TL;DR
For daily accountability try WIP; for free feedback use r/SideProject and Hacker News; for bootstrapped SaaS peers join MicroConf; for founder revenue stories read Starter Story and check verified numbers on TrustMRR; to research makers, browse 385 profiles on IndieMakerList.
Why look for an Indie Hackers alternative?
Indie Hackers is still the central hub for bootstrapped founders. Courtland Allen launched it in August 2016 with transparent revenue interviews; it was acquired by Stripe in April 2017, when Channing Allen joined as co-founder, and the brothers spun it back out as an independent company in March 2023.
People look for alternatives for a few practical reasons:
- they want a smaller, higher-signal group than a large public forum;
- they need accountability or a mastermind, not just reading;
- they want reach for a launch, or verified rather than self-reported numbers;
- they prefer real-time chat over threaded posts.
Most makers end up using two or three of the sites below alongside Indie Hackers rather than replacing it.
Indie Hackers alternatives compared
| Site | Type | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| WIP | Paid community | Paid | Daily accountability |
| r/SideProject, r/indiehackers, r/SaaS and r/microsaas | Subreddits | Free | Feedback and launch reach |
| Hacker News | Forum | Free | Technical founders, Show HN |
| MicroConf | Events + community | Paid | Bootstrapped B2B SaaS |
| Small Bets | Paid community | Paid | Portfolio of side income streams |
| MegaMaker | Private Slack | One-time | Developers turning side projects into businesses |
| Starter Story | Founder case studies | Free + paid | Revenue interviews |
| TrustMRR | Verified revenue database | Free | Verified startup revenue |
| Women Make | Forum | Free | Women makers and founders |
| Peerlist | Network + launchpad | Free | Developers and designers |
| IndieMakerList | Maker directory | Free | Researching makers and their products |
The 10 best sites like Indie Hackers
1. WIP
Run by Marc Köhlbrugge (also behind BetaList), WIP is a community where makers log what they ship every day. It is the closest thing to the early Indie Hackers spirit, with a stronger focus on shipping and accountability and less on general discussion. The paywall keeps spam out.
2. r/SideProject, r/indiehackers, r/SaaS and r/microsaas
Reddit is the largest free alternative. r/SideProject is great for showing a new project, r/indiehackers mirrors Indie Hackers discussions, and r/SaaS and r/microsaas focus on software businesses. Read each subreddit’s rules on self-promotion before posting — value-first posts do far better than links.
3. Hacker News
Y Combinator’s forum is where many technical makers hang out. Show HN posts can bring a burst of traffic and blunt feedback — Tony Dinh made his first DevUtils sales after a Hacker News launch.
4. MicroConf
Co-founded by Rob Walling and Mike Taber, MicroConf is the original community for self-funded SaaS founders, with in-person conferences, an online community and mastermind groups. Choose it if you already have a SaaS with revenue and want peers at a similar stage.
5. Small Bets
Started by Daniel Vassallo and later sold to Gumroad, Small Bets combines a chat community with a class library for people building several small, independent income streams.
6. MegaMaker
Justin Jackson’s community has been running since 2013 and targets developers, designers and product people building side projects into businesses.
7. Starter Story
If what you loved about Indie Hackers was the transparent founder interviews, Starter Story is the best substitute. Pat Walls grew it to 1.5M monthly visitors, mostly from SEO, before selling it.
8. TrustMRR
Built by Marc Lou, TrustMRR verifies startup revenue directly through payment providers. It answers the “are these numbers real?” question that self-reported interviews cannot.
9. Women Make
A supportive community and forum for women makers and founders to share their work, journeys and advice.
10. Peerlist
A professional network for builders with a weekly project launchpad — part LinkedIn, part Product Hunt.
Newsletters and podcasts like Indie Hackers
If you mostly consumed Indie Hackers through its newsletter or podcast, these fill the same slot in your week:
- The Bootstrapped Founder — Arvid Kahl’s weekly essays and podcast on calm, audience-first businesses, drawing on his own exit.
- Startups for the Rest of Us — Rob Walling’s long-running show with 750+ episodes on bootstrapped and minimally funded software companies.
- Build Your SaaS — Justin Jackson and Jon Buda’s behind-the-scenes account of bootstrapping Transistor.
- Just Ship It — Marc Lou’s newsletter on finding ideas, launching fast and getting to profitability.
- Tiny Startups and Trends.vc — weekly emails on small startups that make money and on emerging business ideas.
The Indie Hackers Podcast itself, hosted by Courtland and Channing Allen, is still one of the best. See the full lists of newsletters for makers and podcasts for bootstrappers.
Where IndieMakerList fits
IndieMakerList is not a forum. It is a curated directory of indie makers with researched profiles: products, story, tech stack, timelines and revenue — but only when the maker reported it publicly, always with a source. Use it to find role models in your niche, study how a maker grew, or discover people to follow.
- Rank makers on the revenue leaderboard.
- Study real deals on the exits page.
- Browse all 29 indie maker communities, plus newsletters and podcasts.
- Find where to ship on the launch platforms list.
How to choose the right community
- Match your stage. Pre-revenue makers get the most from free forums and Reddit; founders with revenue get more from MicroConf-style peers.
- Match your format. Threads (Indie Hackers, Reddit, HN), daily logs (WIP) or chat (Small Bets, MegaMaker).
- Give before you ask. Arvid Kahl’s advice is to embed yourself in a community first — the problems and the customers come later.
- Limit yourself. Two active communities beat ten you lurk in.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Indie Hackers?
For most makers, WIP is the best paid alternative for daily accountability, and r/SideProject plus Hacker News are the best free alternatives for feedback and launch reach. Bootstrapped SaaS founders with revenue should look at MicroConf.
Is Indie Hackers still owned by Stripe?
No. Stripe acquired Indie Hackers in April 2017, and Courtland and Channing Allen spun it back out as an independent business in March 2023, with Stripe as a seed investor.
Are there free sites like Indie Hackers?
Yes. Reddit communities such as r/SideProject, r/indiehackers, r/SaaS and r/microsaas, Hacker News, Women Make, Peerlist and the DEV Community are all free.
Where can I find founder revenue interviews like Indie Hackers?
Starter Story publishes founder case studies with revenue, TrustMRR shows payment-verified revenue, and IndieMakerList profiles link the public sources behind each maker’s self-reported revenue.