Frequently Asked Questions

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Jump To:
General Questions
For Founders
For Buyers
Pricing & Payments
How We Compare
Technical Stuff
Other Questions

General Questions

ToolSalsa is a directory/marketplace where software founders can list their products and connect directly with buyers. We’re different from traditional marketplaces because we charge a small one-time listing fee instead of taking a commission from your sales.

Think of us as the ethical alternative to platforms like AppSumo.

We charge founders a one-time listing fee based on how long they want their campaign to run:

  • 1 month: $19.99
  • 3 months: $49.99
  • 6 months: $99.99

That’s it. We don’t take any commission from sales. Ever.

No. Zero. Nothing.

You keep 100% of every sale. We never touch your transactions, never take a cut, and never insert ourselves between you and your buyers.

This is the whole point of ToolSalsa.

We’re bootstrappers operating from Canada with US presence. We built this because we were tired of watching founders give away 70% of their revenue to extractive marketplaces.

No VC funding. No investors. Just founders who understand the struggle.

For Buyers: Yes, completely free for next one year. Browse all you want, no membership fee required. A nominal annual membership fee from 2027.

For Founders: No, you pay a listing fee. But it’s a one-time payment, not a subscription or commission.

We focus on software products, primarily:

  • SaaS tools and applications
  • WordPress plugins and themes
  • Developer tools and APIs
  • Productivity software
  • Marketing and business tools
  • No-code/low-code platforms

If you’re unsure if your product fits, contact us and ask.

No. We’re focused exclusively on software and digital products.

For Founders

Simple:

  1. Go to List Your Product
  2. Fill out the form (takes about 5 minutes)
  3. Choose your campaign duration (1, 3, or 6 months)
  4. Pay the listing fee
  5. We review your submission (usually within 24-48 hours)
  6. Once approved, your listing goes live

Usually 24-48 hours. We review every listing manually to ensure quality.

If we need clarification on anything, we’ll email you directly.

We’ll tell you why and give you a chance to fix it. If we still can’t approve it, you get a full refund.

Common rejection reasons:

  • Product isn’t ready/functional
  • Misleading description or claims
  • Violates our Terms of Use
  • Duplicate of existing listing

Yes! You can update:

  • Product description
  • Pricing information
  • Images
  • Links

Just email us at hello@toolsalsa.com with the changes.

Your listing automatically expires and is parked under the inactive listings for buyers’ future reference.

If you want to run another campaign:

  • Same product, same pricing → Submit again
  • Same product, different pricing → Submit as new campaign
  • Updated version 2.0 → Submit as new campaign

Each campaign is a separate listing with a separate fee.

Yes, but we don’t provide prorated refunds. If you’ve paid for 3 months and want to cancel after 1 month, you won’t get a refund for the remaining 2 months.

Your campaign was already running and getting exposure during that time. However, if you would still wish, we can make the campaign inactive.

Absolutely! Each product needs its own listing (and listing fee), but you can list as many as you want.

No. You set your own pricing—regular price, discount, special offer, whatever works for your business.

We’re a directory platform, not a “deals only” site.

We use Stripe, so you can pay with:

  • Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
  • Debit cards
  • Apple Pay / Google Pay

Yes! You’ll receive an automatic receipt from Stripe after payment. If you need a formal invoice, email us at hello@toolsalsa.com.

No. We’re a listing platform only.

When buyers click on your product, they go directly to YOUR website/purchase page. All transactions happen between you and the buyer.

We’re not involved in:

  • Payment processing
  • Product delivery
  • Customer support
  • Refunds

You handle all of that directly.

Everything related to your product:

  • Product functionality and delivery
  • Customer support
  • Refunds and disputes
  • Terms of service
  • Privacy policy
  • Tax obligations

We provide the listing. You provide the product and support.

Your product appears in our directory, which buyers can browse and search.

We also:

  • Send email newsletters to our buyer list (featuring select products)
  • Share new listings on social media
  • Feature products on our homepage (rotating)

We don’t guarantee specific visibility or sales—we’re providing a platform, not a marketing service.

You should definitely have your own website! ToolSalsa is additional exposure, not a replacement.

Benefits of listing with us:

  • Access to our buyer audience
  • SEO benefits (backlink from our directory)
  • Discovery by buyers specifically looking for tools
  • Low-cost promotion ($20-100 vs. ongoing ad spend)

Email us: hello@toolsalsa.com or better still, Contact us. Provide relevant details regarding your questions.

We respond within 24 hours (usually faster).

For Buyers

Simple:

  1. Browse our directory
  2. Find a product you like
  3. Click through to the founder’s website
  4. Purchase directly from the founder

ToolSalsa is not involved in the transaction. We connect you with the founder, but you buy from them directly.

Nope. Browse freely, no account required.

If you want to subscribe to our newsletter (new products, deals), you can provide your email, but it’s optional.

No. ToolSalsa is completely free for buyers.

Unlike some platforms (like Secret) that charge $199-299/year for access, we charge founders a listing fee and keep it free for buyers.

Yes. We review every listing before it goes live to check for:

  • Product legitimacy (is it real and functional?)
  • Accurate descriptions
  • No scams or fraud
  • Quality standards

But we can’t guarantee product quality or founder reliability—that’s between you and the founder.

Badges are assigned by ToolSalsa based on our research:

  • Salsa Pick – Products we’re highly confident in
  • Most Liked – Strong user & expert reviews
  • Popular – Industry-wide recognition
  • Promising – Products potentially shaping business or industry
  • Great Value – Excellent price-to-value ratio

Contact the founder directly first—they’re responsible for support and refunds.

If you can’t resolve it and believe there’s fraud or misrepresentation, email us at hello@toolsalsa.com. We’ll investigate and may remove the listing if warranted.

But we’re not a party to the transaction, so we can’t force refunds or resolutions.

That depends on the individual founder’s refund policy. Check their terms before purchasing.

ToolSalsa doesn’t process transactions, so we can’t issue refunds on behalf of founders.

Active listings indicate the founder is currently promoting the product. But you should:

  • Check the product’s website for recent updates
  • Look for active support channels
  • Email the founder with questions before buying

Products on ToolSalsa are priced sustainably (not lifetime deals), which means founders can actually afford to support them long-term.

Yes! Send in your suggestions via our contact form., or drop us an email at hello@toolsalsa.com. 

We can’t guarantee they’ll list, but we’ll reach out to them.

We’re constantly adding new listings as founders submit them. Check back regularly or subscribe to our newsletter for updates.

Pricing & Payments

Current promotional pricing (until June 2026):

  • 1 Month Campaign: $19.99
  • 3 Month Campaign: $49.99
  • 6 Month Campaign: $99.99

One-time payment. No recurring fees. Zero commission.

See full pricing details →

Because we don’t take commission from your sales.

Other marketplaces are “free to list” but then take 60-90% of your revenue. We flip that model: pay a small upfront fee, keep 100% of sales.

This way, our success isn’t dependent on extracting value from your work.

Right after submission of List Your Product form to enable us process the next review step.

Process:

  1. Submit your listing request
  2. Make the payment for the desired campaign period
  3. We review it
  4. If approved, you’ll notified and listing goes live

Before listing goes live: Yes, full refund if we reject your listing.

After listing goes live: No refunds. Your campaign is already running and you’re getting exposure.

This is clearly stated in our Terms of Use.

Not currently, but we’re considering bundle pricing for founders with multiple products.

If you have 3+ products to list, contact us and let’s talk.

All prices are in USD. We accept payments from anywhere via Stripe, which handles currency conversion automatically.

Depends on your location. Stripe will add applicable taxes at checkout based on your billing address.

Yes, eventually. Current prices are promotional (until June 2026).

After that, prices will increase, but anyone who lists during the promotional period locks in these prices for that specific campaign.

We’ll announce any pricing changes well in advance.

How We Compare

The fundamental difference: Commission vs. Listing Fee

AppSumo:

  • Free to list
  • Takes 60-90% commission on every sale and binds founders into a legal contract
  • Forces lifetime deals (unsustainable)
  • You have infinite liability, minimal revenue

ToolSalsa:

  • $20-100 to list
  • 0% commission (you keep 100%)
  • Campaign-based (1-6 months, your choice)
  • You set sustainable pricing

Read full comparison →

Target Audience & Model:

Secret:

  • Focuses on established tools only (Notion, Airtable, AWS)
  • Free for founders to list
  • Charges buyers $149-299/year membership
  • Primarily credit-based deals

ToolSalsa:

  • Welcomes emerging and indie tools
  • Charges founders small listing fee
  • Technically free for buyers (no membership for 2026, nominal from 2027 onwards)
  • Direct deals, any pricing model

We serve the “missing middle”—founders who aren’t big enough for Secret but don’t want AppSumo’s extraction.

Purpose & Timeframe:

Product Hunt:

  • Launch platform (24-hour spotlight)
  • Upvote-driven visibility
  • Gaming/manipulation common
  • After launch day, you’re forgotten

ToolSalsa:

  • Sustained visibility (1-6 months)
  • No upvote games
  • Focuses on actual sales, not hype
  • Can run multiple campaigns over time

Product Hunt is great for launches. ToolSalsa is for ongoing promotion. Both complement each other.

Absolutely! They serve different purposes:

  • Product Hunt: Launch day buzz
  • ToolSalsa: Sustained promotion
  • Your website: Always the foundation
  • AppSumo/other marketplaces: Only if you’re desperate (we don’t recommend it)

More exposure = better. Just avoid platforms that trap you in unsustainable models.

Honestly? Not yet.

AppSumo has been around for years and has massive traffic, interestingly more coming from outside the United States. We’re new.

But ask yourself:

  • Would you rather have 1,000 customers and keep $15K, or 100 customers and keep $5K you can build on?
  • Would you rather give away 70% forever, or try a $50 listing that lets you keep everything?

We’re not promising miracles. We’re promising fairness.

Technical Stuff

See our full Privacy Policy, but in short:

From Founders:

  • Contact info (name, email)
  • Product information (for listing)
  • Payment info (processed by Stripe, we don’t store it)
  • Email if you subscribe to newsletter (optional)

From Buyers:

  • Contact info (name, email) via membership
  • Basic analytics (pages viewed, time on site)
  • Email if you subscribe to newsletter (optional)

We never sell your data. Ever.

Yes, but minimally:

  • Essential cookies: For site functionality (required)
  • Analytics cookies: To understand site usage (optional—you can disable in browser)

We don’t use tracking cookies or sell your data to advertisers.

Full cookie policy →

Yes. We use Stripe for payment processing. We never see or store your credit card information.

Stripe is PCI-compliant and handles billions in payments securely.

Yes. Email us at hello@toolsalsa.com and we’ll send you all your listing information.

Not yet, but it’s on our roadmap.

If you have a specific use case, contact us.

Not yet, but we’re considering it.

For now, you can link to your listing from your website.

We’ll remove your active listing, but we may retain:

  • Payment records (required for accounting/tax purposes)
  • Basic listing info (for archival purposes)
  • Anonymized analytics data

If you want complete data deletion, contact us and we’ll do what we legally can.

We’re based in Canada/US and primarily serve North American users, so GDPR doesn’t fully apply to us.

However, we follow data protection best practices:

  • We don’t sell your data
  • You can request data deletion
  • We’re transparent about what we collect
  • We use secure systems

If you’re in the EU and have specific GDPR requests, email: hello@toolsalsa.com

Other Questions

We don’t currently offer advertising, but we’re open to partnerships.

Contact us to have a conversation.

Not yet, but it’s something we’re considering.

If you’re interested in promoting ToolSalsa, contact us.

We are in middle of launching our blog soon.

If you have founder stories or insights to share, email us: hello@toolsalsa.com

We’ll email all founders when we launch new features.

Buyers can subscribe to our newsletter for updates. We will also be opening up our social media channels soon.

We love feedback! Email us: hello@toolsalsa.com or better fill up a simple contact form that has well-structured fields.

We read everything and seriously consider all suggestions.

Not right now—we’re a tiny bootstrapped team.

But if we grow and need help, we’ll post on our website and social media.

We’re not seeking investment at this time. We’re bootstrapping intentionally to maintain our founder-friendly mission.

If that changes, we’ll announce it publicly.

Still Have Questions?

We’re real people. Just reach out to us via the contact form.

We typically respond within 24 hours (usually faster).

List Your Product | Browse Tools | Contact Us
 

This FAQ was last updated on December 2, 2025. As we grow and evolve, we’ll add more questions and answers. If you think we’re missing something important, let us know!

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