What ProductHunt Has Become

I used to love ProductHunt – it was a great place to launch your new site or app and get your first users and feedback. It’s hard to do this without a pre-existing following, so it was especially helpful for small developers and creators. And all those indie projects and apps to discover every day – a pure treasure trove!

Nowadays, looking at what’s posted on ProductHunt, it’s more AI than anything else. Don’t get me wrong, despite my previous post, I think AI can be really helpful in some products, but the fact that “AI” has become a basis for getting your product ranked high is not great for anyone building non-AI things.

Okay, let’s say you still decide to post: First of all, good luck battling with fake and spammy listings on your launch day, resulting in legitimate listings which don’t catch the first upvote wave to rank lower.

So now you’ve launched, what’s next? Take a look into your emails, because half a dozen spammers found an email address on one of your product’s pages and have sent you enticing offers to boost and improve your ProductHunt launch.

And that’s not all. Taking a look at the comments, the majority feel unnatural and generated. No honest feedback anymore, just automated messages praising you for your product without knowing what it even is.

I don’t know if and how ProductHunt will change in the next years, but as of now, it has become a less valuable resource for finding cool products and sharing them.