The best scripting languages, according to hackers
14 scripting languages were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 7 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended scripting languages with the badge. Each figure is 25 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Small, simple, easy to learn
A tiny, simple language you can hold in your head, widely chosen for embedding and configuration; critics dislike 1-based indexing and its table-everything, dynamically typed design.
Stable and available on POSIX systems
Small, stable language installed on nearly every POSIX system, well suited to quick text and CSV transforms. Critics say complex logic gets awkward and newer tools often do better.
Automates keyboard, mouse and repetitive tasks
Free Windows scripting language for remapping keys, automating keyboard and mouse input, and building small custom tools. Critics note it is Windows-only and has a rough interface and a troubled past.
All 14 scripting languages, 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 | Lua | 186 | 62 | 75% | 12 | 10 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| 2 | awk | 67 | 18 | 79% | 12 | — | Approved |
| 3 | AutoHotkey | 44 | 5 | 90% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 4 | GDScript | 22 | 16 | 58% | 9 | — | — |
| 5 | AppleScript | 19 | 18 | 51% | 10 | — | — |
| 6 | Starlark | 16 | 5 | 76% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Tied 7 | Roto | 13 | 3 | 81% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Tied 7 | Loreline | 13 | 1 | 93% | 3 | — | — |
| 9 | Luau | 12 | 0 | 100% | 9 | — | Approved |
| 10 | ARexx | 11 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| 11 | Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) | 6 | 3 | 67% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 12 | hyperscript | 5 | 2 | 71% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 12 | Cicada scripting language | 5 | 3 | 63% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 12 | Rhai | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
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 scripting language in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to scripting languages 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.