Tweet
Where to find actual valuable giveaways, events, and opportunities – not **** or marketing disguised as value.
Regular Giveaway Sources
Product Hunt – New product launches often include launch-day promotions. Lifetime deals, extended trials, discount codes for early supporters. Check daily, deals expire fast. Follow makers for exclusive offers.
AppSumo – Lifetime software deals. Not technically giveaways but substantial discounts (80-90% off). New deals weekly. Lifetime access for one-time payment. Best for tools you'll use long-term. Return policy if tool doesn't fit.
GitHub Student Developer Pack – Free access to 100+ developer tools for students. Includes GitHub Pro, cloud credits, design tools, domains. Massive value, completely free for verified students.
Conference Opportunities
Sessionize – Conference speaking opportunities. Speaking often includes free ticket, sometimes travel stipend. Build expertise while attending free. Search by topic and location.
Conference Twitter Lists – Follow conference accounts for giveaway announcements. Many conferences run ticket giveaways before events. Retweet and tag requirements common.
Learning & Course Giveaways
Udemy Promotions – Courses drop from $100+ to $10-15 during constant sales. Check r/Udemy for current codes. Instructors occasionally give free coupons on social media.
Frontend Masters – Occasional scholarship giveaways and community license programs. Follow their Twitter for announcements. Also conference booth giveaways.
O'Reilly Learning – Partner with conferences and organizations for free access periods. Check if your employer or professional organization offers access.
Tool Giveaways
Adobe – Student/teacher discount 60% off with verification. Also occasional Creative Cloud giveaways through education partners.
JetBrains – Free licenses for open-source developers. Also student licenses free for verified students. Apply with your project details.
Sketch – Free educational licenses for students and teachers. Also occasional Mac app bundle deals.
Startup Credits & Programs
Y Combinator Startup School – Free startup course with $15K in partner credits. Includes AWS, DigitalOcean, Stripe, others. No application required, open to anyone building startups.
AWS Activate – Up to $100K in credits for qualified startups. Access through accelerators, VCs, or startup programs.
Google Cloud Startup – Up to $200K in cloud credits over two years. Support from Google engineers. Must be part of approved program or have VC backing.
Community Events
Meetup.com – Local and virtual tech meetups. Often free, sometimes with swag or giveaways. Networking value often exceeds any prizes.
Dev.to – Community challenges and hackathons with prizes. Also occasional tool sponsorships giving away licenses.
Hashnode – Writing competitions and community events. Prizes include cash, subscriptions, swag.
Hackathons
Devpost – Hackathon directory with thousands of events. Many offer prizes ($1K-100K+), plus sponsors often give tool credits to participants.
MLH (Major League Hacking) – Student hackathon league. Events year-round with prizes and swag. Also hardware lending for participants.
Red Flags to Avoid
"Act now, limited time" without clear value. Real deals don't require high-pressure tactics.
Requiring payment upfront for "free trial." Legitimate trials don't charge until trial ends.
Multi-level marketing schemes. If value is recruiting others, it's pyramid scheme.
Asking for banking info or SSN for "verification." That's phishing.
Maximizing Opportunities
Follow brands on social media. Exclusive giveaways often shared with followers first.
Join email lists of tools you use. Member-only promotions and early access to sales.
Participate in communities. Active members often get priority in giveaways.
Engage authentically. "Please give me free stuff" comments don't work. Thoughtful engagement does.
Share What You Find
Found a legitimate giveaway? Post it with details on how to enter and what's required. Discovered an exclusive event? Share registration link and why it's valuable. Attended something great? Write about it so others know to watch for next time.
Regular Giveaway Sources
Product Hunt – New product launches often include launch-day promotions. Lifetime deals, extended trials, discount codes for early supporters. Check daily, deals expire fast. Follow makers for exclusive offers.
AppSumo – Lifetime software deals. Not technically giveaways but substantial discounts (80-90% off). New deals weekly. Lifetime access for one-time payment. Best for tools you'll use long-term. Return policy if tool doesn't fit.
GitHub Student Developer Pack – Free access to 100+ developer tools for students. Includes GitHub Pro, cloud credits, design tools, domains. Massive value, completely free for verified students.
Conference Opportunities
Sessionize – Conference speaking opportunities. Speaking often includes free ticket, sometimes travel stipend. Build expertise while attending free. Search by topic and location.
Conference Twitter Lists – Follow conference accounts for giveaway announcements. Many conferences run ticket giveaways before events. Retweet and tag requirements common.
Learning & Course Giveaways
Udemy Promotions – Courses drop from $100+ to $10-15 during constant sales. Check r/Udemy for current codes. Instructors occasionally give free coupons on social media.
Frontend Masters – Occasional scholarship giveaways and community license programs. Follow their Twitter for announcements. Also conference booth giveaways.
O'Reilly Learning – Partner with conferences and organizations for free access periods. Check if your employer or professional organization offers access.
Tool Giveaways
Adobe – Student/teacher discount 60% off with verification. Also occasional Creative Cloud giveaways through education partners.
JetBrains – Free licenses for open-source developers. Also student licenses free for verified students. Apply with your project details.
Sketch – Free educational licenses for students and teachers. Also occasional Mac app bundle deals.
Startup Credits & Programs
Y Combinator Startup School – Free startup course with $15K in partner credits. Includes AWS, DigitalOcean, Stripe, others. No application required, open to anyone building startups.
AWS Activate – Up to $100K in credits for qualified startups. Access through accelerators, VCs, or startup programs.
Google Cloud Startup – Up to $200K in cloud credits over two years. Support from Google engineers. Must be part of approved program or have VC backing.
Community Events
Meetup.com – Local and virtual tech meetups. Often free, sometimes with swag or giveaways. Networking value often exceeds any prizes.
Dev.to – Community challenges and hackathons with prizes. Also occasional tool sponsorships giving away licenses.
Hashnode – Writing competitions and community events. Prizes include cash, subscriptions, swag.
Hackathons
Devpost – Hackathon directory with thousands of events. Many offer prizes ($1K-100K+), plus sponsors often give tool credits to participants.
MLH (Major League Hacking) – Student hackathon league. Events year-round with prizes and swag. Also hardware lending for participants.
Red Flags to Avoid
"Act now, limited time" without clear value. Real deals don't require high-pressure tactics.
Requiring payment upfront for "free trial." Legitimate trials don't charge until trial ends.
Multi-level marketing schemes. If value is recruiting others, it's pyramid scheme.
Asking for banking info or SSN for "verification." That's phishing.
Maximizing Opportunities
Follow brands on social media. Exclusive giveaways often shared with followers first.
Join email lists of tools you use. Member-only promotions and early access to sales.
Participate in communities. Active members often get priority in giveaways.
Engage authentically. "Please give me free stuff" comments don't work. Thoughtful engagement does.
Share What You Find
Found a legitimate giveaway? Post it with details on how to enter and what's required. Discovered an exclusive event? Share registration link and why it's valuable. Attended something great? Write about it so others know to watch for next time.