Show HN in 2026: what we learned from 40,874 posts

Show HN is the part of Hacker News where people post something they made. It costs nothing and takes a minute, and a post that reaches the front page can bring thousands of visitors. So many people now try that most posts go unnoticed.

We read every Show HN post published between January 1 and October 24, 2026: 40,874 posts, with their points, comments, links, introductions and times. We also read the account date of the authors of 5,000 posts taken at random, and the number of Show HN posts each month since 2022. This is what we found:

• Almost three times more posts, the same number at the top. In 2026, 4,179 Show HN posts a month, against 1,468 in 2024. Posts that reached 100 points: 68 a month, against 70. The share fell from 4.8% to 1.6%.
• Most posts go unnoticed. 61% of the 2026 posts got 2 points or less, and 33% kept only their author's point. 62% got no comment.
• An introduction goes with more points. Posts with an introduction of 300 words or more reached 100 points 4.5% of the time. Posts with no introduction: 1.0%.
• New accounts rarely make it. 10.5% of the posts came from an account created the same day. 0.6% of those reached 100 points, against 2.3% for accounts 5 years old or more.
• "AI" in the title goes with fewer points. 18.5% of the titles say "AI", and 0.8% of those posts reached 100 points. "Open source" in the title: 2.2%. None of the 183 posts with "SaaS" in the title reached 100 points.
• The hour matters less than the rest. Posts sent between 9 AM and noon in San Francisco reached 100 points 2.2% of the time, and those sent between 6 and 9 PM, 1.0%.

How we checked#

• The posts. The Hacker News search (Algolia) lists every post tagged Show HN. We read all 40,874 posted between January 1 and October 24, 2026, a week before our reading, so that their points had stopped moving. For the trend, we counted the posts of each month since January 2022, and those with 100 points or more.
• The authors. For 5,000 posts taken at random, we read the date each author's account was created in the official Hacker News API.
• What we compared. For each post, the points it reached, its comments, the length of its introduction, the words of its title, the kind of link (a website, GitHub, an app store, no link), and the hour it was posted, in San Francisco time.

We report how often posts with a given trait reached 10 points and 100 points. 100 points is our own mark for a launch that worked, not a rule of Hacker News. These are correlations: a long introduction goes with more points, but it may be the products, not the words, that people liked. The rules of Hacker News say how votes should work, and we quote them where they apply.

What a Show HN post gets#

A Show HN post first appears on two lists: "newest" and "shownew". Hacker News's FAQ says that "there is a small points threshold before a post makes it to ask or show", the Show page. From there, the front page depends on votes and time: "The basic algorithm divides points by a power of the time since a story was submitted." A post needs its votes in its first hours.

The 667 posts that reached 100 points had a median of 67 comments. The posts that reach the front page are the ones people discuss.

Why it got harder#

In 2022, about 840 Show HN posts a month. In 2025, about 2,360. In the first nine months of 2026, about 4,180, with a peak of 6,217 in February. Over the same years, the posts that reached 100 points stayed between 51 and 70 a month on average.

The front page did not grow. More posts compete for the same places, and the share that gets there fell from 4.8% in 2024 to 1.6% in 2026. Coding tools that write software in an afternoon probably explain part of the rise. The Show HN guidelines address it: "Don't post quickly-generated one-offs; anybody can do that now."

What the posts that reached 100 points had#

An introduction#

A Show HN post can have a text, shown at the top of its page. 47% of the 2026 posts had none. The longer the introduction, the more often the post reached 100 points:

The guidelines ask for it: "Share something that is deeply personal and interesting to you. Explain how and why." A long introduction is also a sign of the work behind the project, and readers see it.

An account with a history#

Karma does not help a post directly. Hacker News's FAQ asks "Do posts by users with more karma rank higher?" and answers "No." Accounts created the same day show their name in green, which marks a new account. The difference is more likely what older accounts know: how the site reads, what its readers like, and how to answer them.

A title that says what it is#

Most titles follow the form "Show HN: Name – what it does". The median title is 68 characters long, with the "Show HN: " part. Short titles did better: 2.6% of the titles under 40 characters reached 100 points, against 1.5% from 60 to 79.

"AI" is in 18.5% of the titles, and these posts reach 100 points half as often as the others. The products may be fine. There are many of them, and a reader who sees ten "AI agents" a day votes for few. A title that names what the product does, for whom, or how it is made gives a reason to click.

Something people can try#

A website and a GitHub repository did as well as each other. Links to an app store did worse: 2 of 823 reached 100 points. The guidelines ask for something people can try at once: "Please make it easy for users to try your thing out, ideally without barriers such as signups or emails." An app store page, a video or a sign-up form asks for more before the visitor sees anything.

The hour and the day#

The best hours are the American working day: 9 AM to noon in San Francisco is noon to 3 PM in New York, and 16:00 to 19:00 UTC in summer. The busiest block, 6 to 9 AM, has the most competition: 9,797 posts.

The weekend did a little better: 1.9% of the Saturday and Sunday posts reached 100 points, against 1.6% on weekdays. There are fewer posts: 104 a day on weekends, 153 on weekdays. Wednesday was the hardest day, at 1.3%.

The hour moves the odds by about two. The introduction and the account move them by four.

How to post a Show HN#

1. Check that it is a Show HN#

The Show HN guidelines (opens in a new tab) say: "Show HN is for something you've made that other people can play with." Blog posts, sign-up pages, newsletters and lists are off topic, and "Don't post landing pages or fundraisers." If people cannot try your product yet, the guidelines say to come back when they can.

2. Let people try it without signing up#

A demo, a free plan without a card, a sandbox account, a page that works without logging in. For a library or a command-line tool, a README with the install command and an example on the first screen.

3. Write a title that says what it does#

"Show HN: Name – what it does, for whom". Plain words, no slogan. If the product is open source, written in a language people care about, or runs in the browser, say it. Avoid putting "AI" first if it is not the point: say what the product does with it.

4. Write an introduction#

In the text field, 300 words or more, in the first person:

• What it is, in one sentence.
• Why you made it: the problem you had.
• How it works, with the technical choices.
• What it does not do yet, and its price if there is one.
• What feedback you want.

5. Post on a weekday morning in San Francisco, or on a weekend#

Between 9 AM and noon in San Francisco, or on Saturday and Sunday. Avoid the evening, 6 to 9 PM, and the night.

6. Stay to answer#

The guidelines say the project must be one "which you're around to discuss". Answer every question in the first hours, with facts, including the criticism. The posts that reached 100 points had a median of 67 comments.

7. Don't ask for votes#

The FAQ is clear: "We penalize or ban submissions, accounts, and sites that break this rule." The guidelines add: "Please don't ask friends to upvote or comment."

8. If it doesn't take off#

The FAQ allows a second try: "If a story has not had significant attention in the last year or so, a small number of reposts is ok." It also says: "Please don't delete and repost the same story." Use the time to improve the introduction and the title.

What a Show HN brings#

The visitors come in a day. The links come over months. In our study of the backlinks of 200 websites launched on Show HN, the posts with 100 points or more had a median of 148 referring domains four to ten months later, 13 of them useful sites with an authority of 30 or more. Posts under 5 points had 30 referring domains, and 1 such site.

A Show HN is one day on one site, and 98% of posts don't reach 100 points. Plan the other launches too: our list of 72 launch platforms and our guide to directory submission cover the others, with what each one asks.

Where Submitium fits#

Submitium does the part that does not depend on one day of votes: listings on directories and launch platforms. We submit your product by hand to directories that give a free dofollow link, keep their badges in one badge wall on your site, and check the link on each live listing six times over 90 days.

A directory costs $0.99, less from the 51st, and a first order starts at 30 directories. See the pricing and the full list of directories.

Questions#

What is Show HN?#

The section of Hacker News for things people made and others can try: software, hardware, books with a sample chapter. Posts start with "Show HN:" in their title, and appear on the "show" page once they get a few points.

How do I post a Show HN?#

Submit a story on Hacker News whose title begins with "Show HN:", with a link to the product and an introduction in the text field. Make it easy to try without signing up, and stay to answer comments.

What is the best time to post on Hacker News?#

In our data for 2026, posts sent between 9 AM and noon in San Francisco reached 100 points most often, 2.2%, followed by 3 to 6 PM, 2.0%. Weekends did a little better than weekdays, 1.9% against 1.6%. The evening, 6 to 9 PM, did worst, 1.0%.

How many points do you need to reach the front page of Hacker News?#

Hacker News doesn't publish a number. Its ranking divides points by a power of the time since the post, so the votes of the first hours count most. In 2026, 1.6% of Show HN posts reached 100 points, and 8% reached 10.

Can a new account post a Show HN?#

Yes. But in our sample, posts from accounts created the same day reached 100 points 0.6% of the time, against 2.3% for accounts 5 years old or more. Reading and commenting on the site before you post is the way to learn what works there.

Should a Show HN link to GitHub or to my website?#

Either. Both reached 100 points 1.7% of the time in 2026. Links to an app store, a video or a social network did much worse.

Can I post my SaaS on Show HN?#

Yes, if people can try it. The guidelines rule out landing pages and sign-up pages. In 2026, none of the 183 posts with "SaaS" in the title reached 100 points: describe what the product does instead.

Can I post the same Show HN twice?#

Hacker News allows "a small number of reposts" for a story that has not had significant attention in the last year or so. Don't delete a post to post it again.