shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use itch.io?

itch.io is a simple way to find, download and distribute indie games online. Whether you're a developer looking to upload your game or just someone looking for something new to play itch.io has you covered. - itch.io

Depends. Buy it if you're an indie dev publishing free or experimental games, or hosting jams — it costs nothing and PCMag rates it well. Don't rely on it as your primary revenue channel: users report 100+ day payout waits and weak discoverability.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 30+ public sources; some snippets truncated, review base is small (90 Trustpilot reviewers).

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Publishing

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Indie devs releasing free or experimental games
  • Game jam hosts and participants
  • Hobbyists selling pay-what-you-want titles
  • Players hunting niche indie games

Not for

  • Studios relying on it as their main revenue channel
  • Devs needing fast, predictable payouts
  • Anyone expecting strong organic discoverability
  • Teams needing enterprise support or SLAs

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Payout delays documented — one dev waited over 100 days

medium

Fake-update malware campaigns have targeted users; verify downloads

medium

Trustpilot reviews cite very slow responses from the platform

low

Default 10% platform cut — lower it in settings if you want

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free to publish — no upfront cost
  • Open revenue share: developer sets the platform's cut
  • Positive review from PCMag
  • Built-in game jam hosting
  • Uploads scanned for malware; 2FA supported

Cons

  • Devs report 100+ day waits for payouts
  • Trustpilot reviewers describe support as slow
  • Weak discoverability; devs question if anyone plays uploads
  • Users say the store is swamped by AI slop

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 12 sources - Solid posture: CyStack scores 88.8/100, 2FA and upload malware scanning available — but fake-update malware campaigns have targeted users.

official x4review x5security x2news x1
  • Lumma Stealer campaign via fake updates, A Lumma Stealer campaign used fake updates and a reflective loader to target users.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free to publish; dev controls revenue share
  • Ease of use: 4/5. PCMag review positive; simple publishing
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Jams, devlogs, HTML5 hosting, desktop app
  • Support quality: 2/5. Slow responses, payout delay complaints
  • Security posture: 4/5. CyStack 88.8/100, 2FA, upload scanning
  • $0 Cost to publish itch.io costs nothing to start (Creator FAQ)
  • 10% Default revenue share Open model — developer sets the platform cut
  • 90 Trustpilot reviewers Small review base
  • 88.8/100 Security score CyStack audit of itch.io

Pricing

Publishing

$0

  • Free game uploads
  • Open revenue share — dev sets the cut (default 10%)
  • Pay-what-you-want and minimum-price tools

Security

Solid posture: CyStack scores 88.8/100, 2FA and upload malware scanning available — but fake-update malware campaigns have targeted users.

  • Lumma Stealer campaign via fake updatesA Lumma Stealer campaign used fake updates and a reflective loader to target users.12

What users say

Users like itch.io as a free, friendly home for indie games but complain about slow payouts, slow support, and weak discoverability.

“itch.io is no longer viable – over 100 days waiting for payouts”
Reddit, r/IndieDev
“Itch.io is getting swamped by AI slop”
Reddit, r/itchio
“I've had absolutely zero issues with itch.io.”
Reddit, r/otomegames
Full analysis

Based on 30+ public sources; some snippets truncated, review base is small (90 Trustpilot reviewers).

Free indie game hosting with dev-set revenue cut — great for jams and experiments, risky if payouts must be on time.

Methodology

Based on 30+ public sources; some snippets truncated, review base is small (90 Trustpilot reviewers).

Sources

  1. review
  2. review
  3. review
  4. review
  5. review
  6. official
  7. Pricingitch.io
    official
  8. official
  9. official
  10. Itch.io - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  11. security
  12. security

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