How to promote web apps without an app store
2 min read
Web apps do not get a store listing by default. A public AllApps page is a simple way to list, price, and share them anyway.
A native app at least gets a store URL. A web app lives wherever you deployed it, which means nobody will find it unless you keep sending the link.
You can buy ads, post on launch sites, and write docs. You still need a home base that is not a random subdomain. AllApps is that home base: a public catalog of web apps under one name.
Give every web app a storefront card
List the product with a clear name, a sentence of copy, and the live URL. If you charge, put the price on the card. If it is free, say so. Ambiguous pricing makes people bounce.
AllApps supports one-time, weekly, monthly, and yearly prices, so a $9/mo tool and a $29 one-time kit can share the same page.
Use the page as the link you post everywhere
When you launch on X, Reddit, or Hacker News, comments will ask for "the other thing you built." Reply with the AllApps URL instead of a second thread of links.
The same URL belongs in:
- the README of the open-source repo
- the footer of every web app
- your email signature
- directories that only allow one website field
You are not hiding the product URLs. You are giving people a map.
Show the product without a store review process
Stores force screenshots and a long description. On your AllApps page you can embed a YouTube demo the same day you ship. Visitors watch the app, then hit visit.
Reviews from X can sit under that video. That combination — demo plus public posts — is often more convincing than a five-star widget on a landing page you wrote yourself.
Collect intent while traffic is still small
Turn on the contact form when you want design partners, waitlist signups, or press. A web app with 40 users can still get a useful intro if the page is easy to reach.
You can disable contact later. The catalog stays.
If you also ship native apps, keep them on the same page. See link in bio for app developers. If pricing is the awkward part, read how to show app pricing on one page.
Create a page for your web apps and share them without waiting on a store.
