Freeink
Ranked 4 of 4 e-reader firmware by recommenders
An open ecosystem for developing firmware on e-ink e-readers, welcomed as a refreshing project that people hoped would gain traction. One critic says the firmware is too large for the devices discussed.
An open ecosystem for developing firmware on e-ink e-readers, welcomed as a refreshing project that people hoped would gain traction. One critic says the firmware is too large for the devices discussed.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: 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
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 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
Welcomed as an open e-reader project
“this is exactly the kind of project I was hoping to see gain some traction”
Comment from 21 Jul 2026 in “Freeink: Open Ecosystem for E-Readers” “Cool to see this project posted here”
Comment from 24 Jul 2026 in “Freeink: Open Ecosystem for E-Readers” “This is already dangerously cool.”
Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “Freeink: Open Ecosystem for E-Readers” - Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “Freeink: Open Ecosystem for E-Readers”
Other e-reader firmware people recommend
The three most recommended other e-reader firmware, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrossPoint Reader | 60 | 3 | 95% | 8 | 2 mo5 owners | Approved |
| Plato e-reader software | 21 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| CrossInk | 8 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| FreeinkThis page | 5 | 1 | 83% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“You can just use freeink.org to develop for it”
“Cool to see this project posted here”
“such a refreshing concept”
“This is already dangerously cool.”
“Firmware too chonky for any of them!”
“this is exactly the kind of project I was hoping to see gain some traction”
“this would be a fantastic option for my Kobo Touch”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.