The short version
- Product Hunt takes only YouTube links for the video. Upload yours before launch day and keep it public.
- Run the clip 20 to 45 seconds, and open on your real app.
- Your gallery needs two or more images before it shows. Recommended size is 1270 by 760.
- Four ways to get it made: record it yourself, use an AI generator, hire a freelancer, or have Swoopcut film it.
- Swoopcut’s Launch Clip is $149 for one clip, with a preview within 48 hours of working access.
A Product Hunt launch video is the clip in your listing’s gallery. Product Hunt’s posting guide accepts only YouTube links for video, so the work is to make a clean clip, upload it early and pick the cheapest route that still shows your app working. This page covers the gallery rules, the length, what to show first and the four options.
Product Hunt demo video: what the gallery takes
Product Hunt’s posting guide sets these specs. We read them on 21 October 2026.
- Images: 1270 by 760 pixels recommended. The gallery needs two or more images before it is viewable.
- Video: YouTube links only. Use the full URL, because shortened links do not load. The video must not be private.
- Thumbnail: 240 by 240 pixels recommended. A GIF works if it is under 3 MB.
- Description: up to 260 characters.
A new YouTube upload can take about 12 hours to become available to add, so upload early. If a link keeps failing, Product Hunt’s troubleshooting article suggests Loom as an alternative. Its posting guide also lists interactive demo tools, among them Arcade, Storylane and Supademo. Each one makes a Product Hunt link you can add to the gallery for free. That route suits a click-through demo more than a filmed clip.
Product Hunt launch video: how long it should run
Run the clip 20 to 45 seconds. We set that length ourselves, and our own clips follow it. The help pages we read do not give a length.
A 20 second clip can show one action and its result. A 45 second clip can add a second beat. Anything longer is a product tour, and a launch video works best as one flow.
What to show in the first five seconds of a Product Hunt video
Open on the working app. The first frame should show a screen that a visitor with the problem will recognise, with your product already on it. Skip the title card, the login screen and the logo animation. Then show one flow from the first click to the result.
Before you record, check these five things:
- Use a demo account with invented, seeded data. Never use real customer data.
- Start on the working app, not on the login screen.
- Show one flow from first click to a visible result.
- Keep one action in each shot, and leave room for the cursor.
- Export 16:9 for the YouTube upload, and check that the link opens in a private window.
To script and shoot the clip yourself, follow how to make a SaaS demo video.
Four ways to get a Product Hunt launch video made
Rival prices come from our launch video options page, which lists seven options. Prices checked 18 October 2026. This page covers four of them.
1. Record it yourself with Screen Studio
Screen Studio costs $9 a month on the yearly plan, or $29 month to month. It adds zooms and cursor motion while you record. You still write the script, record, edit and export the clip yourself.
- Where it wins: the lowest cost per video if you make many, and you can re-take any shot.
- Where it falls short: it runs on macOS only, and all the work is yours.
2. Use an AI generator
MakeMyDemo gives you a first watermarked preview free, then charges $5 a video, with a turnaround of 30 minutes or more. URLmotion has a free plan with 50 lifetime credits, a watermark and 720p video. Its paid plans run from $15 to $79 a month. Both build the video from your public website.
- Where it wins: speed and price. A first preview can cost nothing.
- Where it falls short: it works from your public pages, so the clip shows your landing page rather than the app in use.
3. Hire a freelancer
Fiverr gigs for SaaS demo videos ran from about $50 to $350 in search listings on 11 October 2026, with 2 to 7 days stated on the gigs. We could not open the gig pages, so check the price on the gig itself.
- Where it wins: the lowest price for a video someone else films and edits, with Fiverr’s escrow and seller reviews behind it.
- Where it falls short: quality changes from seller to seller. Ask for a sample before you order.
4. Have Swoopcut film it
Swoopcut films your app in a real browser at 60 fps, with smooth zooms that follow each click. You send your app’s link, a demo account and one line on what to show. The Launch Clip is $149 for one 20 to 45 second clip in 1080p60, with a social cut under 10 MB. The Launch Pack is $399 for three clips in 16:9, 1:1 and 9:16, or $133 for each clip you keep. You get a preview within 48 hours of working access and watch it before you pay. If the video isn’t usable, you don’t pay.
- Where it wins: you see a watermarked preview before you pay, and the clip shows the real app in use.
- Where it falls short: it films only web apps that run in Chrome. Native desktop and mobile apps are not supported yet. It costs more than a screen recording or the tools in option 2.
To see the Launch Clip price, go to pricing on the home page.
Which option fits your launch
- Under $50 and an hour to spare: an AI generator.
- A Mac and a free weekend: Screen Studio.
- No time to film or edit: a freelancer, or Swoopcut for a filmed clip of the real app.
Rival prices checked 18 October 2026. Confirm each one on the vendor’s page before you pay. We make Swoopcut, so weigh our entry with that in mind. Swoopcut prices are the plans on our home page.