LaunchList vs PrefineryPrefinery
Prefinery
alternative
LaunchList is a Prefinery alternative that runs your launch from one list: page, referrals, email and invites. It is free for 100 contacts, where Prefinery starts at $49 a month after a 14-day trial.
Free for your first 100 contactsNo credit card needed
Verdict
LaunchList vs Prefinery in short
Prefinery is the more established tool, with a full closed-beta flow and per-key API permissions on its higher plans. LaunchList runs one launch from start to finish, with email to your whole list on every paid plan, for less each month.
Choose Prefinery if
- You run several referral campaigns with a team
- Your closed beta needs apply, invite, activate steps
Choose LaunchList if
- You would rather not pay $588 a year
- You start free and pay by list size
- You want email and invites in one tool
About the tool
What is Prefinery?
Prefinery is a waitlist and referral tool at prefinery.com, running since 2008, for pre-launch waitlists, referral programs and closed betas with invitation codes.
You add its signup form to your own site. Every signup gets a referral link and a place in line, and you can reward sharing, send invitation codes and move people through statuses such as applied, invited and active. Around that sit automatic emails, fraud protection (suspected-cheater flags, IP limits, reCAPTCHA and blocking of throwaway addresses), analytics, and from its Essentials plan a REST API with per-key permissions, webhooks and Zapier.
There is no free plan: every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, and Prefinery offers a 30-day refund.
Pricing
Prefinery pricing
Prefinery charges by plan and by users, adding $5 a month for every 1,000 users past a plan's allowance. LaunchList charges by the size of your list, and holds contacts past your size instead of billing for them.
| Signups | LaunchList Collect | LaunchList Launch | LaunchList Grow | Prefinery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $9/mo | $19/mo | $39/mo | $49/mo Lite |
| 2,000 | $19/mo | $29/mo | $59/mo | $54/mo Lite |
| 5,000 | $19/mo | $39/mo | $79/mo | $69/mo Lite |
| 10,000 | $19/mo | $59/mo | $119/mo | $94/mo Lite |
| 25,000 | $49/mo | $119/mo | $199/mo | $169/mo Lite |
| 50,000 | $79/mo | $229/mo | $299/mo | $294/mo Lite |
| 100,000 | $149/mo | $429/mo | $549/mo | $544/mo Lite |
Every price is a month, billed monthly. On LaunchList, paying yearly gives you 2 months free, and the Free plan costs nothing up to 100 contacts. Prefinery's price is its Lite plan billed monthly: $49 for 1,000 users plus $5 a month per 1,000 more. Its API, webhooks and team members need Essentials, $249 a month for 10,000 users.
Prefinery plans
- Lite$49/mo1,000 users included, then $5 a month per 1,000 more. 1 campaign, no team members, basic analytics, no API.
- Essentials$249/mo10,000 users included. 3 campaigns, team members with roles, full analytics, branding removed, API, webhooks and Zapier.
- Pro$499/mo50,000 users included. 10 campaigns, 10 team members, priority support and a strategy session.
Read from prefinery.com/pricing on October 21, 2026, billed monthly. Paying every 6 months saves up to 20% ($39, $199 and $399 a month).
LaunchList plans
- Free$0100 contacts. Prove demand.
- CollectFrom $9/moGet more signups. $19/mo at 10,000 contacts. Email campaigns to your list. Your own domain, like join.acme.com.
- LaunchFrom $19/moTurn signups into users. $59/mo at 10,000 contacts. Automated emails. Automatic invites.
- GrowFrom $39/moDo more of what works. $119/mo at 10,000 contacts. Unlimited projects, domains and team members. Signups by source and referring site.
In depth
LaunchList vs Prefinery: feature deep dive
Referral mechanics: how LaunchList and Prefinery compare
Both hand every signup a referral link and a live place in line, and both can wait for the friend to confirm before a referral counts. LaunchList has links and the leaderboard on every plan, rewards from the Collect plan; Prefinery has both from Lite.Spam protection and email validation
Prefinery flags suspected cheaters, caps signups per IP address and blocks throwaway addresses, with reCAPTCHA, on every plan. LaunchList scores every signup from its IP address, device, speed and email, holds doubtful ones for your review, and lets you check whether an address is real, for a credit.Integrations: API, webhooks and embeds
Prefinery's REST API, webhooks and Zapier start on Essentials, and Make has a Prefinery app that watches for new users; its form embeds in your site or opens as a popup, and its guides paste that embed code into WordPress and Framer. LaunchList's API, signed webhooks and MCP server are on every plan, with read-only keys, and so are its own plugins for WordPress and Framer; its form also comes as a React component, its Make app is on the Launch and Grow plans and its Google Sheets app on the Launch and Grow plans.Hosted landing pages
Prefinery's hosted page is a plain page with your form on a Prefinery address; its help center says it cannot use your own domain or track referrals. LaunchList's page is built in a block editor and moves to your own domain, with HTTPS set up for you, from the Collect plan.Invites for early access
Both let people in with codes: Prefinery with invitation codes and statuses, LaunchList with a personal code for each person on every plan (first 100 invites on the Free plan) and shared codes with a seat limit on the Launch and Grow plans, each tracked as used or not.What LaunchList adds next to Prefinery
Prefinery sends only automatic emails. LaunchList also sends emails to your whole list from the Collect plan and automatic email series on the Launch and Grow plans, and adds signups without an email address, AI that writes your page from one sentence, and an MCP server for the AI assistant you use.
Side by side
LaunchList vs Prefinery: feature comparison
Every Prefinery answer was read on prefinery.com and its help center. Plans change, so check Prefinery's pricing page before you buy.
- Included
- Partly, or through another tool
- Not offered
| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Lowest paid plan | $9/mo Collect plan, 500 contacts | $49/mo Lite, 1,000 users |
| Free plan | Yes 100 contacts | No 14-day trial |
| Price for 10,000 signups | $19/mo Collect plan | $94/mo Lite with extra users |
| What the price is based on | Size of your list Yearly: 2 months free | Users included per plan Then $5/mo per 1,000 |
| Your waitlist page | ||
| Hosted page, no website needed | Yes | Partly A plain form page |
| Free web address for the page | Yes yourname.launchlist.page | Partly A Prefinery link |
| Page on your own domain | Yes From the Collect plan, $9/mo | No Not for the hosted page |
| Own domains included | 1, 3 or unlimited By plan, note 1 | No |
| HTTPS set up for you | Yes | No No own page domain |
| Ready-made page designs | Yes | Partly Referral page themes only |
| AI writes the page | Yes From one sentence | No |
| Personal page after signup | Yes Place in line, referral link | Yes Referral page you can edit |
| Signup forms | ||
| Form for your own website | Yes | Yes |
| Popup form | Yes | Yes |
| Keep your own form or code | Yes React, headless or your form | Yes HTML, JS or REST API |
| No email address needed | Yes Phone, username, wallet or none | No Email required |
| Extra questions on the form | Yes | Yes |
| Form in other languages | Yes17 languages | Partly You write each language |
| Referrals | ||
| Personal referral link | Yes | Yes |
| Referral leaderboard | Yes | Yes Top 10 widget |
| Rewards for referring | Yes From the Collect plan | Yes |
| Start the line at a higher number | Yes | Yes A starting position setting |
| Referral counts after the friend confirms | Yes On by default | Yes With double opt-in |
| Checks for fake referrals | Yes Device, IP and speed checks | Yes IP limits, cheater flags |
| Confirm email (double opt-in) | Yes | Yes |
| Welcome email | Yes | Yes |
| Emails in your signups' language | Yes17 languages | Partly You write each language |
| Send an email to your list | Yes From the Collect plan | No Only automatic emails |
| Automatic email series | Yes From the Launch plan | Partly Triggered emails with delays |
| Emails included each month | Grows with your list Set by your plan, note 2 | Unlimited Every plan |
| Buy more emails without changing plan | Yes$3 per 1,000 You approve before paying | No Not needed: unlimited |
| Send from your own domain | Yes From the Launch plan | Yes Every plan |
| Skips bad addresses when sending | Yes | Partly Stops after a hard bounce |
| Real signups | ||
| Bot and spam protection | Yes | Yes reCAPTCHA, IP blocking |
| Trust score on every signup | Yes Verified, valid, risky or fake | Partly A "suspected cheater" flag |
| Catches throwaway email addresses | Yes Flagged, never emailed | Yes |
| Check if an email address is real | Yes One credit per check | No Only bounces after sending |
| Letting people in | ||
| Invite people from the list | Yes Personal invite codes | Yes Invitation codes and emails |
| One invite code for many people | Yes From the Launch plan | Yes Codes with use limits |
| Track people from waitlist to customer | Yes | Partly Fixed statuses |
| Launch-day tools | Yes From the Launch plan | No |
| Product updates page | Yes | No |
| Analytics | ||
| Signup analytics | Yes | Yes Full from Essentials |
| Where signups come from | Yes From the Grow plan | Yes UTM and channel |
| A/B testing | No | No |
| Connections | ||
| API | Yes Every plan | Yes From Essentials |
| API keys with limited access | Yes Read-only or full access | Yes Per-key permissions |
| OpenAPI file for the API | Yes | No |
| Webhooks | Yes Signed, with retries | Yes From Essentials |
| Works with AI assistants (MCP) | Yes Listed in ChatGPT and Claude | No |
| Zapier app | Yes From the Launch plan | Yes From Essentials |
| Make app | Yes From the Launch plan | Partly Built by Make, triggers only |
| Slack app | Yes From the Launch plan | Partly Through a webhook or Zapier |
| Google Sheets | Yes From the Launch plan | Partly Through Zapier or Make |
| WordPress plugin | Yes | Partly Embed code only |
| Framer plugin | Yes | Partly Embed code only |
| Your data and team | ||
| Import a CSV file | Yes | Yes |
| Import from other waitlist tools | Yes All five tools here | Partly A Viral Loops guide |
| Export to CSV | Yes Every plan | Yes |
| Erase a person's data (GDPR) | Yes Plus automatic deletion | Partly Delete users by hand |
| Team members with roles | Yes From the Collect plan | Yes From Essentials |
| More than one waitlist | Yes 1 on the Free plan | Yes 1, 3 or 10 campaigns |
| Remove all branding | Yes From the Launch plan | Yes From Essentials |
| Last checked | Live Our price list | October 21, 2026 |
- 1LaunchList: 1 on the Collect plan, 3 on the Launch plan, unlimited on the Grow plan.
- 2LaunchList: The Collect plan: 1× your contacts, up to 5,000. The Launch and Grow plans: 2× your contacts.
How we compare
- Checked Read on Prefinery's own site and its official app listings, never on review sites.
- Written by LaunchListSo we have a reason to favor it. Where Prefinery is the better choice, we say so.When to choose Prefinery
- Our column is liveIt is built from our price list and the product, so it changes when they do.
- Spot a mistake?Tell us, Prefinery included, and we will fix it.contact@getlaunchlist.com
Pros and cons
Prefinery vs LaunchList: pros and cons
Using Prefinery
Pros
- Running since 2008
- Per-key API permissions, webhooks and Zapier, from Essentials
- Invitation codes, including shared codes with use limits
- Apply, invite and activate statuses for betas
- Unlimited emails from your domain, every plan
Cons
- No free plan; from $49 a month
- API and webhooks need Essentials, $249 a month
- No emails to your whole list
- Hosted page: no own domain, no referral tracking
- An email address on every signup
Using LaunchList
Pros
- Free for 100 contacts, no card
- $19 a month at 10,000 contacts
- A trust score on every signup
- Referral credit once the friend confirms
- Emails to your list and automatic series
- A page AI writes, on your own domain
- Signups by phone, username or wallet
- API, signed webhooks and MCP on every plan
Cons
- No A/B testing
- Email series from the Launch plan
- Shared invite codes from the Launch plan
- A monthly email allowance, where Prefinery has none
Alternatives
Other Prefinery alternatives
The waitlist and email tools founders also weigh against Prefinery: what each is made for, whether it has a free plan and its lowest monthly price.
| Tool | Free plan | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Viral LoopsReferral programs from ready-made templates | No 14-day trial, 10 participants | $49/mo Start-up, 1,000 participants |
| KickoffLabsGiveaways, contests, waitlists and referral campaigns | Yes 50 leads a month | $19/mo Hobby, 500 leads a month |
| GetwaitlistA no-code waitlist widget and API at a flat price | No Closed to new accounts | $15/mo Basic, unlimited signups |
| WaitlisterA waitlist page builder with a flat price for any list size | Yes 100, no referrals or email | $19/mo Launch, unlimited subscribers |
| ConvertKit (Kit)Email marketing for creators, free up to 10,000 subscribers | Yes Up to 10,000 subscribers | $39/mo Creator, 1,000 subscribers |
| MailchimpEmail marketing with free landing pages and signup forms | Yes 250 contacts | $13/mo Essentials, 500 contacts, US price |
Prices are billed monthly, read on each tool's own site on October 21, 2026.
Switching
Migrate from Prefinery to LaunchList
Your list comes across from a CSV file, each place in line set by the joined dates and points you map, and who referred whom where the export has it. Importing never emails your signups.
Export from Prefinery
Download your Prefinery users as a CSV file.Start a project
Sign up free on LaunchList and create a project for your launch.Import the file
Open Audience, then Signups, and press Import. You check each column before anything runs.Map the key columns
Map applied at, Prefinery's signup date, to Joined date (its joined at is when someone was let in), and points, referrer and referral code where the file has them. The line is ordered by those dates and points.Put your form live
Add the form to your site (Webflow, Framer, WordPress or plain HTML), or publish the hosted launch page.Cancel Prefinery
End your Prefinery subscription once the new form is collecting signups.
FAQ
Prefinery alternative questions
Does LaunchList have the same referral features as Prefinery?
Both run referral campaigns with a place in line and rewards, and both can count a referral only after the friend confirms. LaunchList includes referral links and the leaderboard on every plan, the Free plan too, with rewards from the Collect plan, and checks every credit for fraud; Prefinery includes referrals from its $49 a month Lite plan.
Can I export my Prefinery data to LaunchList?
Yes. Export a CSV file from Prefinery, then import it under Audience, then Signups, where you confirm how each column maps first. Match applied at, the day each person signed up, to Joined date so the line follows when people signed up (Prefinery's joined at marks who was let in), and match the points, referrer and referral code columns where your file has them. Imported contacts get no confirmation email.
Does LaunchList have a public REST API like Prefinery?
Yes. LaunchList has a public REST API with a published OpenAPI file, keys that are read-only or full access, and safe retries, plus signed webhooks with a delivery log, retries and replay, on every plan, the Free plan included. Prefinery's REST API starts on Essentials, where each key can carry its own permissions. LaunchList also runs an MCP server so an AI assistant can work on your project.
What is Prefinery?
Prefinery has run waitlists and referral programs since 2008, and it also handles closed-beta invitations. It has no free plan: after a 14-day trial you pick Lite, Essentials or Pro, priced by the users each includes, or ask for an Enterprise plan.
How do I add Prefinery to Webflow?
Prefinery's guide uses Webflow's custom code, which needs a paid Webflow site plan: paste Prefinery's JavaScript snippet into Project settings, Custom Code, Head Code, then paste its embedded form code into an Embed component. A button with the class prefinery-form-cta opens the form as a popup instead. LaunchList's form goes into a Webflow Embed element on the free Starter plan too.
How much does Prefinery cost?
Billed monthly, Lite is $49 a month for 1,000 users, Essentials $249 for 10,000 and Pro $499 for 50,000, each adding $5 a month per 1,000 extra users. Billing every 6 months takes up to 20% off, and you can try any plan free for 14 days.
What is LaunchList?
LaunchList is pre-launch waitlist software for founders, from a first launch to an established startup. It gives you a hosted waitlist page or a form for your own site, a trust check on every signup, referrals and rewards, email broadcasts and automations, invites for early access, and analytics, all working from one list.
How much does LaunchList cost?
The Free plan covers 100 contacts at no cost. Paid plans are priced by the size of your list, from 500 to 100,000 contacts: the Collect plan from $9 a month, the Launch plan from $19 a month and the Grow plan from $39 a month. Yearly billing is 2 months free. There is no charge for extra contacts: contacts past your size are kept, never deleted. Extra campaign emails are $3 per 1,000, and you approve the charge first.
Can I start using LaunchList today?
Yes. Sign up free at app.getlaunchlist.com/register, with no card. A new workspace starts on the Free plan for up to 100 contacts, and you can choose a paid plan inside the app when you need more.
Does LaunchList have AI?
Yes. Describe your product in a sentence and AI writes your launch page, then you ask for changes in plain words. Ask, in the dashboard, answers questions about your project and about LaunchList, with its sources. An MCP server lets an AI assistant you already use read and work on your project, with access you can see and remove; ChatGPT and Claude list LaunchList in their app directories. AI does not write your emails or forms.
What does LaunchList include?
A hosted launch page with a visual editor, signup forms where email is optional, survey questions, a trust verdict on every signup, referral credit that by default waits until the friend confirms, rewards and points, email broadcasts and automatic email series (sent from your own domain on the Launch and Grow plans), invite codes for early access, funnel stages, custom domains from the Collect plan up, analytics, a public API with signed webhooks, an MCP server, and AI that writes your page. Its official Zapier and Make apps work both ways, on the Launch and Grow plans; an official Slack app posts new signups, milestones and an optional digest to a channel, on the Launch and Grow plans; an official Google Sheets app adds each new signup to a sheet, on the Launch and Grow plans; plugins for WordPress and Framer add the form to those sites, on every plan; and a webhook reaches any other tool, n8n included, on every plan.
Bring your Prefinery list to LaunchList.
Import its CSV, referrals included where your export has them, or start fresh with a page AI writes from one sentence.
Build your waitlist
Free for your first 100 contactsNo credit card needed
