Show HN vs Product Hunt: which launch fits an early SaaS?
Use Show HN if people can try your product right away without an account and you are comfortable discussing how you built it. Use Product Hunt if you have a finished product page and an audience you can invite. Plenty of founders do both a few days apart, because the two communities reward different things.
Both publish their rules. This post summarizes the Show HN rules and the Product Hunt launch guide as they read on 5 November 2026, then gives a checklist to run before you post.
What each one accepts
Show HN is for projects people can run or try. The rules call for non-trivial work you built yourself and can discuss in the thread. Early projects are fine and polish is not required. Landing pages, sign-up pages and fundraisers do not qualify, and neither does anything quickly generated or not yet ready for others to use. Your title starts with "Show HN".
The rule that matters most for a SaaS is that people should be able to try it without creating an account or giving an email address. A product behind a sign-up wall is a poor fit unless you offer a demo, a sandbox or a tour that works without one.
Product Hunt is free. You start by entering the product URL. Company accounts are prohibited, so you launch from a personal account. The guide says you can hunt your own product, since a third-party hunter gives no clear advantage, and that you can launch again when you have shipped significant new iterations.
Side by side
| Show HN | Product Hunt | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free |
| What qualifies | Something people can run or try | A product submitted by URL |
| Sign-up wall | Should be tryable without an account or email | Not addressed in the guide |
| Landing pages | Excluded | Not addressed in the guide |
| Account type | Not addressed in the rules | Personal accounts only |
| Asking for votes | Not allowed | Not allowed directly; invite people to visit and comment |
| Timing | No set time; be ready to answer questions | 12:01 am Pacific is recommended if nothing constrains you |
| Launching again | Major overhauls may count, minor updates usually do not | Allowed after significant new iterations |
Asking for votes
Both communities ban it. Show HN asks you not to request upvotes or comments from friends. Product Hunt lets you share your launch link anywhere but does not allow asking people directly to upvote, and suggests inviting them to visit and comment.
Write the message as a request for feedback on something specific, such as "I'd like to know whether the pricing page makes sense." That is allowed on both sites and gets you better comments anyway.
Timing
Product Hunt says the best day is the day you are most prepared, and recommends 12:01 am Pacific if you have no conflicting constraints. For a founder in Sydney that is about 7 pm during daylight saving time, so plan the evening around replies.
Show HN has no published schedule. The rules only ask that you are ready to answer questions and take feedback once the post is up.
Checklist before either
- A page that explains the product on one screen, with a link that works from a phone.
- For Show HN, a way in that needs no account. A demo workspace with sample data is enough.
- A first comment from you saying why you built it, what is still rough, and what feedback you want.
- A block of calendar time to answer every comment for the first several hours.
- Billing tested end to end. If you are offering a launch discount, redeem it yourself on a throwaway customer, as described in Stripe coupons vs promotion codes.
- Links tagged with a UTM source for each channel, so you can see which one sends visitors who stay.
After launch day
A launch gives you a spike. Early adopters also look for new tools when no launch is running, so it helps to be somewhere they can find you later.
One place that keeps working after the spike is a coupon listing on Dealpuffin. Listing is free, with no application or approval, and you can show proof points such as MRR read from your billing provider if you choose to. It sits next to launch sites rather than replacing them.
If you have not settled your billing setup yet, what an indie SaaS pays in fees on Stripe, Paddle and Polar is worth reading before launch day, since the fixed fee per payment affects small launch discounts.
Frequently asked questions
Can I launch on both Show HN and Product Hunt?
Neither set of rules I read forbids it. Founders usually space them a few days apart so they can reply properly on each.
Does a SaaS with a sign-up wall qualify for Show HN?
The rules exclude sign-up pages and ask that people can try the project without an account or email address. Add a demo or a no-account tour before you post.
Can I launch my company's product from a company account on Product Hunt?
No. The guide says company accounts are prohibited, so launch from a personal account.
Is it okay to ask friends to upvote?
No. Show HN says not to ask others to upvote or comment, and Product Hunt does not allow asking people directly to upvote. Ask for feedback instead.