# HackerPillar vs HackTheNews

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: HackTheNews at 15.1 against HackerPillar's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HackerPillar sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and HackTheNews sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HackerPillar | HackTheNews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerpillar-hn-reader/id6444180018/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Taha Broachwala](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634174506) | [HackTheNews](https://appshunter.io/developer/1852327292) |

## What reviewers say

### HackerPillar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerpillar-hn-reader/id6444180018)

This app offers a streamlined and focused reading experience for Hacker News. It features a clean feed, readable comment threads, and a reader mode for articles. Users can save stories, read offline, and track discussions.

**Highlights:** Fast Hacker News feed, Readable comment threads, Focused Reader Mode, Saved stories and offline library, Thread tracking, Advanced search (Pro), Home screen widget

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HackerPillar Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |


### HackTheNews

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackthenews/id6755159012)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HackTheNews Premium Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| HackTheNews Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HackerPillar free?

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

### Is HackTheNews free?

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

### Do HackerPillar or HackTheNews have ads?

Neither HackerPillar nor HackTheNews shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HackerPillar or HackTheNews?

HackerPillar ships an update fortnightly, and HackTheNews fortnightly. Most recently, HackerPillar was updated on June 1, 2026 and HackTheNews on September 10, 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.*