Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Lobsters VS Y-Combinator

Compare Lobsters VS Y-Combinator and see what are their differences

Lobsters logo Lobsters

Lobsters is a technology-focused link-aggregation site.

Y-Combinator logo Y-Combinator

Y Combinator provides seed funding for startups.
  • Lobsters Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-30
  • Y-Combinator Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-25

Lobsters features and specs

  • High-Quality Content
    Lobste.rs has a reputation for hosting high-quality content, primarily focused on technology, programming, and related topics, which attracts knowledgeable users.
  • Community Moderation
    The site employs a community moderation system where users can vote on submissions and comments, helping to maintain a high standard of discussion.
  • Invitation-Only Membership
    New users can only join through an invitation from an existing member, which helps to preserve the quality of the community and reduce spam.
  • Open-Source Platform
    The Lobste.rs codebase is open-source, allowing for community contributions and transparency in how the site operates.
  • Minimalist Design
    The website features a clean and minimalist design that focuses on content without distractions, making it easy to navigate and read.

Possible disadvantages of Lobsters

  • Limited Audience
    Due to its niche focus on technology and programming, Lobste.rs may not offer as broad a range of topics as other forums, limiting its appeal to a wider audience.
  • Invitation Barrier
    The invitation-only system, while maintaining quality, can make it challenging for new users to join unless they know someone already in the community.
  • Smaller Community
    The site has a relatively smaller user base compared to larger platforms like Reddit or Hacker News, which can result in fewer discussions and slower content generation.
  • Bias Towards Technical Topics
    Given its focus, there is often a bias towards highly technical discussions, which might be off-putting to those with a casual interest in technology or programming.
  • Less Mainstream Content
    Mainstream tech news and trends might be underrepresented compared to more niche, highly technical content, which could limit its usefulness for staying current with broader industry trends.

Y-Combinator features and specs

  • Funding
    Y Combinator provides seed funding, typically $500,000, to help startups get off the ground.
  • Mentorship
    Access to experienced mentors and advisors who offer guidance on product development, business strategy, and growth.
  • Network
    Entrepreneurs get access to a vast network of successful alumni, investors, and industry connections.
  • Reputation
    Being backed by Y Combinator adds significant credibility and can attract further investments and partnerships.
  • Resources
    Access to various resources, including office space, legal advice, and operational support.
  • Demo Day
    An opportunity to pitch in front of influential investors, which can lead to additional funding and media attention.

Possible disadvantages of Y-Combinator

  • Equity Dilution
    Startups must give up a percentage of their equity (typically 7%) in exchange for the seed funding and support.
  • Intensive Program
    The 3-month program is extremely demanding and can be stressful for founders, requiring intense focus and long hours.
  • Not Guaranteed Success
    Despite the support, many startups fail to achieve long-term success after the program.
  • Highly Competitive
    The selection process is extremely competitive, with thousands of startups applying and only a small percentage being accepted.
  • Geographic Relocation
    Founders are usually required to relocate to the Bay Area for the duration of the program, which may be inconvenient or costly.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Lobsters and Y-Combinator)
Social Networks
100 100%
0% 0
Startups
48 48%
52% 52
Social News
100 100%
0% 0
Startup Community
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Lobsters and Y-Combinator

Lobsters Reviews

15 Best Reddit Alternatives in 2024: Find Your New Online Community
Lobsters is a technology-focused link aggregation site with a strong community emphasis.

Y-Combinator Reviews

We have no reviews of Y-Combinator yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Lobsters should be more popular than Y-Combinator. It has been mentiond 133 times since March 2021. 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.

Lobsters mentions (133)

  • Whistleblower details how DOGE may have taken sensitive NLRB data
    I very much enjoy https://lobste.rs. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • They Might Be Giants Flood EPK Promo (1990) [video]
    Pff. HN has rebranded to become the DOGE News Network. If you want a more curated technical experience, I recommend https://lobste.rs. There's much less latitude for non-technical stuff. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Treasury agrees to block DOGE's access to personal taxpayer data at IRS
    Https://lobste.rs seems to still have technical focus. The issue I have with the comments is that a lot of them don't go into technical issues per se, and are not based on first hand information. What would be useful is if somebody in the government could post specifics about their abuses. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Hacker News for Gamedev
    Https://lobste.rs/ is invite only and HN level quality IMO. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Hacker News for Gamedev
    Anyone knows any other similar sites? Personally I'm looking for "HN but for music". The only other website I know is https://lobste.rs, and this website looks like it uses Lobsters' software. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
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Y-Combinator mentions (18)

  • FOSDEM 2025: The state of Rust trying to catch up with Ada [video]
    Exactly T is that's probably "really" a machine address in a CPU register, and so None is the same CPU register with an all-zeroes bit representation. My favourite non-standard library use of this feature is CompactString. CompactString is the SSO (Small String Optimisation) made famous in C++ but applied to Rust's strings. Rust's native String type is as simple as possible, thus no SSO, it's actually... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • How to Make Money From Coding: A Beginner-Friendly Practical Guide
    Y Combinator: Provides funding and mentorship for early-stage startups. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Ask HN: It Was Better with Www
    We all act like writing www. Is lame and for dads/grandparents, but the truth is: 1. You never know when you need to write https:// 2. It looks a lot uglier 3. Literally means "hypertext transfer protocol (secure)" (I had to look it up, and I am a hacker news user.) 4. Just happened to me: in a youtube description you cant just put ycombinator.com, you have to write https://ycombinator.com. This is not a problem... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • demo of an AI driven RPG
    I found the link originally at ycombinator.com and they have some discussion around it. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Did Twitter die, Elon?
    I said this on ycombinator.com, if Elon spent more time on his business rather than arguing online about covid (which is what he was doing at the time of the outage btw), I feel like less twitter outages would happen and perhaps the Twitter Status would be properly updated. Of course, he would rather spend his time conversing online like a 14 year old on MW2 instead of actually doing his job. Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Lobsters and Y-Combinator, you can also consider the following products

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.

Techstars - Startup Accelerator Programs & Funding

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.

Wellfound - Where the startup world goes to find what’s next.

Tildes - A non-profit community site driven by its users' interests

Pioneer.app - We fund projects and startups built by ambitious outsiders around the world