The best command-line clients, according to hackers
3 command-line clients were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended command-line client with the badge. Each figure is 2 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Checks whether a TCP port responds
Recommended as a quick way to check whether a TCP port responds and for debugging, since it is widely packaged. Caveat: it sends data in plaintext, so critics prefer SSH.
All 3 command-line clients, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telnet client | 19 | 9 | 68% | 4 | — | Approved |
| 2 | psql | 8 | 6 | 57% | 5 | — | — |
| 3 | emacsclient | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same command-line client in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to command-line clients that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.