Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Hacker News VS 4chan

Compare Hacker News VS 4chan and see what are their differences

Hacker News logo Hacker News

Hacker News is a social news website focusing on computer science and entrepreneurship. It is run by Paul Graham's investment fund and startup incubator, Y Combinator.

4chan logo 4chan

4chan is a simple image-based bulletin board where anyone can post comments and share images.
  • Hacker News Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-23
  • 4chan Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-24

Hacker News features and specs

  • Quality Content
    Hacker News focuses on high-quality, tech-centric content which is often insightful and valuable for those in the tech industry.
  • Community
    The community consists largely of professionals and enthusiasts in tech, providing a knowledgeable and skilled user base for discussions.
  • Upvote System
    The upvote system helps in promoting the most relevant and useful posts, ensuring users see content that is often vetted by the community.
  • Minimalist Design
    The simple, text-based design minimizes distractions and focuses on content and discussions without unnecessary clutter.
  • Diverse Topics
    While mainly focused on technology, Hacker News also covers a variety of subjects including entrepreneurship, science, and more.

Possible disadvantages of Hacker News

  • Echo Chamber Effect
    Given its focused and like-minded community, there is a risk of homogeneous opinions and lack of diverse viewpoints.
  • Moderation Issues
    The manual moderation can sometimes be inconsistent, leading to frustrations around which posts or comments get removed or promoted.
  • Signal-to-Noise Ratio
    Despite the upvote system, some low-quality or irrelevant content can still surface, diluting the overall information quality.
  • Niche Audience
    Its strong focus on tech topics can alienate those who are not as tech-savvy or interested, limiting broader appeal.
  • Limited Features
    The platform offers very basic functionality compared to other modern forums, which might deter users who prefer more advanced features.

4chan features and specs

  • Anonymity
    Users can post and interact without needing to register or provide any personal information, promoting free expression and privacy.
  • Diverse Content
    4chan hosts a wide range of boards dedicated to various topics, from technology and politics to hobbies and random discussions, catering to diverse interests.
  • Ephemeral Posts
    Content on many boards is temporary, with old posts being automatically deleted as new ones are created, keeping discussions fresh and reducing clutter.
  • Creativity and Innovation
    The platform is known for spawning internet memes and creative content that often spread to mainstream social media, influencing online culture.
  • Simple Interface
    The straightforward and minimalist design makes the site easy to navigate and quick to load, even on slower internet connections.

Possible disadvantages of 4chan

  • Lack of Moderation
    The anonymity and limited moderation can lead to the posting of harmful, offensive, or illegal content, making the platform controversial.
  • Cyberbullying
    The anonymous nature can encourage cyberbullying, harassment, and doxxing, creating a hostile environment for some users.
  • Unverified Information
    Due to the anonymous nature, the site can become a breeding ground for misinformation, rumors, and unverified claims.
  • Isolation from Mainstream
    The culture and norms of 4chan can be very different from mainstream platforms, potentially making newcomers feel unwelcome or confused.
  • Legal Risks
    Users can inadvertently engage in or be exposed to illegal activities, leading to potential legal consequences for themselves or the platform.

Hacker News videos

No Hacker News videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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4chan videos

The Problems With 4chan (Ft. Mumkey Jones)

More videos:

  • Review - 4chan Board Review - /fit/ (Fitness)
  • Review - A 4Chan Pokemon game? - Pokemon Clover Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Hacker News and 4chan)
Social Networks
86 86%
14% 14
Social News
84 84%
16% 16
Startups
90 90%
10% 10
Knowledge Sharing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Hacker News and 4chan. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Hacker News and 4chan

Hacker News Reviews

Best Forums for Developers to Join in 2025
Hacker News is a great place to learn how to code. You'll find many interesting articles about new projects in the open-source community. You can also see what's happening with your favorite programming language or framework daily.
Source: www.notchup.com
Make sure to list your SaaS on these marketplaces to get users
I would highly recommend if you have a SaaS, try to list it here as news this will surely get a good amount of traffic to your SaaS. Hacker News is simple and is maintained by Ycombinator which is a gold mine for startups to get started.
Source: medium.com
15 Best Reddit Alternatives in 2024: Find Your New Online Community
Hacker News, run by Y Combinator, is a popular platform for technology enthusiasts and entrepreneurs.
Great Products for Finding Startup Jobs
Hacker News—Not a job board, per se, but the HN Who’s Hiring post at the start of every month has dozens of engineering-focused job posts. HN also regularly pushes select YC jobs to the front page.
Source: medium.com
18 Best Sites for Finding a Startup Job
Hacker News has a job board that lists jobs exclusively at various startups. Obviously, as Hackers News is associated with Y Combinator, most of the listed startup jobs are at companies that have gone through the accelerator’s program.
Source: tech.co

4chan Reviews

We have no reviews of 4chan yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Hacker News seems to be a lot more popular than 4chan. While we know about 611 links to Hacker News, we've tracked only 61 mentions of 4chan. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Hacker News mentions (611)

  • Tell HN: \/active and showdead might lead to a more informative HN experience
    If you go on https://news.ycombinator.com/active instead of the default https://news.ycombinator.com page, the results are very different. In my experience, much more interesting content. Here is a quick list of submissions that are currently on the top 10 of /active that are not on the default front page at all. [“Most promising signs yet” of alien life on a planet beyond our Solar... - Source: Hacker News / 13 days ago
  • Unveiling MongoDB SSPL 1.0: A Deep Dive into Open Source Fairness and Innovation
    In the coming years, expect more community-led projects to adopt innovative funding models that complement licenses like MongoDB SSPL 1.0. By harnessing platforms such as GitHub Sponsors and new initiatives discussed on Hacker News, the open source community may:. - Source: dev.to / 23 days ago
  • Elastic License: A Comprehensive Exploration of Fair Code Licensing and Open Source Sustainability
    This post offers an in-depth exploration of the Elastic License, an innovative model that bridges the gap between open collaboration and fair compensation for developers. We review its background, core concepts, real-world applications, challenges, and its future outlook in the evolving ecosystem of open source and fair code licenses. Drawing insights from the Original Article and other authoritative sources such... - Source: dev.to / 24 days ago
  • Unveiling Common Public Attribution License 1.0: A Comprehensive Overview and Future Trends
    Discussions on forums such as Stack Overflow Q&A and Hacker News provide ample examples where the lack of integrated compensation mechanisms has led to disputes or legal ambiguities. In such contexts, additional measures—like supplementary contributor license agreements (CLAs) or blockchain-based logging—are often recommended to address enforcement challenges. - Source: dev.to / 24 days ago
  • Save search results to a text file
    I open https://news.ycombinator.com/ in my android phone. On this page, at the bottom there is a text box for input search. How do I capy and paste the search result to a text file with URLs, because on the search result page, I can't select all as we can do on the PC or is there any way to save the result. - Source: Hacker News / 24 days ago
View more

4chan mentions (61)

  • [BUG] cannot add URLs starting with digit to Speed Dial
    Just downloaded Opera, and found a bug while setting up my Speed Dial. If you right click > Edit an existing Speed Dial, and type for example https://4chan.org, the `OK` button will be grayed out. Playing with it a bit I found a workaround starting the URL with `www.\` (so long as the website supports it, not all do). You can also circumvent this bug by adding a Speed Dial via other means, such as clicking a... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Elon Musk-Owned X (Twitter) Revamps Its Ad Strategy As Ad Revenues Decline
    Does the 4chan.org organization have a big marketing budget? If so, X could be saved! Source: over 1 year ago
  • Anon has a cheeky day
    Ignore my previous comment, you’re perfect for 4chan. It’s…. https://4chan.org. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What happened to 4-chan
    It is 4chan.org, if you google it it is the first thing that comes up. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Kudos to the people who remove those stickers, fuck that guy
    Best internet forum ever, 4chan.org. 18+ only and be prepared to see anime as it comes from 2chan.net, which is in japanese. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Hacker News and 4chan, you can also consider the following products

Reddit - Reddit gives you the best of the internet in one place. Get a constantly updating feed of breaking news, fun stories, pics, memes, and videos just for you.

License-Token.com - Monetize your source code while still keeping it open.

SaidIt.net - Saidit.net - say your truth.

Lobsters - Lobsters is a technology-focused link-aggregation site.

Raddle - A web-based forum where users submit links, pictures, posts, etc.

Lemmy - Federated link aggregator and Reddit alternative built with Rust