Hey Indie Hackers!
I've been working on startfa.st, a curated directory of AI, developer, and startup tools and I finally launched it publicly.
👉 https://startfa.st
I built it because I kept losing track of all the new tools popping up daily, AI agents, workflow engines, design tools, auth services, databases, everything. There's a lot of noise out there, and I wanted a place that feels fast, clean, and actually useful for builders.
startfa.st is a hand-curated list of 150+ tools, organized into 18 categories:
DevTools
AI Agents
Automation Tools
Security
Design + Video
No-Code
Sales, Finance, Analytics
Customer Support
Integrations & APIs
Learning Tools
…and more
Each tool gets:
• a short description
• 4–6 tags
• a clean link
I add new products every day.
I wanted a directory that:
isn’t bloated
isn’t spammy
isn’t auto-generated
doesn’t show the same 20 tools everyone tweets about
loads fast
and is actually helpful for indie hackers, founders, and devs building things
I also use it personally to keep track of tools like Clerk, Inngest, Arcjet, Temporal, DeepSeek, Gemini, etc.
Looking forward to receive your feedback.
Just submitted one of my products, and I really like the flow and the way you try to upsell.
Free submission and immediate option for more features without a signup.
One thing though, if it was 10$ one time with do-follow link, I would probably pay. But not for 40$ a month.
hey, thank you for your honest review, we're running a Black Friday deal right now and Featured Listings (do-follow, featured spot on homepage, proeminent placement) are available for $20 / mo, while the annual plan is $200.
Congrats on the launch! 🎉
Have you considered adding a "Self-Hosting/Open Source Alternatives" category for fellow Indie Hackers looking to minimize costs?
Sure, I've added this on my list. thank you for your suggestion.
"Congratulations on launching startfa.st! A curated directory of AI, dev, and tech products is such a valuable resource for innovators, developers, and tech enthusiasts. Excited to see how it helps the community discover new tools and stay ahead in the fast-evolving tech landscape. Fantastic initiative!"
xcited to launch startfa.st — a curated directory of AI, dev, and tech products. A one-stop hub for discovering innovative tools and staying ahead in the tech world!
This is a really thoughtful breakdown especially the shift from “building tools” to “building outcomes.”
A lot of founders (including me) start with features, but the real traction comes when you nail the transition from idea → execution → measurable progress for users.
I’m building something for creators right now, and the biggest lesson has been similar:
people don’t want more tools, they want speed, clarity, and less friction.
Your framework of simplifying how people start fast is exactly the mindset I’m trying to apply more intentionally.
Really curious which onboarding refinement gave you the biggest jump in activation?
Always love hearing the unexpected insights.
Exciting launch! Startfa.st is a well-curated directory that makes discovering AI, developer, and tech products fast, easy, and efficient.
Congrats on the launch! Startfa.st sounds like a fantastic resource for discovering curated AI, dev, and tech products. Having a well-organized directory makes it easier for professionals and enthusiasts to find valuable tools, stay updated, and explore innovative solutions. Excited to see the community and product collection grow!
Congrats on the launch! Startfa.st sounds like a fantastic curated resource for discovering AI, developer, and tech products efficiently. A well-organized directory like this can save time, highlight innovative tools, and help creators and users connect more effectively.
“Congrats on the launch! Startfa.st looks like a great curated resource for discovering AI, dev, and tech products efficiently.
Clean launch — startfa feels like exactly the kind of curated, no-noise directory that builders actually bookmark instead of forgetting. Love that it’s hand-picked rather than another auto-generated AI list. Curious how you plan to keep it fresh as the AI/tooling space moves at lightning speed.
Interesting idea. I also liked the ad space nicely carved into the screens. I really liked it.
a curated directory of AI, developer, and tech products, helping users discover the best tools in one place.
Congrats on the launch! A clean, curated directory like startfa.st is super helpful—great way to cut through the noise and quickly find quality AI and dev tools.
That’s awesome! A curated directory like startfa.st can save users tons of time, helping them discover high-quality AI, dev, and tech products all in one place.
startfa.st sounds like a valuable resource for discovering AI, dev, and tech products—curated directories like this save time and help the community explore new tools.
8k MRR in under a year after pivoting to productized services is absolutely wild – massive congrats! 🔥
The way you went from “freelance chaos” to packaged, predictable offerings is exactly the move so many of us dream about but never execute on. Love that you niched down hard and made the pricing super transparent right from the start – that alone probably cut out 90% of the tire-kickers.
Also, the fact you’re already thinking about hiring and systemizing at 8k shows you’re building this thing to last, not just chasing the next shiny object. Super inspiring.
Thanks for the detailed breakdown – definitely stealing a couple of these ideas for my own service!
great job! a well regarded tool.
thank you for your feedback!
The 'hand-curated' aspect is the biggest selling point here. Most directories start clean but eventually get overwhelmed by spammy submissions as they scale.
What’s your process for maintaining that quality over time? Do you have a schedule to re-verify tools to make sure they haven't pivoted or shut down? Dead links are usually what kill directories for me, so I'd love to know how you plan to handle that maintenance.
hey, thanks for reaching out, we do have a reporting system and users can report broken links or outdated tools, plus we manually verify the products on a weekly basis.
This solves a real issue. Keeping track of new tools has become a mess, and most directories feel noisy or repetitive. The layout is clean, loads quickly, and the curated tags make it easy to jump between categories.
It’s the kind of resource that works well as a quick reference when starting a new project or comparing options. Interested to see how it grows as you keep adding tools. Nice work on the launch.