Research-backed waitlist platform

FancyWaitlist

An AI-friendly waitlist designed around best practices from behavioral science and real launch data. Referral loops, social proof, position tracking, milestone rewards — all built in.

Free to start · No credit card required

See it in action

Manage your waitlist with a conversation

Check stats, get engagement ideas, draft emails, and send — all through your AI agent. Here's what that looks like.

claude — fancy-waitlist MCP

How it works

Up and running in three steps

Add a signup form

Drop in a form, connect the API, or use the MCP server. One YAML config file defines your waitlist behavior — referral rules, milestones, email triggers.

Connect your SMTP

Bring your own email infrastructure. We handle the logic — welcome emails, milestone celebrations, referral notifications — you own the deliverability.

Use AI to send emails

Connect Claude or any MCP-compatible agent. Ask it to draft updates, send referral reminders, or check your stats — all through natural language.

Features

The full engagement playbook, built in

Every feature exists because studies and real launch data show it increases signups, referrals, or retention.

Referral Engine

Every subscriber gets a unique referral link. Track referrals, set milestone rewards, and let your best advocates bring in more signups.

Position Tracking

Real-time queue position for every subscriber. Move up by referring friends. Loss aversion keeps them engaged and sharing.

Event Emails

Automated emails triggered by milestones — signups, position changes, referral rewards. Draft them with AI or write your own. Your SMTP sends them.

AI-Native API

MCP server, CLI, Python client. Build AI agents that manage your waitlist. Declarative YAML config for everything.

Fraud Prevention

Detect fake referrals, bot signups, and gaming attempts. Protect your waitlist integrity with built-in fraud intelligence.

Social Proof

Live subscriber counts, referral leaderboards, and milestone badges. Let your audience see the momentum building in real time.

BYOSMTP

Bring Your Own SMTP

You control deliverability, sender reputation, and cost. Connect SendGrid, Postmark, Amazon SES, or any SMTP provider. We handle the logic — welcome emails, milestone celebrations, referral notifications — your infrastructure sends them.

Credentials encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM. Never logged, never exposed via API.

SendGrid

Postmark

Amazon SES

Any SMTP

Zero Migration

Your waitlist becomes your mailing list

When you launch, transition your waitlist into a mailing list. Same subscribers, same segments, same referral history. No exporting to Mailchimp. No broken links. No lost data.

Waitlist

Pre-launch

Mailing List

Post-launch

Config-as-Code

Why it works with any AI tool

One YAML file defines your entire waitlist. MCP server, CLI, and Python client give AI agents full access — no dashboards to click through.

fancy-waitlist.yaml

# fancy-waitlist.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: WaitlistConfig
metadata:
  name: my-product-launch
smtp:
  provider: sendgrid
  from_name: "My Product"
  from_email: [email protected]
lists:
  - name: launch-waitlist
    position_display: relative
    signup:
      email: true
      oauth:
        google: true
        github: true
referrals:
  enabled: true
  double_sided: true
  milestones:
    - tier: early-bird
      referrals: 3
      reward: "Priority access"
    - tier: insider
      referrals: 10
      reward: "3 months free"
    - tier: champion
      referrals: 25
      reward: "Lifetime free"
emails:
  welcome:
    enabled: true
    subject: "You're #{{position}} in line"
    body_file: emails/welcome.html

terminal

$ fancy-waitlist config push fancy-waitlist.yaml
Validating config...
Config valid. Applying changes:
  + list: launch-waitlist
  + referral milestones: 3 tiers
  + event emails: welcome, referral_success
  ~ smtp: sendgrid (credentials stored)
Config applied successfully.
$ fancy-waitlist subscribers --list launch-waitlist --tag "high-intent"
Found 247 subscribers tagged 'high-intent'
  #12  [email protected]     referrals: 8   tier: insider
  #45  [email protected]        referrals: 5   tier: early-bird
  #67  [email protected]    referrals: 12  tier: insider
  ... 244 more
$ fancy-waitlist stats
launch-waitlist:
  subscribers: 1,247 (+340 this week)
  k-factor:    1.4
  emails sent:  3,891
  open rate:    42.1%

MCP Server

AI agents manage your config

Python Client

Typed SDK for scripts & notebooks

CLI

Script and automate everything

The numbers

These aren't marketing claims

Real data from real launches. This is why every feature in Fancy Waitlist exists.

77%

of Harry's 100K signups came from referrals

Jeff Raider, First Round Review (2014)

1M+

Robinhood waitlist signups before launch day

Robinhood pre-launch campaign (2013)

250K

Monzo customers acquired through golden ticket referrals

Monzo community reports (2016–2018)

Companies that launched with waitlists

Robinhood

1M+

waitlist signups before launch

Harry's

100K

emails in one week

Monzo

250K

via golden ticket referrals

See the full research

10 best practices, sourced from behavioral science and real launch data

Compare

Why Fancy Waitlist?

See how the features that matter most stack up.

Feature	Fancy Waitlist	GetWaitlist	Viral Loops	KickoffLabs
Free tier	100 subs			100 subs
AI-native API (MCP)
BYOSMTP
Waitlist to mailing list
Landing page builder
Pre-built templates
Config-as-code (YAML)
Entry price	$9/mo	$15/mo	$49/mo	$13/mo
Subs at entry price	2,500	Unknown	1,000	500

Pricing

Simple, transparent pricing

Start free. Upgrade when your waitlist takes off.

Free

Perfect for validating your idea

$0/mo

100 subscribers
1 waitlist
Position tracking
Referral codes
API / MCP / CLI access
Basic analytics

Starter

For serious pre-launch campaigns

$9/mo

2,500 subscribers
10 waitlists
Everything in Free, plus:
Milestone emails
Subscriber surveys
Segmentation
Custom domain

Recommended

Growth

Scale your launch with confidence

$25/mo

10,000 subscribers
Unlimited waitlists
Everything in Starter, plus:
Fraud prevention
Leaderboard
Advanced analytics
Priority support

Scale

For high-volume launches

$49/mo

50,000 subscribers
Unlimited waitlists
Everything in Growth, plus:
Dedicated support
Custom rate limits
SLA

Ready to build a better waitlist?

Research-backed engagement. AI-friendly from day one. Free to start.

Free to start · No credit card required