Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about validating startup ideas with IdeaCheck.
What is IdeaCheck?
IdeaCheck is a startup idea validator that scores your idea against 28,000+ real Hacker News founder discussions. You paste your idea, and within seconds you get scores on market demand, technical complexity, distribution, and timing — plus a PASS, PROMISING, or PASS ON verdict.
Where does the Hacker News data come from?
We indexed the HN dataset (Ask HN: Who is hiring, Show HN, and especially Ask HN threads about startup ideas). Each evaluation retrieves the most semantically similar past discussions using vector search, then passes them to an LLM to ground the verdict in real founder signal.
How many free evaluations do I get?
Three evaluations per day on the free tier — enough to test a few ideas or refine your phrasing. The quota resets at midnight UTC.
What does premium give me?
Premium gives you unlimited evaluations for 7 days for ₹99. No login required — you pay once and get a UUID-linked access token that works across devices.
Is my startup idea stored or shared?
No. Your idea text is processed in memory to generate the evaluation and is never written to our database. We store only anonymous quota data (a random browser ID and daily count) to enforce the free tier limit.
How accurate is the evaluation?
IdeaCheck surfaces real signal from founders who already debated similar ideas on Hacker News. It's a directional tool, not a guarantee. The scores reflect community sentiment and technical consensus at the time of indexing. Use it as a fast first-pass filter, not a replacement for customer interviews.
What payment methods are supported?
Payments are processed by Razorpay. You can pay via UPI, debit/credit card, or net banking. We do not see or store your payment credentials.
Can I use it from outside India?
Yes, the evaluation works worldwide. Razorpay payments currently support Indian payment methods (UPI, Indian cards). International card support depends on your Razorpay configuration.