# HackerWeb vs HackerBook

The clearest difference is price: HackerBook at Free against HackerWeb's $2.99. HackerBook also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 86%). HackerWeb's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#42 vs unranked). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

HackerBook is free to download; HackerWeb costs $2.99 up front. HackerBook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 HackerBook. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 3 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of HackerWeb's written reviews are positive against 100% of HackerBook's.

HackerWeb ships an update every 5 months, HackerBook fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and August 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HackerWeb | HackerBook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerweb-hacker-news-client/id1084209377/reviews) | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerbook/id6467827442/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **10** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#42** | — |
| Size | 29 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Chee Aun Lim](https://appshunter.io/developer/1084209376) | [Tao Xu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1484566052) |

## What reviewers say

### HackerWeb

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

**Currently charting:** #42 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


### HackerBook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerbook/id6467827442)

Stay updated with the most popular discussions on Hacker News through a streamlined interface. This app makes it effortless to immerse yourself in the tech community's latest conversations.

**Highlights:** Trending topics showcase, Streamlined interface, Tech community buzz, Effortless navigation, Immersive tech discourse

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exclusive News | $2.99 | per month |
| Tips | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HackerWeb free?

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

### Is HackerBook free?

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

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

HackerWeb and HackerBook are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 10 and 3 ratings respectively.

### Do HackerWeb or HackerBook have ads?

Neither HackerWeb nor HackerBook shows ads.

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

HackerWeb ships an update every 5 months, and HackerBook fortnightly. Most recently, HackerWeb was updated on September 10, 2026 and HackerBook on August 24, 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.*