# ncmpcpp

6 Hacker News commenters recommended ncmpcpp and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Plain terminal client for the MPD music server, favored for local playback. Caveat: it is terminal-only and less customizable than some alternatives.

## Why people recommend it

- Works well with MPD (2 comments): "I still like the plainness of MPD + ncmpcpp." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46776984)) "for local playback I like ncmpcpp with MPD" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46778006))

## What people warn about

- Slow when run inside Eshell (1 comments): "It runs full-fledged TUIs like vim and ncmpcpp in Eshell slowly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47191560))
- Less customizable than alternatives (1 comments): "A lot more (easily) customizable compared to ncmpcpp as well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46777125))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [cmus](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cmus.md): 7 recommend
- [cliamp](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cliamp.md): 6 recommend
- [Retro Music Player](https://hackerapproved.com/p/retro-terminal-music-player-inspired.md): 6 recommend

## Cite as

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