Comparison

HackerBook vs stdout.

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Trending topics showcase
  • Streamlined interface
  • Tech community buzz
  • Effortless navigation
  • Immersive tech discourse
Features
Read full description

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/

About

stdout.

Features
Read full description

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

HackerBook4 screens
stdout.4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. HackerBook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. stdout. asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HackerBook ships an update fortnightly, stdout. every 4 days. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
HackerBook versus stdout.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHackerBookstdout.
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB5 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperTao XuHanshuo Tan

In-app purchases

2 purchases

HackerBook

Subscriptions1
  • Exclusive News$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Tips$0.99
None

stdout.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HackerBook free?
HackerBook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is stdout. free?
stdout. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HackerBook or stdout. have ads?
stdout. shows ads; HackerBook does not.
Which is updated more often, HackerBook or stdout.?
HackerBook ships an update fortnightly, and stdout. every 4 days. Most recently, HackerBook was updated on September 21, 2026 and stdout. on September 21, 2026.

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