# Beacon AR vs Hacker Note

The clearest difference is price: Beacon AR at Free against Hacker Note's $9.99. Hacker Note's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Beacon AR is free to download; Hacker Note costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Beacon AR ships an update every 7 months, Hacker Note fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beacon AR | Hacker Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $9.99 |
| Positive reviews | — | 85.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Size | 24 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TETSUHIKO TAMAI](https://appshunter.io/developer/558118526) | [yuki okada](https://appshunter.io/developer/1505937141) |

## What reviewers say

### Beacon AR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon-ar/id1499254701)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hacker Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-note-cool-design/id1541110936)

This note-taking app offers a unique "coolness" with a design inspired by hackers and sci-fi movies. Enjoy a futuristic feel with a transparent background option and customizable themes. It includes essential features like categorization, password protection, and cloud backup.

**Highlights:** High-performance and simple functionality, Transparent app background, Theme color customization, Category management, HTML and Markdown output, Password protection, Google Drive backup

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beacon AR free?

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

### Is Hacker Note free?

Hacker Note costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Beacon AR or Hacker Note have ads?

Neither Beacon AR nor Hacker Note shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Beacon AR or Hacker Note?

Beacon AR ships an update every 7 months, and Hacker Note fortnightly. Most recently, Beacon AR was updated on September 14, 2026 and Hacker Note on September 8, 2026.

---

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