Comparison

Hacker Feed vs TechCrunch News Reader

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

TechCrunch News Reader

Access TechCrunch articles on the go with customizable news feeds and real-time updates. This unofficial app offers a sleek, intuitive design for a swift reading experience, allowing you to easily share discoveries and stay informed about the latest tech news.

Highlights
  • On-the-go TechCrunch article access
  • Customizable news feeds
  • Sleek and intuitive design
  • Easy article sharing
  • Real-time updates
  • Lightweight and fast
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the unofficial TechCrunch mobile app, made by fans of TechCrunch! We make no money from it, we just like reading TechCrunch and wanted an easy way to have TechCrunch news in our pockets. Key Features: • TechCrunch at Your Fingertips: Enjoy on-the-go access to TechCrunch's top-notch articles, keeping you informed wherever you are. • Customizable News Feeds: Tailor your news feed with your favorite tech topics. Personalize your content to ensure you get the news that matters most to you. • Sleek and Intuitive Design: Navigate seamlessly and explore the latest tech stories with ease. • Share Your Discoveries: Easily share your favorite TechCrunch articles with friends and colleagues, fostering meaningful discussions and spreading knowledge within your network. • Real-Time Updates: It directly embeds TechCrunch articles from their website, so you're always in the loop on the latest news. • Light and Swift: A lightweight app that offers a smooth reading experience without slowing you down. TechCrunch News Reader is your go-to source for tech insights, providing you with the latest tech news and trends from TechCrunch. Download now and unlock a smarter, more personalized way to stay informed. Please note: This app is independently developed and not affiliated with TechCrunch. It's created by a fellow tech enthusiast who shares your passion for tech news. Think of it as a news aggregator app, where the only news source is TechCrunch!

Screenshots

Hacker Feed4 screens
TechCrunch News Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hacker Feed at every 5 days against TechCrunch News Reader's every 13 months. Hacker Feed also leads on ratings volume (436 vs 56). TechCrunch News Reader's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 83%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Hacker Feed against 4.9 for TechCrunch News Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hacker Feed has 436 ratings behind it against 56, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Hacker Feed's written reviews are positive against 100% of TechCrunch News Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacker Feed ships an update every 5 days, TechCrunch News Reader every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Hacker Feed versus TechCrunch News Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacker FeedTechCrunch News Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (436 ratings)4.9 (56 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings436 — better56
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 13 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKen TohSeabird Apps

Customer experience

Hacker Feed

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

TechCrunch News Reader

All ratings56 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral1.8%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

TechCrunch News Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Hacker Feed

No in-app purchases

None

TechCrunch News Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hacker Feed free?
Hacker Feed is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TechCrunch News Reader free?
TechCrunch News Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hacker Feed or TechCrunch News Reader?
TechCrunch News Reader is rated higher. Hacker Feed averages 4.8 out of 5 from 436 ratings, while TechCrunch News Reader averages 4.9 from 56 ratings.
Do Hacker Feed or TechCrunch News Reader have ads?
Neither Hacker Feed nor TechCrunch News Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacker Feed or TechCrunch News Reader?
Hacker Feed ships an update every 5 days, and TechCrunch News Reader every 13 months. Most recently, Hacker Feed was updated on October 13, 2026 and TechCrunch News Reader on October 2, 2026.

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