Five years of GitHub launch data. Volume, engagement, and the products that stood out.
We've been tracking GitHub since 2021. 1693 products indexed. The trajectory tells you where builders are investing and where the market sees opportunity.
Below: launch volume by year, engagement patterns by quarter, and the products that defined each period.
| Quarter | Launches | Avg Interest Score | Top Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 183 | 142 | OpenClaw |
| Q2 2026 | 14 | 118 | Moonshot |
| Q1 2025 | 102 | 161 | 21st.dev |
| Q2 2025 | 146 | 169 | Appwrite Sites |
| Q3 2025 | 138 | 137 | Strata |
| Q4 2025 | 130 | 138 | BlogBowl |
| Q1 2024 | 77 | 164 | Dub.co |
| Q2 2024 | 69 | 203 | Midday |
| Q3 2024 | 148 | 169 | Polar |
| Q4 2024 | 81 | 200 | APIPark |
| Q1 2023 | 69 | 129 | HyperSwitch |
| Q2 2023 | 53 | 125 | Damn Good Tools |
| Q3 2023 | 93 | 157 | DevHunt |
| Q4 2023 | 110 | 124 | Giskard |
| Q1 2022 | 44 | 133 | TailGrids |
| Q2 2022 | 41 | 132 | Jiffy Reader |
The GitHub category has been accelerating over the past 6 years of tracked data. Total launches went from 90 in 2021 to 197 in 2026.
Average engagement ratio across all GitHub launches: 0.20. Products above that line tend to solve a specific, painful problem. Products below it often entered a crowded space without clear differentiation.
GitHub peaked in 2025 with 516 launches. That was 1 year ago. The decline since then could signal market consolidation, saturation, or attention shifting to adjacent categories.
Average engagement per product has risen from 0.16 in 2021 to 0.18 in 2026. That upward trend means the community is spending more time with each new launch. Either the products are getting better, or the audience is getting more selective. Probably both.
The highest-performing quarter was Q2 2024, with an average interest score of 203 across 69 launches. Midday led that quarter.
1532 B2B launches (90%) vs 161 B2C (10%) across the full GitHub dataset. GitHub is heavily B2B. The products here target teams, companies, and professional workflows.
2021: 90 launches. Average interest: 135. Average engagement: 0.16. Top launch: Automa (584 interest).
2022: 190 launches (+111% vs 2021). Average interest: 122. Average engagement: 0.17. Top launch: Jiffy Reader (502 interest).
2023: 325 launches (+71% vs 2022). Average interest: 135. Average engagement: 0.18. Top launch: DevHunt (942 interest).
2024: 375 launches (+15% vs 2023). Average interest: 181. Average engagement: 0.21. Top launch: Dub.co (1,466 interest).
2025: 516 launches (+38% vs 2024). Average interest: 151. Average engagement: 0.24. Top launch: 21st.dev (1,233 interest).
2026: 197 launches (-62% vs 2025). Average interest: 140. Average engagement: 0.18. Top launch: OpenClaw (818 interest).
Depends on what's declining. If volume drops but engagement rises, the market is maturing. That's often good for existing players. If both drop, the category may be dying. The quarterly breakdown on each page tells you which pattern you're seeing.
At least three. Two data points is a line, not a trend. We have five years of data for most categories, which is enough to distinguish real shifts from noise.
Current year launches compared to the same period last year. Positive means more products launching. Negative means the category cooled. Neither is inherently good or bad. A mature category with fewer but better launches is often healthier than one flooding the market with clones.
Launch volume drops but engagement per product rises. Fewer builders entering, but the ones that do find a more receptive audience. That's an opportunity signal. We flag it when we see it.
We report what happened. We don't predict. Five years of data shows patterns, but markets surprise people for a living.
Three common reasons. The market consolidated around winners. The technology matured and stopped generating new startups. Or builder attention shifted to adjacent categories. Usually it's a combination.
Volume without engagement is saturation. Engagement without volume is opportunity. Check which one you're looking at.