# hn vs Hacko for Hacker News

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | hn | Hacko for Hacker News |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hn-hacker-news-reader/id1446189504/reviews)** | [4.6 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacko-for-hacker-news/id6448201970/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **31** |
| Positive reviews | — | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Victor Aguilar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1446189503) | [Andrii Sievrikov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1568000284) |

## What reviewers say

### hn

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hn-hacker-news-reader/id1446189504)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hacko for Hacker News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacko-for-hacker-news/id6448201970)

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tip - Regular Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tip - Big Tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $5.99 | one-time |
| Tip - Large Tip | $6.99 | one-time |
| Tip - Huge Tip | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*