Comparison

Hack The News vs HackStream

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Hack The News

This news reader app offers a streamlined experience for Hacker News content. It features AI-powered summaries to quickly grasp article key points and allows for easy browsing, searching, and saving of stories and jobs. Customize your reading with themes and widgets.

Highlights
  • AI article summaries
  • Native reading experience
  • Search stories and comments
  • Article translation
  • Bookmark articles
  • Jobs board
  • Home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Your smart, fast Hacker News reader, powered by AI. Hack The News turns Hacker News into a clean native reading experience for developers, founders, startup people, and curious tech readers. Browse top, best, new, show, ask, and job stories. Open discussions without clutter. Get instant AI summaries when an article is too long and you just need the key points. Why Hack The News? - AI summaries: get a TLDR for any story and decide what is worth reading. - Native reader: read articles, comments, and link previews in a fast iPhone-first interface. - Search: find stories, comments, and users across all of Hacker News. - Translation: translate stories, comments, and summaries into your preferred language. - Bookmarks: save articles, developer news, startup ideas, and YC job posts for later. - Jobs board: browse Hacker News and YC startup jobs directly in the app. - Widgets: keep top tech stories on your Home Screen. - Custom themes: tune the reading experience to match your style. Premium unlocks the full experience: - Unlimited AI summaries - Unlimited bookmarks - Full theme customization - Home Screen widgets - All future premium features included Built for the Hacker News community. No ads. No clutter. Just the stories, links, comments, and software news that matter. Download Hack The News and read Hacker News smarter, not longer. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

HackStream

Features
Read full description

HackStream is an unofficial Hacker News client designed to streamline your experience.  At its core, HackStream has a customizable upvote threshold and you only see stories that meet that level in your feed. That way, you can enjoy a clean, focused feed of high-quality posts.  ou can bookmark, comment, reply, and upvote directly. Browse new, top, best and more.  HackStream keeps you in control of the Hacker News content that matters most to you.

Screenshots

Hack The News4 screens
HackStream4 screens

Verdict

The call

Hack The News and HackStream are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hack The News sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and HackStream sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Hack The News versus HackStream: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHack The NewsHackStream
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB13 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperAlperen UnalFiveSheep OU

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Hack The News

Subscriptions2
  • Month3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Year3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Hack The News Premium Lifetime$149.99
1 purchases

HackStream

One-time1
  • Notifications$1.99

Questions

Is Hack The News free?
Hack The News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HackStream free?
HackStream is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hack The News or HackStream have ads?
Neither Hack The News nor HackStream shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hack The News or HackStream?
Hack The News ships an update every 3 weeks, and HackStream every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hack The News was updated on November 8, 2026 and HackStream on November 9, 2026.

Other comparisons