Backscratch is 100% free. No card, no trial, no catch.

You scratch mine, I’ll scratch yours

Free cross-promotion for indie SaaS.

Recommend other founders’ products on your site, and they recommend yours. One small widget, partners you choose, and a shared dashboard that shows exactly how many visitors each side sent.

  1. 1List your product
  2. 2Add one line of code
  3. 3Swap with founders you pick
Join free How it works

No card, no points, no algorithm choosing your partners for you.

Step 1 of 5 · The problemYou built something good. Getting the right people to find it is the hard part.

How Backscratch works, in 5 steps:
  1. The problem: You built something good. Getting the right people to find it is the hard part.
  2. List your product: List your product in the club. We check the domain is yours, and a person reviews every new member.
  3. Add the widget: Paste one line of code. A small “Tools we recommend” band appears above your footer, plus an optional corner badge.
  4. Pick partners: Browse the club and ask founders whose users are like yours. When they say yes, the swap starts.
  5. See both sides: You show up on their site, they show up on yours. One shared dashboard shows exactly what each side sent. All free.
How it works

Three steps. Then the club does the rest.

  1. Step 1: Get your member card

    Tell us what you built. We check the domain is really yours, and a person reviews every new member, so the club stays full of real products.

  2. Step 2: Add one line of code

    A small “Tools we recommend” band goes just above your footer, on every page. It’s about 4KB, loads after your page, and if we’re ever down it simply doesn’t show.

  3. Step 3: Swap with founders you pick

    Browse the club, send a short note, and when they say yes you appear on each other’s sites. Nobody gets matched with anyone they didn’t choose.
The widget

Looks like it belongs on your site.

A calm “Tools we recommend” band above your footer, and an optional corner badge that shows one partner at a time. It follows your site’s light or dark mode, and visitors can tuck the badge away.

Preview theme

Example products. The badge steps aside while the band is on screen. Row, card and compact layouts; light, dark or automatic.

The shared dashboard

Both sides, in plain numbers.

No credits and no points. Every swap has one dashboard that you and your partner both see, so fairness is something you can check, not something you have to trust.

  • Both directions, side by side. Clicks you sent and clicks you got, per placement, per day.
  • Counted by us, not typed in. Clicks and views come from our own records. Nobody can enter their own numbers.
  • Traffic checked against analytics. Connect Plausible, Umami or DataFast and your traffic shows as verified. If the numbers don't line up, both of you see a note.
You ↔ ThemActive swap · Footer + badge
Example data
You

156 clicks from you to Them

126 clicks from Them to you

Them
EvenMeasured by Backscratch · last 30 days
You sent Them sent
Sep 1Up to 8 clicks a day each waySep 30
Clicks, measured by Backscratch. Days are UTC.
Why it works

Small products are better together.

What it isn’t

A growth hack. A few swaps won’t double your traffic overnight. They bring a steady trickle of the right visitors, from founders who get what you’re building.

  1. 01

    Your visitors already trust you.

    A recommendation from a product they use carries that trust. A banner ad doesn't, which is why the widget never looks like one.

  2. 02

    You choose every partner.

    We suggest members in complementary categories. You decide who you swap with, and it's fine to say no.

  3. 03

    Fair because it's visible.

    If a swap gets lopsided, you'll both see it. Either of you can pause or end it at any time, no hard feelings.

  4. 04

    It won't slow your site down.

    The script is 4.1KB gzipped, loads without blocking your page, and runs in its own sealed box so it can't clash with your styles.

Est. 2026Posted by the front door

Club rules

  1. 1.List only what you built.
  2. 2.Keep your widget where you said it would be.
  3. 3.Don't game the numbers.
  4. 4.Be the partner you'd want.
  5. 5.“No thanks” is a perfectly good answer.
  6. 6.Keep it kind, honest, and legal.
The rules, with the fine print
Price

Free. For everyone. For good.

Backscratch is 100% free. No card, no trial, no premium tier, and nothing to cancel. Every feature is included for every founder.

No points, no ads, no paying for a better spot. Who you swap with is up to you and them. Read the club rules.

100% freeMembership

$0forever, for everything

No credit card needed. Ever.

  • Your member card in the club, for every product you run
  • Up to 5 active swaps per product, with partners you choose
  • The widget, plus both sides' views and clicks on every swap
  • Chat with each partner, and a weekly report by email
Join free
FAQ

Fair questions.

Anything else? Email hello@backscratch.club. A person reads every one.

What does it cost?

Nothing. Backscratch is 100% free: no card, no trial, no premium tier, however many products you list. No points, no paid placements, no ads.

Is it really free? Forever?

Yes. Every feature is free for every founder, and there's nothing to upgrade to. We don't sell data about you or your visitors, and we don't put ads in the widget.

What's the catch?

You give up a little space above your footer. That's the deal. We don't put ads in the widget, and we don't sell data about you or your visitors.

What if my partner stops showing my product?

We keep an eye on every widget. If your partner's widget hasn't been seen on their site for 72 hours, the swap pauses on both sides and you both get an email. It picks up again by itself when their widget is back. You can also pause or end any swap yourself, any time.

Will the widget slow down my site?

No. It's 4.1KB gzipped, loads without blocking your page, and never delays it. It runs in its own sealed box (Shadow DOM), so it can't clash with your CSS. If our servers are ever down, it just doesn't appear.

How are views and clicks counted?

A view counts when at least half of the widget is on screen for one second, once per visitor per day. A click counts when someone clicks a partner's card; repeat clicks within 30 seconds count once. Known bots are ignored. Your site traffic comes from your own analytics, never from a number anyone types in.

Do you track my visitors?

Not as people. No cookies of ours, no fingerprinting, and no IP addresses stored. To count each visitor once a day we use a one-way code that changes every day, so it can't follow anyone over time.

Who can join?

Founders of live web products on their own domain. To appear in the club you verify your domain, add the widget to your site, and we take a quick look. It's free. Connecting your analytics (Plausible, Umami or DataFast) is optional, but it verifies your traffic for partners.

How long does a swap last?

30 days. Near the end you'll both be asked if you want to keep going; it renews only if you both say yes. Either of you can end it earlier, effective immediately.

Your back isn’t going to scratch itself.

List your product, add the widget, and find the founders whose users are your users.

Join the club, it's free