A list of books recommended by Indie Hackers

In plain words

A curated list of book recommendations compiled by members of the Indie Hackers community. The collection features titles chosen by entrepreneurs and independent business builders, covering various topics relevant to their interests and experiences. The site serves as a resource for people seeking reading suggestions from practitioners actively building their own ventures.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

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  IHBOOKS2018 · ihbooks.com · ▲200

  A curated list of +160 books recommended by Indie Hackers

• TB
  Top books mentioned in comments on Hacker News2016 · hackernewsbooks.com · ▲463
• BM
  Books mentioned on Hacker News in 2025Dec 2025 · hackernews-readings-613604506318.us-west1.run.app · ▲613
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  StartupBooks.io2019 · ▲213

  A curated directory of books for your startup journey.

• MB
  Meta book recommendations from Ask HN threads2020 · mapfilterfold.com · ▲273
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  Startup Books2019 · postmake.io · ▲216

  Book recommendations from over 100 founders and makers

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  SimCity, but with Permits▲936

  A free city-building game in your browser. You are the mayor. You know what the city needs. Now get it past the zoning board, the neighbors, the appeals court and the next election.

  Life & fun · 3d ago · permit.petercai.com

• IV
  I've been paying for a rural Tanzanian's education for 10 years▲778

  Life & fun · 16d ago · tanzaniaeducationproject.org

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  Bigwords.page – Turn any screen into a sign. The URL is the app▲728

  Turn a phone, tablet or TV into a sign. Type a message and it fills the screen: welcome signs, timers, Wi-Fi passwords and more. No app, no account, free.

  Life & fun · 17d ago · bigwords.page

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  Guitoro, a virtual guitar you strum with your keyboard▲573

  Play a free virtual guitar online with your keyboard or by touch. Slow songs down and see every chord, string and strum. Acoustic, classic, electric and bass.

  Life & fun · 10d ago · guitoro.com

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  See *almost* any carriers phone settings▲432

  Carrier settings from iPhone, Pixel and Galaxy firmware, decoded and compared: APNs, VoLTE, 5G and Wi-Fi Calling per carrier, and what each build changed.

  Life & fun · 14d ago · carrierexplode.com

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  The whole Solar System and every tracked satellite, live in the browser▲407

  Life & fun · 24d ago · space.bl2.net

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  remove.bg▲2,028

  Remove image backgrounds automatically in 5 seconds with just one click. Don't spend hours manually picking pixels. Upload your photo now & see the magic.

  Work · 2018 · remove.bg

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  Humaaans▲1,592

  Mix-&-match illustrations of humans with a design library.

  Growth · 2018 · humaaans.com

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  Refactoring UI: The Book▲822

  Make your ideas look awesome, without relying on a designer

  Life & fun · 2018 · refactoringui.com

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  The Y Combinator Database 2.0▲604

  Everything you ever wanted to know about YC companies

  Growth · 2018 · ycdb.co

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  Ouch! Illustrations▲590

  Free illustrations for better UX

  Growth · 2018 · icons8.com

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  Visa List 1.0▲576

  Know where you can travel with your passport tension free ✈️

  Life & fun · 2018 · visalist.io