Comparison

Hax for Hacker News vs Hacker News Reader

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

Head to head
About

Hax for Hacker News

Features
Read full description

Hax is a free Hacker News client for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, that aims to provide a native browsing experience that improves upon the website while keeping a similar minimalistic appearance. Browse any Hacker News feed, scroll through stories and watch the discussion unfold in the comments. Other features include the following: - Widgets: display the latest stories of any feed - Discussion at a glance: generate a summary of a story's top comments using the Apple Intelligence on-device model (only on compatible devices) - Controls: open any feed from Control Center, the Lock Screen, or the Action button - Safari extension: when opening Hacker News links in Safari, you can open them in Hax - Filter out stories and comments depending on keywords and/or users - Search stories - Translate titles, comments, and more - Dark Mode and Dynamic Type The project is open-source, so you can check it out on GitHub: https://github.com/lui5fl/hax

About

Hacker News Reader

A native iOS application offering a streamlined Hacker News experience. Users can read, vote, comment, and post stories, browse different sections, and organize content with custom groups. It prioritizes speed and privacy.

Highlights
  • Vote, comment, and post stories
  • Browse Ask, Show, Jobs, and New sections
  • Read threaded discussions
  • Submit stories
  • Create custom story groups
  • iCloud sync for groups
Features
Read full description

The best native Hacker News reader for iOS. Read, vote, comment, and post. HackerNows is a native iPhone app that brings the full Y Combinator Hacker News experience to your device. No webviews, no compromises, just a fast, clean way to stay on top of tech news and developer discussions. Everything you expect from HN: • Vote, comment, post, and favorite stories • Browse Ask, Show, Jobs, and New sections • Read threaded discussions with a clean, native layout • Submit stories directly from the app Organize your way: • Create custom story groups to save and sort what matters • iCloud sync keeps your groups updated across all your devices Built for the community: • Lightweight, fast, and privacy-focused • Optional patronage: support the app if you want, when you want https://hackernows.app/eula

Screenshots

Hax for Hacker News4 screens
Hacker News Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hacker News Reader at every 10 days against Hax for Hacker News's every 7 months. On price, 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

Both are free to download. Hax for Hacker News sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Hacker News Reader sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hax for Hacker News ships an update every 7 months, Hacker News Reader every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Hax for Hacker News versus Hacker News Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHax for Hacker NewsHacker News Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.5 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB22 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperLuis Fariña LázaroRodrigo Cardoso

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Hax for Hacker News

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$3.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
6 purchases

Hacker News Reader

Subscriptions3
  • Iron$0.991 Month
  • Steel$1.991 Month
  • Mithril$2.991 Month
One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99

Questions

Is Hax for Hacker News free?
Hax for Hacker News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hacker News Reader free?
Hacker News Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hax for Hacker News or Hacker News Reader have ads?
Neither Hax for Hacker News nor Hacker News Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hax for Hacker News or Hacker News Reader?
Hax for Hacker News ships an update every 7 months, and Hacker News Reader every 10 days. Most recently, Hax for Hacker News was updated on October 4, 2026 and Hacker News Reader on October 24, 2026.

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