# Libera Chat

14 Hacker News commenters recommended Libera Chat and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Free IRC network praised as a lively, well-managed place to chat and a good first stop for newcomers. Critics say a few very active regulars dominate some channels.

## Why people recommend it

- Active, thriving community (3 comments): "most of the community of daily users just moved to the new digs and continues to carry on" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47038847)) "Still plenty of thriving communities on IRC, particularly on Libera but elsewhere too." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49007864)) "is a lovely and thriving IRC server" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47318206))
- Good for IRC newcomers (2 comments): "seems a bit more user-friendly and "hand-holding", for the people who prefer that" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50044757)) "Libera.chat would be the best introduction if you haven't touched IRC before." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48799170))
- Well-managed network (2 comments): "they are infrequent and barely visible on well-managed networks like Libera.Chat" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48516717)) "barely visible on well-managed networks like Libera.Chat" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48518469))
- Relaxed place to hang out (2 comments): "You can try hanging out on the Libera IRC network in their channel." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48838911)) "a nice, relaxing addition to a lazy weekend evening" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50041731))

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://libera.chat/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Libera Chat", https://hackerapproved.com/p/libera-chat/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).