Comparison

Hacki for Hacker News vs Ember Feed

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Hacki for Hacker News

Access Hacker News content with this open-source client. Browse, search, and submit stories, manage favorites, leave comments, and participate in polls. Enjoy offline reading and receive notifications for replies.

Highlights
  • Hacker News account login
  • Browse stories by category
  • Search and submit stories
  • Favorite and pin stories
  • Comment and view polls
  • Offline reading
  • Reply notifications
Features
Read full description

Features: - Hacker News account login - Favorites sync - Hacker News Search - In-thread search - Ancestor lookup so you don't have to scroll back up to regain context - In-thread notification for new comments since your last visit - In-app notification for new replies to your comments or stories - Offline mode - Synced settings across devices - Favorites import and export - Open Hacker News link in Hacki via system share dialog - Share story or comment as image - Reply, vote, filter, block - Polls - True dark mode - Tablet support - Accent color and font customization - And more...

About

Ember Feed

A beautiful and calm RSS reader designed for focus and clarity. Organize your chosen content with custom themes, fonts, and folders. Syncs seamlessly across devices and offers offline reading.

Highlights
  • Customizable themes and fonts
  • Folder organization for feeds
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Offline article caching
  • OPML import/export
  • Mark articles as read/unread
  • Save articles for later
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A calm, beautiful home for your feeds. Ember Feed is a modern RSS reader for macOS designed for people who want focus, clarity, and control over their news. No algorithms. No noise. Just the content you choose — presented beautifully. Designed to Feel Good Reading should feel calm. Ember Feed features soft pastel gradient themes, light and dark mode, and a curated selection of 20 beautiful fonts so you can create a reading space that feels uniquely yours. Seamless iCloud Sync Your feeds and reading progress stay in sync across your devices with iCloud. Start reading on your Mac and continue right where you left off. Stay Organized • Organize feeds into folders • Personalize folders with custom emoji icons • Mark articles as read or unread • Save articles for later Your feed structure is fully yours — simple, flexible, and intuitive. Import and Export with Ease Already using another RSS reader? Import your subscriptions instantly with OPML. You can also export anytime — your data always belongs to you. Offline-Ready Articles are cached for offline reading, so your feeds are available even without an internet connection.

Screenshots

Hacki for Hacker News4 screens
Ember Feed4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Hacki for Hacker News at Free against Ember Feed's $5.99. Hacki for Hacker News also leads on ratings volume (40 vs 1) and iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.1). Ember Feed's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and chart position (#138 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Hacki for Hacker News is free to download; Ember Feed costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ember Feed holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hacki for Hacker News has 40 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Hacki for Hacker News's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ember Feed's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacki for Hacker News ships an update every 3 days, Ember Feed every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Hacki for Hacker News versus Ember Feed: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacki for Hacker NewsEmber Feed
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating4.6 (40 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings40 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#138 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.6 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB15 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJiaqi FengLawrence Gimenez

Customer experience

Hacki for Hacker News

All ratings40 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive88.2%
Neutral5.9%
Negative5.9%

Ember Feed

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Hacki for Hacker News

No in-app purchases

None

Ember Feed

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hacki for Hacker News free?
Hacki for Hacker News is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ember Feed free?
Ember Feed costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hacki for Hacker News or Ember Feed?
Ember Feed is rated higher. Hacki for Hacker News averages 4.6 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Ember Feed averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Hacki for Hacker News or Ember Feed have ads?
Neither Hacki for Hacker News nor Ember Feed shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacki for Hacker News or Ember Feed?
Hacki for Hacker News ships an update every 3 days, and Ember Feed every 6 days. Most recently, Hacki for Hacker News was updated on October 17, 2026 and Ember Feed on October 15, 2026.

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