Comparison

Hackery vs HackerWire for Hacker News

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free reading experience
  • Large, bold headlines
  • Safari Reader Mode integration
  • iPad and split-screen support
  • Clean and simple interface
Features
Read full description

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

About

HackerWire for Hacker News

A fast, native iOS reader for Hacker News offering a clutter-free experience. Enjoy threaded comments, AI summaries, customizable themes, and offline reading without ads or tracking.

Highlights
  • Native, lightning-fast interface
  • Threaded comments
  • AI summaries on tap
  • 17+ handcrafted themes
  • Offline reading
  • No ads, no tracking
Features
Read full description

Hacker News, reimagined. HackerWire is a fast, beautiful, fully native iOS reader for Hacker News, no web wrappers, no clutter, no account required to browse. Built from scratch in SwiftUI, HackerWire makes reading HN a genuine pleasure on iPhone. FEATURES • Native, lightning-fast interface, zero web views • Threaded comments that are actually easy to follow • AI summaries on tap, get the gist of long threads instantly • 17+ handcrafted themes, from clean light to deep dark • 30+ custom app icons to match your home screen • Offline reading, save stories for the subway • No ads, no tracking, no account needed to browse Whether you're a developer, a founder, or just love the orange site, HackerWire is the cleanest, fastest way to keep up with what's new. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Hackery1 screens
HackerWire for Hacker News4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HackerWire for Hacker News at 5.0 against Hackery's 3.0. HackerWire for Hacker News also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). Hackery's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hackery sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. HackerWire for Hacker News asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HackerWire for Hacker News holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hackery ships an update every 5 months, HackerWire for Hacker News every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Hackery versus HackerWire for Hacker News: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHackeryHackerWire for Hacker News
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB22 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperTim ShimSabba Petri

Customer experience

Hackery

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral66.7%
Negative33.3%

HackerWire for Hacker News

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Hackery

One-time1
  • Buy me a coffee$4.99
None

HackerWire for Hacker News

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hackery free?
Hackery is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HackerWire for Hacker News free?
HackerWire for Hacker News is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hackery or HackerWire for Hacker News?
HackerWire for Hacker News is rated higher. Hackery averages 3.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while HackerWire for Hacker News averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Hackery or HackerWire for Hacker News have ads?
Neither Hackery nor HackerWire for Hacker News shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hackery or HackerWire for Hacker News?
Hackery ships an update every 5 months, and HackerWire for Hacker News every 2 weeks. Most recently, Hackery was updated on October 3, 2026 and HackerWire for Hacker News on October 6, 2026.

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