# 4chan 28 Hacker News commenters recommended 4chan and 23 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 11 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Recommended for free, anonymous, lightly moderated discussion with no voting or user IDs. Critics say it hosts a lot of disgusting and extremist content. ## Why people recommend it - No voting or user IDs (2 comments): "the lack of voting made engaging with the actual substance of a post much easier" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46841181)) "With no user ids no one is harvesting karma/reputation" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47938314)) - Defends free speech (5 comments): "4chan was one of the operators who are doing the noble thing in the face of all this hysteria" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48717783)) "Don't use 4chan, but great job standing up to the continued attack on Free Speech." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47450744)) "4chan is fighting harder to resist these attacks on free speech and association" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50170008)) - Debate between opposed sides (4 comments): "I have found it the most accessible source for learning about and discussing many of the most important issues of our time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47002074)) "4chan is also the only place where 2 extremely opposed sides can and regularly do interact" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49607505)) "higher quality debates and more diverse opinions than Reddit" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49589243)) - More pleasant than other social media (3 comments): "it's overall a much more pleasant place than most other social medias" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46623974)) "4chan is a more rejuvenating and life affirming place than Linkedin" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904590)) "4chan is a peaceful place compared to modern social media" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46777755)) ## What people warn about - Extremist and racist content (4 comments): "anonymity taken to it's extreme has resulted in on one hand yes a lot of disgusting stuff, but also a cultural hotbed" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48716159)) "4chan has /pol/. 4chan inspired Gamergate, Pizzagate, QAnon and numerous incidents of extremist violence." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46923199)) "The combination of humor + racism/misogyny is like crack at brainwashing kids." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46624412)) - Fake news and propaganda (2 comments): "4chan is so full of fake news, CIA/FSB/Mossad shills and doctored screenshots that it forces you to be skeptical" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50181824)) "it is well known to be an intel gathering and propaganda disseminating platform" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50173548)) - Low-quality, mind-numbing posts (3 comments): "4chan is much better these days but it's still where neurons go die." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47451378)) "Low quality porn at that. Their size limits and board post limits keep it that way." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47454589)) "It's no better than Twitter or 4chan at this point." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47106542)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Hacker News](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hacker-news.md): 361 recommend - [Reddit](https://hackerapproved.com/p/reddit.md): 261 recommend - [Old Reddit](https://hackerapproved.com/p/old-reddit.md): 60 recommend - [Slashdot](https://hackerapproved.com/p/slashdot.md): 32 recommend - [Tildes](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tildes.md): 20 recommend ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://4chan.org/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "4chan", https://hackerapproved.com/p/4chan/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).