2026 · Free classifieds for the desi community in the USA
ApnaUSA.co
Rooms, jobs, deals and events from your community, in every US city — post in three minutes with no account. Used by 25,000+ people.
Overview
The short version
ApnaUSA is a free classifieds site for the Indian and South Asian community in the United States. Rooms and rentals, jobs, buy & sell, and events — in all 50 states. I founded it, designed it, and built it. The whole product is shaped around one insight: this community already trades this information every day, just in scattered WhatsApp groups and Facebook threads that are impossible to search and easy to scam.
Challenge
The information exists; the place for it doesn’t
Newcomers and long-time residents alike rely on community word-of-mouth to find a room in Edison, a Garba night in Fremont, or a Java developer role through someone’s cousin. The channels they use are broken in predictable ways:
- Unsearchable. Group chats bury a room listing under 400 messages by the next morning.
- Untrusted. No verification, no expiry, and scams are common enough that people warn each other.
- High friction elsewhere. General classifieds sites demand accounts, feel generic, and don’t understand “2BHK near a temple” or “Navratri night, kids welcome”.
- Local businesses have no channel. Grocers, realtors, tutors, and tax pros serving desi families have nowhere to reach them.
My role
Strategy, design, build, and launch
As the founder I set the direction and did the work:
- Product strategy: free forever for the community, funded by sponsored placements for local businesses.
- Information architecture: four categories, one search, all 50 states — with popular hubs (San Jose, Edison, Jackson Heights, Houston…) surfaced.
- Posting flow: designed a single adaptive form that changes fields by category, verified by a 6-digit email code instead of an account.
- Trust & safety: safety tips, reporting, and auto-expiring listings (1 week to 6 months) so the site never fills with dead posts.
- Brand and UI: a warm orange identity that reads as friendly and “ours”, paired with a plain, fast, mobile-first layout.
- Build and ship: developed and launched the site myself; it’s live at apnausa.co.
Solution
Post in three minutes, no login, and it just works on a phone
Every design decision optimizes for one thing: someone on their phone, on the bus, posting or finding something in the community with as little ceremony as possible.
Search-first home
Keyword + category + location in one card. Example placeholders (“Room in Edison, Java developer, Garba night”) teach the vocabulary.
One adaptive form
Choose what you’re posting and the form reshapes itself — rooms ask for rent and move-in, events ask for date and tickets.
Email verification, not accounts
A 6-digit code proves you’re real without a password to forget. Posting takes about three minutes.
Listings that expire
Posters choose 1 week to 6 months. The feed stays fresh without moderators chasing stale ads.
Helpful microcopy
“Clear, specific titles get 3× more responses” nudges better posts at the moment of writing.
Sponsored spots
A clearly labeled placement for local businesses on every page — revenue without compromising free posting.
Impact
What shipped
ApnaUSA launched publicly in 2026 as a working, nationwide product designed and built by one person, and has been used by more than 25,000 people.
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Contact
Let’s build something people love.
I’m looking for a full-time UI/UX or Product Design role, and I’m happy to talk about contract work too. The fastest way to reach me is email.