Can I demo an app that is not released?

Yes. A capture-based demo records whatever you can open in a browser, including a local build, something behind a login, or a prototype nobody outside the team has seen. Nothing is installed into the product, so it does not need to be deployed or public.

Should I demo features I have not built yet?

No. A walkthrough of a screen that does not exist is a promise people will hold you to and will remember. Demo the finished path and describe what is coming in a caption instead -- that stays honest and still shows ambition.

Where do I put a demo if I have no website?

A single-page site, your social bio, direct messages when someone asks what you are building, or a waitlist page. A published demo is just a link, so it works anywhere a link does.

← Back to blog

How to Showcase an App With No Store Listing Yet

August 27, 2026

Before an app is listed anywhere, describing it is all you have — and descriptions of software are almost impossible to picture.

A recorded walkthrough closes that gap without needing a store listing, a public URL, or a finished product.

What you can record before launch

A build only you can open, including one running locally or behind a login.
A half-finished product, as long as you only demo the parts that work.
A web version of a mobile app, which is usually enough to convey the idea.
A prototype, provided you do not present it as shipped.

Show the parts that exist

The temptation with an unfinished product is to demo the vision. Resist it: a walkthrough of a screen you have not built is a promise you will be measured against, and people remember it.

Demo the finished path, and say what is coming in a caption rather than staging it. That stays honest and still communicates where it is going.

Where to put it before you have anywhere

A one-page site, even a single-file one. The demo can be the whole page.
Your social bio, where a link to something clickable outperforms a link to a description.
Direct messages, when someone asks what you are working on.
A waitlist page, where seeing the product is what converts the signup.

What this earns you before launch

Two things worth more than the attention: people who want to be told when it ships, and evidence about which parts they care about.

If everyone replays one step and nobody reaches the end, that is a product finding while there is still time to act on it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I demo an app that is not released?: Yes. A capture-based demo records whatever you can open in a browser, including a local build, something behind a login, or a prototype nobody outside the team has seen. Nothing is installed into the product, so it does not need to be deployed or public.
Should I demo features I have not built yet?: No. A walkthrough of a screen that does not exist is a promise people will hold you to and will remember. Demo the finished path and describe what is coming in a caption instead -- that stays honest and still shows ambition.
Where do I put a demo if I have no website?: A single-page site, your social bio, direct messages when someone asks what you are building, or a waitlist page. A published demo is just a link, so it works anywhere a link does.

Keep reading

This is what Demorta does

Click through it — the same kind of demo you can record of your own product.

Try it on your own product

Record your first interactive demo free.

Five demos on the free plan, forever. No credit card, no trial countdown, no sales call. Install the Chrome extension, click through your product once, and you have a shareable link in about ten minutes.

Start free →