thehackernews.com vs ycombinator.com
Market traction comparison · Updated Jul 2026
| thehackernews.com | ycombinator.com | Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Visits | 3.1M | 18.8M | ycombinator.com |
| Bounce Rate | 9.0% | 40.9% | thehackernews.com |
| SEO & Keywords | 30 | 30 | Tie |
| Domain Age | 15y 10m | 21y 5m | ycombinator.com |
ycombinator.com leads in 2 of 4 dimensions, while thehackernews.com leads in 1.
Growth Momentum
| thehackernews.com | ycombinator.com | Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Visits | 3.1M | 18.8M | ycombinator.com |
| MoM Change | +10% | +7% | thehackernews.com |
| Avg. Session | 4m44s | 4m08s | thehackernews.com |
| Pages / Visit | 2.0 | 4.0 | ycombinator.com |
Growth Momentum · Insight
ycombinator.com receives 6.0x more monthly traffic than thehackernews.com (18.8M vs 3.1M).
Acquisition Strategy
| thehackernews.com | ycombinator.com | Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Channel | Direct 48% | Direct 61% | |
| Bounce Rate | 9.0% | 40.9% | thehackernews.com |
| SEO & Keywords | 30 | 30 | — |
Keyword Overlap Rate: 0%
| Keyword | Volume | thehackernews.com | ycombinator.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| hacker news | 208.5K | #2 | #1 |
| hackernews | 145.9K | #2 | #1 |
| hacknews | 4.2K | #2 | #1 |
| hackernew | 3.6K | #2 | #1 |
| hacker new | 2.9K | #2 | #1 |
Acquisition Strategy · Insight
thehackernews.com acquires users primarily through Direct (48%), 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 thehackernews.com's search reliance means growth is more scalable but more vulnerable to algorithm changes.
Business Maturity
| thehackernews.com | ycombinator.com | Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain Age | 15y 10m | 21y 5m | ycombinator.com |
| Registered | Oct 2010 | Mar 2005 | |
| Expires | Oct 2034 | Mar 2027 |
Business Maturity · Insight
ycombinator.com has been in the market for over a decade, indicating established presence.
Market Position
| thehackernews.com | ycombinator.com | Leads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Rank | #40.0K | #3.1K | ycombinator.com |
| Category Rank | #60 | #15 | ycombinator.com |
thehackernews.com only
ycombinator.com only
Market Position · Insight
Each has untapped markets the other serves: thehackernews.com could expand into Germany, Canada, while ycombinator.com could target Philippines, China.
Key Takeaways
- •ycombinator.com receives 6.0x more monthly traffic than thehackernews.com (18.8M vs 3.1M).
- •thehackernews.com acquires users primarily through Direct (48%), 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 thehackernews.com's search reliance means growth is more scalable but more vulnerable to algorithm changes.
- •ycombinator.com receives 6.0x more monthly traffic than thehackernews.com (18.8M vs 3.1M).
- •thehackernews.com has a 32 percentage point lower bounce rate (9% vs 41%), indicating better landing page relevance or more targeted traffic.
- •With only 0% keyword overlap, they target largely different search audiences.
- •ycombinator.com has a 6-year head start in the market.
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Report based on data from July 2026