I built a small, curated API marketplace because I was tired of wasting hours on bad ones
Hey Indie Hackers,
Over the last few weeks while working on side projects, I kept running into the same problem: finding APIs that actually work takes way more time than it should.
The pattern was always similar:
Find an API that looks promising
Docs look clean and complete
You integrate it… and the responses don’t match the docs / the service is flaky / you end up switching APIs again
After repeating this a few times, I decided to build a small fix for it.
I built Apives.com — a curated API discovery + marketplace platform.
It’s intentionally not a massive directory. The approach is:
Curation over volume: fewer APIs, but more reliable/useful ones
Manual checks: submissions go through a basic manual review before listing
Practical discovery: organized more around real use-cases so you can find something you can plug into a project quickly
Clear basics: docs, quick integration snippets, and transparent pricing (where available)
It’s still early and evolving, and I’m trying to shape it based on real builder feedback.
Would love your thoughts:
Is API discovery/vetting a problem you face too?
What’s your current process to evaluate an API before committing to it?
If you check Apives, what’s one thing you’d improve first to make it genuinely useful?
Thanks in advance!
This is a real pain — most API directories feel like noise, and you only realize what’s good after wasting time.
I think your “curated” angle is the right move, but that also means trust has to be obvious instantly — otherwise people assume it’s just another directory.
Curious — are you planning to keep it as Apives long-term, or still open to refining the positioning as you get more feedback?
Just to add — I’ve seen a few teams in similar spaces switch naming once the product starts getting real usage, mainly because perception starts affecting conversions more than expected.
Not saying it’s urgent, but it tends to become a bottleneck sooner than most expect.