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Preview data: all rankings, scores, votes, refresh labels, methodology, testing and editorial-process statements in Top 49 are illustrative demo content, not live measurements or documented reviews.
Rank 093Down 3
#9 in Developer Reference Sites
of 14 ranked entries
Hacker News
Y Combinator · tech link aggregator
No images, no algorithm chasing engagement, just link titles and threaded comments — the discussion quality on a good thread still beats almost anything on a more polished platform. Recorded specifics: monthly visits 40 M, founded 2007, ad density None. Panel highlighted comment quality remains unusually high for an open platform and zero visual clutter or engagement-optimised design. The reservation on record is front page skews heavily toward a specific tech-industry viewpoint.
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Score breakdown
How Hacker News earned 81.3
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Developer Reference Sites.
- Documentation accuracyweight 35%
- 83.4
- Search & findabilityweight 25%
- 78.4
- Ad density & interruptionweight 20%
- 80.5
- Community signal qualityweight 20%
- 81.9
“Proof that a good comment section does not require any of the design tricks the rest of the internet leans on.”
— Top 49, on Developer Reference Sites
On the record
Recorded detail
| Monthly visits | 40 M |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Ad density | None |
| Rating | 8.2 |
Panel verdict
Strengths and reservations
What it gets right
- Comment quality remains unusually high for an open platform
- Zero visual clutter or engagement-optimised design
Where it gives ground
- Front page skews heavily toward a specific tech-industry viewpoint
1 appearance
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Top 49 rankings are editorial. Scores are produced from the published criteria on each list and are refreshed on the cadence stated there. Figures shown across this section are curated demonstration data.