What is Modern for Hacker News?

Updated

Modern for Hacker News is a free browser extension that gives Hacker News a redesigned, modern interface. Once installed, it automatically applies the new look and features to existing HN pages without any extra setup, and it supports all current Hacker News features while adding improvements like themes, fonts, history, and inline replies. It runs on desktop or laptop computers in Google Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

What it does

The extension builds on top of the existing HN interface rather than replacing it. According to the site, all current Hacker News features are supported, and the extension adds:

  • Themes – light, classic HN, slate, dark, and black
  • Fonts – sans or serif, plus adjustable font size
  • Styles – adjust column width, line height, and justify text
  • History – quickly jump to stories you've previously viewed
  • Comments – inline reply and many other improvements
  • Index – switch between list and table view, and customize columns
  • Profiles – a new design with tabs and clickable links
  • Accounts – all HN account features supported

If you don't like the result, you can switch back to the old design with one click.

How to install

The extension is available for Google Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. On the site, you click the button for your browser:

  • Add to Chrome
  • Add to Firefox
  • Add to Edge

Installing on Microsoft Edge

Edge installs from the Chrome Web Store, so the site walks through three steps:

  1. Click Add to Edge to go to the Chrome Web Store, then click Allow extensions from other stores.
  2. Click Allow when prompted.
  3. Click Add to Chrome to install.

Desktop only

Modern for HN only works on desktop or laptop computers. If you open the site on a phone or tablet, it asks you to come back on a desktop or laptop to use the extension.

Free vs. Pro

The free version is described as always free. There's an optional Pro upgrade for $10 that unlocks extra features:

Feature What it adds
Bookmarks Save favorite stories, comments, highlights, and users. No account needed; stored privately in the browser; backup and restore to a JSON file.
New Replies Shows a badge next to stories with new replies since your last visit, with orange arrows to navigate new comments within stories.
Highlighter Select any text and click the bookmark icon to create a highlight, saved to your bookmarks.
User Popup Hover over any username to see account age, karma, and a scrollable about section; save users to bookmarks.
Selection Popup Select text to get a popup menu: highlight, reply quoting the text, copy to clipboard, speak the text (TTS), or search on HN.
Control Pad Described on the site as an "intelli…" feature (the excerpt is cut off).

The site notes that more improvements are planned for upcoming releases.

Who it's for

If you read Hacker News on a desktop or laptop and want a cleaner, customizable interface without changing how HN works, this extension is aimed at you. If you mostly browse HN on mobile, it won't help, since it's desktop-only. If you want extra tools like bookmarks, highlights, and new-reply tracking, the $10 Pro upgrade is the option to consider.