Show HN Alternatives for Products Hacker News Turns Away
Show HN is for something you made that others can try, and its guidelines turn away sign-up pages, newsletters, lists, landing pages, fundraisers and routine version updates. Products in those groups have other homes. A waitlist suits BetaList or Launching Next, a major update can be relaunched on Uneed or Microlaunch, and a page that is simply live suits Post Your Build Ideas, our own free board.
What does Show HN refuse, in its own words?
Its guidelines page (read 13 November 2026) is specific. On topic are things people can run on their computers or hold in their hands; for hardware you may post a video or a detailed article, and for a book a sample chapter is fine. Off topic are blog posts, sign-up pages, newsletters, lists and other reading material, because they cannot be tried. The page tells those authors to make a regular submission instead.
The project must be non-trivial and one you worked on yourself. It adds that quickly generated one-offs do not qualify, that landing pages and fundraisers are out, and that “Foo 1.3.1 is out” style upgrades are generally not substantive, while a major overhaul is probably fine. Asking friends to upvote or comment is called not ok.
None of that is a flaw. It is a filter that keeps the section useful to its readers. It does mean that a lot of honest products, such as a waitlist for something you have not built, have no place there, and need one somewhere else.
Where do the refused formats go instead?
Seven places, each matched to something Show HN turns away. Facts are from each site’s own pages read on 13 November 2026, except BetaList (our check on 12 November) and the two sites that blocked automated reading, which are limited to basics.
01 BetaList
A curated directory of new startups, pre-launch or already live.
- Replaces
- A sign-up page or waitlist post
- Gate
- A person reviews every submission; plan first
- Cost
- We could not confirm a free route
A waitlist is its home format, since it features startups before they are fully live. Per its agent-submission page the founder picks a plan and pays before review, and declined submissions are refunded. The draw is a newsletter read by people who go looking for new products.
02 Launching Next
A directory of new startups and side projects that editors review each day.
- Replaces
- A landing page for something early
- Gate
- Editors decide; you get an email if yours is published
- Cost
- Free to submit; a paid upgrade speeds consideration
Its form asks for a headline of five to eight words and a description of up to 2,500 characters, so a landing page can be summarised without a demo. The honest limit is that publication is a request, not a right.
03 Uneed
A daily launch board with a relaunch option for products already listed there.
- Replaces
- A version update that Show HN calls too minor
- Mechanism
- A paid relaunch for a product launched on Uneed before
- Free route
- A waiting line of at least 50 days for new products
Its pricing page sells a relaunch as a second moment in the spotlight. It only applies to products you already launched there, so it does not help a first-timer, and the new-product line is long.
04 Microlaunch
A launch platform whose premium pack includes relaunches for major releases.
- Replaces
- A Show HN for a big release you have already announced
- Mechanism
- Re-launch is listed in its premium pack, for major feature releases only
- Free route
- Not confirmed
The restriction on its own premium page, major releases only, is similar in spirit to Show HN’s refusal of point releases. Read the pack’s terms before you pay, since we only saw the summary.
05 Indie Hackers
A founder community where updates and lessons are posted as forum threads.
- Replaces
- A blog post or progress write-up
- Gate
- An account to post
- Checked
- Not read; blocked our automated check
Show HN sends blog posts to ordinary Hacker News submissions. A founder forum is the other natural home for a write-up about what you learned launching something, since readers there run products of their own.
06 Product Hunt
The best-known launch site for software, ranked daily.
- Replaces
- Show HN for a product aimed at everyday users
- Gate
- Sign-in; featuring is curated
- Checked
- Not read; blocked our automated check
A consumer product with a sign-up flow breaks Show HN’s try-it-without-sign-ups ideal. A wider audience site fits it better. See the Product Hunt alternatives guide for the long list.
07 Post your build ideas
Our own free launch board: one verified email, no account, no queue.
- Replaces
- Any of the above when you want a public page today
- Gate
- The emailed link publishes your launch
- Limit
- The same website cannot launch again within seven days
We run it, so check our rules for what a launch may contain before you assume anything. The board has no review queue; the short seven-day limit on relaunching the same site is the one to plan around if you are posting repeated updates.
It is also where an idea without a product can go: the idea form takes a concept with no build behind it.
Which format belongs where?
| What you have | Show HN says | Where it fits better |
|---|---|---|
| A waitlist or sign-up page | Off topic | BetaList or Launching Next |
| A landing page for an early product | Not allowed | Launching Next, or a launch on our board |
| A newsletter or list | Off topic | A regular Hacker News submission, or a founder forum |
| Version 1.3.1 of a tool | Generally not substantive | Release notes; relaunch only for a major release |
| A major overhaul | Probably fine | Show HN again, plus a relaunch on Uneed or Microlaunch |
| A consumer app with sign-up first | Prefer no barriers | A broader launch site |
| A working project, no audience | On topic | Show HN, and a free board page as its link target |
What should you do while you are not eligible?
- Put the product on a public page with a one-sentence description, so there is an address to link from every other post.
- Pick the format closest to your stage from the table, and write that site’s listing on its own terms rather than pasting one blurb.
- Build the smallest version that can be tried, since that is what makes Show HN available later; the MVP scope planner helps cut the list.
- When it can be tried, follow the Show HN playbook and use the post templates.
If the product is not built yet, there is no shame in that. The waitlist-to-launch plan covers the middle stage, and the ideas board shows what other people are thinking of making.
Frequently asked questions
Can I post a landing page as a Show HN?
No. The guidelines list landing pages, fundraisers and sign-up pages as off topic, because they cannot be tried. A regular submission is the route for reading material. A landing page for an unbuilt product is better placed in a directory of new startups.
Can I Show HN a new version of my product?
Only if it is a major overhaul. The guidelines say upgrades like a point release are generally not substantive enough, while a major change is probably fine. For smaller updates, post release notes where your users already read them.
What is the best Show HN alternative for a waitlist?
A directory that features products before they are fully live fits best, such as BetaList, whose review and plan steps we describe above, or Launching Next. Our own board takes launches too. None of them can promise sign-ups from a waitlist page.
Does Show HN need a free product?
Its guidelines do not say it must be free. They ask that it be easy to try, ideally without sign-ups or emails, and that you be around to discuss it. A paid product with a free trial that needs no account fits that request better.
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.