Size of Life
Ranked 2 of 31 interactive visualizations by recommenders
A free interactive site comparing the scale of living things, praised for its art, music and polish. Critics mention the metric-to-inches switch and a consent window with many partners.
A free interactive site comparing the scale of living things, praised for its art, music and polish. Critics mention the metric-to-inches switch and a consent window with many partners.
34 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 30
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 2 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: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 30 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 7.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not 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
Beautiful art and soundtrack
“The dynamic soundscape is delightful, as it subtly adds instruments and musical texture as you progress.”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” “Love seeing something so polished and inspiring. Amazing illustrations and even better music.”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” “The music was breathtaking here - I'd absolutely pay for a version of it.”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” - Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life”
- Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life”
- Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life”
- Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life”
- Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life”
Polished, simple, inspiring execution
“Love seeing something so polished and inspiring. Amazing illustrations and even better music.”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” “A simple idea but fabulous execution!”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” “this has more of an indie gem feel”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” - Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life”
Trust in Neal's projects
“He's constantly making some of the coolest stuff on the web.”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” “You really can't go wrong with any of Neal's fun projects!”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” “Just delightful, thank you Neal.”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” Teaches scale of nature
“Neal delivers. I recently learned that viruses are not considered living being, but I'm nevertheless happy they're included here”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” “I learned so much from these visualizations as an adult”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Metric to inches switch confusing
“Transitioning from micrometer/milliliter to inches is pretty rough”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” “I like it, but the switch from metric to inches is confusing”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” Consent window with many partners
“the number if partners and affiliates in the consent window is very off putting”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” “Had to click 26 (sic!) switches to opt out of being tracked.”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” Visual scale seems off
“The visual scale seems off, especially on the smaller end of things.”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life” “The dimensioning of DNA was an immediate turn-off for me.”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Size of Life”
Other interactive visualizations people recommend
The four most recommended other interactive visualizations, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ciechanow.ski | 33 | 1 | 97% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Size of LifeThis page | 30 | 4 | 88% | 2 | — | — |
| PGSimCity | 27 | 3 | 90% | 1 | — | — |
| Ithihāsas | 18 | 3 | 86% | 1 | — | — |
| Now I Get It | 17 | 10 | 63% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
30 of the 35 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Check out the Space Elevator or Size of Life too.”
“Nice. Two quick UI thoughts.”
“the website says it got extinct 10,000 years ago”
“woo.. finally got there! all achievements.. and i made stacks on bitcoin”
“navigation-wise I absolutely hate the UI.”
“We really dont need playStore and appStore to run beautiful things like this.”
“Had to click 26 (sic!) switches to opt out of being tracked.”
“it didn’t occur to me to grab my headphones and turn sound on first”
“The first page looks like a book. It's awesome.”
“A simple idea but fabulous execution!”
“The dimensioning of DNA was an immediate turn-off for me.”
“Love seeing something so polished and inspiring. Amazing illustrations and even better music.”
“this has more of an indie gem feel”
“He's constantly making some of the coolest stuff on the web.”
“The artwork is very good and the soundtrack too.”
“in awe of nature and Neal's art nonetheless”
“Transitioning from micrometer/milliliter to inches is pretty rough”
“The music was breathtaking here - I'd absolutely pay for a version of it.”
“I learned so much from these visualizations as an adult”
“You really can't go wrong with any of Neal's fun projects!”
“the minimalist UI, art and music fits amazingly”
“cool and artistic app, how did you make this”
“The dynamic soundscape is delightful, as it subtly adds instruments and musical texture as you progress.”
“beautiful illustrations, beautiful site”
“It's clearly a labor of love.”
“Just delightful, thank you Neal.”
“Neal delivers. I recently learned that viruses are not considered living being, but I'm nevertheless happy they're included here”
“The visual scale seems off, especially on the smaller end of things.”
“the number if partners and affiliates in the consent window is very off putting”
“I like it, but the switch from metric to inches is confusing”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.