TRMNL e-ink display
Hacker ApprovedE-ink display in Displays
Recommended as a dedicated e-paper dashboard that shows one thing well, with an open-source backend you can self-host. Critics say the company is shifting toward AI and is less transparent about self-hosting.
Recommended as a dedicated e-paper dashboard that shows one thing well, with an open-source backend you can self-host. Critics say the company is shifting toward AI and is less transparent about self-hosting.
34 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 28
- criticize it
- 6
- approval share
- 82%
Recommended in 10 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 28 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 4.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 10 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
Open-source backend you can self-host
“we've invested hundreds of thousands into open source so that people can get the TRMNL experience without paying us a penny”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard” “you can run the entire backend if the company disappears”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard” “Only ~$150, and you can self-host if you want.”
Comment from 22 Feb 2026 in “I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard” Community-built plugins and integrations
“our top community developers continue to hand craft beautiful, useful plugins for everyone to install”
Comment from 21 Jul 2026 in “AI Agent – TRMNL” “they've got a Home Assistant plugin”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “Edit store price tags using Flipper Zero” Easy to set up and enjoy
“I really love it, and though I haven't hacked much on it, I really haven't needed to.”
Comment from 2 Dec 2025 in “Hacking on the ReMarkable 2” “without any real friction from having to figure things out”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Lost trust after company changes
“It's so disappointing to watch trmnl, a really interesting hardware product concept, transition into being just another AI company.”
Comment from 21 Jul 2026 in “AI Agent – TRMNL” “my interest in giving money to this guy vanished after learning about this”
Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “AI Agent – TRMNL” Unclear information about self-hosting
“sorely disappointed with the transparency regarding self-hosted options”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard” “I was trapped with no easy way to learn more about you guys”
Comment from 21 Jul 2026 in “AI Agent – TRMNL” Low resolution, grayscale or two colors
“a lot lower resolution than a kindle but it'd be pretty cool”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “I built Timeframe, our family e-paper dashboard” “TRMNL devices are either grayscale or 2 colors.”
Comment from 16 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: An e-ink frame that hears birds and draws them as 1800s illustrations”
What people recommend instead
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRMNL e-ink displayThis page | 28 | 6 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Inkplate e-paper display | 6 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
29 of the 40 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“TRMNL devices are either grayscale or 2 colors.”
“you can likely setup BYOD with TRMNL (or just buy one”
“it will make it super easy”
“the AI stuff looks tasteful + cool, please thank your support staff”
“my interest in giving money to this guy vanished after learning about this”
“I was trapped with no easy way to learn more about you guys”
“our top community developers continue to hand craft beautiful, useful plugins for everyone to install”
“It's so disappointing to watch trmnl, a really interesting hardware product concept, transition into being just another AI company.”
“they've got a Home Assistant plugin”
“It just does one thing really really well.”
“I enjoy a TRMNL ( https://trmnl.com/ ) or Arduino as much as the next person”
“TRMNL seems like a good option.”
“without any real friction from having to figure things out”
“you can run the entire backend if the company disappears”
“a lot lower resolution than a kindle but it'd be pretty cool”
“You might be interested in knowing about https://trmnl.com”
“we've invested hundreds of thousands into open source so that people can get the TRMNL experience without paying us a penny”
“sorely disappointed with the transparency regarding self-hosted options”
“a few folks pointed their Boox at TRMNL”
“I got the battery extension and it lasted more than 10 months (I have it on a 30 minute refresh).”
“check out trmnl .com for smaller / less expensive options and self hosted options”
“Only ~$150, and you can self-host if you want.”
“The TRMNL is a side-project, to build some custom code for.”
“we (TRMNL) have a monitor demo”
“But now that they have a bigger version, with controls and a clear case”
“Also https://usetrmnl.com/”
“Funnily you're describing https://usetrmnl.com/ which also happens to be pretty hacker friendly.”
“I really love it, and though I haven't hacked much on it, I really haven't needed to.”
“in theory our OSS lib would do the trick”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.