# hn vs Hacker News Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: hn at none against Hacker News Reader's 6. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hacker News Reader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. hn asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for hn against 5.0 for Hacker News Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

hn ships an update weekly, Hacker News Reader every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | hn | Hacker News Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hn-hacker-news-reader/id1446189504/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-reader-hackernows/id6749719853/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 11 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Victor Aguilar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1446189503) | [Rodrigo Cardoso](https://appshunter.io/developer/1831862800) |

## What reviewers say

### hn

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

Stay updated with tech news and articles through a clean, simple, and distraction-free reading experience. Focus on content without clutter, ads, or 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


### Hacker News Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-reader-hackernows/id6749719853)

A native iOS application offering a streamlined Hacker News experience. Users can read, vote, comment, and post stories, browse different sections, and organize content with custom groups. It prioritizes speed and privacy.

**Highlights:** Vote, comment, and post stories, Browse Ask, Show, Jobs, and New sections, Read threaded discussions, Submit stories, Create custom story groups, iCloud sync for groups

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Iron | $0.99 | per month |
| Steel | $1.99 | per month |
| Mithril | $2.99 | per month |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is hn free?

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

### Is Hacker News Reader free?

Hacker News Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, hn or Hacker News Reader?

hn and Hacker News Reader are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do hn or Hacker News Reader have ads?

Neither hn nor Hacker News Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, hn or Hacker News Reader?

hn ships an update weekly, and Hacker News Reader every 10 days. Most recently, hn was updated on October 11, 2026 and Hacker News Reader on October 14, 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.*