The AI-facing twin of Sidehunt, same operator and same four steps, with the same badge gate at the end.
makerhunt.io
Eligibility
Who MakerHunt accepts
You need
An account (Google, GitHub or an emailed link)
A link to makerhunt.io on your site, verified before submission (Free Launch)
A logo and project details
You'll be rejected if
Nothing stated publicly
AI toolsSaaS productsDeveloper toolsIndie projects
What you actually get
A project page at makerhunt.io/project/your-slug plus a launch blog post, live on the homepage for your chosen week. Its calendar is its own: the earliest free week here was 2026-W52 with 7 of 15 slots, a week later than its sibling Sidehunt and differently filled, so the two do not queue together.
How to submit to MakerHunt
1
Sign in
/submit redirects to /auth/signin offering Google, GitHub or an emailed link; the account is created by the same click.
2
Choose one of three lanes
Free Launch needs a badge and is nofollow unless you win top 3. Nofollow Launch is free, needs no badge and is nofollow always. Premium is $19 with a guaranteed dofollow.
3
Fill the AI project details
Step 2 is titled "Tell us about your AI project" and carries the same 400-word minimum description as Sidehunt, enforced by a live counter, plus a required logo under 1MB and an optional preview image under 2MB.
4
Pick a launch week from its own calendar
Fifteen free slots a week, and the availability differs from Sidehunt's despite the shared code: the earliest free week here was 2026-W52 while Sidehunt's was 2026-W51.
5
Verify the backlink
Step 4 of 4 checks your site for a link to makerhunt.io before anything is scheduled. Free Launch cannot complete without it.
MakerHunt requirements
Account sign-in (Google, GitHub or emailed link)
Project URL, name, a short title and a maker name
A description of at least 400 words
Up to three categories and a pricing model
A logo under 1MB
A verified link to makerhunt.io on your site (Free Launch)
Preview image under 2MB and an X handleoptional
Gotchas
The free lane is nofollow unless you finish top three in your week, and you have to host their link to enter at all, so the badge can sit on your site for the whole run and still return nothing that passes equity.
A site-wide banner says you can launch premium for free during a special offer while the premium card on the same page still reads "One-time $19 payment", and nothing on the page reconciles the two.
It is one of six near-identical launch boards from the same operator, sharing the flow, the copy and the sponsors with Sidehunt, so submitting to several of them buys far less than the count suggests; only the launch calendars are genuinely separate.
Let your agent submit to MakerHunt
Connect SubmitMap to your AI over MCP and this page stops being something you read and copy. Your agent asks for the MakerHunt playbook and gets the brief for this exact form, with the values already taken from your submission pack instead of placeholders you fill in by hand.
What it does for this platform
Checks your product against the 4 MakerHunt rules above, so you find out you would be rejected before you open a tab.
Hands your agent all 7 fields this form asks for, 1 of them optional, already filled from your pack.
Warns you that MakerHunt looks for its badge on your site, so it has to be live before you submit rather than after.
Tells you what paying buys here, so you pick it on purpose: $19 Premium guarantees the dofollow and needs no badge; a site-wide banner offers premium free while the card still reads $19.
Types it into MakerHunt in your own browser, and stops for you when the form wants a sign-in.
Records what it sent, so the dashboard can answer "did I ever submit to MakerHunt?".
Connect your agentTools and endpointsWorks with Claude Code, Claude, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Hermes.
MakerHunt FAQ
How long does MakerHunt approval take?
MakerHunt's typical time from submission to going live is 17+ weeks.
How much does it cost to submit to MakerHunt?
MakerHunt has a free submission option plus paid placement ($19 Premium guarantees the dofollow and needs no badge; a site-wide banner offers premium free while the card still reads $19).
Does MakerHunt give a dofollow backlink?
No, links from MakerHunt are nofollow. The site has a domain rating of 41.
Does MakerHunt require a backlink to your site?
Yes, MakerHunt expects a link back from your site as part of listing.
What gets you rejected from MakerHunt?
Nothing stated publicly.