# Starling for HN — HackerNews \| Read, Reply, Vote

> Mobile Hacker News client with advanced features for reading, replying, and filtering. (iPhone/iPad app by Christopher Zelazo.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starling-for-hn/id1386611974 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Christopher Zelazo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1386611973)
- Category: News, Entertainment
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.29/5 from 24 App Store ratings · 8 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 12 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2018-10-20
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starling-for-hn/id1386611974/reviews.md

## What is Starling for HN?

Welcome to the last HackerNews app you'll ever need. Starling has all of the features you need from the website with many new ones packed into give a mobile-first HackerNews experience.

Alongside voting, replying and deleting comments, and viewing profiles Starling also features:
- article summaries
- new comment updates
- collapsable comments
- dark theme
- Dynamic Type font scaling for Accessibility
- keyword filtering
- "Who is hiring?" job result filters (remote, visa, internship, etc.)

## Key features

- Article summaries
- New comment updates
- Collapsable comments
- Dark theme
- Keyword filtering
- Job result filters

## Recent user reviews (8 of 8)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starling-for-hn/id1386611974/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Comment crash

*2023-01-21, version 1.4*

It crashes every time I post a comment, but the comment does submit successfully so it does “work”.

### 2/5 — Crashes on each comment and lacks support

*2021-07-21, version 1.4*

I have been using this app for a few months. In general it’s a good app and most stories from HN can be read. Some stories, however, never load the comments. The app also seems to crash every time I try to submit a comment. Whether the comment actually posts is hit or miss. I made the mistake of writing out a 4-5 paragraph comment, only to have it crash and all the text disappear into the ether. My fault for not selecting all and copying before each comment attempt I suppose. Prior to submitting this review, I clicked on the “App support” link so I could report it to the app author, but it just returned a 404 from GitHub. So it seems like this is just a side project with little active development.

### 4/5 — Only a few improvements

*2021-06-10, version 1.4*

Upvoting-downvoting comments and exporting the bookmarks list (to JSON or CSV) is all I need to make this five stars. Hands down beats pretty much every other HN client on the App Store.

### 5/5 — Add posts — would love this ability!

*2021-02-23, version 1.4*

Great. But... want to add posts

### 5/5 — Great app with great defaults

*2019-12-17, version 1.4*

Only thing I would like to see is being able to make posts and upvote comments.

I did turn off the open links in reader view since I can use the amazing article summary tool when I want a glimpse and open the full link when I want to see it all but I understand wanting to avoid possible adds etc

### 5/5 — Fantastic!

*2019-11-18, version 1.4*

This is my go to reader for hacker news. There are only two changes I’d love to see. 

1) allow navigation of articles from the bottom for one handed use. Eg. going back should be on the bottom for big phones
2) have some sort of delay before launching external links, because scrolling is especially tedious when comments have lots of links

Other than that it’s 100!

### 4/5 — Can’t login

*2019-09-24, version 1.4*

When trying to sign in, it fails and a red banner appears at the very top of the screen. 

Can’t read the banner. The app itself is very nice

### 4/5 — Can’t Login

*2019-09-15, version 1.4*

Client looks awesome but login fails, and the error message doesn’t display properly on the screen so it’s unreadable. Will happily change my rating if this gets resolved

**Developer response:** I haven’t seen this issue before but I’ll look into it! Thanks for reporting this

## Frequently asked questions about Starling for HN

### What is Starling for HN?

Starling for HN is a mobile application designed to provide a comprehensive Hacker News experience on iOS devices. It offers core functionalities like voting and replying, alongside unique features to enhance content discovery and readability.

### Does Starling for HN have ads?

No, Starling for HN is ad-free, providing an uninterrupted browsing experience for its users.

### What devices does Starling for HN support?

Starling for HN is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, offering a consistent experience across Apple's mobile ecosystem.

### How does Starling for HN handle comments?

Starling for HN allows users to reply to and delete comments, view new comment updates, and collapse comment threads for easier navigation through discussions.

### Can I filter job postings with Starling for HN?

Yes, Starling for HN includes filters for the "Who is hiring?" section, allowing you to specify criteria such as remote work, visa sponsorship, and internships.

### Is Starling for HN accessible?

Yes, Starling for HN supports Dynamic Type font scaling, which enhances accessibility by allowing users to adjust text size according to their preferences.

### How often is Starling for HN updated?

The app was last updated on October 20, 2018, with version 1.4. It is important to note that this is the last recorded update, and users may wish to check for newer versions or alternative apps if frequent updates are a priority.

### What is the user sentiment for Starling for HN?

Starling for HN has a rating of 4.3 stars from 24 ratings, indicating generally positive user reception for its features and functionality.

## Version history (last 1 release)

### 1.4 — 2018-10-20

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*
