Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Make your own HN in TextChannels / opinions? launched in 2011; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   I built an interactive HN Simulator▲538

   Hey HN! Just for fun, I built an interactive Hacker News Simulator. You can submit text posts and links, just like the real HN. But on HN Simulator, all of the comments are generated by LLMs + generate instantly. The best way to use it (IMHO) is to submit a text post or a curl-able URL here: https://news.ysimulator.run/submit. You don't need an account to post. When you do that, various prompts will be built from a library of commenter archetypes, moods, and shapes. The AI commenters will actually respond to your text post and/or submitted link. I really wanted it to feel…

   Nov 2025 · news.ysimulator.run · its alternatives →

2. 2HC
   HN comments UI experiment▲6

   2017 · hn-level-based-view.gomix.me · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Text-To-Speech Chrome Extensions for HN▲6

   2018 · chrome.google.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   HN Offline – HN client for reading comments▲6

   2020 · hn.byroni.us · its alternatives →

5. 5
   An extension that shows you relevant HN comments when you browse▲5

   2020 · chrome.google.com · its alternatives →

6. 6MF
   My first web app - HN Channel▲9

   2013 · hnchannel.com · its alternatives →

7. 7CU
   Create ultra shortcut like hn/ to Hacker News▲8

   2022 · i-feel-lucky.com · its alternatives →

8. 8AP
   a portal to view HN Polls(prototype)▲5

   2013 · hn-polls.herokuapp.com · its alternatives →

9. 9IM
   I made a URL shortener for HN▲8

   2016 · medium.com · its alternatives →

10. 10HR
    HN Recommended – a curated list of HN commenters' opinions▲7

    2020 · hnrecommended.com · its alternatives →

11. 11BM
    BuzzHN – modern alternative of `Show HN`▲6

    2014 · buzzhn.com · its alternatives →

12. 12MA
    Made a HN-themed Framer blog template for HN community▲5

    2023 · buildwithframer.com · its alternatives →

13. 13CY
    Create your own HN style site (for business or any online community)▲6

    This is a project I just launched - would love to get any feedback and see how/if it would be useful for people. Thanks! http://ribbot.com

    2011 · ribbot.com · its alternatives →

14. 14SH
    Show HN▲9

    H

    2024 · labs.refuel.ai · its alternatives →

15. 15EP
    Ever posted to HN, and received 0 feedback? Here's a solution.▲6

    2013 · hackerfeedback.barber.io · its alternatives →

16. 16AF
    A fast way to view Show HN▲5

    A fast Show HN online viewer

    2012 · showhackernews.herokuapp.com · its alternatives →

17. 17RO
    RAG on HN comments in 34 LOC▲6

    2024 · val.town · its alternatives →

18. 18AP
    A plain text HN reader▲5

    2018 · mm.dwyer.co.za · its alternatives →

19. 19AH
    Autosummarized HN (With GPT-3)▲6

    2022 · danieljanus.pl · its alternatives →

20. 20AV
    A video version of Show HN▲6

    2015 · glitchclub.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    I created a Chrome extension that reveals HN's hidden comment scores.▲5

    2011 · chrome.google.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    I've created a Google chrome extension for HN▲6

    2012 · chrome.google.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    A desktop HN reader client in Rust/egui▲9

    A little toy HN client for the desktop that I've been playing around with this week.

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

24. 24HN
    HN Notifier Realtime(ish) Notifications for Comments on Your HN Posts▲6

    2020 · hacknotescenter.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →