How to post a Show HN on Hacker News

Hacker News is Y Combinator's community news site where users submit and vote on links.

Last checked against Hacker News's own submission pages on October 15, 2026.

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91Domain Rating

hardDifficulty

20-40 minEstimated effort

Why founders submit to Hacker News

'Show HN' posts are for things you've made that other people can try, and they are read by a largely technical audience of developers, founders and investors.

Pricing as Hacker News states it: No fee; a Show HN is a normal story submission whose title begins with 'Show HN'. Requires an HN account. Review and timing: No review queue. Per the Show HN guidelines, every Show HN appears on /shownew immediately and moves to the /show page once it clears a small points threshold.

When we checked live listings, outbound product links were a mix of followed and nofollow, depending on the listing. Ahrefs Domain Rating was 91 as of August 2026. It suits SaaS, AI, and startup teams when they have a technical product and can answer skeptical comments in public.

What we handle on Hacker News

Match your product to the right category and requirements
Prepare listing copy, assets, and submission details
Submit on your behalf and note approval or follow-up status
Report the listing URL when the page goes live

How to submit to Hacker News

Read the Show HN guidelines at news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html
Make the product easy to try, ideally without signups or email gates
Log in and open news.ycombinator.com/submit
Enter a title starting with 'Show HN:' and the URL (or text) of the thing people can try
Post a first comment explaining what you built, how and why, then stay to answer questions
The post appears on /shownew; if it clears a small points threshold it moves to /show

Prefer to DIY? Open the Hacker News submission page (opens in a new tab). Most founders hire us when they want coverage across many directories without repeating this process.

Before you submit to Hacker News

Guidelines ask you not to have friends upvote or comment; HN says that is not ok.
Remove barriers such as signups or emails so users can try it; you'll get more feedback.
If it isn't ready for users to try, wait; landing pages and fundraisers are explicitly not Show HN.

Alternatives to Hacker News

Directories with the same audience and format, worth submitting to in the same campaign.

DEV Community HackerNoon Peerlist Indie Hackers

More product launch platforms More high-dr directories

Hacker News submission FAQ

Is it free to submit to Hacker News?

No fee; a Show HN is a normal story submission whose title begins with 'Show HN'. Requires an HN account.

Are Hacker News links dofollow?

Hacker News uses a mix of followed and nofollow links depending on listing type or placement. Link attributes can change, so check your live listing after approval.

How long does Hacker News take to review a submission?

No review queue. Per the Show HN guidelines, every Show HN appears on /shownew immediately and moves to the /show page once it clears a small points threshold.

What do I need to submit to Hacker News?

Hacker News account (submit page requires login), Title beginning with 'Show HN', Something people can try out now: things people can run on their computers or hold in their hands (hardware: video or detailed article; books: sample chapter), Not allowed as Show HN: blog posts, sign-up pages, newsletters, lists, other reading material, landing pages or fundraisers, Non-trivial project you worked on personally and are around to discuss, Minor version/feature updates generally don't qualify; a major overhaul may.

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We complete submissions on time after intake. Approvals, reviews, and domain rating are never guaranteed.

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