# Hacker Approved

Books, tools, and services programmers keep recommending, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one in 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026.

## Most recommended

1. [Rust](https://hackerapproved.com/p/rust.md): 2039 recommend, 973 criticize. Recommended for compile-time memory safety without runtime cost, fast native code, and strong types with pattern matching; critics cite complexity, slow compiles, a thin stdlib and dependency sprawl.
2. [Firefox](https://hackerapproved.com/p/firefox.md): 1572 recommend, 1371 criticize. Recommended as the main independent alternative to Chrome, with full uBlock Origin support and deep customization; critics fault Mozilla's AI features, unwanted additions and settings buried in about:config.
3. [Windows](https://hackerapproved.com/p/windows.md): 1287 recommend, 3582 criticize. Recommended for running the software and games people depend on, day-to-day stability and solid underlying engineering, but critics widely object to Windows 11's ads, telemetry, forced accounts and UI regressions.
4. [Go](https://hackerapproved.com/p/go-programming-language.md): 1254 recommend, 651 criticize. Liked for its simple, readable style, easy goroutine concurrency, strong standard library and good performance; critics say it ignored prior language design, added generics late and lacks sum types.
5. [Python](https://hackerapproved.com/p/python.md): 1067 recommend, 821 criticize. Python is recommended for its huge library ecosystem, readable pseudo-code-like syntax and fast productivity on scripts and small programs; critics cite slow performance, dynamic-typing pain and dependency conflicts.
6. [macOS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macos.md): 1041 recommend, 1928 criticize. Recommended for consistent keyboard shortcuts, strong security, tight Apple ecosystem integration and getting work done without fiddling, though critics cite recent bugs, CPU spikes, clunky window management and UI regressions.
7. [Apple MacBook Pro](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macbook-pro.md): 928 recommend, 688 criticize. Apple Silicon models stay fast for years, have long battery life, practical ports and enough memory to run local AI models; some dislike macOS and find the 16-inch heavy.
8. [GrapheneOS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grapheneos.md): 895 recommend, 312 criticize. A hardened, privacy-focused Android that just works, with fine-grained permissions and optional sandboxed Google Play, though some banking apps refuse to run on it.
9. [SQLite](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sqlite.md): 847 recommend, 220 criticize. An extensively tested, zero-maintenance embedded database that handles far more load than expected for many apps, though concurrent writes and growing server apps can outgrow it.
10. [PostgreSQL](https://hackerapproved.com/p/postgresql.md): 816 recommend, 233 criticize. A free, open-source relational database people trust for nearly everything (queues, JSON, search, vectors) and run for years; critics cite query planner limits and horizontal scaling difficulty.
11. [Git](https://hackerapproved.com/p/git.md): 814 recommend, 503 criticize. The standard version control tool: fast, local-first and built on a clear, reliable model with easy undo, though its CLI is arcane and it struggles with large binary files and huge monorepos.
12. [Tailscale](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tailscale.md): 809 recommend, 210 criticize. Recommended for reaching home servers and devices from anywhere without opening ports, thanks to WireGuard-based NAT traversal and easy setup; critics question trusting a third party and its ACL defaults.
13. [uBlock Origin](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ublock-origin.md): 765 recommend, 71 criticize. A trusted, free content blocker that strips ads, trackers, cookie banners and annoying page elements, best on Firefox now that Chrome dropped full support; occasionally breaks sites.
14. [GitHub](https://hackerapproved.com/p/github.md): 764 recommend, 2350 criticize. The default git forge, recommended for its huge community, project discovery and familiar pull-request tooling, though many now complain about frequent outages, AI push and lock-in.
15. [Linux](https://hackerapproved.com/p/linux.md): 745 recommend, 277 criticize. A free, open-source OS praised for total control, stability and wide hardware and software support, especially on servers; desktop use can still take extra effort and debugging.
16. [Cloudflare](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cloudflare.md): 744 recommend, 1249 criticize. Recommended for strong DDoS and bot protection and shielding origin servers, much of it free or cheap, though critics cite outages that take down huge parts of the web.
17. [Zig](https://hackerapproved.com/p/zig.md): 743 recommend, 449 criticize. A low-level C replacement praised for comptime metaprogramming, explicit allocators and helpful safety checks, though critics say it lacks Rust's memory-safety guarantees and leaves footguns.
18. [Kagi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kagi.md): 732 recommend, 234 criticize. A paid search engine people choose for cleaner results without ads or tracking, with domain blocking, customization and opt-in AI answers; critics object to its Yandex data and pricing.
19. [Steam](https://hackerapproved.com/p/steam.md): 716 recommend, 384 criticize. The default PC game store and launcher, praised for frequent deep sales, cloud saves, family sharing and Linux support via Proton; critics note games are DRM-bound licenses you can't resell.
20. [Apple MacBook Neo](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macbook-neo.md): 707 recommend, 355 criticize. An affordable Mac with snappy performance and better build, display and trackpad than similarly priced Windows laptops, though many say its 8GB of RAM is limiting.
21. [Apple iPhone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone.md): 706 recommend, 882 criticize. Recommended for strong security, a protective walled garden and tightly integrated hardware and software, though critics dislike the lock-down and bugs that never get fixed.
22. [Zed](https://hackerapproved.com/p/zed.md): 700 recommend, 430 criticize. A fast, native Rust code editor that feels far more responsive and lighter on memory than VS Code, with optional AI agent features; expect rough edges and missing polish.
23. [Waymo](https://hackerapproved.com/p/waymo.md): 696 recommend, 456 criticize. Recommended for crash data showing far fewer injuries than human drivers and for confident, predictable rides, though critics cite overly slow driving, blocked traffic and privacy worries.
24. [YouTube](https://hackerapproved.com/p/youtube.md): 653 recommend, 1346 criticize. Recommended as an unmatched library of educational, DIY and long-form video, but critics complain about Shorts, AI dubs, a buried chronological feed and junk recommendations.
25. [KDE Plasma](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kde-plasma.md): 650 recommend, 264 criticize. A highly customizable, polished Linux desktop that feels familiar to Windows users and handles fractional scaling well, though some report crashes, odd defaults and a need for heavy tinkering.
26. [GNU Emacs](https://hackerapproved.com/p/emacs.md): 648 recommend, 207 criticize. Long-time users praise Emacs as a deeply programmable Lisp environment you can reshape endlessly, with excellent built-in help, but it takes heavy configuration and its defaults feel dated.
27. [MacBook Air](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macbook-air.md): 633 recommend, 209 criticize. A light, silent, fanless laptop with long battery life and enough everyday performance for years, though it throttles under sustained heavy loads and base RAM and storage feel tight.
28. [TypeScript](https://hackerapproved.com/p/typescript.md): 574 recommend, 273 criticize. An expressive type system over JavaScript that catches bugs, shares code between frontend and backend and helps LLMs write better code, though escape hatches and compile-time-only types weaken its guarantees.
29. [Ubuntu](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ubuntu.md): 560 recommend, 493 criticize. A mainstream Linux distro that mostly just works on lots of hardware, suits beginners and offers long LTS support, though critics dislike Snaps and Canonical's direction.
30. [Docker](https://hackerapproved.com/p/docker.md): 558 recommend, 515 criticize. Recommended for reproducible environments that run identically locally and in deployment, and for easy self-hosting with docker compose; critics stress it is not a real security boundary.
31. [Java](https://hackerapproved.com/p/java.md): 553 recommend, 514 criticize. Recommended for strong runtime performance, a huge mature ecosystem and stable, well-signposted upgrades; critics cite slow startup, memory footprint and awkward, bolted-on language features.
32. [Debian](https://hackerapproved.com/p/debian.md): 552 recommend, 191 criticize. A community-run, free Linux distribution recommended for rock-solid stability, curated trustworthy package repositories and painless in-place upgrades; critics say stable packages are old and bug fixes rarely get backported.
33. [Starlink](https://hackerapproved.com/p/starlink.md): 547 recommend, 353 criticize. Recommended for fast internet in rural, remote and developing areas, on flights and as backup, though critics cite space debris, astronomy interference and Musk's control.
34. [uv](https://hackerapproved.com/p/uv.md): 533 recommend, 100 criticize. Replaces pip, pyenv and venv, installing the right Python version and running scripts with inline dependencies without manual setup, though some dislike its quirks and Astral's OpenAI ties.
35. [Vim](https://hackerapproved.com/p/vim.md): 513 recommend, 127 criticize. A free, lightweight terminal editor whose fast keyboard-driven editing and macros stay useful for decades on any machine, though critics cite poor defaults and cumbersome mode switching.
36. [Google Chrome](https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-chrome.md): 503 recommend, 1086 criticize. Recommended for its speed, sandboxed per-tab stability, web APIs like Web Serial and handy split view; critics cite weakened ad blockers, heavy RAM use and silent AI model downloads.
37. [Apple MacBook](https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-macbook.md): 499 recommend, 348 criticize. Recommended for long battery life, excellent trackpad, screen and build quality, and fast, quiet Apple Silicon performance; critics cite soldered, hard-to-repair parts and past keyboard problems.
38. [Bun](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bun.md): 493 recommend, 608 criticize. An all-in-one, fast JavaScript/TypeScript runtime with a bundler, test runner and rich standard library built in, though its AI-driven Rust rewrite raised stability and trust concerns.
39. [Signal](https://hackerapproved.com/p/signal.md): 486 recommend, 330 criticize. Recommended as the most widely adopted end-to-end encrypted messenger, with open-source reproducible builds and phone-number privacy controls; critics distrust its centralized server and metadata exposure.
40. [Visual Studio Code](https://hackerapproved.com/p/visual-studio-code.md): 485 recommend, 547 criticize. A free editor with a huge extension ecosystem that works the same on every OS, though critics cite extension security risks, Electron sluggishness and a constant push toward AI features.
41. [React](https://hackerapproved.com/p/react.md): 482 recommend, 560 criticize. Recommended for building complex, state-heavy web apps from composable components, with huge ecosystem and AI training data, though critics find hooks confusing and apps easily over-engineered or slow.
42. [NixOS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/nixos.md): 454 recommend, 112 criticize. Recommended for defining your whole system in a version-controlled config file, with reproducible setups and easy rollbacks, but documentation is poor and the learning curve is steep.
43. [Apple Mac](https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-mac.md): 453 recommend, 292 criticize. Recommended for excellent build quality and tight hardware-software integration that makes it reliable and easy to use, though critics dislike macOS UI changes and pricey upgrades.
44. [Proton by Valve](https://hackerapproved.com/p/proton.md): 451 recommend, 189 criticize. Valve's open-source layer runs most Windows games on Linux and the Steam Deck, sometimes better than native ports, though some titles still need tweaking or break.
45. [Obsidian](https://hackerapproved.com/p/obsidian.md): 447 recommend, 145 criticize. A note app built on a local folder of plain Markdown files, with backlinks and a rich plugin ecosystem that works well with AI agents; critics flag risky community plugins and weak collaboration.
46. [Fedora Linux](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fedora.md): 437 recommend, 131 criticize. A mainstream, beginner-friendly Linux distro that mostly works out of the box and balances stability with current packages, though frequent release upgrades occasionally break things.
47. [Raspberry Pi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/raspberry-pi.md): 425 recommend, 277 criticize. Recommended for its reliable long-term software support, huge community and flexibility as a small Linux box with GPIO, though critics say prices have climbed and performance-per-watt lags.
48. [Hetzner](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hetzner.md): 415 recommend, 212 criticize. Recommended for cheap, powerful cloud and bare-metal servers that cost far less than AWS or DigitalOcean, though sign-up ID checks are strict and recent price hikes upset people.
49. [Steam Deck](https://hackerapproved.com/p/steam-deck.md): 412 recommend, 89 criticize. A handheld PC that runs much of a Steam library well on Linux and is open to tinkering, though critics cite its bulk, modest power and mode-switching freezes.
50. [tmux](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tmux.md): 411 recommend, 111 criticize. A long-proven terminal multiplexer for persistent remote sessions, panes and scripting, now popular for running AI agents, though copying text and scrollback can be awkward.

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