Low-tech Magazine
Hacker ApprovedRanked 8 of 15 online magazines by recommenders
Free solar-powered online magazine on efficient, low-tech technology, praised for its extensive articles and static design. One critic says its uptime is poor.
Free solar-powered online magazine on efficient, low-tech technology, praised for its extensive articles and static design. One critic says its uptime is poor.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 94%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: 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.
- 15 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 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
Practical low-tech ideas shown in real life
“when people are actually doing shit like this in the real world”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “A simple web we own” “I liked the effort at exploring efficient use of technology”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “WD and Seagate confirm: Hard drives sold out for 2026” “This is always an inspiration for how close we can get”
Comment from 18 May 2026 in “Scientists "bottle the sun" with a liquid battery that stores solar energy” Solar-powered, static website design
“Where's that solar-powered website where the images are dithered”
Comment from 3 Apr 2026 in “I prefer OG style websites – what are yours?” “solar.lowtechmagazine.com because they're static”
Comment from 22 Jun 2026 in “Ask HN: How many hours a day do you genuinely spend using AI?” “You reminded me about this solar powered beauty”
Comment from 23 Jan 2026 in “What Will You Do When AI Will Run Out of Money and Disappear?” Favorite among similar low-tech sites
“I've been following this guy a couple of years now (as well as many other mentioned in the comments like LowTechMagazine, Simplifier, OSE, etc)”
Comment from 30 Jun 2026 in “Open Source Low Tech” “Another great site along these lines”
Comment from 30 Jun 2026 in “Open Source Low Tech” “they did a much much better job”
Comment from 23 Dec 2025 in “Help My c64 caught on fire” Extensive articles worth reading
“has enough articles to publish a thematic book”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “California moves to exempt Linux from its age-verification law after backlash” “The astounding Low Tech Magazine”
Comment from 30 Jun 2026 in “Open Source Low Tech”
Other online magazines people recommend
The four most recommended other online magazines, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Economist | 87 | 75 | 54% | 12 | 10 yrs11 owners | — |
| New York Times subscription | 68 | 190 | 26% | 12 | 10 yrs8 owners | — |
| LWN.net subscription | 53 | 14 | 79% | 11 | 22 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| Quanta Magazine | 36 | 20 | 64% | 11 | — | — |
| Low-tech MagazineThis page | 15 | 1 | 94% | 9 | — | Approved |
What people said
15 of the 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“solar.lowtechmagazine.com is wonderful”
“The astounding Low Tech Magazine”
“I've been following this guy a couple of years now (as well as many other mentioned in the comments like LowTechMagazine, Simplifier, OSE, etc)”
“Another great site along these lines”
“solar.lowtechmagazine.com because they're static”
“has enough articles to publish a thematic book”
“This is always an inspiration for how close we can get”
“its uptime is predictably bad”
“Don't miss the Low Tech piece on Chinese one-wheel wheelbarrows”
“Where's that solar-powered website where the images are dithered”
“when people are actually doing shit like this in the real world”
“I liked the effort at exploring efficient use of technology”
“You reminded me about this solar powered beauty”
“they did a much much better job”
“Probably best to read the Low-Tech Magazine site About page explaining what they do as a solar-powered site”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.