The best e-readers, according to hackers
29 e-readers were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 11 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended e-readers with the badge. Each figure is 10 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Truly pocketable size
A cheap, pocket-sized e-ink reader people carry everywhere to read instead of doomscrolling, though the stock firmware is clunky and many reflash it with open-source CrossPoint firmware.
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Open, hackable, runs Linux
An open, hackable e-reader that needs no account, sideloads EPUBs via USB or Calibre and borrows library books free, though some report sluggish firmware and flaky non-Kobo EPUB handling.
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Better retention from handwritten notes
Recommended for handwritten notes that aid retention, e-ink reading of textbooks and open root access, though critics cite slow software, update and battery failures, and cut corners.
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We may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
All 29 e-readers, 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 | Amazon Kindle | 222 | 255 | 47% | 12 | 12 yrs37 owners | — |
| 2 | Xteink X4 | 178 | 47 | 79% | 10 | 2 mo31 owners | Approved |
| 3 | Kobo e-reader | 154 | 53 | 74% | 12 | 7 yrs14 owners | Approved |
| 4 | reMarkable 2 | 93 | 45 | 67% | 12 | 5 yrs13 owners | Approved |
| 5 | Onyx Boox e-reader | 48 | 26 | 65% | 11 | — | — |
| 6 | Kobo Clara | 38 | 9 | 81% | 10 | 8 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| 7 | Kindle Paperwhite | 34 | 21 | 62% | 10 | 10 yrs12 owners | — |
| 8 | Kobo Libra Color | 26 | 6 | 81% | 10 | — | Approved |
| 9 | Kindle Oasis | 23 | 6 | 79% | 10 | 8 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| 10 | Xteink e-reader | 22 | 4 | 85% | 8 | — | Approved |
| 11 | reMarkable Paper Pro | 20 | 9 | 69% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Tied 12 | Kindle Scribe | 16 | 12 | 57% | 8 | 1 yr3 owners | — |
| Tied 12 | PocketBook e-reader | 16 | 2 | 89% | 7 | — | Approved |
| 14 | Boox Go 7 | 15 | 4 | 79% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Tied 15 | Supernote | 14 | 3 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Tied 15 | PineNote by Pine64 | 14 | 8 | 64% | 8 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | Boox Palma | 13 | 7 | 65% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | Open Book Touch | 13 | 8 | 62% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 19 | Daylight Computer | 9 | 4 | 69% | 10 | 1 yr6 owners | — |
| Tied 19 | E Ink Kaleido 4 | 9 | 10 | 47% | 1 | — | — |
| 21 | Kobo Libra 2 | 8 | 2 | 80% | 7 | — | — |
| Tied 22 | Amazon Kindle Keyboard | 7 | 2 | 78% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 22 | Kobo Clara Colour | 7 | 4 | 64% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 24 | Kobo Elipsa | 6 | 1 | 86% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 24 | reMarkable Paper Pro Move | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Nook e-reader | 5 | 1 | 83% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | PocketBook Verse | 5 | 1 | 83% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Supernote Manta | 5 | 1 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Kobo Aura One | 5 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
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 e-reader in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to e-readers 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.