Your TestFlight Link Is Live. Nobody's Using It.
IndieAppCircle is where indie developers test each other's apps. Test 2 apps and yours goes live, then other builders try it and send you written feedback. Free, no card needed.
- 1Test 2 apps
- 2Your iOS app goes live
- 3Get written feedback
TestFlight is Apple's own beta distribution — free, official, and it does exactly what it says: gets a build onto a phone with no sideloading, and auto-updates it. What it does not do is bring you testers. A public link with nobody looking at it is just a link, and searching 'TestFlight testers' does not summon any.
IndieAppCircle doesn't replace TestFlight — it fills it. You submit your app with the public link, other iOS developers install your build to earn credits, and because the exchange is reciprocal, they actually write back what they found.
What a test looks like
Real feedback from the platform, and a few of the apps getting tested right now.
See your listing before you sign up
Paste your app's link. We read its name, icon and description and show you the listing other developers will see. You only create an account if you want to keep it.
- No account needed to see it
- Works with website, App Store, Google Play and Chrome Web Store links
- Sign up and the listing is already filled in
- 1.Paste link
- 2.Preview
- 3.Save it
No account needed - sign up only to save it.
What TestFlight actually is
Apple's official beta-distribution app. A public link can take up to 10,000 external testers, builds expire after 90 days, and testers can send screenshots with notes from inside the app — if they bother to.
Genuinely good at
Getting a build onto a phone with no sideloading, auto-updating it, and collecting crash reports. Every iOS developer needs this regardless of what else they use.
Not built for
Finding testers, in any sense. It's a pipe, not a source. Pair it with a recruitment channel — which is the part this page is actually about.
How IndieAppCircle is different
It doesn't touch build distribution. It solves the other half.
Where we lose (there's nothing to compare)
No build distribution, no auto-updates, no crash reporting, no 10,000-tester cap to manage — that's still entirely TestFlight's job.
No in-app screenshot annotation — testers here report back in writing on the app's page, not through TestFlight's own feedback tool.
Where we win
People actually join the link, because they're earning credits toward their own app being tested.
A written report per test, tied to a real request — not a hope that a random installer taps "shake to send feedback."
Free, and no audience or following required to get the first testers in.
How it works
Test a few iOS apps to earn credits
Browse the iOS apps currently looking for testers, join a couple of TestFlight betas, and write up what you found. Each approved test pays out credits.
Submit your app with the public TestFlight link
Use the public link (not an internal-only invite) as the app link, tag it iOS, and write instructions naming the flows you most want checked.
Ask for a real pass, not just an install
TestFlight's own feedback tool depends on a tester bothering to use it. Here, say what you want tried — onboarding, a specific screen, a new feature — and testers report back because they're earning credits to do it.
Approve reports and keep the link listed
Read what came back, fix what's fixable, and approve to pay the tester. Keep the app listed and the link stays populated as your build changes.
FAQ
Is IndieAppCircle a replacement for TestFlight?
No, and it isn't trying to be. TestFlight is Apple's own build distribution — up to 10,000 external testers via a public link, 90-day build expiry, in-app screenshots with notes. None of that changes. IndieAppCircle solves a different problem: who do you put in that link.
I have a public TestFlight link. Why is nobody joining it?
A link with no audience behind it is just a link. Posting it somewhere with no context, or nowhere at all, gets you installs from nobody — or feedback from nobody, which is worse than no data because you don't know if the app is even being opened.
How does IndieAppCircle get people into my TestFlight link?
You submit your app with the public link as the app link, tag it iOS, and other developers here install it to earn credits. Because the arrangement is reciprocal, they report back — which is the part a cold TestFlight link on its own does not produce.
Does IndieAppCircle track the 90-day build expiry or auto-update anything?
No — that's TestFlight's job, and it already does it well. This is a way to get real people using your link, not a replacement for TestFlight's own build management.
What if I don't have a public link yet, just internal testers?
Set up an external TestFlight group with the public link enabled — a few taps in App Store Connect — then submit that link here. No developer account changes needed beyond what TestFlight already requires for external testing.
Is it free?
Yes. You earn credits by testing other developers' apps and spend them to get your own tested. TestFlight itself is also free — this only replaces the missing piece, which is people to invite.
The full comparison covers ten tools, including TestFlight and Play testing tracks, sorted by what each is actually for: Best app testing services for indie developers. Building for Android too? The Google Play closed testing guide covers the equivalent problem there.
Straight answers
What people usually want to know before they list an app here.
Is IndieAppCircle really free?
Yes. You get 5 credits when you join. Test 2 apps and your app goes live. Every test you give that gets approved earns credits, and you spend credits when you approve feedback on your own app. No card needed. If you'd rather skip the testing, a one-time 19€ Permanent Listing puts your app live straight away.
How fast will I get feedback?
There is no fixed turnaround, because the testers are other developers, not staff. Three things speed it up: clear test instructions, a fair credit reward, and the +5 bonus the first tester on every new app earns, which makes new listings worth picking early.
Who are the testers?
Other indie developers and founders who are getting their own apps tested too. They are good at spotting confusing onboarding, unclear copy, bugs and missing basics. They are not your target users, so treat their feedback as a sharp first pass before launch, not as market research.
What if the feedback is lazy?
Reject it and it costs you nothing. You only spend credits on feedback you approve. Feedback you don't review within 48 hours is approved automatically, so check your inbox.
Put real testers behind your TestFlight link
Test a couple of iOS apps tonight, list yours with the public link, and get feedback back this week.