# Hack The News vs Hacker News Reader

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Hack The News at 3 against Hacker News Reader's 1. Hacker News Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hack The News sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month 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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Hack The News against 5.0 for Hacker News Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

Hack The News ships an update every 2 weeks, Hacker News Reader every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hack The News | Hacker News Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hack-the-news-hacker-news/id6447095897/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-reader-hackernows/id6749719853/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 47 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Alperen Unal](https://appshunter.io/developer/1499955243) | [Rodrigo Cardoso](https://appshunter.io/developer/1831862800) |

## What reviewers say

### Hack The News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hack-the-news-hacker-news/id6447095897)

This app provides a streamlined and intelligent way to consume Hacker News content. It offers AI-powered summaries for articles, a clean native reading interface, and powerful search capabilities. Users can also save articles, browse job postings, and customize their reading experience.

**Highlights:** AI article summaries, Native reading experience, Cross-Hacker News search, Article translation, Bookmark saved stories, Hacker News jobs board, Customizable themes

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Month | $4.99 | per month |
| 6 Months | $23.99 | per 6 months |
| Year | $29.99 | per year |
| Hack The News Premium Lifetime | $149.99 | one-time |


### Hacker News Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-reader-hackernows/id6749719853)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Iron | $0.99 | per month |
| Steel | $1.99 | per month |
| Mithril | $2.99 | per month |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hack The News free?

Hack The 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.

### Which has better reviews, Hack The News or Hacker News Reader?

Hack The News and Hacker News Reader are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Hack The News or Hacker News Reader have ads?

Neither Hack The News nor Hacker News Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hack The News or Hacker News Reader?

Hack The News ships an update every 2 weeks, and Hacker News Reader every 10 days. Most recently, Hack The News was updated on October 24, 2026 and Hacker News Reader on October 24, 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.*