Start with something a reader can actually use
Submitting an AI product to Hotaibuild is a way to create a useful directory entry, not a competition to write the loudest launch announcement. The listing should explain what the product does, who it serves and where someone can try it. A working product behind the website matters more than a dramatic promise. Prepare the facts before opening the form so the result is clear even to someone who has never heard your company name.
Listing is free and separate from paid placement. You do not need to buy a boost to submit. Hotaibuild currently brings together 258 listings, including 194 GitHub open-source AI apps, but being included in that catalogue is not an endorsement or evidence of customer adoption. Your entry should stand on its own merits. Avoid copying a competitor’s claims or describing plans as if they were already shipped features.
Gather the fields in one short document
Have the product name and full website URL ready. Use a destination that explains the product and makes the next step visible; do not point readers at an unrelated homepage or a waitlist-only page while describing a usable application. Check the destination in a signed-out browser so you understand what a new visitor will see. If signup or a paid plan is needed, say so honestly in the description.
Draft a concise one-liner that names the job the product performs. “Summarise research papers with links back to source passages” is more useful than “the ultimate revolutionary assistant.” Then write a description of at least 80 characters, using short paragraphs to explain the workflow and its limits. The minimum is a validation rule, not a writing target: give enough context for a reader to make a sensible decision without padding the text.
Choose a category and a truthful pricing label
Choose the category closest to the primary job rather than trying to appear in every possible search. The ten categories cover creative work, development, productivity, marketing, data, audio and video, writing and research, support and operations, finance and legal work, and education and health. Browse the category guides first if two options seem plausible. Ask which audience would be most surprised if your product were missing from its workflow.
The form offers Free, Freemium and Paid. Pick the label that describes the actual product, not the price of the directory listing. A limited free plan with paid upgrades is different from a fully free service. Explain important constraints such as separate model usage costs or self-hosting requirements in the description when they are relevant. You can supply up to four comma-separated tags; favour concrete tasks and technologies over promotional adjectives.
Sign in, submit and inspect the result
The submission page lets visitors inspect the form before signing in, but an account is required to submit. Use the account that should own the listing. Check the name, website, category and pricing one more time before pressing the submit button. If validation reports a problem, correct the specific field rather than repeatedly resubmitting unchanged information. Never put account credentials, customer records or private API keys into the public description.
The current submission flow publishes a valid entry immediately and sends you to its product page; listings remain subject to human review. Do not confuse that behaviour with a guaranteed approval deadline or an exemption from moderation. Inspect the resulting entry, follow the external link and check how the one-liner reads outside the form. If something is wrong or ownership needs attention, contact hello@hotaibuild.com with the listing URL and a concise explanation.
Make the entry reviewable, not merely persuasive
Useful descriptions distinguish present capabilities from plans. Name the supported input, the output and the intended user. If a product drafts a response that a person must approve, do not call it fully autonomous customer support. If it processes sensitive documents, direct readers to the actual privacy information rather than inventing a guarantee in the listing. Avoid unsupported customer counts, awards, compliance claims and comparative superlatives.
A public GitHub repository can help readers inspect an open-source project, but source visibility alone does not settle licensing or security. Check the current repository and licence terms before describing a project as freely usable for every commercial purpose. Explain setup costs and model requirements where relevant. The open-source index is a discovery aid, not a promise that every project has identical permissions or that running it locally is maintenance-free.
Decide separately whether to advertise
Once the entry is accurate and the destination works, you can consider an optional boost. Paid boosts are labelled and time-limited; higher bids rank first among boosted slots. Spark starts at $19 for 24 hours, Flame at $39 for 72 hours, and Wildfire at $79 for 7 days. The Pay What You Want system has a $19 minimum. None of those options buys a recommendation or guarantees a particular number of visits.
Trending and Just added ignore boosts, and Editor’s picks are never for sale. A free listing can be enough if your immediate goal is to be findable in the directory. Read the FAQ and ranking explanation before paying, and measure any later experiment against your own objective rather than a promised outcome. The best preparation remains simple: a real product, a clear description and a destination that delivers what the listing says.
Next steps: submit your AI product, review paid boost options, or read the FAQ. See the refund policy, category guides and open-source index for more context.