HackerBook vs stdout.
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HackerBook
Stay updated with the most popular discussions on Hacker News through a streamlined interface. This app makes it effortless to immerse yourself in the tech community's latest conversations.
- Trending topics showcase
- Streamlined interface
- Tech community buzz
- Effortless navigation
- Immersive tech discourse
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Stay in the loop with the top trending topics on Hacker News using our streamlined app. Our main interface showcases the hottest discussions, ensuring you are always updated with the tech community's buzz. Navigating the vast world of Hacker News has never been this effortless and efficient. Dive in and immerse yourself in the heart of tech discourse! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
stdout.
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stdout. is a native iOS client for Hacker News, built from the ground up with SwiftUI. It goes far beyond content aggregation — offering a rich, interactive experience designed around how you actually read. DUAL THEMES Switch between two handcrafted visual modes. Zen offers warm, editorial typography with Georgia serif headlines. Terminal transforms the app into a retro green-on-black CRT aesthetic, complete with monospaced type and animated scanlines. OFFLINE-FIRST WITH SWIFTDATA Stories and comments are cached locally so the app loads instantly on launch. When your connection drops, you keep reading seamlessly with a subtle offline indicator. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Add a Top Stories widget to your home screen in Small or Medium size. The widget updates every 30 minutes and matches your in-app theme. Tap any story to jump straight to it. NATIVE INTERACTIONS Long-press any story to save it to Favorites, share the link, or hide it from your feed. Pull-to-refresh and save actions are accompanied by haptic feedback for a tactile, responsive feel. IN-APP READING Story links open in a themed Safari View Controller with optional Reader Mode — no context switching to external apps.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: stdout. at none against HackerBook's 2. stdout. also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). HackerBook's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price and device support 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
Both are free to download. HackerBook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. stdout. asks for nothing beyond the download.
HackerBook ships an update fortnightly, stdout. every 4 days. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.
| Parameter | HackerBook | stdout. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Tao Xu | Hanshuo Tan |
In-app purchases
HackerBook
- Exclusive News$2.991 Month
- Tips$0.99
stdout.
No in-app purchases









