Simulink
Hacker ApprovedBlock diagram tool in Developer tools
People recommend Simulink for visual block-diagram modeling, simulation and auto-generated embedded C code. The most common caveat is that building nontrivial logic in it is unpleasant.
People recommend Simulink for visual block-diagram modeling, simulation and auto-generated embedded C code. The most common caveat is that building nontrivial logic in it is unpleasant.
19 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 14
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 74%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not 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
- 14 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 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
Visual data flow and model presentation
“control engineer can just take a quick look at screenshot of a Simulink model”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Why we can’t quit Excel” “Having the visual presentation of data flow is quite nice”
Comment from 30 Jul 2026 in “Gpiozero Flow” Code generation for embedded systems
“Real advantages of matlab: * Simulink * Autocoding straight to embedded”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “In Defense of Matlab Code” “MATLAB+Simulink is very powerful in deploying to embedded systems”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “Cleve Moler (Matlab, MathWorks) passed away on May 20, 2026” “Modern autogenerated C code from Simulink is rather effective.”
Comment from 7 Dec 2025 in “The C++ standard for the F-35 Fighter Jet [video]” Used in cars and rockets
“Literally every major brand car runs code built with MATLAB and Simulink.”
Comment from 22 May 2026 in “Cleve Moler (Matlab, MathWorks) passed away on May 20, 2026” “Rockets have flown to orbit on auto coded simulink, seen it myself”
Comment from 7 Dec 2025 in “The C++ standard for the F-35 Fighter Jet [video]” Rapid prototyping and proof of concepts
“Codegen from Matlab/Simulink/whatever is good for proof of concept design.”
Comment from 8 Dec 2025 in “The C++ standard for the F-35 Fighter Jet [video]” “great for Rapid Prototyping”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “In Defense of Matlab Code”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Messy, sprawling diagrams
“those documents are just page after page of Matlab Simulink-like schemas.”
Comment from 29 Jun 2026 in “Volkswagen ends self-driving partnership with Bosch, writes down EUR 1.5” “simulink generates spaghetti”
Comment from 7 Dec 2025 in “The C++ standard for the F-35 Fighter Jet [video]” Visual-only interface is cumbersome
“Simulink is a pain to use and has been wrangled into shape for lack of better options”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “AI startup JuliaHub raises $65M to rival Simulink” “Simulink needs a text-based interface”
Comment from 19 Jun 2026 in “Show HN: Modeloop – From visual algorithms to microcontroller C code”
What people said
17 of the 20 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Having the visual presentation of data flow is quite nice”
“those documents are just page after page of Matlab Simulink-like schemas.”
“Simulink needs a text-based interface”
“MATLAB+Simulink is very powerful in deploying to embedded systems”
“Literally every major brand car runs code built with MATLAB and Simulink.”
“Simulink is a pain to use and has been wrangled into shape for lack of better options”
“As with all things mathworks, migrating away from simulink to alternatives isn't an easy ride.”
“The other killer app of MATLAB is Simulink”
“Real advantages of matlab: * Simulink * Autocoding straight to embedded”
“great for Rapid Prototyping”
“Codegen from Matlab/Simulink/whatever is good for proof of concept design.”
“Rockets have flown to orbit on auto coded simulink, seen it myself”
“simulink generates spaghetti”
“is immensely more reliable than a human”
“Modern autogenerated C code from Simulink is rather effective.”
“actually implementing any sort of nontrivial logic was incredibly unpleasant”
“control engineer can just take a quick look at screenshot of a Simulink model”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.