RankInPublic

About RankInPublic

RankInPublic is a brilliantly simple yet powerful platform designed for builders, creators, and founders who are tired of guessing what works. At its core, it’s a public feedback engine that transforms the solitary act of creation into a collaborative, growth-focused competition. The premise is genius: instead of asking friends for biased opinions or paying for expensive user testing panels, you launch your website, design, or product into RankInPublic’s arena. There, it gets ranked against peers in tournament-style brackets, subjected to quick A/B tests, and can collect genuine, public testimonials. The platform masterfully taps into the human love for competition and validation to deliver brutally honest feedback. It’s specifically crafted for indie hackers, SaaS founders, and startup teams in the early to growth stages who need to validate ideas, improve conversion rates, and build social proof—fast. The standout value proposition isn't just the feedback; it's the incredible visibility. By entering, you get guaranteed homepage exposure and a powerful backlink, directly tackling the twin challenges of SEO and initial traffic. In a world where launch is just the beginning, RankInPublic is your catalyst for organic, data-driven growth.

Features of RankInPublic

Public Design Tournaments

This is the flagship feature and an absolute game-changer. You submit your website or product, and it's entered into a live, bracket-style tournament where the community votes on head-to-head matchups. Watching your product climb (or fall) through rounds like "Round 3" and "Grand Final" provides unparalleled, real-time market validation. It’s a transparent, democratic way to see how your design truly stacks up against the competition, moving beyond vanity metrics to actionable, comparative insights.

Quick A/B Testing with URLs or Images

Forget complex setup processes. RankInPublic lets you run lightning-fast A/B tests by simply submitting two URLs or images. Want to know which landing page headline converts better or which app icon gets more clicks? This tool delivers clear, visual results from a real audience. It’s the perfect way to make data-informed design and copy decisions without the overhead of traditional testing platforms, making iteration incredibly efficient.

Real Testimonial Collection

Building social proof is often a painful, manual grind of begging for reviews. RankInPublic elegantly systematizes this. As users interact with your product in tournaments and tests, they can leave public testimonials directly on the platform. These authentic snippets of feedback become a valuable asset you can showcase, providing third-party validation that is far more credible than self-promotion and directly influences potential customers' trust.

Guaranteed Visibility & SEO Backlink

This might be the most underrated benefit. Simply by participating, your product is featured on the RankInPublic homepage, driving targeted traffic from an audience of builders and early adopters. Crucially, this inclusion comes with a powerful dofollow backlink to your site—a goldmine for SEO, especially for new domains. It’s a tangible, high-value reward that directly contributes to your product's discoverability and authority.

Use Cases of RankInPublic

Validating a New Product or Feature Launch

Before you spend months building in stealth, throw your MVP or new feature concept into a tournament. The immediate, comparative feedback will tell you if you’re on the right track or if you need to pivot. It’s a low-risk, high-reward way to gauge initial market reaction and identify your strongest value propositions through the lens of a relevant audience.

Optimizing Landing Page Conversion Rates

Use the A/B test feature to pit two different landing page designs, value proposition statements, or call-to-action buttons against each other. Collect direct feedback on what resonates and what causes confusion. This continuous optimization loop, fueled by real user votes, is a proven method to systematically improve your conversion funnel and increase sign-ups.

Building Social Proof for Pre-Launch or Early-Stage Startups

For products with little to no user base, collecting genuine testimonials is tough. RankInPublic solves this by providing a platform where engaged users naturally leave feedback. These testimonials can be harvested and displayed on your own website, lending crucial early credibility and reducing the friction for your first paying customers.

Gaining a Strategic SEO and Traffic Boost

Every builder struggles with initial traffic. By entering the RankInPublic ecosystem, you’re not just testing—you’re marketing. The guaranteed homepage feature spotlights your product to thousands of relevant visitors, while the authoritative backlink significantly boosts your site's search engine ranking potential, addressing two growth fundamentals simultaneously.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is RankInPublic really free to use?

Yes, the core functionality of entering design tournaments, running basic A/B tests, and collecting testimonials is completely free. This aligns with their mission to make honest feedback accessible to all builders. They may offer premium visibility spots (like the "Featured" section on their homepage) for additional exposure, but the essential tools for feedback and validation are available at no cost.

How does the tournament voting and ranking work?

Products are seeded into a public bracket, much like a sports tournament. In each round, two products are pitted against each other, and the RankInPublic community votes for their preferred option. The winner advances to the next round. This process continues through multiple rounds until a champion is crowned. It’s a transparent, competitive format that generates clear, comparative rankings.

What kind of analytics does RankInPublic use?

RankInPublic is committed to privacy and minimal data collection. Upon visiting, they offer a clear choice: you can opt for "Essential only" cookieless analytics, which respects your privacy, or "Accept all analytics" to help them improve the site. This transparent approach is refreshing and builds trust with their community of users.

Who is the typical user or voter on the platform?

The platform is primarily populated by a community of builders, indie hackers, SaaS founders, and early adopters—the exact audience you want feedback from if you're building a tech product. These are people who understand product-market fit, design principles, and value propositions, making their feedback exceptionally relevant and insightful compared to a generic public audience.