Product Hunt vs Hacker News: Launch Page or Show HN Post?
Product Hunt is a ranked launch page for products of every kind, while a Show HN post is a Hacker News story for something other people can try right now. Show HN rules are the stricter ones: no sign-up pages or newsletters, a non-trivial project you made yourself, and no asking friends to upvote. Product Hunt suits a product with a prepared audience. Show HN suits a tool a stranger can run in a minute.
Launch page or Show HN post: how do the two differ?
| What you compare | Product Hunt | Hacker News (Show HN) |
|---|---|---|
| What you submit | A product page with a tagline, media and a first comment from you | A story whose title begins with “Show HN” |
| What must exist first | A product you can describe | Something people can run on their computer or hold in their hands |
| Landing and sign-up pages | A product website is the normal destination | Off topic; so are newsletters and lists |
| Asking for votes | Makers commonly invite their own network | The guidelines say not to ask friends to upvote or comment |
| Where you show up | A daily ranking, with curated featuring | On shownew, then the show page once a small points threshold is cleared |
| Account | Sign-in | An account to post |
| Cost | Free to submit | Free |
Product Hunt blocked our automated request, so its column is the well-documented basics only. The Hacker News column comes straight from its Show HN guidelines page.
What does Show HN turn away that a launch page would take?
A good deal. The guidelines call for a non-trivial project you worked on personally and will be around to discuss. They single out quickly generated one-offs, and they say to explain how and why you made it. Landing pages and fundraisers are not wanted, and neither is an update such as a version bump; a major overhaul is probably fine.
Two imagined products show the line. A small command-line tool that reformats Markdown tables can be run in seconds, so it fits. A scheduling SaaS whose only public page is a waitlist form does not, since there is nothing to try. The guidelines also say that if your work is not ready for users, you should wait and come back when it is. That is the opposite of a launch page, which often goes live before the product feels finished.
How do the two feel about you asking for votes?
Very differently. Hacker News says “Don’t solicit upvotes, comments, or submissions” in its general guidelines, and its Show HN page repeats that you should not ask friends to upvote or comment. It also asks you not to use the site primarily for promotion, and not to delete and repost a story that sank.
A Product Hunt day is commonly built on a maker’s own network turning up early. That is a normal part of how a ranked day works, but it is why people with no network find it hard. If you plan to invite supporters, read how to get upvotes without spam first, and read Product Hunt’s current rules before you write to anyone.
What does a day on each site cost you in time and nerve?
- Show HN: a plain title, an honest first comment about why you built it, and several hours at the keyboard. Replies should be curious and calm, and the guidelines ask for text you wrote yourself, not generated text.
- Product Hunt: media, a tagline and a first comment prepared in advance, then the first hours of the ranking day spent answering comments and thanking supporters.
- Both: expect blunt questions. On Hacker News they tend to be technical; on Product Hunt they are more often about price and use cases.
Neither site can promise a single visitor. If your product is not ready for either, our own board (we run it) is a lighter first step: put the product on the free launch board to get a public page and a few early votes while you finish. It has no newsletter and a small audience, so it earns you feedback, not reach.
If you use both, which should go first?
For a product people can try, post the Show HN first. Its audience will find broken sign-ups and confusing first screens, and you can fix them before a ranked day puts the product in front of a wider crowd. The Show HN playbook walks through the post itself, and the Product Hunt checklist covers the page you will want ready afterwards.
Leave a gap of at least a few days. Each site wants your attention for a full day, and the fixes from the first are what make the second better.
Which suits your product better?
- A CLI, library or self-hostable tool: Show HN. Browse developer tool ideas to see how builders describe this kind of project.
- A consumer app behind a sign-up wall: Product Hunt, because Show HN asks you to lower that barrier.
- A design or marketing product with a polished look: Product Hunt, where media carries the page.
- A product that is only a landing page today: neither. Build the first version, then choose.
Frequently asked questions
Can I post the same product on Product Hunt and Show HN?
Yes, nothing we read forbids using both. Note that Show HN says routine updates and new versions generally are not substantive enough for a Show HN, and it expects something people can try. Space the two apart so you can answer comments properly on each, and write each post fresh rather than pasting one text.
Do I need an account to post a Show HN?
Yes, posting a story requires a Hacker News account, and Product Hunt requires a sign-in as well. A launch on this board needs no account: one verified email link publishes it. Whichever you choose, create the accounts before launch day so that nothing blocks your first hour.
Which one sends more traffic?
Nobody can say in advance, and we did not measure either. Product Hunt’s audience is far larger, but a Show HN that finds its readers can bring a technical crowd. Tag every link with its own UTM source and compare your own numbers before you repeat the work.
Is it okay to ask my friends to upvote my Show HN?
No. The Show HN guidelines say not to ask friends to upvote or comment, and the general guidelines say not to solicit upvotes at all. Ask people to try the product and tell you what broke instead. Votes that arrive from real interest are the only kind the site wants.
Post your build ideas publishes this page and runs a free launch board that competes with some of the sites it names. Facts about other sites came from their own pages on the date shown above; terms, queues and prices change, so confirm on their sites before you decide. About the publisher.