# Hacker Feed vs HACK for Hacker News YC Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hacker Feed at none against HACK for Hacker News YC Reader's 6. HACK for Hacker News YC Reader's advantage is review sentiment (93% vs 83%) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 436). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HACK for Hacker News YC Reader sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Hacker Feed asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Hacker Feed against 4.7 for HACK for Hacker News YC Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 436 and 1.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Hacker Feed's written reviews are positive against 93% of HACK for Hacker News YC Reader's.

Hacker Feed ships an update every 5 days, HACK for Hacker News YC Reader every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hacker Feed | HACK for Hacker News YC Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (436 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-feed/id1451386900/reviews)** | [4.7 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hack-for-hacker-news-yc-reader/id1464477788/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 436 | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 82.5% of reviews | **93.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 12 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Ken Toh](https://appshunter.io/developer/445688316) | [Pranoy Chowdhury](https://appshunter.io/developer/952263202) |

## What reviewers say

### Hacker Feed

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-feed/id1451386900)

A fast and elegant application for reading Hacker News stories. Browse top, new, and specialized sections with beautiful typography and thumbnail options. Includes built-in reader mode, comment management, and iCloud syncing for bookmarks.

**Highlights:** Browse Top, New, Show HN, Ask HN, Jobs stories, Beautiful typography with compact/large thumbnails, Built-in Safari view with reader mode, Expand/collapse story comments and threads, Bookmark favorite stories with iCloud sync, Share story links to other apps, System Dark Mode support

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and responsive performance
- 👍 Clean, simple, and intuitive interface
- 🆓 Free with no ads or tracking
- 📱 Lightweight app that doesn't drain resources
- 🔖 Built-in bookmarks/save feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎨 Limited customization options
- 📏 Fixed font size not adjustable
- 🖱️ Accidental thread collapsing on touch
- ⏱️ Recent loading delays when opening HN links
- 📊 Limited feed density/compactness

**Reported bugs**

- Cached stories not updating with latest content
- Stories not loading
- Intermittent loading delays when opening links
- Thread collapsing on accidental screen touch

**Requested features**

- Dark mode
- Adjustable text/font size
- User account login for voting and commenting
- Ability to post new threads
- Search functionality


### HACK for Hacker News YC Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hack-for-hacker-news-yc-reader/id1464477788)

This app offers a beautiful and intuitive way to read tech, startup, and STEM news from Hacker News. It provides advanced features like push notifications, threaded comments, and powerful search, with extensive customization options for a personalized reading experience.

**Highlights:** Ad-free and subscription-free reading, Push notifications for replies, Nested threaded comments with collapse, Swipe to upvote and favorite, Submit new posts and drafts, Powerful Algolia-powered search, Customizable themes, fonts, and layout

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nice Tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Kind Tip | $6.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Amazing Tip | $12.99 | one-time |
| Hack Premium | $14.99 | one-time |
| Godzilla Tip | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hacker Feed free?

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

### Is HACK for Hacker News YC Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hacker Feed or HACK for Hacker News YC Reader?

Hacker Feed is rated higher. Hacker Feed averages 4.8 out of 5 from 436 ratings, while HACK for Hacker News YC Reader averages 4.7 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do Hacker Feed or HACK for Hacker News YC Reader have ads?

Neither Hacker Feed nor HACK for Hacker News YC Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hacker Feed or HACK for Hacker News YC Reader?

Hacker Feed ships an update every 5 days, and HACK for Hacker News YC Reader every 3 days. Most recently, Hacker Feed was updated on September 21, 2026 and HACK for Hacker News YC Reader on September 24, 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.*