Instructables
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
A free DIY how-to community worth using for hobby projects . there is nothing to buy.
New check
Comparison
Instructables vs Hackaday
Instructables and Hackaday both land on Worth it.
Hackaday
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Use it if you build hardware or want daily maker and security news . it is free to read.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Worth it |
| Best for | DIY hobbyists and makers | Makers and hardware hackers |
| Who it's not for | Buyers shopping for software . this is a content site, not a tool | Teams wanting a workflow tool |
| Privacy | A community-reported email database exposure (2019) and an XSS report exist; no recent confirmed breaches in sources reviewed.⁵ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | Staff contest replies reported as dismissive | No support evidence reviewed. |
| Public sentiment | Longtime users value it as a deep DIY archive, but complaints center on contest judging and occasional technical errors.³ | Reddit communities including r/hackaday, r/Nio, and r/amateurradio regularly share and debate Hackaday articles, while users report intermittent site errors.15 |
| Biggest gotcha | User-submitted guides can contain wiring and component errors; verify critical steps independently.⁴ | intermittently throws 'Something is wrong. Please try again' errors, per user reports.16 |
Pick Instructables when
- DIY hobbyists and makers
- Teachers sourcing class projects
- Students building portfolios
- Beginners in electronics or crafts
When Instructables is not a fit
- Buyers shopping for software . this is a content site, not a tool
- Anyone needing vetted, error-checked electronics instructions
- Creators expecting contest winnings to pay meaningfully
- Enterprises needing support, SLAs, or integrations
Pick Hackaday when
- Makers and hardware hackers
- Embedded systems engineers
- Security news readers
- Project sharers on hackaday.io
When Hackaday is not a fit
- Teams wanting a workflow tool
- Buyers needing support contracts or SLAs
- Beginners wanting structured courses
Sources
- Instructables homepageinstructables.comofficial
news
review
security
news
review
- Instructables for Dummies (2008)instructables.comreview
- Hackaday | Fresh Hacks Every Dayhackaday.comofficial
- Siemens acquires Supplyframe, owners of Hackadaynews.ycombinator.comnews
- This Week In Security serieshackaday.comsecurity
- Ten Winners Of The Hackaday Prizehackaday.comofficial
- r/hackaday . Smart Garbage Trucksreddit.comreview
- r/hackaday . hackaday.io errorsreddit.comreview