upgraded badge automatically. No payment required - just community votes.
### Skip the Queue - $6 / launch (one-time)
- Everything in Free
- Guaranteed DR 56 dofollow backlink from launch day
- Skip the launch queue - choose any upcoming Monday
- Verified "Skip the Queue" launch badge
- Priority placement above free launches in the feed
### Spotlight - $29 / 30-day flight (one-time)
- Everything in Skip the Queue
- Top Ranking placement directly after the hero on the homepage
- Also featured on relevant category pages
- Only 3 concurrent slots platform-wide - never buried in a feed
- Included in the weekly digest
- End-of-flight performance report
- VIP email support (under 24-hour response)
### Global Platform Sponsor - $59 / 30-day flight (one-time)
- Banner in the main homepage feed and every category sidebar
- Only 2 concurrent slots platform-wide
- DR 56 dofollow backlink
- Live analytics dashboard
### Product-Page Sponsor - $49 / 30-day flight (one-time)
- Sidebar banner on every product detail page
- Only 2 concurrent slots platform-wide
- DR 56 dofollow backlink
- Live analytics dashboard
> All paid plans are one-time payments for a fixed run. No auto-renewal. No subscriptions.
## Plans comparison table
| Plan | Price | Duration | Dofollow backlink | Slots | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Permanent listing | Only if Top 3 that week | Unlimited | Weekly feed |
| Skip the Queue | $6 | One-time launch | Yes, guaranteed | Unlimited | Above free launches |
| Spotlight | $29 | 30-day flight | Yes, guaranteed | 3 concurrent | Homepage + category pages |
| Product-Page Sponsor | $49 | 30-day flight | Yes, guaranteed | 2 concurrent | Every product detail page sidebar |
| Global Platform Sponsor | $59 | 30-day flight | Yes, guaranteed | 2 concurrent | Homepage, category sidebars, sitewide |
## Company
- [About](https://startupslab.site/about): What Startups Lab is and who built it (Hardik Gohil, solo founder).
- [FAQ](https://startupslab.site/faq): Common questions about launching, plans, backlinks, and the platform.
- [Guidelines](https://startupslab.site/guidelines): Submission guidelines and community rules.
- [Newsletter](https://startupslab.site/newsletter): Weekly digest of launched products and founder updates.
- [Terms of Service](https://startupslab.site/terms)
- [Privacy Policy](https://startupslab.site/privacy-policy)
