Comparison

Rosella 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

Rosella for Hacker News

Features
Read full description

Rosella is a beautiful Hacker News reader, designed from the ground up to provide the best possible experience on iPhone and iPad. * Full Hacker News functionality Read stories, participate in discussions, vote, see poll results, submit content, reply to others and view user profiles. You can do it all from Rosella! * Make It Yours Hide stories from websites you dislike, choose your favorite colors, and customize the experience with many more options! * Designed for iPhone (and iPad!) Rosella features a native, clean interface that makes it feel right at home on your device. * No tracking, no ads Rosella is a privacy respecting app made by an independent developer. Whether you're a longtime Hacker News user or just discovering it, I hope you'll enjoy using Rosella. Try it out and take your Hacker News game to the next level! Disclaimer: This app is an independent creation and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Y Combinator or the official Hacker News site 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

Rosella for Hacker News4 screens
Hacker News Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hacker News Reader at every 11 days against Rosella for Hacker News's every 6 weeks. Hacker News Reader also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Rosella for Hacker News sells 1 one-off in-app purchase 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rosella for Hacker News ships an update every 6 weeks, Hacker News Reader every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Rosella for Hacker News versus Hacker News Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRosella for Hacker NewsHacker News Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB19 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperDiego Otero DiazRodrigo Cardoso

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Rosella for Hacker News

One-time1
  • Rosella Pro$4.99
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 Rosella for Hacker News free?
Rosella 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.
Do Rosella for Hacker News or Hacker News Reader have ads?
Neither Rosella for Hacker News nor Hacker News Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rosella for Hacker News or Hacker News Reader?
Rosella for Hacker News ships an update every 6 weeks, and Hacker News Reader every 11 days. Most recently, Rosella for Hacker News was updated on September 14, 2026 and Hacker News Reader on September 21, 2026.

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