Indie Launch Statistics 2026: 690 Launches Analyzed
Categories, pricing models, platforms and open-source share of every live product on IndieNeed. Data last updated 6 November 2026.
Key findings
AI is the most common category on IndieNeed: 173 of 690 (25%) live launches, ahead of Productivity (89) and Developer Tools (51).
Link to this finding576 of 690 (83%) launches can be used for free: 340 list a free pricing model and 236 freemium. The other 114 charge from the start (paid, subscription or one-time).
Link to this findingFree is more common than freemium: 340 (49%) against 236 (34%).
Link to this finding20 of 690 (3%) live launches are marked open source by their makers.
Link to this findingOf 221 launches that list their platforms, 179 (81%) run on the web and 42 (19%) on iOS or Android.
Link to this finding630 makers have live launches on IndieNeed; 58 of 630 (9%) of them have launched more than one product.
Link to this findingLaunches span 39 categories; the five largest hold 389 of 690 (56%) of them.
Link to this finding
Breakdowns
Launches by category (of 690 live launches)
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| AI | 173 | 25% |
| Productivity | 89 | 13% |
| Developer Tools | 51 | 7% |
| Finance | 41 | 6% |
| Marketing | 35 | 5% |
| Education | 29 | 4% |
| Design Tools | 27 | 4% |
| Health & Fitness | 21 | 3% |
| Gaming | 15 | 2% |
| Video | 15 | 2% |
| E-Commerce | 14 | 2% |
| SEO | 14 | 2% |
| Analytics | 13 | 2% |
| Social Media | 13 | 2% |
| Data | 12 | 2% |
| Other (24 categories) | 128 | 19% |
Launches by pricing model (of 690 launches with a pricing model)
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 340 | 49% |
| Freemium | 236 | 34% |
| Paid | 53 | 8% |
| Subscription | 39 | 6% |
| One-time purchase | 22 | 3% |
Launches by platform (of 221 launches that list platforms)
| Group | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Web | 179 | 81% |
| Android | 32 | 14% |
| iOS | 32 | 14% |
| API | 20 | 9% |
| macOS | 19 | 9% |
| Windows | 19 | 9% |
| Browser extension | 16 | 7% |
| Linux | 8 | 4% |
A product can list several platforms, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Questions this data answers
What is the most common category of indie product launches?
AI is the most common category on IndieNeed: 173 of 690 (25%) live launches, ahead of Productivity (89) and Developer Tools (51).
Link to this answerAre most indie products free?
576 of 690 (83%) launches can be used for free: 340 list a free pricing model and 236 freemium. The other 114 charge from the start (paid, subscription or one-time).
Link to this answerHow many indie launches are open source?
20 of 690 (3%) live launches are marked open source by their makers.
Link to this answerMethodology
- Source: every live product on IndieNeed (690 at the last update). Drafts, products waiting for review, scheduled launches and rejected submissions are not counted.
- Category, pricing model, platforms and the open-source mark are chosen by each maker when they submit. Staff review free listings before they go live, but these fields are the maker's own description.
- Upvotes and reviews are not analysed here: most products have too few for a reliable figure.
- A finding with fewer than 20 products behind it is not stated. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number, so groups may not add up to exactly 100.
- The numbers are recomputed from the database every few hours. The last-updated date is when a counted product last changed.
How to cite this page
IndieNeed, "Indie Launch Statistics 2026: 690 Launches Analyzed", November 2026, https://www.indieneed.com/research/indie-launches