How to launch on Hacker News (Show HN)
Honest technical feedback on something people can try right now.
- Free option
- Free; must be something people can try
- Free-tier wait
- None: post any time (as stated)
- Badge or link required
- No
- Cheapest paid option
- Free (nothing to buy)
- Dofollow: they say
- Observed only on posts with traction
- Dofollow: we saw
- Followed on all 16 posts with 18+ points; nofollow on all 14 with 13 or fewer (30 sampled) (example)
- Audience
- Not published by Hacker News (Show HN)
What it is
Show HN is the section of Hacker News for "something you've made that other people can play with". You post a story whose title starts with "Show HN", it appears on the shownew page, and once it clears a small points threshold it moves to the Show page in the top bar.
Who it is best for
Working software that a technical reader can try in a minute, ideally without a signup. It is a poor fit for landing pages, waitlists, newsletters or blog posts, which the rules explicitly send elsewhere.
How to submit
- Make sure the thing is ready to try: the Show HN rules say not to post landing pages or fundraisers, and to come back once it is ready.
- Remove barriers such as signups or emails where you can; the guidelines say you will get more feedback that way.
- Submit a regular story whose title begins with "Show HN:" and link to the product or repository.
- Stay in the thread to answer questions. The rules say the project must be something you are around to discuss.
Free vs paid
| Option | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Show HN post | Free | No paid placement exists |
Dofollow or nofollow?
Measured, not claimed: on 2026-09-30 we read the 30 story links on news.ycombinator.com/show. The 16 posts with 18 or more points linked without rel="nofollow"; the 14 posts with 13 points or fewer carried rel="nofollow". In that sample, the link only passed equity once a post had traction.
Our check, 2026-09-30: Followed on all 16 posts with 18+ points; nofollow on all 14 with 13 or fewer (30 sampled). Example we checked: news.ycombinator.com/show. We read the rel attribute on the link to the maker's own site; a link without nofollow or ugc passes ranking signals, while nofollow and ugc ask search engines not to.
Tips
- The rules now say it directly: "Don't post quickly-generated one-offs; anybody can do that now." If your app was vibe-coded in an afternoon, explain what is non-trivial about it and why you made it.
- Do not ask friends to upvote or comment. The guidelines say that is not ok on HN.
- Version bumps ("Foo 1.3.1 is out") generally are not Show HN material; a major overhaul can be.
Hacker News (Show HN) FAQ
Can I post a landing page as a Show HN?
No. The Show HN guidelines say not to post landing pages or fundraisers, and to come back when people can actually try the product.
Does Show HN give a dofollow backlink?
In our 2026-09-30 sample of the Show page, links on posts with 18+ points had no nofollow attribute, while posts with 13 points or fewer did. Treat a followed link as a side effect of traction, not something you can count on.
Can I post an AI-built side project?
Yes, if it is something people can try and you can discuss. The rules ask for non-trivial projects and say not to post quickly-generated one-offs.
Alternatives to Hacker News (Show HN)
Sources, checked 2026-09-30
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