# HackerNoon vs Hacker News by Emerge

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hacker News by Emerge at 100% against HackerNoon's 73%. Hacker News by Emerge also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). HackerNoon's advantage is ratings volume (21 vs 5) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.5). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Hacker News by Emerge holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of HackerNoon's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hacker News by Emerge's.

HackerNoon ships an update every 2 months, Hacker News by Emerge every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and August 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HackerNoon | Hacker News by Emerge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackernoon/id6447998105/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-by-emerge/id6740922950/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **21** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 24 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HackerNoon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1588140053) | [Emerge Tools](https://appshunter.io/developer/1571511777) |

## What reviewers say

### HackerNoon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackernoon/id6447998105)

Access a vast library of technology articles, tutorials, and perspectives on programming, startups, AI, and blockchain. Listen to stories on the go, create personalized playlists, and engage with a vibrant tech community. Discover recommendations tailored to your interests and build your profile.

**Highlights:** Audio player for stories, Cross-device access, Original and user-generated content, Personalized playlists, Community engagement and discussions, Personalized recommendations, User profiles

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hacker News by Emerge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-news-by-emerge/id6740922950)

Experience Hacker News with a free, open-source client built for a fast, native iOS experience. Optimized for performance and efficiency, it's community-driven and welcomes developer contributions.

**Highlights:** Native iOS experience, Open source and community-driven, Performance and efficiency optimized, Fast and lightweight design, Developer contributions welcome

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HackerNoon free?

HackerNoon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hacker News by Emerge free?

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

### Which has better reviews, HackerNoon or Hacker News by Emerge?

Hacker News by Emerge is rated higher. HackerNoon averages 4.7 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Hacker News by Emerge averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do HackerNoon or Hacker News by Emerge have ads?

Neither HackerNoon nor Hacker News by Emerge shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HackerNoon or Hacker News by Emerge?

HackerNoon ships an update every 2 months, and Hacker News by Emerge every 6 weeks. Most recently, HackerNoon was updated on September 22, 2026 and Hacker News by Emerge on August 21, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*