What Is Show HN? Meaning, Rules and How It Works (2026)

Show HN is the section of Hacker News for sharing something you've made that other people can try. You post one by submitting a story whose title begins with "Show HN", using a free HN account. Every Show HN appears on the newest and shownew pages, and moves to the show page once it clears a small points threshold. It has its own rules: the project must be yours, people must be able to use it now, and landing pages, sign-up pages, blog posts and newsletters don't qualify.

Disclosure: LaunchIt is a launch platform, so we have an interest in you launching with us too. We come up near the end. Weigh our suggestions accordingly.

Why we wrote this

This post exists because of our own Search Console data. Over the last three months, searches like "show hn" and "show hn rules" showed our Show HN pages about 400 times, at an average position around 10, without a single click. The people searching want to know what the phrase means, what the rules are and how Show HN differs from Ask HN and Launch HN.

We already have a step-by-step guide to launching on Show HN that covers the title, the post text and launch day. This post is the reference piece: what Show HN is, how it works and how to use it. We checked everything here against HN's own pages on 3 November 2026.

What "Show HN" means

HN is Hacker News, the discussion site at news.ycombinator.com, owned and funded by Y Combinator. "Show HN" is both a title prefix and a section of the site, and the official guidelines define it like this:

"Show HN is for something you've made that other people can play with. HN users can try it out, give you feedback, and ask questions in the thread."

That sentence carries most of the rules. "You've made" means it's your own work. "Play with" means people can use it, not just read about it. "Feedback" and "questions" mean you're expected to be in the thread, answering.

How Show HN works

Posting

There's no separate form: use the normal submit link and start the title with "Show HN", usually followed by a colon. Add the project's URL and a short text saying what it is and why you made it. If the text doesn't show at the top, HN moderator dang's tips for presenting your work suggest posting it as the first comment.

newest, shownew and show

The HN FAQ says every Show HN appears on newest (all fresh submissions) and shownew (fresh Show HNs only). The Show HN guidelines continue: "Once it clears a small points threshold, it will appear on the show page in the top bar." HN doesn't publish the threshold. Show HNs are ranked like other stories, so one with enough votes can also reach the front page.

How stories are ranked

The FAQ gives the basics: "The basic algorithm divides points by a power of the time since a story was submitted." In other words, a post needs votes fairly early, because age pulls every story down. Other factors include user flags, anti-abuse software, software that demotes overheated discussions, account or site weighting, and moderator action.

A few more details: posts by users with more karma don't rank higher, stories have no down arrows, and threads close to new comments after two weeks. Flagged posts show as [flagged]. Posts killed by software, user flags or moderators show as [dead] and are hidden by default. HN doesn't publish a best time to post, and we won't invent one.

The Show HN rules in plain English

The Show HN guidelines are short, and the general HN guidelines also apply. Here they are, condensed:

• It must be yours. "The project must be something you've worked on personally and which you're around to discuss."
• People must be able to try it now. On topic means "things people can run on their computers or hold in their hands". For hardware, a video or detailed article is fine.
• Reading material doesn't count. Blog posts, sign-up pages, newsletters and lists "can't be tried out, so can't be Show HNs". Landing pages and fundraisers are ruled out too.
• It should be non-trivial. "Don't post quickly-generated one-offs; anybody can do that now." Share something "deeply personal and interesting to you" and explain how and why you made it.
• Early is fine, hoops aren't. "A Show HN needn't be complicated or look slick." But make it easy to try, "ideally without barriers such as signups or emails".
• Minor releases don't qualify. "New features and upgrades ("Foo 1.3.1 is out") generally aren't substantive enough to be Show HNs. A major overhaul is probably ok."
• No vote or comment rings. "Please don't ask friends to upvote or comment." The FAQ adds: "We penalize or ban submissions, accounts, and sites that break this rule, so please don't."
• Write it yourself. HN asks for no generated text, and in March 2026 dang went further: "Write your text by hand. Don't use an LLM to generate any of it (not even a tiny bit, including to edit or spruce it up)."
• Keep the title plain. The general guidelines ask you to avoid "using uppercase or exclamation points, or saying how great an article is."

Commenters have a rule of their own: "Be respectful. Anyone sharing work is making a contribution, however modest."

Show HN vs Ask HN vs Launch HN vs a regular submission

All four live on HN, but each has a different job.

So a blog post about building your product is a regular submission, and a question asked before you've built anything is an Ask HN. If you see "Launch HN" on the front page, that's a YC-funded company: the FAQ lists front-page startup launches among the features HN gives YC.

What does well on Show HN: real examples

Here's what the show page looked like on 3 November 2026. Points are as we saw them at the time of checking, and scores change by the hour.

• Show HN: HackerBooks – HackerTube, but for books mentioned on HN (1,819 points, 302 comments)
• Show HN: Subvocal – Talk to your computer without making noise (648 points, 327 comments)
• Show HN: OmniDiff – Opensource, super fast, content aware Git difftool, in Rust (313 points)
• Show HN: Point your camera at a landscape to learn about its geology (257 points)
• Show HN: Warsaw in voxels – An interactive 3D map of the city centre (249 points, 41 comments)
• Show HN: I've updated my Linux System Call website and API (218 points, 52 comments)
• Show HN: Hacker Times, a New York Times-inspired version of Hacker News (178 points, 57 comments)
• Show HN: I rebuilt my old canvas 3D library as a small WebGL 2 library – phoria2 (101 points)
• Show HN: I built a little browser game to practice Vim commands (16 points, 11 comments)

A few patterns stand out:

• The titles say what each thing is. OmniDiff's "super fast" is the closest any of them comes to a sales line, and it sits next to concrete facts: open source, a Git difftool, written in Rust.
• Several look usable straight away: a city map, a camera tool, a browser game.
• Long-running personal projects did well, like the updated Linux System Call website and the rebuilt canvas 3D library.
• Small numbers still count. The Vim game had 16 points and 11 comments. That's not front-page traffic, but it is real feedback.

None of these titles is a business pitch. That's a hint, not a rule: the posts that got attention were interesting to try, or interesting for how they were built. Browse the page yourself before you post.

How founders can use Show HN

Post your own product (when it's ready)

If people can try your product without a sales call, Show HN is one of the few places where developers and technical founders will use it and tell you what they think. For the full walkthrough, follow our step-by-step guide to launching on Show HN; we won't repeat it here.

Read it for ideas and competitor research

Some of the searches that reached us were looking through Show HN and Ask HN for tool requests, unmet needs and launches that mention revenue or pricing. That's a good use of HN.

• Browse shownew, not just show. The show page only has posts that already got votes. shownew includes launches that went nowhere, which may be closer to your own situation.
• Read Ask HN. When someone asks for a tool, or asks what others use, you see demand in the users' own words.
• Search past Show HNs in your category. Use the search box at the bottom of HN pages, or a search engine with site:news.ycombinator.com plus "Show HN" and your niche. Read the comments as well as the scores: the objections, comparisons and pricing questions are the useful part.

Take part before you post

The site guidelines say: "Please don't use HN primarily for promotion. It's ok to post your own stuff part of the time, but the primary use of the site should be for curiosity." Comment on other people's work first. dang's tips also say to use a username that isn't your company or project.

Common mistakes that get a Show HN ignored or flagged

Most of these come straight from HN's own pages.

1. Posting a landing page or waitlist. If there's nothing to try, it isn't a Show HN.
2. Putting a signup before the demo. In dang's words, "HN users get ornery if you make them jump through hoops."
3. Writing like an advert. "Drop any language that sounds like marketing or sales. On HN, that is an instant turnoff."
4. Not saying what it is. If you skip a clear statement of what the project does, dang warns, the comments will be "I can't tell what this is".
5. Recruiting friends. According to the FAQ, readers "will detect it, flag it, and use unkind words like 'spam'." That applies to booster comments from fans too.
6. Disappearing after you post. You must be "around to discuss". If you never reply, you miss the feedback you posted for.

For the same advice turned into a launch-day plan, see our Show HN launch guide.

Where Show HN fits with launch platforms and directories

Show HN is a conversation, not a listing. A good thread brings visitors and sharp feedback, but once it goes quiet, no permanent page keeps sending people your way. The audience is also narrow: mostly developers and technical founders. If your customers are accountants or dentists, a front-page Show HN may teach you a lot and sell very little.

Our Hacker News (Show HN) directory profile lists it at DR 91 (Ahrefs), free with an HN account, link type "varies" and no published review time. That puts it higher than 96% of the 216 directories we track. We checked these details on HN's own pages on 29 September 2026. DR describes HN's domain, not the link you'll get from it. Our guide to dofollow vs nofollow links explains why the link type matters.

So Show HN works best alongside places that last:

• Show HN for technical feedback, if people can try your product.
• Product Hunt for a broader launch-day audience.
• Communities where your users already spend time, such as the right subreddits (see our guide to promoting your startup on Reddit).
• Launch platforms and directories for permanent listings that people keep finding after launch week.

For the full list, see where to launch your startup in 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What does Show HN mean?

Show HN means "Show Hacker News". It's a title prefix and a section of Hacker News for sharing something you've made yourself, so other people can try it, give feedback and ask questions.

Is Show HN free?

Yes. All you need is a Hacker News account. You post through the normal submit link with a title that begins "Show HN".

Can I post a landing page or waitlist as a Show HN?

No. The guidelines say "Don't post landing pages or fundraisers," and sign-up pages, blog posts and newsletters are off topic too.

Can I ask friends to upvote my Show HN?

No. The FAQ says HN penalises or bans submissions, accounts and sites that ask for votes. Asking people to comment is banned for the same reason.

Can I repost a Show HN?

Sometimes. If the story hasn't had significant attention in the last year or so, a small number of reposts is ok; otherwise HN buries them as duplicates. A new version only qualifies if it's significantly different.

Does a Show HN give you a backlink?

Don't count on one. Our directory profile lists the link type as "varies", and we don't promise a dofollow link. Treat it as a source of feedback and visitors, not SEO.

What is Launch HN?

Launch HN is for startup launches by YC-funded companies. HN places them on the front page, and the FAQ lists this among the features HN gives Y Combinator.

Launch on LaunchIt too

A Show HN thread goes quiet, but a listing stays. LaunchIt is a free launch platform and directory with 518 products listed, and every listing gets a permanent dofollow link.

The free Basic Launch gives you a permanent listing. It waits in the review queue (the earliest free slot is currently in about two months), and you need to add a backlink to LaunchIt before approval. Premium Launch is $24.99 one-time. You pick your launch date, as soon as tomorrow, and get a full day on the homepage, a verified badge and a spot in our newsletter to 1,800+ subscribers. You don't need to add our badge, and we also submit you to our partner directory DirPilot.

Submit your product for free, or compare Basic and Premium on the pricing page.