Watsi
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 5 donation platforms by recommenders
People recommend Watsi for funding medical care for patients in need, with small donations going far and a long track record. Critics note it refused BBB evaluation.
People recommend Watsi for funding medical care for patients in need, with small donations going far and a long track record. Critics note it refused BBB evaluation.
30 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 29
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 97%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 12 years
Median of the 4 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it carries the badge
- 29 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 29 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
Steady, sustainable team work
“You, Grace, and Thomas created a lot of good in the world, as did everyone else who joined in on the Watsi journey.”
Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives” “I’m glad that you opted for the steady growth path, and that you’ve made it a sustainable thing.”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives” “Watsi is great. I really appreciate all the hard work they've put into making this happen”
Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives” - Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives”
- Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives”
Donors stay loyal for years
“it is so impactful to be able to bet on receiving a certain amount each month”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives” “619 of our current monthly donors first made a donation 10 or more years ago”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives” “Hard to believe it is over 10 years I've been contributing to Watsi.”
Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives” - Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives”
Direct healthcare impact per dollar
“Direct support for something as important as healthcare seems to be one of the best ways to deploy donations”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives” “It's so hard some times to know where you can do maximum good with your money: Watsi might well be it.”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives” “Costs listed there is so small (compared to the west) that every dollar can help”
Comment from 8 Oct 2026 in “Tell HN: I've been paying for a rural Tanzanian's education for 10 years” - Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives”
Long trusted on HN
“Watsi remains the most inspiring things that’s happened on Hackers News since I joined.”
Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives” “the first YC-funded non-profit is an obvious choice to donate to”
Comment from 27 Sep 2026 in “When did Google get so weird?” “since its been reliably vouched for on HN for a long time now”
Comment from 7 Mar 2026 in “$3T Blind Spot: US nonprofits” - Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Thank HN: You helped save 33,241 lives”
Other donation platforms people recommend
The four most recommended other donation platforms, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patreon | 55 | 37 | 60% | 12 | — | — |
| WatsiThis page | 29 | 1 | 97% | 4 | 12 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| GitHub Sponsors | 10 | 4 | 71% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Ko-fi | 8 | 1 | 89% | 5 | — | — |
| Buy Me a Coffee | 7 | 5 | 58% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
33 of the 35 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Costs listed there is so small (compared to the west) that every dollar can help”
“There is Watsi, there is Kiva, Doctors without Borders and many more great projects”
“97% score on Charity Navigator.”
“Watsi did not want to be evaluated by the BBB's standards for charity accountability”
“the first YC-funded non-profit is an obvious choice to donate to”
“how much need there is in the world for one another”
“since its been reliably vouched for on HN for a long time now”
“as it really humanizes my monthly donation”
“Love how watsi helped not only others but also also you”
“Hard to believe it is over 10 years I've been contributing to Watsi.”
“I've loved being a small donor since the early days.”
“Watsi remains the most inspiring things that’s happened on Hackers News since I joined.”
“I was very wrong! But to see this not being a shutdown or acquisition announcement is heartwarming.”
“You, Grace, and Thomas created a lot of good in the world, as did everyone else who joined in on the Watsi journey.”
“I do now so I just donated to Philip’s cause!”
“Watsi is an incredible organization doing incredible work.”
“I continue to be impressed with the work your team does.”
“Either way - helping 33k people is incredible.”
“every dollar goes incredibly far in saving lives”
“I made the biggest donations in my life via Watsi.”
“Watsi is great. I really appreciate all the hard work they've put into making this happen”
“seeing real people whose lives changed because of a few dollars a month — it resets something”
“without a doubt the best thing to come out of YC”
“Hoping others will join in on watsi.org to help too.”
“619 of our current monthly donors first made a donation 10 or more years ago”
“Direct support for something as important as healthcare seems to be one of the best ways to deploy donations”
“Watsi seems very good at effecting this”
“fantastic work and thank you”
“it is so impactful to be able to bet on receiving a certain amount each month”
“I’m glad that you opted for the steady growth path, and that you’ve made it a sustainable thing.”
“It's so hard some times to know where you can do maximum good with your money: Watsi might well be it.”
“It also made me believe in the potential for non profits to create a positive impact again.”
“Nice to hear from Watsi after all this time!”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.