Emacs Solo
Ranked 4 of 6 Emacs distributions by recommenders
A free Emacs configuration built entirely on built-in packages, with 35 modules and no external packages, that people recommend as a thoughtful reference.
A free Emacs configuration built entirely on built-in packages, with 35 modules and no external packages, that people recommend as a thoughtful reference.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not 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
Uses only built-in packages
“I'd recommend taking a look at them to get an idea of whats possible with an almost-entirely-vanilla emacs setup”
Comment from 25 Aug 2026 in “What's new in Emacs 31.1” “It's a config that is built based entirely on built-in packages rather than 3rd party packages”
Comment from 6 Nov 2025 in “How I am deeply integrating Emacs” Thoughtful, sane, polished design
“Your work is inspiring to me in showing me what dedication and thoughtfulness can achieve”
Comment from 11 Mar 2026 in “Two Years of Emacs Solo: 35 Modules, Zero External Packages, and a Full Refactor” “beautiful, incredibly sane, and awesome reference material”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Two Years of Emacs Solo: 35 Modules, Zero External Packages, and a Full Refactor” “My goodness, how so thoughtful Emacs Solo is!”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Two Years of Emacs Solo: 35 Modules, Zero External Packages, and a Full Refactor” Good reference and starting point
“I'd recommend taking a look at them to get an idea of whats possible with an almost-entirely-vanilla emacs setup”
Comment from 25 Aug 2026 in “What's new in Emacs 31.1” “beautiful, incredibly sane, and awesome reference material”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Two Years of Emacs Solo: 35 Modules, Zero External Packages, and a Full Refactor” “Those are both fantastic starting points.”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “What's new in Emacs 31.1”
Other Emacs distributions people recommend
The four most recommended other Emacs distributions, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doom Emacs | 60 | 23 | 72% | 11 | 1 yr8 owners | Approved |
| Spacemacs | 24 | 17 | 59% | 10 | — | — |
| Emacs Bedrock | 21 | 1 | 95% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Emacs SoloThis page | 7 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| minimal-emacs.d by James Cherti | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Those are both fantastic starting points.”
“I'd recommend taking a look at them to get an idea of whats possible with an almost-entirely-vanilla emacs setup”
“Your work is inspiring to me in showing me what dedication and thoughtfulness can achieve”
“My goodness, how so thoughtful Emacs Solo is!”
“Emacs solo actually contains functionality for just that”
“beautiful, incredibly sane, and awesome reference material”
“It's a config that is built based entirely on built-in packages rather than 3rd party packages”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.