The best optimization solvers, according to hackers
6 optimization solvers 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 optimization solver with the badge. Each figure is 2 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Convenient API and language bindings
Free, mature SMT solver that people find convenient and well optimized for constraint problems, though it is slow on some boolean problems and struggles with larger ones.
All 6 optimization solvers, 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 | Z3 SMT solver | 24 | 2 | 92% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Tied 2 | MiniZinc | 6 | 1 | 86% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 2 | Google OR-Tools | 6 | 4 | 60% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 2 | OR-Tools CP-SAT | 6 | 1 | 86% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 2 | Gurobi | 6 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| 6 | JuMP | 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 optimization solver in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to optimization solvers 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.