# HackerPillar vs Clear Reader ™

The clearest difference is monetization model: Clear Reader ™ at free against HackerPillar's freemium. Clear Reader ™ also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HackerPillar sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and Clear Reader ™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for HackerPillar against 5.0 for Clear Reader ™. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

HackerPillar ships an update fortnightly, Clear Reader ™ every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and July 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HackerPillar | Clear Reader ™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackerpillar-hn-reader/id6444180018/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clear-reader/id6763055559/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 4 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Taha Broachwala](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634174506) | [Space 64 LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1769185943) |

## 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 |


### Clear Reader ™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clear-reader/id6763055559)

This app offers a calm and focused way to read curated news feeds offline. It provides tools for managing articles, adjusting the reading experience, and searching cached content, promoting deliberate reading over scrolling.

**Highlights:** Calm, minimal RSS feed interface, Offline article caching, Search cached articles, Save articles for later, Filter articles by keywords, Customizable themes and text size

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Clear Reader Pro | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HackerPillar free?

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

### Is Clear Reader ™ free?

Clear Reader ™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, HackerPillar or Clear Reader ™?

HackerPillar and Clear Reader ™ are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do HackerPillar or Clear Reader ™ have ads?

Neither HackerPillar nor Clear Reader ™ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HackerPillar or Clear Reader ™?

HackerPillar ships an update fortnightly, and Clear Reader ™ every 2 days. Most recently, HackerPillar was updated on June 1, 2026 and Clear Reader ™ on July 29, 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.*