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Launch platform · checked 10 October 2026

How to launch on Show HN

Projects people can try, posted as 'Show HN' for the HN community

Launching on Show HN is free. The listing we checked marked its link to the product nofollow.

Free routeLink observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking creditTop 10k
Open Show HN's submit page ↗

At a glance

Free route
Free route

Free to post from a Hacker News account; the title must begin with 'Show HN'; the project must be something others can try and the poster must be around to discuss it.

Paid listing from

No paid listing — the free route is the way in.

Review time
  • Free route: no review queue stated; every Show HN appears on /shownew and reaches the Show page after clearing a small points threshold
Link on a live listing
Link observed: nofollow — marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit

Marked nofollow — search engines are asked not to pass ranking credit. Show HN does not say what kind of link it gives.

What we read: https://news.ycombinator.com/show (2026-10-10) - story links of posts with 2-12 points carry rel='nofollow'; links of posts with 15 or more points have no rel attribute

Requirements
  • Hacker News account.
  • Title starts with 'Show HN'.
  • Something users can run or try without barriers; landing pages, sign-up pages, newsletters and fundraisers are off topic.
  • Non-trivial project the poster worked on personally.
  • No asking friends to upvote or comment.
  • Minor version updates are generally not Show HNs.
Popularity

#2,325 in the Tranco top-1M list of 9 October 2026 — Top 10k.

How to launch on Show HN, step by step

  1. 1Get the kit ready. Name, a one-line tagline, a short description, a square logo, two or three screenshots and your pricing in numbers — the same kit works on every directory.
  2. 2Open Show HN's launch page. It is at news.ycombinator.com/submit.
  3. 3Take the free route, if it fits. Free to post from a Hacker News account; the title must begin with 'Show HN'; the project must be something others can try and the poster must be around to discuss it.
  4. 4Check the rules first. Hacker News account. Title starts with 'Show HN'. Something users can run or try without barriers; landing pages, sign-up pages, newsletters and fundraisers are off topic.
  5. 5Once it is live, check the link. Open your listing, right-click the link to your site and choose Inspect: the rel attribute says whether it is a plain link, nofollow, ugc or sponsored.

What a launch there gets you

A Show HN post opens a comment thread where HN readers try the project and give feedback; high-scoring posts reach the Show page and the front page. Suits developer-oriented and technical products that can be tried immediately.

  • 16 of the 35 launch platforms and directories whose live listings we read gave a plain link; Show HN's was marked nofollow.
  • By traffic rank it is number 2 of the 27 launch platforms and directories here that appear in the Tranco top-1M list.

Show HN: the questions founders ask

How much does it cost to launch on Show HN?

Launching on Show HN is free.

Is Show HN free?

Yes, with conditions. Free to post from a Hacker News account; the title must begin with 'Show HN'; the project must be something others can try and the poster must be around to discuss it.

How long does a launch on Show HN take?

Free route: no review queue stated; every Show HN appears on /shownew and reaches the Show page after clearing a small points threshold.

Does Show HN give a dofollow backlink?

Show HN does not say. The listing we checked marked its link to the product nofollow.

What does Show HN require?

Hacker News account. Title starts with 'Show HN'. Something users can run or try without barriers; landing pages, sign-up pages, newsletters and fundraisers are off topic. Non-trivial project the poster worked on personally. No asking friends to upvote or comment.

Sources

Read on 10 October 2026. Every fact above comes from Show HN's own pages.

Next to the others

Show HN is one of 41 launch platforms and directories we checked on the same day, with the same questions.

Compare all 41 →

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