Product Hunt vs Hacker News
Side-by-side stats. No affiliate links.
| Metric | Product Hunt | Hacker News |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Rating (DR) | 91 / 100 | 92 / 100 ▲ |
| Link Type | Nofollow | Dofollow |
| Cost | Free | Free |
| Approval Time | 1 day | Same day ▲ |
| Acceptance Rate | high ▲ | low |
| Category | Startup | Dev-tools |
Verdict
Hacker News wins on SEO value. Dofollow link is the deciding factor here.
Product Hunt
Full review ›The biggest launch platform for tech products. Massive audience on launch day, but links are nofollow. The real value is exposure and social proof, not SEO.
What works
- +Huge audience on launch day
- +Strong social proof
- +Active community that gives real feedback
- +Free to submit
What doesn't
- –Links are nofollow
- –One-day visibility window
- –Competitive to rank on front page
- –Traffic spike dies fast
Hacker News
Full review ›Not a directory, but Show HN posts that land on the front page drive serious developer traffic. Links are dofollow. Getting traction is the hard part.
What works
- +Dofollow links from DR 92
- +Developer audience that converts
- +Free to post
- +Can drive thousands of visits in hours
What doesn't
- –Extremely competitive
- –Community can be harsh
- –Traffic is bursty, not sustained
- –Off-topic posts get flagged fast
Submit to both?
These aren't mutually exclusive. If you have 20 minutes, do both.
Related comparisons
DR from Ahrefs. Traffic via SimilarWeb. Stats verified March 2026. We don't accept payment for placement.