Alert HN
Quick answer
Alert HN is a free tool that sends email notifications when Hacker News comments or posts match a custom query, so you can join a discussion while it is still active. Its listed coverage is Hacker News only. The site shows free email notifications with no paid tiers found, and no pricing is published. It lists no AI-engine tracking, no API and no other sources, so it works as a narrow single-source companion rather than a full monitoring platform.
Best for
A developer who only wants free, fast email alerts for Hacker News mentions.
Not for
A team that needs coverage beyond Hacker News, or any AI visibility tracking.
Facts
Pricing
Not publicly published.
From Alert HN's website, checked Oct 2026.
Free plan or trial
Free email notifications, no paid tiers found on site
From Alert HN's website, checked Oct 2026.
Sources covered
Hacker News
How MarketHQ compares
| Feature | MarketHQ | Alert HN |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free (paid from $29/mo) | Not publicly published |
| Free plan or trial | Free tier, no card required | Free email notifications, no paid tiers found on site |
| Sources covered | Hacker News, GitHub, RSS, Stack Overflow, Dev.to, Lobsters, Reddit, LinkedIn, YouTube, X, Perplexity, Product Hunt, Broader web crawl, Bluesky | Hacker News |
| AI engines tracked | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, DeepSeek | Not published |
| API / MCP | Yes, on every paid plan | Not published |
Alternatives
- MarketHQ: tracks brand mentions across communities, news, blogs, social and AI answers, with gap analysis and action plans.
- KWatch.io: A team that wants real-time keyword alerts across LinkedIn, X, Reddit and Hacker News at a low monthly price.
- Notifier: A team that wants broad Reddit, Hacker News and social alerts with AI filtering at a modest monthly price.
- Octolens: Teams that want community and social monitoring with API and MCP access on every plan.
- Pulse: A team that wants Reddit lead discovery and AI-visibility scanning in one tool.
- Redreach: A team focused on Reddit that wants AI-guided replies and DM outreach.
- ReplyGuy: A founder or small team that wants AI-drafted replies to Reddit and Twitter/X mentions of a product.
Related
- Best AI visibility and brand monitoring tools: category shortlists with a disclosed method.
- Glossary: definitions of the terms that come up when comparing tools like this one.
Sources
- Alert HN: https://alerthn.com (checked Oct 2026)