Comparison

Hacko for Hacker News vs Hacker News Reader

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

Head to head
About

Hacko for Hacker News

This client offers a unique way to navigate Hacker News discussions, keeping comments readable at any depth. Enjoy smooth navigation, custom boards, search, and a reading list for an enhanced experience.

Highlights
  • Alternative comment tree display
  • Maintains comment readability
  • Swipe navigation
  • Custom boards
  • Search functionality
  • Reading list
Read full description

It's a Hacker News client that uses an alternative way of displaying the comment tree. Advantages over traditional interfaces: - Comment width doesn't get narrower no matter how deep in the tree you are - You always see the parent of the comment you're currently reading - Swiping allows you to move in and out of subtrees with animated transitions that you fully control - You can easily skip subtrees that don't interest you by simply scrolling As a result it's easier to maintain the context and to keep track of where you are in the Hacker News discussion tree. There are also: custom boards, search, in-thread search, anchors, reading list, recent items. Enjoy your Hacker News reading experience! Developer is not affiliated with Hacker News (https://news.ycombinator.com/) in any way.

About

Hacker News Reader

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
Read full description

The best native Hacker News reader for iOS. Read, vote, comment, and post. HackerNows is a native iPhone app that brings the full Y Combinator Hacker News experience to your device. No webviews, no compromises, just a fast, clean way to stay on top of tech news and developer discussions. Everything you expect from HN: • Vote, comment, post, and favorite stories • Browse Ask, Show, Jobs, and New sections • Read threaded discussions with a clean, native layout • Submit stories directly from the app Organize your way: • Create custom story groups to save and sort what matters • iCloud sync keeps your groups updated across all your devices Built for the community: • Lightweight, fast, and privacy-focused • Optional patronage: support the app if you want, when you want https://hackernows.app/eula

Screenshots

Hacko for Hacker News4 screens
Hacker News Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hacker News Reader at 100% against Hacko for Hacker News's 67%. Hacker News Reader also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Hacko for Hacker News's advantage is ratings volume (31 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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. Hacko for Hacker News sells 5 one-off in-app purchases 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hacker News Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hacko for Hacker News has 31 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Hacko for Hacker News's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hacker News Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacko for Hacker News ships an update fortnightly, Hacker News Reader every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Hacko for Hacker News versus Hacker News Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacko for Hacker NewsHacker News Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (31 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB22 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperAndrii SievrikovRodrigo Cardoso

Customer experience

Hacko for Hacker News

All ratings31 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Hacker News Reader

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Hacko for Hacker News

One-time5
  • Tip - Regular Tip$0.99
  • Tip - Big Tip$3.99
  • Premium$5.99
Show 2 more
  • Tip - Large Tip$6.99
  • Tip - Huge Tip$9.99
6 purchases

Hacker News Reader

Subscriptions3
  • Iron$0.991 Month
  • Steel$1.991 Month
  • Mithril$2.991 Month
One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99

Questions

Is Hacko for Hacker News free?
Hacko for Hacker 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, Hacko for Hacker News or Hacker News Reader?
Hacker News Reader is rated higher. Hacko for Hacker News averages 4.6 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while Hacker News Reader averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Hacko for Hacker News or Hacker News Reader have ads?
Neither Hacko for Hacker News nor Hacker News Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacko for Hacker News or Hacker News Reader?
Hacko for Hacker News ships an update fortnightly, and Hacker News Reader every 10 days. Most recently, Hacko for Hacker News was updated on September 30, 2026 and Hacker News Reader on October 14, 2026.

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