# HackerWeb vs HackerPillar

The clearest difference is price: HackerPillar at Free against HackerWeb's $2.99. HackerPillar also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months). HackerWeb's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (10 vs 1). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

HackerPillar is free to download; HackerWeb costs $2.99 up front. HackerPillar sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. HackerWeb asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for HackerWeb against 5.0 for HackerPillar. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HackerWeb has 10 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

HackerWeb ships an update every 5 months, HackerPillar fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HackerWeb | HackerPillar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerweb-hacker-news-client/id1084209377/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerpillar-hn-reader/id6444180018/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **10** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#39** | — |
| Size | 29 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Chee Aun Lim](https://appshunter.io/developer/1084209376) | [Taha Broachwala](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634174506) |

## What reviewers say

### HackerWeb

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerweb-hacker-news-client/id1084209377)

**Currently charting:** #39 Top Paid · News (US App Store)

A clean and readable client for Hacker News, designed with iOS guidelines in mind. It offers intuitive navigation for stories and comments, automatic dark mode, and code syntax highlighting.

**Highlights:** Dual Web and Comments tabs, Revolutionary comments thread UI, Automatic Dark mode, Smart indentations and formatting, Automatic syntax highlighting for code blocks, Upvoting and replying, Comment's 'Thread view'

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### HackerPillar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerpillar-hn-reader/id6444180018)

This app offers a streamlined and focused reading experience for Hacker News. It features a clean feed, readable comment threads, and a reader mode for articles. Users can save stories, read offline, and track discussions.

**Highlights:** Fast Hacker News feed, Readable comment threads, Focused Reader Mode, Saved stories and offline library, Thread tracking, Advanced search (Pro), Home screen widget

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HackerPillar Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HackerWeb free?

HackerWeb costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HackerPillar free?

HackerPillar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, HackerWeb or HackerPillar?

HackerWeb and HackerPillar are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 10 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do HackerWeb or HackerPillar have ads?

Neither HackerWeb nor HackerPillar shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HackerWeb or HackerPillar?

HackerWeb ships an update every 5 months, and HackerPillar fortnightly. Most recently, HackerWeb was updated on September 10, 2026 and HackerPillar on June 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*