AppOrbit vs Indie Hackers
Indie Hackers is the community where founders share products and revenue milestones. AppOrbit is a directory where mobile app revenue is verified at the source. Both are free. The difference is one word: verified.
- No listing fee
- No monthly fee
- No fee when you sell
- Free to list, like AppOrbit
- Revenue is entered by the founder
- No verification, so numbers can be inflated
The Indie Hackers Products directory lets founders list a product and share its revenue. It is a fantastic community with interviews, forums, and milestones, but the revenue on a product page is self reported. It is a founder's word, which is great for storytelling and less useful when a buyer or peer needs certainty.
AppOrbit removes the word of mouth. Revenue is read live from each app's RevenueCat account, so a number on AppOrbit is not claimed, it is pulled from the billing platform. That is the whole point. A leaderboard where every figure is trustworthy by construction.
The two are not mutually exclusive, and both are free. Indie Hackers is where you tell the story and find your people. AppOrbit is where you prove the numbers behind it. Plenty of founders link a verified AppOrbit listing from their Indie Hackers profile to back up what they share.
| Feature | AppOrbit | Indie Hackers |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to list | Free | Free |
| Revenue verification | Verified, live from RevenueCat | Self reported |
| Public revenue leaderboard | Yes, ranked board | Product pages |
| Mobile app metadata | Yes | General products |
| Anonymous listing | Yes, Alien and UFO modes | Public profile |
| Community, forums, interviews | No | Yes, large community |
Pick AppOrbit if
You want your app's revenue to be provably true, not just shared.
Pick Indie Hackers if
You want community, audience, and storytelling around your build.
If you value community and reach, Indie Hackers is unbeatable and free. If you want the revenue itself to be verifiable rather than self reported, that is exactly what AppOrbit adds, also free, and the two work best together.
List your app free on AppOrbit
Show what your app really earns, verified live from RevenueCat. No screenshots, no fees, no guessing.
How is AppOrbit different from Indie Hackers?
Indie Hackers shows self reported revenue inside a community. AppOrbit shows revenue read live from RevenueCat. The difference is verification. AppOrbit numbers cannot be inflated by the founder.
Are both free?
Yes. Both are free to list. The difference is that AppOrbit verifies revenue at the source while Indie Hackers relies on what the founder types in.
Can I use both?
Yes, and many founders do. Tell your story on Indie Hackers and link a verified AppOrbit listing as proof of the numbers behind it.