Desmos
Hacker ApprovedRanked 7 of 21 calculators by recommenders
Free browser-based graphing tool people use to explore math concepts; critics find its interface clunky on touch screens.
Free browser-based graphing tool people use to explore math concepts; critics find its interface clunky on touch screens.
17 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 7.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Visualizing math concepts and graphs
“incredibly useful to use Desmos or Manim to explain certain mathematical concepts”
Comment from 2 Apr 2026 in “Sweden goes back to basics, swapping screens for books in the classroom” “A visualisation/exploration of some math concept in Desmos can be invaluable”
Comment from 30 May 2026 in “Citing 'severe' math deficits, UC faculty demand a return to SAT tests for STEM” “Desmos etc were incredibly valuable for unlocking certain concepts.”
Comment from 2 Apr 2026 in “Sweden goes back to basics, swapping screens for books in the classroom” - Comment from 3 Feb 2026 in “Ask HN: Do you still physical calculators?”
Preferred over other graphing tools
“Thankfully as of this year there is also a Desmos option”
Comment from 2 May 2026 in “Ti-84 Evo” “we have mostly moved onto Desmos (graphing calculator)”
Comment from 9 Nov 2025 in “Ask HN: How would you set up a child’s first Linux computer?” “there are better graphing tools anyway, like Desmos”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “Ti-84 Evo” - Comment from 1 May 2026 in “Ti-84 Evo”
Free, fast browser-based graphing
“Desmos provides a great graphing program for free in a web browser.”
Comment from 22 Mar 2026 in “Zero ZGC4: A Better Graphing Calculator for School and Beyond” “It's free, it's fast, and it does most of what you need.”
Comment from 2 May 2026 in “Ti-84 Evo”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Clunky interface, hard on touch screens
“this means you have to fiddle with a popover window and can't always see the full problem”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “Ti-84 Evo” “the clunkiness of using the UI of something like Desmos (especially on a touch-screen)”
Comment from 3 Feb 2026 in “Ask HN: Do you still physical calculators?” Early use may stop skill building
“Using Desmos too early would've prevented building these skills.”
Comment from 2 Apr 2026 in “Sweden goes back to basics, swapping screens for books in the classroom”
Other calculators people recommend
The four most recommended other calculators, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Instruments TI-84 Evo | 41 | 53 | 44% | 4 | 10 yrs7 owners | — |
| TI-89 calculator | 31 | 8 | 79% | 8 | 28 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| HP 15C | 24 | 6 | 80% | 5 | 41 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| TI-83 Plus | 21 | 8 | 72% | 6 | 30 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| DesmosThis page | 15 | 2 | 88% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
16 of the 19 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“A visualisation/exploration of some math concept in Desmos can be invaluable”
“with the goal of ensuring those remain available to all and not tied to a single curriculum provider”
“the Desmos calculator and math tools spun out to Desmos Studio PBC”
“builds great tools and manipulatives that are great for classroom use and curious play”
“Thankfully as of this year there is also a Desmos option”
“It's free, it's fast, and it does most of what you need.”
“there are better graphing tools anyway, like Desmos”
“If I need graphing I'll reach for Desmos.”
“this means you have to fiddle with a popover window and can't always see the full problem”
“Using Desmos too early would've prevented building these skills.”
“Desmos etc were incredibly valuable for unlocking certain concepts.”
“incredibly useful to use Desmos or Manim to explain certain mathematical concepts”
“Desmos provides a great graphing program for free in a web browser.”
“the clunkiness of using the UI of something like Desmos (especially on a touch-screen)”
“I use desmos for things where graphs would give more insight”
“we have mostly moved onto Desmos (graphing calculator)”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.