HackIllinois vs Y Combinator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HackIllinois
This app enhances the hackathon experience by providing event schedules, point-earning opportunities through QR scans and duels, and a shop for redeeming prizes. Users can track their progress, view rankings, and manage check-ins for food and events.
- Event schedule and details
- Point system via QR scans and duels
- Prize redemption in Point Shop
- Personal progress and rank tracking
- Event check-in functionality
- Countdown timer for hacking
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Download the official HackIllinois 2026 app for a complete in-person hackathon experience! With our app, you can: - See how much time you have left to hack! - View the time, location, and other details for all of our events. - Scan QR codes at events to obtain points! - Play duels against other members for points. - Get checked in by staff for food and other events. - Redeem points for merchandise and raffle prizes through our newly improved Point Shop! - View your rank, points, and other personal information. - and more!
Y Combinator
Access Y Combinator's extensive library of startup content, including YouTube videos, podcasts, and essays. It also serves as a mobile client for Hacker News, offering the latest startup news for founders and programmers. Additional features are available for YC-funded founders.
- Organized YC YouTube videos
- Startup School content
- On-the-go podcast listening
- Hacker News mobile client
- YC founder-only knowledge base
- Access Bookface feed and messages
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The Y Combinator App is your home for all things YC. It organizes all of YC's YouTube videos, podcasts, and essays. It's also a mobile client for Hacker News, the best startup news source for programmers and technical founders. For founders who have been funded by YC, it has additional features. For everyone: - Organizes all of YC's YouTube videos - the world's best content on startups - All of the content from Startup School - Listen to YC podcasts on the go - Read Hacker News - the best news source for programmers and technical founders For YC founders: - Access the Bookface feed - Access Bookface messages - Read the YC founder-only knowledge base
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: HackIllinois at 100% against Y Combinator's 50%. HackIllinois also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
HackIllinois holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 32 and 26 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of HackIllinois's written reviews are positive against 50% of Y Combinator's.
HackIllinois ships an update daily, Y Combinator every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HackIllinois | Y Combinator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (32 ratings) — better | 4.3 (26 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 32 — better | 26 |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 84 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ACM UIUC | Y Combinator |
Customer experience
HackIllinois
Y Combinator
In-app purchases
HackIllinois
No in-app purchases
Y Combinator
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is HackIllinois free?
Is Y Combinator free?
Which has better reviews, HackIllinois or Y Combinator?
Do HackIllinois or Y Combinator have ads?
Which is updated more often, HackIllinois or Y Combinator?
Other comparisons
