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 week on the free tier after Google sign-in — enough to test a few ideas or refine your phrasing. The quota resets every Monday.
What does premium give me?
Premium gives you unlimited evaluations while your subscription is active. The standard premium value is $25/month, and any launch discount is shown in checkout. Premium requires Google sign-in so access stays attached to your account across cache clears and new 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 your basic account record and weekly quota count; premium users also have subscription status stored.
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 Dodo Payments. Available payment methods depend on your country and Dodo checkout availability. We do not see or store your payment credentials.
Can I use it from outside India?
Yes, the evaluation works worldwide. Premium checkout is handled by Dodo Payments and availability depends on the payment methods Dodo can offer in your country.