hn vs Hacko for Hacker News
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
hn
A clean and simple interface for reading tech news and articles from Hacker News. Enjoy a distraction-free reading experience with reader mode, free from ads and pop-ups.
- Clean and simple interface
- Easy navigation
- Distraction-free reader mode
- Ad-free experience
- Focus on content
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The hn app is the perfect way to stay up-to-date with all your favorite tech news and articles on Hacker News. Our app features a clean and simple interface that's easy to navigate, so you can focus on the content that matters most to you. With our reader mode, you can enjoy a distraction-free reading experience that's easy on the eyes. No more cluttered pages, ads or annoying pop-ups. Just pure, unadulterated content that's a pleasure to read. Experience the ultimate in simplicity and functionality with the hn app.
Hacko for Hacker News
This client offers a unique way to navigate Hacker News discussions, keeping comments readable at any depth. Enjoy smooth navigation, custom boards, search, and a reading list for an enhanced experience.
- Alternative comment tree display
- Maintains comment readability
- Swipe navigation
- Custom boards
- Search functionality
- Reading list
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It's a Hacker News client that uses an alternative way of displaying the comment tree. Advantages over traditional interfaces: - Comment width doesn't get narrower no matter how deep in the tree you are - You always see the parent of the comment you're currently reading - Swiping allows you to move in and out of subtrees with animated transitions that you fully control - You can easily skip subtrees that don't interest you by simply scrolling As a result it's easier to maintain the context and to keep track of where you are in the Hacker News discussion tree. There are also: custom boards, search, in-thread search, anchors, reading list, recent items. Enjoy your Hacker News reading experience! Developer is not affiliated with Hacker News (https://news.ycombinator.com/) in any way.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: hn at none against Hacko for Hacker News's 5. hn also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Hacko for Hacker News's advantage is ratings volume (31 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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. Hacko for Hacker News sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. hn asks for nothing beyond the download.
hn holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hacko for Hacker News has 31 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
hn ships an update weekly, Hacko for Hacker News fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | hn | Hacko for Hacker News |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.6 (31 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 31 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Victor Aguilar | Andrii Sievrikov |
Customer experience
hn
Hacko for Hacker News
In-app purchases
hn
No in-app purchases
Hacko for Hacker News
- Tip - Regular Tip$0.99
- Tip - Big Tip$3.99
- Premium$5.99
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- Tip - Large Tip$6.99
- Tip - Huge Tip$9.99
Questions
Is hn free?
Is Hacko for Hacker News free?
Which has better reviews, hn or Hacko for Hacker News?
Do hn or Hacko for Hacker News have ads?
Which is updated more often, hn or Hacko for Hacker News?
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