# Hacker News vs XPulse

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: XPulse at none against Hacker News's 4. XPulse also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.4). Hacker News's advantage is ratings volume (34 vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hacker News sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. XPulse asks for nothing beyond the download.

XPulse holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hacker News has 34 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Hacker News ships an update every 5 days, XPulse weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hacker News | XPulse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-latest-in-tech/id1573004386/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xpulse/id6759664726/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **34** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 79.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 20 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Snap Web Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/496259214) | [Zeyu Li](https://appshunter.io/developer/1880064304) |

## What reviewers say

### Hacker News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-latest-in-tech/id1573004386)

Access the latest tech, startup, and science news with a fast and customizable reader. Organize stories by topic, search quickly, and enjoy AI-powered summaries. This ad-free experience syncs across devices and prioritizes your privacy.

**Highlights:** Fast browsing of feeds and comments, iCloud sync for favorites and read status, Customizable story groups by topic, Lightning-fast search, AI-powered story summaries, Ad-free reading experience, Home screen widgets

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Extra Large Tip | $19.99 | one-time |


### XPulse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xpulse/id6759664726)

Stay informed about artificial intelligence with daily, concise insights. This app distills AI news, podcasts, and research into actionable takeaways, allowing you to understand key developments quickly. Choose to read or listen to content, and save important information for later.

**Highlights:** Daily AI insights, Summarized news and research, Podcast and article distillation, Listen or read options, Save insights for later, Understand AI's impact

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hacker News free?

Hacker News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is XPulse free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hacker News or XPulse?

XPulse is rated higher. Hacker News averages 4.7 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while XPulse averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Hacker News or XPulse have ads?

Neither Hacker News nor XPulse shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hacker News or XPulse?

Hacker News ships an update every 5 days, and XPulse weekly. Most recently, Hacker News was updated on November 7, 2026 and XPulse on October 31, 2026.

---

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