What Is Hack Club? A Guide for Teens Who Want to Build Things

Hack Club is a nonprofit organization where teenagers aged 13–18 build projects together. It describes itself as "the world's largest nonprofit movement of teenagers making cool projects," and it's run by teens, funded by donors, and supported by partners. If you're a teenager who wants to make something — software, hardware, or something in between — Hack Club is built for you. If you're outside that 13–18 age range, the core programs aren't aimed at you.

Who Hack Club is for

The eligibility line is explicit on the site: "For all teens aged 13–18." That's the audience for the main experience.

The homepage frames the whole thing around a simple idea — "Imagine a world where you made this" — and backs it up with real teen projects rather than abstract promises. The message to a new visitor is direct: "100,000 teens started exactly where you are. We're here to help you build your first crazy thing."

So the pitch isn't "learn to code" in the abstract. It's "make a specific cool thing, and we'll help you get there."

What teens actually build

The site shows a rotating gallery of projects made by real members, each with a name, age, country, project title, and the Hack Club program it was made for. Examples from the page:

Two things stand out. First, the projects span hardware and software — names like Brew75 and AngstromIO suggest electronics and tooling, not just websites. Second, the makers are spread across countries, so this isn't a single-region club.

Each project has a "Try it out" link, which means you can inspect what other teens built before deciding whether to join.

How it's structured

Hack Club describes itself with three roles working together:

• Run by teens — the people making and leading are in the same age group as the audience.
• Made possible by donors — it's a nonprofit, so funding comes from donations rather than user fees.
• Successful with partners — outside organizations support the work.

The site also points to a YouTube channel ("We've done this countless times before. See more on our YouTube") as a way to see past activity before committing.

What you get when you join

The homepage mentions a concrete onboarding perk: free stickers. The signup flow is framed as a letter — "HACK CLUB HQ, BURLINGTON, VT, TO: you, a teenager anywhere on Earth" — which reinforces that membership is open regardless of where you live.

Beyond stickers, the value proposition is the programs themselves (Milkyway, Blueprint, Daydream appear as named tracks) and the community of teens building alongside you.

What the site doesn't tell you

A few things you'd want to know before joining aren't covered in the available page content:

• Cost. The organization is a nonprofit supported by donors, but the page doesn't state whether any specific program, event, or kit has a fee. Don't assume everything is free — check the individual program page.
• Time commitment. No hours-per-week expectation is given.
• What happens after you sign up. The page shows a signup prompt and terms agreement, but not the steps that follow.

If any of those matter to your decision, look at the specific program (Milkyway, Blueprint, Daydream) or the YouTube channel before signing up.

Should you join?

Join if you're 13–18 and you want to build a real project with help and a community around you — especially if you've never finished a project before and want a structured push.

Look elsewhere if you're outside 13–18, or if you want a formal course with grades and a syllabus rather than a build-first community.

The clearest next step is to browse the project gallery on the homepage, click "Try it out" on one that interests you, and see whether that's the kind of thing you want to make.