Music Week gave the album a positive review, stating that the album "will certainly appeal to existing fans and act as a good introduction to anyone interested in the sound of the underground."[2]
Brainwashed listed We Are Reasonable People as the third-best compilation album of 1998.[4] In 2013, Fact magazine placed "Freeman Hardy & Willis Acid" at number 10 on their list of the 50 best Aphex Twin tracks.[5]