Zero by Rocicorp
Ranked 2 of 4 sync engines by recommenders
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.
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.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 78%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3.5 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
Instant UI updates from database changes
“this is exactly the tool if you want a UX where the UI instantly update itself once database changes within milliseconds”
Comment from 8 Jun 2026 in “How's Linear so fast? A technical breakdown” “Probably the closest thing you can get without staffing a team dedicated on this.”
Comment from 8 Jun 2026 in “How's Linear so fast? A technical breakdown” Central, well-designed core for apps
“It's a really thoughtful piece of software with great abstractions.”
Comment from 8 Jun 2026 in “How's Linear so fast? A technical breakdown” “It's central to your app in the way that React is.”
Comment from 8 Jun 2026 in “How's Linear so fast? A technical breakdown”
Other sync engines people recommend
The three most recommended other sync engines, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SyncKit | 8 | 2 | 80% | 3 | — | — |
| Zero by RocicorpThis page | 7 | 2 | 78% | 4 | — | — |
| ElectricSQL | 5 | 1 | 83% | 4 | — | — |
| Jazz | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Off the top of my head for Android there's Easy Fast, Zero, MyFastingApp (OSS)”
“the amount of lock-in or DSL was not my cup of tea”
“It's central to your app in the way that React is.”
“this by default makes me trust this project less since it will touch critical parts of my app”
“seems massively over-engineered for the type of apps that might use it”
“It's a really thoughtful piece of software with great abstractions.”
“this is exactly the tool if you want a UX where the UI instantly update itself once database changes within milliseconds”
“Probably the closest thing you can get without staffing a team dedicated on this.”
“If you're interested in this kind of experience for your application, check out Zero”
“An AI slop article about a language that brings nothing new.”
“Awesome work with Zero, been a fan of you since listening to your episode”
“Zero makes professional ECMWF IFS data accessible without commercial infrastructure”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.