# HackerPillar vs Hacker News App.

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hacker News App. at none against HackerPillar's 1. Hacker News App. also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.0). HackerPillar's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HackerPillar sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Hacker News App. asks for nothing beyond the download.

HackerPillar ships an update fortnightly, Hacker News App. every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HackerPillar | Hacker News App. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Taha Broachwala](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634174506) | [Ishan r Malviya](https://appshunter.io/developer/586384118) |

## 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 |


### Hacker News App.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-app/id6760903873)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HackerPillar free?

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

### Is Hacker News App. free?

Hacker News App. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do HackerPillar or Hacker News App. have ads?

Hacker News App. shows ads; HackerPillar does not.

### Which is updated more often, HackerPillar or Hacker News App.?

HackerPillar ships an update fortnightly, and Hacker News App. every 3 days. Most recently, HackerPillar was updated on November 3, 2026 and Hacker News App. on October 31, 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.*