# Comments Owl for Hacker News vs ZyNotes

The clearest difference is rating: ZyNotes at 4.7 against Comments Owl for Hacker News's 4.0. ZyNotes also leads on ratings volume (28 vs 1). Comments Owl for Hacker News's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ZyNotes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Comments Owl for Hacker News asks for nothing beyond the download.

ZyNotes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ZyNotes has 28 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Comments Owl for Hacker News's written reviews are positive against 86% of ZyNotes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Comments Owl for Hacker News ships an update every 4 days, ZyNotes fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Comments Owl for Hacker News | ZyNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/comments-owl-for-hacker-news/id6451333500/reviews) | **[4.7 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zynotes-private-offline-notes/id6745183770/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **28** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 86.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 100 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [J BUCHANAN & L.J BUCHANAN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1668516169) | [Md Imran Ansari](https://appshunter.io/developer/1811164726) |

## What reviewers say

### Comments Owl for Hacker News

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/comments-owl-for-hacker-news/id6451333500)

Enhances the Hacker News browsing experience by highlighting new comments, allowing user muting and note-taking, and offering customizable navigation. It streamlines comment thread following and improves overall readability across devices.

**Highlights:** Highlight new comments automatically, Mute and annotate users, Customizable navigation links, Improved mobile navigation, Default comment folding controls, Hide AI items

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ZyNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zynotes-private-offline-notes/id6745183770)

This app offers a secure, offline note-taking experience with no account required. It features a rich editor, to-do lists, image insertion, and PDF export. Customize your workspace and protect sensitive entries with a password.

**Highlights:** Fast and frictionless note-taking, Private and offline by default, Optional iCloud backup, Advanced note editor with rich formatting, Built-in to-do lists, Add photos to notes, Share notes as PDF, Lock and secure your notes

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zynotes Weekly Premium | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Zynotes Premium (Annual) | $9.99 | per year |
| Zynotes Lifetime Access | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Comments Owl for Hacker News free?

Comments Owl for Hacker News is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ZyNotes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Comments Owl for Hacker News or ZyNotes?

ZyNotes is rated higher. Comments Owl for Hacker News averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while ZyNotes averages 4.7 from 28 ratings.

### Do Comments Owl for Hacker News or ZyNotes have ads?

Neither Comments Owl for Hacker News nor ZyNotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Comments Owl for Hacker News or ZyNotes?

Comments Owl for Hacker News ships an update every 4 days, and ZyNotes fortnightly. Most recently, Comments Owl for Hacker News was updated on October 22, 2026 and ZyNotes on October 20, 2026.

---

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