# HACK for Hacker News YC Reader vs HackerReads

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HackerReads at none against HACK for Hacker News YC Reader's 6. HackerReads also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). HACK for Hacker News YC Reader's advantage is ratings volume (1.6K vs 3) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

HackerReads holds the better App Store score, 5.0 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 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

HACK for Hacker News YC Reader ships an update every 3 days, HackerReads every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HACK for Hacker News YC Reader | HackerReads |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hack-for-hacker-news-yc-reader/id1464477788/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerreads/id6745434040/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.6K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 93.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 5 days |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 28 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pranoy Chowdhury](https://appshunter.io/developer/952263202) | [Mahesh Adhikari](https://appshunter.io/developer/1761921713) |

## 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 |


### HackerReads

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerreads/id6745434040)

This app delivers curated tech and hacking news with AI-powered summaries. It offers a clean, distraction-free reading experience for developers and tech enthusiasts, ensuring you stay updated on important stories without the clutter.

**Highlights:** AI-powered summaries, Curated top tech stories, Clean, minimal design, Smart story tracking, Dark mode support, Lightweight and fast

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**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 HackerReads free?

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

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

HackerReads is rated higher. HACK for Hacker News YC Reader averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while HackerReads averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

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

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

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

HACK for Hacker News YC Reader ships an update every 3 days, and HackerReads every 5 days. Most recently, HACK for Hacker News YC Reader was updated on October 15, 2026 and HackerReads on September 28, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*