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Indie Hackers

A community where founders share how they build and grow profitable online businesses.

Free to joinFounder communityIndependent again
Visit indiehackers.com ↗Last verified: 5 Nov 2026

Fact-checked

Refael EliyahuMarketing, Startup StashEconomics-trained and numbers-first. He owns content, SEO, and distribution here, and every tools page goes through him before the Fact-checked mark goes live.
FreeCore community
IH+Paid tier
2017Bought by Stripe
2023Independent again
The short version

What is Indie Hackers, and what are the alternatives?

Indie Hackers is a free online community where founders share revenue numbers, build-in-public updates and lessons from running small online businesses. It is still active, and there are other founder communities if it is not the right fit.

Courtland and Channing Allen built Indie Hackers. Stripe acquired it in 2017, and in April 2023 the founders took it back as a standalone business, with Stripe staying on as an investor. The site today shows founder posts, build-in-public updates and a Partner Up section for finding co-founders. Some posts are marked for IH+ subscribers only, which is a paid tier. We could not find its price on the pages we could load.

Bottom line: Indie Hackers is still a good free place for bootstrapped founders to learn and share. If you want a smaller group, more structure, or a SaaS-specific crowd, compare the communities on our alternatives page.

What it does

Key features

Founder posts

Build-in-public updates, founder stories and questions from people running small businesses.

Partner Up

Meet co-founders, start something new, or offer to help on someone else's project.

IH+ subscriber content

Some posts are only for paying IH+ subscribers.

Comment threads

Every post has a discussion where other founders reply and give feedback.

What it costs

Indie Hackers pricing (2026)

Plan Price What you get
Community Free Read and join discussions with a free account.
IH+ Not published Paid subscription for subscriber-only posts. Price not shown on the pages we could load.

Source: indiehackers.com on 5 Nov 2026. Check the site for the current IH+ price.

Honest fit

Who it's for, who it isn't

Pick Indie Hackers if

  • You are building a bootstrapped or side-project business
  • You like learning from real founder numbers and stories
  • You want to build in public and get feedback
  • You are looking for a co-founder or a project to join

Look elsewhere if

  • You want a small, vetted, private group
  • You are raising venture capital and want VC-focused peers
  • You want structured coaching or a course
  • You need a community for one specific industry
What people ask

Indie Hackers FAQ

What are the best Indie Hackers alternatives?

Other founder communities. Some are smaller and private, some focus on SaaS or no-code. Compare them on our Indie Hackers alternatives page.

Is Indie Hackers free?

Yes, mostly. The community is free. IH+ is a paid tier for some subscriber-only posts.

Does Stripe still own Indie Hackers?

No. In April 2023 the founders took Indie Hackers back as a standalone business. Stripe stayed on as an investor.

Who runs Indie Hackers?

Its founders, Courtland and Channing Allen. They started it, sold it to Stripe in 2017, and own it again since 2023.

Can I find a co-founder on Indie Hackers?

Yes. The Partner Up section lists people looking for co-founders or projects to join.
Keep comparing

Indie Hackers alternatives

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