# Hackers for Hacker News vs Crew

The clearest difference is update cadence: Crew at every 10 days against Hackers for Hacker News's every 5 weeks. Crew also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Hackers for Hacker News's advantage is ratings volume (429 vs 64). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hackers for Hacker News sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Crew sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hackers for Hacker News holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hackers for Hacker News has 429 ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Hackers for Hacker News's written reviews are positive against 67% of Crew's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Hackers for Hacker News ships an update every 5 weeks, Crew every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hackers for Hacker News | Crew |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (429 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackers-for-hacker-news/id603503901/reviews)** | [4.4 (64 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crew-stack-overflow-code-q-and-a/id1547171709/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **429** | 64 |
| Positive reviews | 63.6% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 9 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Weiran Zhang](https://appshunter.io/developer/588120679) | [Daniel James Tronca](https://appshunter.io/developer/1534445542) |

## What reviewers say

### Hackers for Hacker News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackers-for-hacker-news/id603503901)

A fast, clean, and distraction-free client for reading Hacker News on iOS devices. It's designed for deep technical discussions and efficient navigation, especially within complex comment threads. Enjoy a smooth and readable experience focused on content.

**Highlights:** Fast, native performance, Clean, readable layout, Advanced comment collapsing, Swipe gestures for actions, Light and dark mode, Privacy-focused design

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hackers Supporter | $0.99 | per month |
| Quick Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Nice Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful and clean UI design
- ⚡ Fast and responsive performance
- 🌙 Dark mode support
- 📱 Native iOS implementation
- 🆓 No ads or paywalls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent connectivity issues loading posts/comments
- 🎨 Recent UI redesign poorly received (excessive spacing/padding)
- 👆 Overly sensitive swipe gestures interfere with scrolling
- 🔗 Link copying includes unwanted thread titles
- 🔐 Unnecessary network device permissions requested

**Reported bugs**

- App fails to load posts or comments
- Login/password reset not working
- Swipe gestures trigger unintended menu opens while scrolling
- Links open accidentally during scrolling
- App crashes on refresh

**Requested features**

- Ability to comment and post
- User authentication/login support
- Upvote and downvote functionality
- Save/bookmark posts for later
- Search functionality


### Crew

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crew-stack-overflow-code-q-and-a/id1547171709)

This app provides a native iOS experience for browsing Stack Overflow content. It offers a clean, ad-free interface with powerful navigation and filtering tools for questions, answers, and comments. Enjoy a streamlined way to engage with the developer community.

**Highlights:** Native iOS design, Ad-free browsing, Powerful question filters, Dark mode, Real-time question previews, Gesture navigation

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $19.99 | per year |
| Smoothie-sized Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sandwich-sized tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Buffet-sized Tip | $7.99 | one-time |
| Deluxe-sized tip | $16.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Subscritpion | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hackers for Hacker News free?

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

### Is Crew free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hackers for Hacker News or Crew?

Hackers for Hacker News is rated higher. Hackers for Hacker News averages 4.6 out of 5 from 429 ratings, while Crew averages 4.4 from 64 ratings.

### Do Hackers for Hacker News or Crew have ads?

Neither Hackers for Hacker News nor Crew shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hackers for Hacker News or Crew?

Hackers for Hacker News ships an update every 5 weeks, and Crew every 10 days. Most recently, Hackers for Hacker News was updated on September 21, 2026 and Crew on September 14, 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.*