Comparison

Hacker Feed 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

Hacker Feed

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
Read full description

Hacker Feed is a modern, fast and elegant app for reading Hacker News. Features: • Swipe between tabs to browse Top, New, Show HN, Ask HN and Jobs stories • Scroll through stories in beautiful typography, along with compact or large thumbnails • Open story links in the built-in Safari view, with reader mode support • Expand and collapse story comments and threads via intuitive tap gestures • Bookmark your favourite stories to read later, synced across all your devices via iCloud • Easily share story links to other apps • System Dark Mode support for browsing in low-lighting conditions • Universal app - split view support on iPad for easy viewing • Optimised for performance Contact me @ken_toh on Twitter, if there are any issues. Enjoy!

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

Hacker Feed4 screens
Hacko for Hacker News4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hacker Feed at none against Hacko for Hacker News's 5. Hacker Feed also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Hacker Feed asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hacker Feed holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hacker Feed has 436 ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Hacker Feed's written reviews are positive against 67% of Hacko for Hacker News's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacker Feed ships an update every 5 days, Hacko for Hacker News fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Hacker Feed versus Hacko for Hacker News: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacker FeedHacko for Hacker News
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (436 ratings) — better4.6 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews82.5% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings436 — better31
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB10 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperKen TohAndrii Sievrikov

Customer experience

Hacker Feed

All ratings436 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.6%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive82.5%
Neutral11.3%
Negative6.3%

Hacko for Hacker News

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

Bugs and requests

Hacker Feed

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

13 requests
  • Dark mode
  • Adjustable text/font size
  • User account login for voting and commenting
  • Ability to post new threads
  • Search functionality
Show 8 more
  • Edge browser support on iOS
  • Export/backup bookmarks feature
  • Text selection in comments for dictionary lookup
  • Dim visited posts
  • Compact feed view option
  • Landscape video support
  • Pull-to-refresh for new content
  • Open HN links within app instead of external browser

Hacko for Hacker News

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Hacker Feed

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 Hacker Feed free?
Hacker Feed 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, Hacker Feed or Hacko for Hacker News?
Hacker Feed is rated higher. Hacker Feed averages 4.8 out of 5 from 436 ratings, while Hacko for Hacker News averages 4.6 from 31 ratings.
Do Hacker Feed or Hacko for Hacker News have ads?
Neither Hacker Feed nor Hacko for Hacker News shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacker Feed or Hacko for Hacker News?
Hacker Feed ships an update every 5 days, and Hacko for Hacker News fortnightly. Most recently, Hacker Feed was updated on October 13, 2026 and Hacko for Hacker News on September 30, 2026.

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