Data study · Developer conversation on Hacker News
AI Visibility Tool Launches on Hacker News Went From 3 in 2023 to 70 in the First Nine Months of 2026
Show HN posts for tools that track or improve how brands appear in AI answers grew 23-fold since 2023 and now make up 42.7% of SEO-related launches. Most get little attention: the median 2026 launch scored 1 point.
Analysis of 516 SEO and AI visibility Show HN launches, 2015 to September 2026 · Hacker News public dataset on Google BigQuery, October 2026
Key findings
- 1
Show HN launches of AI visibility tools rose from 3 in 2023 to 9 in 2024, 51 in 2025 and 70 in January to September 2026.
- 2
AI visibility tools made up 42.7% of all SEO-related Show HN launches in 2026 (70 of 164), up from 12.0% in 2023 (3 of 25).
- 3
SEO-related launches overall rose from 25 in 2023 to 164 in the first nine months of 2026, after averaging about 14 a year from 2015 to 2022.
- 4
Attention did not keep up: 72.6% of 2026 SEO-related launches got zero comments (119 of 164) and the median scored 1 point.
- 5
Among 121 AI visibility launches in 2025 and 2026, 20.7% were llms.txt generators or directories (25) and 18.2% offered a site check, audit or score (22).
- 6
38.0% of those AI visibility launches named a specific AI assistant or LLM in the title (46 of 121), against 7.1% of classic SEO launches (13 of 183).
Summary
If you run a small business, you have probably been pitched a tool that promises to get you mentioned by ChatGPT. You are not imagining the flood. On Hacker News, where developers show off what they built, these launches went from a handful to dozens a year.
We counted every Show HN post since 2015 for SEO tools and for tools that track or improve visibility in AI answers. AI visibility launches went from 3 in 2023 to 70 in the first nine months of 2026, and they now make up 42.7% of all SEO-related launches on the site.
Most of them land quietly. In 2026 the median SEO-related launch scored 1 point and nearly three in four drew no comments at all.
What we measured
We used the public Hacker News table on Google BigQuery and kept live posts starting with Show HN. A launch counted as an AI visibility tool if its title mentioned GEO, AEO, LLMO, AI visibility, AI search visibility, ranking or being cited in AI assistants, answer or generative engine optimization, AI SEO or llms.txt. Other SEO-related launches mentioned SEO, keyword research, backlinks, SERPs, rank tracking or Search Console. We removed titles where SEO only described the product (SEO-friendly) and a few clear off-topic matches, and counted no AI visibility launches before 2023.
Features were grouped from title keywords for 2025 and 2026 launches. A title can fall into several groups. Points and comments are values at the October 2026 refresh.
AI visibility launches went from a trickle to a flood
From 2015 to 2022, SEO-related Show HN launches ran at 9 to 25 a year. Then generative AI changed both how tools are built and what they promise.
Launches
| Year | AI visibility tools | Classic SEO tools | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,015 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| 2,016 | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| 2,017 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| 2,018 | 0 | 25 | 25 |
| 2,019 | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| 2,020 | 0 | 17 | 17 |
| 2,021 | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| 2,022 | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| 2,023 | 3 | 22 | 25 |
| 2,024 | 9 | 66 | 75 |
| 2,025 | 51 | 89 | 140 |
| 2026 (Jan to Sep) | 70 | 94 | 164 |
Source: aisearchoptimization.net analysis of 516 SEO and AI visibility Show HN launches, 2015 to September 2026 · Hacker News public dataset on Google BigQuery, October 2026
Classic SEO launches also grew, from 22 in 2023 to 94 in 2026, possibly because AI made it cheaper to build tools. But AI visibility tools grew faster and took 42.7% of the category in 2026.
Most launches get almost no attention
More launches did not mean more interest. Average points per launch fell after 2024.
| Year | Launches | Avg points, all | Avg points, AI visibility | Avg points, classic SEO | Zero comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,023 | 25 | 3.9 | 7.7 | 3.4 | 68.0% (17) |
| 2,024 | 75 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 9.4 | 49.3% (37) |
| 2,025 | 140 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 65.7% (92) |
| 2026 (Jan to Sep) | 164 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 2.1 | 72.6% (119) |
Source: aisearchoptimization.net analysis of 516 SEO and AI visibility Show HN launches, 2015 to September 2026 · Hacker News public dataset on Google BigQuery, October 2026
AI visibility launches averaged 4.5 points in 2026 against 2.1 for classic SEO launches, a small edge on a low base. Across 2025 and 2026, only 2 SEO-related launches passed 100 points.
What the new tools say they do
We grouped launch titles from 2025 and 2026 by the feature they lead with.
| Feature | AI visibility tools (n=121) | Classic SEO tools (n=183) |
|---|---|---|
| Check, audit, scan or score a site | 18.2% (22) | 16.9% (31) |
| llms.txt generator or directory | 20.7% (25) | 0.0% (0) |
| Content or article generation | 16.5% (20) | 19.1% (35) |
| Free or no signup | 12.4% (15) | 13.7% (25) |
| Tracking, monitoring or dashboards | 9.9% (12) | 5.5% (10) |
| Agent or MCP based | 7.4% (9) | 10.9% (20) |
| Open source or self-hosted | 7.4% (9) | 4.4% (8) |
| Keywords or backlinks | 0.8% (1) | 22.4% (41) |
| Names an AI assistant or LLM | 38.0% (46) | 7.1% (13) |
Source: aisearchoptimization.net analysis of 516 SEO and AI visibility Show HN launches, 2015 to September 2026 · Hacker News public dataset on Google BigQuery, October 2026
The most common AI visibility pitch was an llms.txt file, a format with little evidence that AI search tools read it. Checks and scores came next, then content generation. Classic SEO tools still centered on keywords and backlinks, which almost never appear in AI visibility titles.
What this means
The AI visibility tool market is crowded and young, and most launches never get traction even with a technical audience. Many lead with the cheapest feature to build, like an llms.txt file, rather than with evidence that they change what AI assistants say. Before paying for a tool, ask what it measures, how often, and what it has changed for similar businesses. Ask an AI SEO agency the same questions before you sign.
Real AI visibility comes from accurate, consistent information across your site and the sources AI tools read, checked against real customer prompts over time. That is where a free AI visibility audit starts, with real prompts, and our generative engine optimization services keep checking them every month.
Limits
Launches were found by title keywords. Some tools describe themselves in other words and were missed; a few matches may be loosely related.
Show HN is a self-selected set of launches by developers; many commercial tools never post there.
Feature groups come from titles only, not from testing the tools.
Points and comments are values at the October 2026 refresh. 2026 covers January to September.
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Cite this study
APA
Grenyo, K. (2026). AI Visibility Tool Launches on HN: 3 in 2023, 70 in 2026. AI Search Optimization. https://aisearchoptimization.net/resources/data-studies/ai-visibility-tool-launches-show-hn
Plain link
AI Visibility Tool Launches on HN: 3 in 2023, 70 in 2026 - AI Search Optimization - https://aisearchoptimization.net/resources/data-studies/ai-visibility-tool-launches-show-hn
Frequently asked questions
How many AI visibility tools have launched on Hacker News?
We counted 133 Show HN launches of AI visibility tools from 2023 to September 2026: 3 in 2023, 9 in 2024, 51 in 2025 and 70 in the first nine months of 2026.
Are AI visibility tools replacing classic SEO tools?
Not replacing, but catching up. In 2026 they were 42.7% of SEO-related Show HN launches (70 of 164), up from 12.0% in 2023.
Do these tools get much attention?
Very little. 72.6% of 2026 SEO-related launches got no comments and the median scored 1 point.
What do AI visibility tools usually offer?
Among 2025 and 2026 launches, 20.7% were llms.txt generators or directories, 18.2% offered a site check or score and 16.5% generated content.
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