Hackery vs HN Reader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hackery
This app offers a clean and distraction-free way to read Hacker News stories. It prioritizes content visibility with large headlines and integrates with Safari's Reader Mode for an optimal reading experience on iPhone and iPad.
- Distraction-free reading experience
- Large, bold headlines
- Safari Reader Mode integration
- iPad and split-screen support
- Clean and simple interface
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A clean, fast Hacker News client for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. Stay in the Loop Browse the latest Hacker News stories in a clean, card-based layout. See scores, comment counts, and authors instantly. Tap any story to read in Safari's reader mode. Never Lose a Story Swipe to save stories for later. Your bookmarks sync across all your devices via iCloud, so you never lose track of what you want to read. Follow the Conversation Follow conversations with nested, threaded comments. Links are tappable and underlined. Discussions load in pages so the app stays fast, even on long threads. Keep It Civil On-device comment moderation powered by Apple Intelligence lets you filter out noise and focus on quality discussions. Adjust the sensitivity to your comfort level. Easy on the Eyes Easy on the eyes, day or night. Hackery follows your system appearance with a carefully crafted dark theme. https://hackery.timshim.com
HN Reader
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Read Hacker News (https://news.ycombinator.com/) articles and comments with this clean, simple, modern looking and fast performing universal app. • Top stories • Newest stories • Best stories • Job stories Themes • A beautiful design user interface with loads of customizable options • Night theme (Dark Theme) All articles and comments in the app are displayed as is, provided by Hacker News, and not owned by the publisher of this app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HN Reader at none against Hackery's 1. HN Reader also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Hackery sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. HN Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hackery ships an update every 5 months, HN Reader every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on July 13, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hackery | HN Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Tim Shim | Truong Luu |
In-app purchases
Hackery
- Buy me a coffee$4.99
HN Reader
No in-app purchases
