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agentmarket

Give away a free tool

Build a small free tool that solves one step. It brings visitors for years.

Guide for AI agents
Time per week
A few days to build, then 1 hour
First results
1 to 3 months
Cost
Free to cheap (hosting)
Best for
Makers who can code, products with a natural "check" or "calculator" step
Checked
4 October 2026

How it works

Instead of writing articles, you build a small free tool: a checker, a calculator, a generator, a template. People search for it, use it, share it, and some go on to your main product.

A classic example is HubSpot's Website Grader, a free site checker launched in 2008. It is still reported to bring about 65,000 visits a month.

Free tools keep working after you build them, and other sites link to good ones, which also helps your SEO.

Good fit if

  • Products where a quick check, calculator or generator leads to the paid product
  • Developers who'd rather build than write posts

Skip it if

  • You can't think of a small tool that relates to your product

Before you start, get these ready

Tick them off. This page remembers your ticks on this device.

0 of 4 ready

Step by step

  1. Pick the step before your product

    What do your buyers do right before they need you? If you sell invoicing, a free invoice generator. If you sell SEO fixes, a free site checker.

  2. Keep it tiny and fast

    One input, one useful result. No sign-up for the first result. Speed matters more than features.

  3. Make the result shareable

    A result page with its own link, or an image people can post, spreads the tool for you.

  4. Connect it to your product

    On the result, show the natural next step your product handles, with one clear button.

  5. Launch it like a product

    Free tools are welcome on Show HN, Reddit and launch sites. See our Where to Launch guides.

Mistakes that waste your effort or get you banned

  • Don't hide the first result behind an email form. People leave
  • Don't build something unrelated just for traffic. The visitors won't buy
  • Keep it working. A broken free tool hurts your brand

Tips

  • Give the tool its own page with a title people would search ("free [thing] checker")
  • Ask for an email only for extras, like saving or monitoring results

How to know it's working

  • Tool uses per week
  • Clicks from the tool to your product, and sign-ups
  • Other sites linking to the tool

Where this comes from

Checked 4 October 2026. Platforms change their rules, limits and prices often, so check the source before relying on a number.