# Zero by Rocicorp

7 Hacker News commenters recommended Zero by Rocicorp and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Free sync engine that updates app interfaces instantly when database changes, saving teams from building sync themselves. Some call it over-engineered for small apps.

## Why people recommend it

- Instant UI updates from database changes (2 comments): "this is exactly the tool if you want a UX where the UI instantly update itself once database changes within milliseconds" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48440447)) "Probably the closest thing you can get without staffing a team dedicated on this." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48440173))
- Central, well-designed core for apps (2 comments): "It's a really thoughtful piece of software with great abstractions." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48440494)) "It's central to your app in the way that React is." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48442741))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [SyncKit](https://hackerapproved.com/p/synckit.md): 8 recommend
- [ElectricSQL](https://hackerapproved.com/p/electricsql.md): 5 recommend
- [Jazz](https://hackerapproved.com/p/jazz.md): 5 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Zero by Rocicorp", https://hackerapproved.com/p/zero/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).