- #developers
- #community
- #feedback
- #tech
Submit to Hacker News (Show HN)
Show HN is the section of Hacker News for sharing something you built that people can try out and discuss. The audience is developers, founders and technically minded readers who give blunt, detailed feedback. A post that gains points moves from the new list onto the Show page and can drive a big traffic spike.
news.ycombinator.com · Checked
Hacker News (Show HN) at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- No price details on their site when we checked.
- Link type
- Mixed
- On https://news.ycombinator.com/show some story links carry rel="nofollow" (e.g. ivesentit.com, filmstudio.rxlab.app) while others have no rel attribute (e.g. github.com/hsfzxjy/npunlock) (checked 2026-09-23)
- Review
- Automatic
- Link back required
- No
- Account required
- Yes
- Domain Rating
- DR91
- Domain Rating by Ahrefs, checked Sep 24, 2026. A score of the whole site’s backlinks, not a Google metric.
- Tranco rank
- #2,207
- Research top-sites ranking. Lower is more popular.
- Who browses it
- Software developers, technical founders and tech-savvy early adopters
- Last checked
How to submit to Hacker News (Show HN)
Open the Hacker News (Show HN) submission page
This is the page makers use to add a product.
Create an account
Hacker News (Show HN) asks you to sign up before you can submit.
Have your assets ready
Name, tagline, description, logo and screenshots. The checklist below covers what to prepare so you can fill the form in one go.
Fill in the form carefully
Pick the most specific category the form offers and write the description for the people who browse Hacker News (Show HN) (Software developers, technical founders and tech-savvy early adopters), not for search engines.
Check your listing
Listings go live without review. Open yours, check the details and check the link points to the right page.
Tips for Hacker News (Show HN)
- Only post things people can actually try; landing pages, sign-up pages, newsletters and fundraisers are off-topic for Show HN.
- Remove barriers like mandatory sign-ups or email gates so readers can try it immediately.
- Start the title with 'Show HN' and be around to answer questions in the thread.
- Don't ask friends to upvote or comment; the guidelines forbid it.
From Hacker News (Show HN)’s own guidelines and pages, in our words.
What to prepare
The basics every directory asks for, plus what matters most for product launch platforms.
- Product name and a one-line tagline (about 60 characters)
- A short description (1–2 sentences) and a longer one (a short paragraph)
- Square logo, at least 256×256 px, PNG or SVG
- 2–3 screenshots at a consistent size
- The exact page you want the link to point to
- Pricing model (free, freemium or paid) and a contact email
- A chosen launch date, with time blocked to reply to comments
- A maker comment: why you built it and what feedback you want
- Gallery images or a short demo video
- An optional launch-day offer for that platform’s users
Is Hacker News (Show HN) worth it?
Depends on the listing
Hacker News (Show HN) uses followed links on some listings and not others. Read the evidence above and check which kind your listing gets before you pay for anything.
- Domain Rating by Ahrefs: 91 (top tier). That's the strength of links to the whole site, not a promise about what your listing passes on.
- Tranco rank #2,207: one of the ~10,000 most visited sites on the web.
- Listings are published without human review.
- Free to list, so the only cost is your time.
This verdict is worked out from the facts above with fixed rules (link type, review, price, Domain Rating by Ahrefs, Tranco rank), not paid for. The directory has no say in it.
Questions about Hacker News (Show HN)
Is Hacker News (Show HN) free?
Yes. Listing on Hacker News (Show HN) is free. We checked on Sep 23, 2026.
Does Hacker News (Show HN) give a dofollow link?
It depends. Some listing links on Hacker News (Show HN) are followed and some are not. Evidence: On https://news.ycombinator.com/show some story links carry rel="nofollow" (e.g. ivesentit.com, filmstudio.rxlab.app) while others have no rel attribute (e.g. github.com/hsfzxjy/npunlock) (checked 2026-09-23).
How do I submit to Hacker News (Show HN)?
Submit at https://news.ycombinator.com/submit. You need an account first. Listings go live without human review. Tip: Only post things people can actually try; landing pages, sign-up pages, newsletters and fundraisers are off-topic for Show HN.
Alternatives to Hacker News (Show HN)
All product launch platformsFree · DR 91 · Tranco #4,480
Not published · DR 77 · Tranco #202,614
Free + paid options · DR 83 · Tranco #224,088
Paid · DR 56 · Tranco #252,067
Free + paid options · DR 76 · Tranco #363,756
Free + paid options · DR 75 · Tranco #536,912
Also in these lists
Hacker News (Show HN) appears on these niche lists, next to other places to submit the same kind of product.
All niche listsSources
The pages we opened on Sep 23, 2026 to write this page.