What customization options does Modern for Hacker News offer?

Updated

Modern for Hacker News is a free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge that applies a redesigned interface on top of existing Hacker News pages. Once installed, it restyles HN automatically — no configuration is required to get the new look. If you want to change how HN looks and reads, the extension exposes four main areas of customization: themes, fonts, styles, and the index view. All of them work on desktop or laptop computers only.

Themes

Modern ships with five theme options:

  • Light — a bright, clean layout
  • Classic HN — the traditional Hacker News appearance
  • Slate — a muted, mid-tone option
  • Dark — a dark background for low-light reading
  • Black — a high-contrast, near-black variant

If you decide you prefer the original site, you can switch back to the old design with one click.

Fonts

Two font families are available:

  • Sans — the default modern look
  • Serif — a more traditional reading style

Font size is also adjustable, so you can scale text up or down independently of the theme.

Styles

Beyond fonts and colors, Modern lets you tune the reading layout:

  • Column width — control how wide the content area stretches
  • Line height — adjust spacing between lines of text
  • Justified text — align text to both margins instead of the default ragged-right edge

These settings matter most on wide desktop displays, where default HN line lengths can feel either cramped or overly stretched.

Index view

The story list (the "index") can be displayed in two layouts:

  • List view — the standard stacked story format
  • Table view — a denser, column-based layout

In table view you can also customize which columns appear, so you can decide what information sits alongside each story.

What stays the same

Modern builds on the existing interface rather than replacing it. All current Hacker News features are supported, and the extension applies its look and features to existing HN pages without you having to do anything after install.

Free vs. Pro

The customization options above are part of the free extension. An optional Pro upgrade ($10) adds separate features — bookmarks, new-reply badges, a highlighter, a user hover popup, a selection popup, and a control pad — rather than additional appearance settings. The free version remains free.

Practical notes

  • Platform: Desktop or laptop only. The site explicitly asks visitors to return on a desktop or laptop to use the extension.
  • Browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. On Edge, installation routes through the Chrome Web Store, so you first need to allow extensions from other stores, confirm the prompt, and then add the extension.
  • Reversibility: You can return to the classic HN design at any time with a single click.