# HACK for Hacker News YC Reader vs Principal AI

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

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

Principal AI 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, Principal AI every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HACK for Hacker News YC Reader | Principal AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/principal-ai/id6761268899/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.6K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 93.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 28 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pranoy Chowdhury](https://appshunter.io/developer/952263202) | [Fernando Ramirez](https://appshunter.io/developer/1846460167) |

## 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 |
| Hack Premium | $9.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Amazing Tip | $12.99 | one-time |
| Godzilla Tip | $19.99 | one-time |


### Principal AI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/principal-ai/id6761268899)

Visualize GitHub activity with a unique 2D representation of your repository's structure. Track commits, view file changes, and explore project history in an engaging, visual format. Designed for developers who appreciate code as an art form.

**Highlights:** Live Activity Feed, File City visualization, Commit details, Commit timeline, Pull-to-refresh, Swipe navigation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**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 Principal AI free?

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

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

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

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

Neither HACK for Hacker News YC Reader nor Principal AI shows ads.

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

HACK for Hacker News YC Reader ships an update every 3 days, and Principal AI every 4 weeks. Most recently, HACK for Hacker News YC Reader was updated on October 26, 2026 and Principal AI on October 12, 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.*