Comparison

hn vs Hacko 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

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.

Highlights
  • Clean and simple interface
  • Easy navigation
  • Distraction-free reader mode
  • Ad-free experience
  • Focus on content
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Alternative comment tree display
  • Maintains comment readability
  • Swipe navigation
  • Custom boards
  • Search functionality
  • Reading list
Read full description

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

hn3 screens
Hacko for Hacker News4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hacko for Hacker News sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. hn asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

hn ships an update weekly, Hacko for Hacker News fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
hn versus Hacko for Hacker News: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterhnHacko for Hacker News
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.6 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews—66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings231 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB10 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperVictor AguilarAndrii Sievrikov

Customer experience

hn

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

Hacko for Hacker News

All ratings31 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

hn

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Hacko for Hacker News

One-time5
  • Tip - Regular Tip$0.99
  • Tip - Big Tip$3.99
  • Premium$5.99
Show 2 more
  • Tip - Large Tip$6.99
  • Tip - Huge Tip$9.99

Questions

Is hn free?
hn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hacko for Hacker News free?
Hacko for Hacker News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, hn or Hacko for Hacker News?
hn is rated higher. hn averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Hacko for Hacker News averages 4.6 from 31 ratings.
Do hn or Hacko for Hacker News have ads?
Neither hn nor Hacko for Hacker News shows ads.
Which is updated more often, hn or Hacko for Hacker News?
hn ships an update weekly, and Hacko for Hacker News fortnightly. Most recently, hn was updated on November 6, 2026 and Hacko for Hacker News on November 3, 2026.

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