The best common Lisp implementations, according to hackers
6 common Lisp implementations were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The two most recommended common Lisp implementations with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Fast native code from optimizing compiler
Recommended for its mature optimizing compiler, helpful type warnings and fast native code. Critics mention a minimal REPL and an image model some dislike.
Fun, awesome language to program in
Free, fast Common Lisp implementation praised for its compiler, type checking and performance. Common caveat: weaker IDE tooling than commercial Lisps.
All 6 common Lisp implementations, 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 | SBCL Common Lisp | 49 | 9 | 84% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Steel Bank Common Lisp (SBCL) | 26 | 7 | 79% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Tied 3 | LispWorks | 6 | 6 | 50% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 3 | Dotcl | 6 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 5 | ECL (Embeddable Common Lisp) | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 5 | Clozure Common Lisp | 5 | 2 | 71% | 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 common Lisp implementation in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to common Lisp implementations that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
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