Alternative

A Startup Fame alternative for iOS apps

Indie Apps lists iPhone, iPad and Mac apps made by one person. A listing is free and stays up. Developers look past Startup Fame when they want an Apple-only catalogue behind the listing. Not affiliated with Startup Fame.

Submit your appSee pricing

What Startup Fame is

Curated startup directory with a free verified listing plus $19 and $149 monthly upgrades, reviewed over several business days; its 50-odd categories are grouped by function with no iOS or mobile section.

Free or paid · Reviewed first · checked 2 September 2026 · visit Startup Fame

Side by side

 Indie AppsStartup Fame
Who it listsiPhone, iPad and Mac apps, each by an independent developerProducts of every kind, on a launch board
What it costsFree listing; paid placements from $4.99, one-timeFree or paid
Getting listedReviewed by one personReviewed first
CheckedContinuously — it is this site2 September 2026

When Startup Fame is the right call

Go there instead when you want a curated startup directory with a verified listing attached. That is a different job from this one, and it is worth doing on its own terms — submit to Startup Fame.

Both, ideally. Every other place to launch an indie iOS app is listed here too, Startup Fame included.

What listing here gives you

Free

$0 forever

Your app in the directory, permanently. No badge required, and no queue.

  • A page of its own, in its category
  • Listed on your developer page
  • In search, and eligible for the Debuts board
  • A badge you can add to your own website
  • No link back required, and no approval queue
  • Your listing never expires

Featured

$4.99 per week

A week in the featured row on the home page, plus a followed link to your own site.

  • Everything in Free
  • A week in the featured row on the home page
  • Marked featured wherever the card appears, including search
  • A followed link to your site, kept after the week ends
  • A badge naming the week you were featured, yours to keep

Spotlight

$9.99 per week

A week as the only spotlight listing at the top of the home page.

  • Everything in Featured
  • A week at the top of the home page
  • The only app there — never rotated with another
  • Shown larger than anything else on the page
  • A badge naming the week you were spotlit, yours to keep

Rail placement

$24.99 per month

Your app in the rails beside every page on the site.

  • Beside every page, not only the home page
  • One of ten slots, held for the whole month
  • Your app in the directory too, free and permanent
  • A badge you can add to your own website

How a listing happens

  1. Paste the App Store link. Nothing is typed in by hand.
  2. Everything on the page — name, icon, screenshots, price, category — is imported from Apple, and refreshed as you ship updates.
  3. One person reads it. Apps by companies and apps that are not on the App Store are turned down.
  4. It goes live with a page of its own, in its category, on your developer page, and in search.

What this directory will not do

  • Sell you a ranking. Every grid is ordered newest first, and the weekly Debuts board is ranked by how many people this site sent to the App Store — a count of other people’s clicks, which cannot be bought.
  • Charge you again. Placements are one-time payments with an end date. Nothing renews.
  • Require a link back. The badge is optional, and a free listing never depends on it.
  • List a company. Apps made by teams are turned down, which is what keeps the catalogue worth browsing.

214 apps from 136 independent developers are listed today. Counted from the directory itself, not claimed.

Questions

Before you submit

Is Indie Apps an alternative to Startup Fame?

Indie Apps is a directory of iPhone, iPad and Mac apps made by independent developers. Every listing is imported from the App Store rather than typed in, and it stays up permanently. Developers look past Startup Fame when they want an Apple-only catalogue behind the listing. Many list in both places; they are not the same job.

What does Startup Fame cost?

Free or paid, as checked on 2 September 2026. The full list of places to launch an iOS app, with what each one costs, is at indie-apps.com/where-to-launch.

What does listing here cost?

A listing is free and permanent. Paid placements start at $4.99 and are one-time payments rather than subscriptions; nothing renews. Ranking is not for sale: every grid is ordered newest first, and the weekly Debuts board is ranked by how many people this directory sent to the App Store.

Do you take non-Apple apps?

No. Only apps on the App Store for iPhone, iPad or Mac, each made by an independent developer. That is the whole catalogue, which is why a visitor browsing it is already looking for what you built.

How long does a listing stay up?

Permanently. A listing is not a launch day: it keeps its URL, stays in its category and in search, and its metadata is refreshed from the App Store as you ship updates. Paid placements are the only thing with an end date, and they say which date when you book them.

Do I have to put a badge on my site?

No. A free listing needs no link back and joins no queue. There is a badge if you want one, and adding it makes your developer link followed — but the listing itself does not depend on it.

Should I list here instead of Startup Fame?

Both, if the app fits both. They answer different questions: Startup Fame is somewhere to launch, and this is a directory somebody browses when they want an app made by one person. Every other place to submit an iOS app is listed at indie-apps.com/where-to-launch, including Startup Fame.

Compared with the others