# Hackery vs Hacker Reader

Hackery and Hacker Reader both sit at 3.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Hacker Reader's written reviews are positive against 0% of Hackery's. Hacker Reader also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.0 for Hackery against 3.0 for Hacker Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of Hackery's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hacker Reader's.

Hackery ships an update every 4 months, Hacker Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hackery | Hacker Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackery/id1095090759/reviews) | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-reader/id6754137305/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 12 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | +9 |
| Developer | [Tim Shim](https://appshunter.io/developer/322829589) | [Daniel Capistrano Sarinho Paiva](https://appshunter.io/developer/1580657892) |

## What reviewers say

### Hackery

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackery/id1095090759)

A fast and clean client for browsing Hacker News stories, complete with scores, comments, and authors. Save articles for later reading with iCloud syncing and engage in discussions with nested, threaded comments. Features on-device comment moderation for a focused reading experience.

**Highlights:** Card-based story layout, Save stories for later, iCloud sync for bookmarks, Nested threaded comments, On-device comment moderation, Dark theme support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy me a coffee | $4.99 | one-time |


### Hacker Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-reader/id6754137305)

A native iOS client for Hacker News offering a streamlined reading experience with home screen widgets, community interaction, and a beautiful, dark-mode-friendly design. Securely log in to upvote, comment, and bookmark stories.

**Highlights:** Browse all story categories, Upvote stories and comments, Secure login with HN account, Post comments and replies, Bookmark stories, Home screen widgets, Dark mode support

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hackery free?

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

### Is Hacker Reader free?

Hacker Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hackery or Hacker Reader?

Hackery and Hacker Reader are both rated 3.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Hackery or Hacker Reader have ads?

Neither Hackery nor Hacker Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hackery or Hacker Reader?

Hackery ships an update every 4 months, and Hacker Reader every 2 months. Most recently, Hackery was updated on November 2, 2026 and Hacker Reader on October 30, 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.*