paulgraham.com vs ycombinator.com
Market traction comparison · Updated Jul 2026
| paulgraham.com | ycombinator.com | Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Visits | 1.1M | 18.8M | ycombinator.com |
| Bounce Rate | 53.5% | 40.9% | ycombinator.com |
| SEO & Keywords | 30 | 30 | Tie |
| Domain Age | 27y 10m | 21y 5m | paulgraham.com |
ycombinator.com leads in 2 of 4 dimensions, while paulgraham.com leads in 1.
Growth Momentum
| paulgraham.com | ycombinator.com | Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Visits | 1.1M | 18.8M | ycombinator.com |
| MoM Change | -12% | +7% | ycombinator.com |
| Avg. Session | 1m25s | 4m08s | ycombinator.com |
| Pages / Visit | 2.3 | 4.0 | ycombinator.com |
Growth Momentum · Insight
paulgraham.com is losing traffic (-12%) despite 1.1M monthly visits. ycombinator.com's +7% growth puts it on a trajectory to overtake.
Acquisition Strategy
| paulgraham.com | ycombinator.com | Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Channel | Direct 45% | Direct 61% | |
| Bounce Rate | 53.5% | 40.9% | ycombinator.com |
| SEO & Keywords | 30 | 30 | — |
Keyword Overlap Rate: 67%
| Keyword | Volume | paulgraham.com | ycombinator.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| hackernews | 145.9K | #8 | #1 |
| paul graham | 71.5K | #1 | #6 |
| paul graham essays | 8.9K | #1 | #2 |
| hacknews | 4.2K | #8 | #1 |
| hacker new | 2.9K | #8 | #1 |
| paul graham education | 2.2K | #2 | #10 |
| paulgraham | 1.6K | #1 | #6 |
| paul graham y combinator | 1.1K | #2 | #4 |
| paul graham blog | 1.1K | #1 | #2 |
Acquisition Strategy · Insight
paulgraham.com acquires users primarily through Direct (45%), while ycombinator.com relies on Direct (61%). This reflects fundamentally different go-to-market strategies — ycombinator.com's higher direct traffic suggests stronger brand recognition or product-led growth, while ycombinator.com's search reliance means growth is more scalable but more vulnerable to algorithm changes.
Business Maturity
| paulgraham.com | ycombinator.com | Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain Age | 27y 10m | 21y 5m | paulgraham.com |
| Registered | Oct 1998 | Mar 2005 | |
| Expires | Oct 2026 | Mar 2027 |
Business Maturity · Insight
paulgraham.com has been in the market for over a decade, indicating established presence.
Market Position
| paulgraham.com | ycombinator.com | Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Rank | #59.8K | #3.1K | ycombinator.com |
| Category Rank | #1.0K | #15 | ycombinator.com |
paulgraham.com only
ycombinator.com only
Market Position · Insight
Each has untapped markets the other serves: paulgraham.com could expand into Germany, while ycombinator.com could target Kazakhstan.
Key Takeaways
- •paulgraham.com is losing traffic (-12%) despite 1.1M monthly visits. ycombinator.com's +7% growth puts it on a trajectory to overtake.
- •paulgraham.com acquires users primarily through Direct (45%), while ycombinator.com relies on Direct (61%). This reflects fundamentally different go-to-market strategies — ycombinator.com's higher direct traffic suggests stronger brand recognition or product-led growth, while ycombinator.com's search reliance means growth is more scalable but more vulnerable to algorithm changes.
- •ycombinator.com receives 17.5x more monthly traffic than paulgraham.com (18.8M vs 1.1M).
- •ycombinator.com is growing (+7%) while paulgraham.com is declining (-12%).
- •ycombinator.com keeps visitors significantly longer (4m08s avg session vs paulgraham.com's 1m25s), suggesting deeper product engagement or stickier content.
- •ycombinator.com has a 13 percentage point lower bounce rate (41% vs 53%), indicating better landing page relevance or more targeted traffic.
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Report based on data from July 2026