# OpenGL ES

6 Hacker News commenters recommended OpenGL ES and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Free graphics API that runs on nearly every device. The most common caveat is its hard-to-understand global state.

## Why people recommend it

- Runs on almost every device (2 comments): "GLES is the compatibility king and runs pretty much everywhere" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46964565)) "how OpenGL ES is still better supported" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49025989))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Vulkan](https://hackerapproved.com/p/vulkan.md): 99 recommend
- [OpenGL](https://hackerapproved.com/p/opengl.md): 39 recommend
- [WebGPU](https://hackerapproved.com/p/webgpu.md): 35 recommend
- [Metal](https://hackerapproved.com/p/metal.md): 27 recommend
- [DirectX](https://hackerapproved.com/p/directx.md): 25 recommend

## Cite as

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