Hacker News vs Mastodon
Hacker News vs Mastodon, compared side by side on 14 data points: what each one does, how big it is, what it has raised, the tech running each site, and what users report. We score both out of 100 on traction, team and visibility: Hacker News is on 10/100 and Mastodon on 51/100.
Where each one leads
Hacker News
Leads on none of the measures we hold for both companies.
Mastodon
- our overall score: 51/100 against 10/100
- agent readiness: 37/100 against 27/100
At a glance
| Measure | Hacker News | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A social news website focused on computer science and entrepreneurship, run by Y Combinator. | A decentralized, open-source social media platform and alternative to larger apps like X and Threads. |
| Category | Computer Science, Entrepreneurship, Social Platform, Community Platform | Social Media, Decentralized Technology, Open Source, Social Platform |
| Sells toBusiness model | B2C | B2C |
| Offering | Platform | Platform |
| Founded | 2007 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, United States | Jena, Germany |
| Status | Active | Active |
Size, funding and growth
| Measure | Hacker News | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles | 3 | Not published |
| Total funding | Not published | $63.0M |
| Latest round | Not published | Series A |
| Valuation | Not published | $1.1B |
StartupHub scores
Our own 0-100 ratings. They measure company strength and site quality, not which product suits you.
| Measure | Hacker News | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| StartupHub scoreOur 0-100 rating | 10/100 | 51/100 |
| Traction | Not published | 39/100 |
| Team | 30/100 | 30/100 |
| Search visibility | 6/100 | 12/100 |
| Quality | Not published | 65/100 |
| Agent readinessHow well an AI agent can read and act on the site | F (27/100) | F (37/100) |
| Domain ratingLink authority, 0-100 | 91/100 | 91/100 |
Technology
Detected on each public site, so it reflects the marketing stack as well as the product.
| Measure | Hacker News | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self Managed | Not detected |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes |
What users say
| Measure | Hacker News | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Reddit sentimentThreads we track | Not published | 1 positive, 0 negative across 3 threads |
“Hello! This unofficial subreddit is for discussing the open source Mastodon project. Discussions of the ActivityPub protocol and Fediverse network are also welcome when related to Mastodon.”r/
Hacker News vs Mastodon: common questions
Which is better, Hacker News or Mastodon?
On our 0-100 score Mastodon rates higher (51/100 against 10/100). The score weights traction, team, visibility and profile completeness, so it reflects company strength rather than which product suits you. We compare the two on 14 data points above: read the rows that match what you are buying for.
How do Hacker News and Mastodon compare on the numbers?
Mastodon leads on our overall score (51/100 against 10/100), agent readiness (37/100 against 27/100).
What do real users say about Hacker News and Mastodon?
Mastodon: 1 positive and 0 negative mentions across 3 Reddit threads we track.
Read the full Hacker News review and pricing or the Mastodon review and pricing. You can also browse other Hacker News alternatives we track.