# HACK for Hacker News YC Reader vs DevBytes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DevBytes at none against HACK for Hacker News YC Reader's 6. DevBytes also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7). HACK for Hacker News YC Reader's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 10). On price and review sentiment there is nothing between them.

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

DevBytes holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HACK for Hacker News YC Reader has 1.6K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of HACK for Hacker News YC Reader's written reviews are positive against 98% of DevBytes's.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | HACK for Hacker News YC Reader | DevBytes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hack-for-hacker-news-yc-reader/id1464477788/reviews) | **[4.9 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/devbytes-for-busy-developers/id6742091405/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.6K** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 93.4% of reviews | **98.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 28 MB | 147 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pranoy Chowdhury](https://appshunter.io/developer/952263202) | [Candela Labs Private Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1796758823) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### DevBytes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/devbytes-for-busy-developers/id6742091405)

Consolidate coding, tech, and AI news into a single, distraction-free feed. Access bite-sized updates, in-depth articles, interactive tutorials, and coding challenges. Features an AI sidekick for code explanation and debugging.

**Highlights:** Bite-sized tech news snippets, In-depth articles on senior dev topics, Interactive demos and tutorials, Coding challenges with solutions, AI sidekick for code explanation, Distraction-free learning space

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

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

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

### Is DevBytes free?

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

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

DevBytes is rated higher. HACK for Hacker News YC Reader averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while DevBytes averages 4.9 from 10 ratings.

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

DevBytes shows ads; HACK for Hacker News YC Reader does not.

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

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